From the The Lectionary:
The Christian bishops, chiefs, commanders, clergy and people of Sudan declared, on May 16, 1983, that they would not abandon God as God had revealed himself to them under threat of Shariah Law imposed by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Khartoum. Until a peace treaty was signed on January 9, 2005, the Episcopal Church of the Province of the Sudan suffered from persecution and devastation through twenty-two years of civil war. Two and a half million people were killed, half of whom were members of this church.
From the proposal before the 75th General Convention
The Commemoration of the Martyrs of Sudan was provisionally approved by General Convention, June 2006
Wisdom 3:1-4
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
PRAYER
O God, the One who is steadfast in the midst of persecution, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before you the blessed martyrs of the Sudan, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they refuse to abandon, even in the face of death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today, in Iraq, the Christian community is disappearing through persecution. Many have been forced into exile, as others have been murdered, kidnapped, and forced to convert to Islam. Pray for the Christians in Iraq.
UPDATE: Here's a link to an article in the Guardian on the plight of the Christians in Iraq.
Iraq's Christian community is close to extinction as thousands are forced to flee their traditional strongholds in Baghdad.
....
Priests claim that half Baghdad's pre-2003 Christian population - estimated in the hundreds of thousands - has fled or been killed. They also claim that the Iraqi government is failing to protect them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Link This For The Sake Of The Nation
Scout Prime at First Draft has asked bloggers to link to this piece in the Washington Post by John Barry, the author of Rising Tide, the story of the 1927 flood of the Mississippi River Valley.
How can I refuse Scout, who has taken up the cause of New Orleans and south Louisiana as though it was her own, even though she lives in Wisconsin? Actually, it is her cause and mine and yours and the cause of everyone in our country.
I'll use the same quotes from the article that she uses:
Without action, land loss will continue, and it will increasingly jeopardize populated areas, the port system and energy production. This would be catastrophic for America. Scientists say the problem can be solved, even with rising sea levels, but that we have only a decade to begin addressing it in a serious way or the damage may be irreversible.
Despite all this and President Bush's pledge from New Orleans in September 2005 that "we will do what it takes" to help people rebuild, a draft White House cuts its own recommendation of $2 billion for coastal restoration to $1 billion while calling for an increase in the state's contribution from the usual 35 percent to 50 percent. Generating benefits to the nation is what created the problem, and the nation needs to solve it. Put simply: Why should a cab driver in Pittsburgh or Tulsa pay to fix Louisiana's coast? Because he gets a stronger economy and lower energy costs from it, and because his benefits created the problem. The failure of Congress and the president to act aggressively to repair the coastline at the mouth of the Mississippi River could threaten the economic vitality of the nation. Louisiana, one of the poorest states, can no longer afford to underwrite benefits for the rest of the nation.
That's why it is your cause and my cause and our nation's cause. As with so many problems that the Bush maladministration ignores, time is running out. It's in everyone's selfish interest to save the coast of Louisiana.
How can I refuse Scout, who has taken up the cause of New Orleans and south Louisiana as though it was her own, even though she lives in Wisconsin? Actually, it is her cause and mine and yours and the cause of everyone in our country.
I'll use the same quotes from the article that she uses:
Without action, land loss will continue, and it will increasingly jeopardize populated areas, the port system and energy production. This would be catastrophic for America. Scientists say the problem can be solved, even with rising sea levels, but that we have only a decade to begin addressing it in a serious way or the damage may be irreversible.
Despite all this and President Bush's pledge from New Orleans in September 2005 that "we will do what it takes" to help people rebuild, a draft White House cuts its own recommendation of $2 billion for coastal restoration to $1 billion while calling for an increase in the state's contribution from the usual 35 percent to 50 percent. Generating benefits to the nation is what created the problem, and the nation needs to solve it. Put simply: Why should a cab driver in Pittsburgh or Tulsa pay to fix Louisiana's coast? Because he gets a stronger economy and lower energy costs from it, and because his benefits created the problem. The failure of Congress and the president to act aggressively to repair the coastline at the mouth of the Mississippi River could threaten the economic vitality of the nation. Louisiana, one of the poorest states, can no longer afford to underwrite benefits for the rest of the nation.
That's why it is your cause and my cause and our nation's cause. As with so many problems that the Bush maladministration ignores, time is running out. It's in everyone's selfish interest to save the coast of Louisiana.
Little Freddie King Sings The Blues
A couple of weekends ago, while I was visiting my friend in Houston, I met a fellow native of New Orleans. We started right off talking about what parts of the city we had lived in and comparing notes on schools attended. She was not my contemporary, being a decade or so younger than I am, and we did not land in the same neighborhoods at the same time. Still, we had much to talk about.
Her father had moved to New Orleans to play music. Not because he had a job playing music, but because he wanted to be on the music scene in New Orleans. He had a day job which supported his family, but he played the music he loved on the side. How many folks moved to New Orleans to play the music?
Little Freddie King was another non-native musician, who headed into New Orleans from McComb, Mississippi at the age of 14. Here's King's story from the Times-Picayune by Chris Bynum:
Stress, says Little Freddie King, is what beckons his fingers to the guitar strings and unleashes the best of the blues.
The 66-year-old bluesman, among the last of the gritty country blues originals, has known stress in many forms: rocky relationships with women, overdue bills "or when your car is broke and you need to get somewhere, and you can't. Or a family member don't treat you right," said King....
Hurricane Katrina is his most recent muse, flooding his home and forcing him to live in another state.
The storm brought King loss and gain, that ebb and flow of life that adds a deeper raspiness to the throats of those who sing from personal experience.
On the Wednesday after the storm, as water flowed into the Central Business District, he and Alabama Slim (fellow bluesman Milton Frazier) left the Hotel Monteleone and headed to Texas.
....
"The blues has been stronger since Katrina," said King, whose soulful songs ironically express much gratitude. "Most of it is about homesickness. Before Katrina, my biggest blues was about the different women I had."
...
King hopes to bless some hearts with his gift of music. In August, he will move back to New Orleans, into a rental house designated for master musicians in residence at the Musicians Village in the Upper 9th Ward. The rental units, sponsored by New Orleans Habitat for Humanity and Shell, are provided for musicians to work in the planned Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
The Musicians Village of rental property reserved for New Orleans musicians is an absolute genius of a concept. Affordable rental property is becoming more and more of a problem, harder to find, and this project will enable a number of musicians to remain in or return to the city.
Handing down blues to a younger generation can be difficult, King said. The title of his latest CD for Fat Possum Records, "You Don't Know What I Know," pretty much says why. But King is patient when it comes to his music. Blues, he reveals in his own life, is all about waiting.
Along with many other musicians, King could not make a living playing music.
King worked long hours for 37 years rebuilding carburetors and electrical equipment, and stayed with the wife who inspired the song "Mean Little Woman" until she died in a nursing home several years ago.
What a way to go down to posterity - as the "Mean Little Woman".
But life goes on for a bluesman. Today there's a new girlfriend, and she, too, has inspired a song: "My Little Baby-Face Baby" is about love's frustrations when two people try to share a life.
"She's my little baby-face baby, and every time I ask her to do something right, she turn around and do something wrong," he spoke the lyrics, the consonants rolling seamlessly from one to the next. King has no teeth to bite spaces between the words, so the easy momentum in his voice flows like uninterrupted thoughts.
I encourage you to read the whole beautifully written article. Bynum's piece gives a true feel for the kind of folks who were not native-born New Orleanians, but who were drawn to the city by the magic of the music, the food, the laissez-faire ambiance, and the soul of the city.
Before Katrina, New Orleans had many problems, the worst of which was a public school system which was close to totally dysfunctional, that no one seemed to be able to provide the will or the wisdom or the money to fix. And then there was the seemingly intractable problem of violent crime. I won't believe that the two problems are not connected one to the other. New Orleans was in decline before Katrina. I'm not blind to that. Nevertheless, I'm still in love with what's left of the city I grew up in, the city of the blues.
Yes, I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
Her father had moved to New Orleans to play music. Not because he had a job playing music, but because he wanted to be on the music scene in New Orleans. He had a day job which supported his family, but he played the music he loved on the side. How many folks moved to New Orleans to play the music?
Little Freddie King was another non-native musician, who headed into New Orleans from McComb, Mississippi at the age of 14. Here's King's story from the Times-Picayune by Chris Bynum:
Stress, says Little Freddie King, is what beckons his fingers to the guitar strings and unleashes the best of the blues.
The 66-year-old bluesman, among the last of the gritty country blues originals, has known stress in many forms: rocky relationships with women, overdue bills "or when your car is broke and you need to get somewhere, and you can't. Or a family member don't treat you right," said King....
Hurricane Katrina is his most recent muse, flooding his home and forcing him to live in another state.
The storm brought King loss and gain, that ebb and flow of life that adds a deeper raspiness to the throats of those who sing from personal experience.
On the Wednesday after the storm, as water flowed into the Central Business District, he and Alabama Slim (fellow bluesman Milton Frazier) left the Hotel Monteleone and headed to Texas.
....
"The blues has been stronger since Katrina," said King, whose soulful songs ironically express much gratitude. "Most of it is about homesickness. Before Katrina, my biggest blues was about the different women I had."
...
King hopes to bless some hearts with his gift of music. In August, he will move back to New Orleans, into a rental house designated for master musicians in residence at the Musicians Village in the Upper 9th Ward. The rental units, sponsored by New Orleans Habitat for Humanity and Shell, are provided for musicians to work in the planned Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
The Musicians Village of rental property reserved for New Orleans musicians is an absolute genius of a concept. Affordable rental property is becoming more and more of a problem, harder to find, and this project will enable a number of musicians to remain in or return to the city.
Handing down blues to a younger generation can be difficult, King said. The title of his latest CD for Fat Possum Records, "You Don't Know What I Know," pretty much says why. But King is patient when it comes to his music. Blues, he reveals in his own life, is all about waiting.
Along with many other musicians, King could not make a living playing music.
King worked long hours for 37 years rebuilding carburetors and electrical equipment, and stayed with the wife who inspired the song "Mean Little Woman" until she died in a nursing home several years ago.
What a way to go down to posterity - as the "Mean Little Woman".
But life goes on for a bluesman. Today there's a new girlfriend, and she, too, has inspired a song: "My Little Baby-Face Baby" is about love's frustrations when two people try to share a life.
"She's my little baby-face baby, and every time I ask her to do something right, she turn around and do something wrong," he spoke the lyrics, the consonants rolling seamlessly from one to the next. King has no teeth to bite spaces between the words, so the easy momentum in his voice flows like uninterrupted thoughts.
I encourage you to read the whole beautifully written article. Bynum's piece gives a true feel for the kind of folks who were not native-born New Orleanians, but who were drawn to the city by the magic of the music, the food, the laissez-faire ambiance, and the soul of the city.
Before Katrina, New Orleans had many problems, the worst of which was a public school system which was close to totally dysfunctional, that no one seemed to be able to provide the will or the wisdom or the money to fix. And then there was the seemingly intractable problem of violent crime. I won't believe that the two problems are not connected one to the other. New Orleans was in decline before Katrina. I'm not blind to that. Nevertheless, I'm still in love with what's left of the city I grew up in, the city of the blues.
Yes, I know what it means to miss New Orleans.
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Surge In Iraq
The number of Americans killed in Iraq has surged past 3400, standing, as of now, at 3401, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, with the number of wounded surging to 26,188.
The military forces serving in Iraq have done what we asked them to do. It's time to bring them home. It's way past time.
The military forces serving in Iraq have done what we asked them to do. It's time to bring them home. It's way past time.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Our Lady Of The Driveway - Part 2
Thanks to Athenae at First Draft for the photo and the title. She took this picture when she was in New Orleans at the end of March, when a group of us led by FD bloggers, Athenae and Scout Prime, gathered to gut a house, view the destruction, and squeeze in a little fun.
The statue of the Virgin Mary stood in a driveway. The head was broken off, but someone had put it back in place. The photo and the title struck me with such force when I first saw it that I have never forgotten it. The image of the statue of Mary in the driveway - "Mary, full of grace" as Athenae calls her - was the symbol of my destroyed and broken home town, my abandoned city, my beloved New Orleans - always full of grace to me.
Our Lady Of The Driveway
O Mary of the Driveway,
Broken like your city,
Your head lies on the ground.
A sorry sight, a sign,
A sign of devastation
Wrought by wind and water,
Angry blow and raging flow.
A passer-by, one of tender heart,
Sees and stops and mourns your head
Lying there apart,
And gently, gently takes it
And replaces it.
There. Our Lady's whole again.
Or so it seems. Or is it so?
June Butler - 5-13-07
As hurricane season rapidly approaches, the levees in New Orleans are not properly fixed; the newly installed pumps are inadequate and many don't work. I know that New Orleans is not safer than before Katrina and the levee failures. I'm not an engineer, and I could be wrong, but, from what I've read of what's been done and what's been left undone in the 19 months since the disaster, the city could possibly be less safe than before Katrina.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
For Mothers
A Cradle Song
THE angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.
God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
Are gay with his mood.
I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.
William Butler Yeats
From The Poets' Corner.
A Blessed and Happy Mother's Day!
THE angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.
God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
Are gay with his mood.
I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.
William Butler Yeats
From The Poets' Corner.
A Blessed and Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Jane Austen And Irony
Chawton Cottage
Reader alert! This post is totally self-indulgent of my great admiration for a certain lady's writing. Those of you not interested in Jane Austen can move along before reading further.
In the event that you may have wondered, I am not the person pictured on my sidebar. That is an engraving taken from the only known portrait of Jane Austen made during her lifetime, done by her sister Cassandra. You can see the portrait here. I wanted to put the picture at the top of the post, but I would have to purchase rights from the National Portrait Gallery in London. I sent them an email just to test how it's done, and here is the initial automated response to my email:
Over the next few weeks, we are implementing some changes to our systems in the Picture Library, aimed at improving the services we offer. During the interim period, there may be some delays, and it will be more important than usual for you to contact us well in advance of your deadlines. As usual, we will do our best to help, but offer our apologies, in advance, for any delays, and hope you will bear with us.
The very next day, I received a personal reply:
Thank you for your enquiry below.
If you wish to licence NPG 3630 from the Picture Library, for use on your blog, for a licence period of up to three years, we would charge a licence fee of £18.00 Pounds Sterling. If you proceed in licensing NPG 3630 from us at this cost, we would allow you to use the larger thumbnail of NPG 3630 that appears on the Gallery's own website at....
As you see, the staff member was quite courteous and sent a prompt reply, but, much as I love Jane Austen, I'm not paying the equivalent of $36.00 for the use of the picture. Yes, I'm cheap. Certain museums, such as the Vatican Museum through their Christus Rex site and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, allow free use of illustrations of their holdings.
The quotation beneath the picture on my sidebar is from my favorite of her novels, Pride and Prejudice, words spoken by my favorite character in the novel, Elizabeth Bennett. I consider the words as my philosophy of the proper use of irony.
When I was 16 years old, I read a chapter from Pride and Prejudice that was included in my English literature textbook. It was the chapter in which Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth in a haughty and insolent manner, and she, of course, refuses. The characters and the glimpse of the story captivated me, therefore, as soon as I could, I went to find a copy of the book to read the whole thing.
I adored it. She writes beautifully. Her gift for writing dialogue is unsurpassed. Make no mistake about it; I am passionate about her writing.
I rather quickly went through the other five completed novels, and I loved every one of them. P&P will always be my favorite, but the others move up and down in my list of which is my second favorite. Through the years, I have read all of her books over and over, and I never tire of them.
For a good many years I trekked to New Orleans to attend the meetings of the Jane Austen Society there, but after Katrina, new leadership took over the group, and the events were not to my taste.
One year I traveled to the national convention of the Jane Austen Society of North America held in Santa Fe, of all places. A surprising number of the folks who attended seemed to eat, sleep, live, and breathe Jane Austen. I'm a devotee, but she's not my whole life. Some wore eighteenth and nineteenth century dress to the dinners.
Sometimes I wonder if my tending toward irony is genetic, since my father was a master of irony, but he sometimes used it cruelly toward his wife and children. I hope I don't put it to cruel use. Tell me if I do. Or was it learned at his knee? Or was it learned by reading Austen's books over and over?
Several years ago, I attended a study program on Jane Austen at Oxford University. We stayed in student rooms during the summer break. It was awesome - at least to me - to stay in those hallowed halls, which I had read about and seen in movies and on TV. We took day trips to Steventon, the church where Jane's father served as vicar. We saw the house in Winchester, where she died at the young age of 41, and the cottage in Chawton on the grounds owned by her brother, Edward Knight, where she lived until she moved to Winchester to die. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.
During one program lecture, as we were discussing irony in Austen's writing, a woman asked the lecturer to explain irony. She said that she had never been able to "get" irony. As I remember, our lecturer was a bit stunned, but, of course, he tried not to show it. He was surprised, I believe, because he must have been wondering why she had crossed the ocean for a program on Jane Austen without having any concept of irony. I can't imagine what one would make of reading Jane Austen without an understanding of irony.
I give you the first words from Pride And Prejudice:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Reading the words literally, with no understanding of irony, what does one take away? I talked to the woman afterwards, and she declared that she truly loved Jane Austen's writing. I didn't have the nerve to follow up and question her about what attracts her to Jane Austen's works. I suppose that it's like reading Trollope; one can read simply for the story.
Over the next couple of days, I will have only intermittent access to a computer, so posting will be light or not at all.
Have a lovely weekend, my pretties.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Another Day In Court
Today my son and his wife are officially divorced. As I see it, this is simply a legal affirmation of a state that has existed since last fall. I am sorry to see a family break up, but it has been broken for seven-plus months. For that long, the two have not been husband and wife.
This divorce has hardly been amicable, as those of you who have read my blog for a while already know. You have heard me call it the divorce from hell. Much bitterness, and ill-feeling, and ill-doing has passed between my son and his ex-wife. My prayer is that now the two can move on, away from the anger and bitterness and focus on their two precious children, a girl 11 and a boy 6, and love them well and act in their best interests.
Prayer For the Care of Children
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, p. 829
This divorce has hardly been amicable, as those of you who have read my blog for a while already know. You have heard me call it the divorce from hell. Much bitterness, and ill-feeling, and ill-doing has passed between my son and his ex-wife. My prayer is that now the two can move on, away from the anger and bitterness and focus on their two precious children, a girl 11 and a boy 6, and love them well and act in their best interests.
Prayer For the Care of Children
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, p. 829
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Inner Censor
I write my blog picturing my rector standing over my shoulder reading what I write. I have told him that I have a blog, but he did not ask for the name or the web address. I don't know if he reads it or not, but I rather doubt that he does. I don't believe that I change what I write because of that, because my own inner censor works pretty well. But that picture in my mind is an aid to discretion, to not revealing too much in a public forum about other people with whom I associate.
My rector is a fine man, quite pastoral and compassionate, especially to the sick, the elderly, (including me) and the otherwise needy in our community. We are blessed to have him with us.
Having said all that, on occasion, my inner censor conflicts with my inner rebel and loses the battle, sometimes to good effect, other times with unfortunate results. I'd like to think that I manage to get it right most of the time, but I am an imperfect human being, and I do make mistakes. When I make mistakes, I hope that I learn from them.
Speaking with all the humility that I can muster, my goal in my writing is to glorify God. If it does not, then I pray that God will direct me to using my time in another manner that will better serve to bring honor to him.
I have no illusions about having great influence even among the small group of folks who come here to visit, and I write as much for myself as for others. However, if no one read my blog and no one commented, I would probably stop blogging and keep a diary. I very much like the exchanges with the people who take the trouble to respond to my posts. I like posting comments on the blogs of others, too, and I did that for years before starting my own blog.
I may run out of words one day or burn out; I've seen that happen with bloggers that I admired quite a lot. Thus far, for me, it's been enjoyable. I think that when blogging stops being fun, I will stop blogging.
How's that for an "all about me" post?
My rector is a fine man, quite pastoral and compassionate, especially to the sick, the elderly, (including me) and the otherwise needy in our community. We are blessed to have him with us.
Having said all that, on occasion, my inner censor conflicts with my inner rebel and loses the battle, sometimes to good effect, other times with unfortunate results. I'd like to think that I manage to get it right most of the time, but I am an imperfect human being, and I do make mistakes. When I make mistakes, I hope that I learn from them.
Speaking with all the humility that I can muster, my goal in my writing is to glorify God. If it does not, then I pray that God will direct me to using my time in another manner that will better serve to bring honor to him.
I have no illusions about having great influence even among the small group of folks who come here to visit, and I write as much for myself as for others. However, if no one read my blog and no one commented, I would probably stop blogging and keep a diary. I very much like the exchanges with the people who take the trouble to respond to my posts. I like posting comments on the blogs of others, too, and I did that for years before starting my own blog.
I may run out of words one day or burn out; I've seen that happen with bloggers that I admired quite a lot. Thus far, for me, it's been enjoyable. I think that when blogging stops being fun, I will stop blogging.
How's that for an "all about me" post?
The Episcopal Café
Jim Naughton and the group at The Episcopal Café have put together a fine web site. It includes news, art, meditations, and other information on the Episcopal Church and religion in general.
Last night, I was finally able to register to comment. I was already in the system, but I had lost the information that I needed to sign in. Nicholas Knisely at the technical end was quite helpful to me in resolving the problem.
You might want to pay them a visit.
Last night, I was finally able to register to comment. I was already in the system, but I had lost the information that I needed to sign in. Nicholas Knisely at the technical end was quite helpful to me in resolving the problem.
You might want to pay them a visit.
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