From the Times-Picayune:
The mound of rotted drywall and moldy planks piled recently outside the wrecked house in Algiers looked more or less identical to the countless heaps that have littered the New Orleans landscape since Hurricane Katrina.
But as volunteers with the Episcopal Diocese's disaster response team soon learned, this batch of gutted debris bore one important difference: Unlike the piles they had tirelessly deposited on curbsides across town during the past two years, a trash crew would not be coming to pick up this one.
The heap festered for days as complaints rolled in from neighbors, including a mom who said her toddler had tried to jump into the garbage, said Katie Mears, director of the church's recovery office.
The diocese ended up paying $600 to have the pile hauled away, a considerable sum for a charity whose work also includes rehabbing houses.
"It comes out of rebuild money, which is what's terrible about it," Mears said. "It's what we would be using to buy Sheetrock and paint."
Because of wrangling over contract clauses between the the city officials and waste disposal companies, folks who gut their ruined houses will have to haul their own trash away, or pay to have it done. The piles are taller than people, sometimes as tall as the houses, and they stretch from one end of the property to the other. They are filled with dangerous materials.
In signing the deals last year, Mayor Ray Nagin vowed that the steeper cost was worth the improved services to usher in a new era of cleanliness along New Orleans' notoriously litter-strewn streets.
But city officials in recent weeks admit they are not requiring the vendors to collect curbside debris discarded from gutting and rebuilding projects, debris that would seem to meet the broad definition outlined in their contracts.
Instead, they're holding the companies to more lenient standards spelled out in the city building code and in an ordinance adopted in April -- five months after the deals were signed -- that saddle residents with the responsibility of hauling away all but the most trivial amounts of construction waste.
I have said repeatedly that every level of government failed the people of New Orleans from the beginning, and that's still true. Whatever progress the city makes in recovering will be mainly due to the efforts of the citizens and volunteers.
I don't understand how the people of New Orleans voted to reelect Ray Nagin, who had already proved himself incompetent. What were they thinking? Maybe now they know better, but it's too late.
You can read the whole sorry tale of the city officials and the companies booting responsibility back and forth with the end result that no one is responsible, and the citizens must do it themselves. Sad.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Feast Of All Saints
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz - El Greco, 1586-1588 - oil on canvas Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain.
Image from Wiki.
The Carmina Gadelica
The holy Apostles’ guarding,
The gentle martyrs’ guarding,
The nine angels’ guarding,
Be cherishing me, be aiding me.
The quiet Brigit’s guarding,
The gentle Mary’s guarding,
The warrior Michael’s guarding,
Be shielding me, be aiding me.
The God the elements’ guarding,
The loving Christ’s guarding,
The Holy Spirit’s guarding,
Be cherishing me, be aiding me.
From Christ Episcopal Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa:
READINGS:
Eucharistic:
Psalm 149;
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10,13-14; Revelation 7:2-4,9-17; Matthew 5:1-12
Daily Office:
AM: Psalm 111, 112; 2 Esdras 2:42-47; Hebrews 11:32-10:2
PM: Psalm 148, 150; Wisdom 5:1-5, 14-16; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-22:
PRAYER
O Almighty God, who have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those indescribable joys which you have prepared for those who truly love you: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.
James Kiefer at the Lectionary has the full reading from "Ecclesiasticus" which begins:
Let us now praise famous men,
and our fathers in their generations.
The LORD apportioned to them great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
And then, ending with these words:
There are some of them who have left a name,
so that men declare their praise.
And there are some who have no memorial,
who have perished as though they had not lived;
they have become as though they had not been born,
and so have their children after them.
But these were men of mercy,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten.
Their posterity will continue for ever,
and their glory will not be blotted out.
Their bodies were buried in peace,
and their name lives to all generations.
Thanks be to God.
Kiefer includes the full text of "A Litany of All the Saints".
Viewing the painting itself must be an extraordinary experience. Wiki's article on the work seems quite good, and the story behind the painting is there, too. The link above takes you to it.
A Greek-turned-Spanish painter, a Gaelic prayer, the Bible, and prayers from services of the Episcopal Church are quite a mix in one post, but they're my offering to celebrate the feast day.
UPDATE: Of course, Padre Mickey has a beautiful post on the feast day, too.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Eucharistic Theology - I Am Orthodox, Or...
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Winchester Cathedrel Choir At St. Thomas
High Altar, reredos, and stained glass at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York.
On the Monday morning in New York, I visited the Guggenheim Museum. On my way back to the hotel, I rode the bus and got off near St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue. I had passed the church many times before riding in taxis, but I had never gone in. Since I was on foot, I decided to stop in.
Am I glad I did! The high altar and reredos are a magnificent sight. The stained glass and even the floors are lovely. The website, linked above, offers a virtual tour of the church in which are many beautiful sights. Look at the gorgeous sight of one of the organs and the rose window above the entryway. I'm determined to go back to St. Thomas, because from the virtual tour, I see that I missed several of their treasures.
While I was there, I came upon a notice about a concert the next evening - the only free evening I had left - by the boys' and men's choir of Winchester Cathedral. I bought a ticket as soon as I could find the office.
The choir performance was excellent. I watched the stillness of the young boys as they sang in their lovely voices and followed attentively the promptings of the choir director, and I tried to picture my grandsons in the mix. It didn't happen. My rambunctious crew of five would not fit into the picture. One grandson, who attends Jesuit High School in New Orleans and is learning a bit of military-type discipline, along with politeness, is moving in the right direction.
Among the selections that I most enjoyed were, "Komm, Jesu, Komm", BWV 229 by J. S. Bach, which was splendidly performed, just before the intermission. Following the intermission I enjoyed especially, "The Lamb" by John Taverner, words by William Blake, "Laudi alla Vergine Maria" by James MacMillan, "Salve Regina", by Poulenc, and, the finale, "God Is Gone Up" by Gerald Finzi, which includes nearly the whole second half of the program. The choir made a joyful noise unto the Lord.
From the translation to the words of "Komm, Jesu, Komm" by Paul Thymich:
Come, Jesus, come,
My flesh is weary,
My strength doth fade e're more and more,
For now I yearn
To reach thy stillness;
This bitter path doth me oppress!
Come myself to thee I'll offer;
Thou are the proper way, the true way and the true life.
An old newspaper, The Evening Telegram from Aug. 8, 1905, is on display in the narthex. The article tells the story of the fire which destroyed the third St. Thomas Church, with the headline, "St. Thomas, Centre Of The Social World In Ashes".
Altogether, it was a lovely evening, listening to the beautiful music in an equally beautiful setting.
The reredos are a sight to behold, containing over 80 carved figures and measuring 43 ft. wide and 80 ft. high.
On the Monday morning in New York, I visited the Guggenheim Museum. On my way back to the hotel, I rode the bus and got off near St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue. I had passed the church many times before riding in taxis, but I had never gone in. Since I was on foot, I decided to stop in.
Am I glad I did! The high altar and reredos are a magnificent sight. The stained glass and even the floors are lovely. The website, linked above, offers a virtual tour of the church in which are many beautiful sights. Look at the gorgeous sight of one of the organs and the rose window above the entryway. I'm determined to go back to St. Thomas, because from the virtual tour, I see that I missed several of their treasures.
While I was there, I came upon a notice about a concert the next evening - the only free evening I had left - by the boys' and men's choir of Winchester Cathedral. I bought a ticket as soon as I could find the office.
The choir performance was excellent. I watched the stillness of the young boys as they sang in their lovely voices and followed attentively the promptings of the choir director, and I tried to picture my grandsons in the mix. It didn't happen. My rambunctious crew of five would not fit into the picture. One grandson, who attends Jesuit High School in New Orleans and is learning a bit of military-type discipline, along with politeness, is moving in the right direction.
Among the selections that I most enjoyed were, "Komm, Jesu, Komm", BWV 229 by J. S. Bach, which was splendidly performed, just before the intermission. Following the intermission I enjoyed especially, "The Lamb" by John Taverner, words by William Blake, "Laudi alla Vergine Maria" by James MacMillan, "Salve Regina", by Poulenc, and, the finale, "God Is Gone Up" by Gerald Finzi, which includes nearly the whole second half of the program. The choir made a joyful noise unto the Lord.
From the translation to the words of "Komm, Jesu, Komm" by Paul Thymich:
Come, Jesus, come,
My flesh is weary,
My strength doth fade e're more and more,
For now I yearn
To reach thy stillness;
This bitter path doth me oppress!
Come myself to thee I'll offer;
Thou are the proper way, the true way and the true life.
An old newspaper, The Evening Telegram from Aug. 8, 1905, is on display in the narthex. The article tells the story of the fire which destroyed the third St. Thomas Church, with the headline, "St. Thomas, Centre Of The Social World In Ashes".
Altogether, it was a lovely evening, listening to the beautiful music in an equally beautiful setting.
The reredos are a sight to behold, containing over 80 carved figures and measuring 43 ft. wide and 80 ft. high.
What we missed - "A Grave Affair"
Picture stolen from Ormonde.
Because of my travels and settling in at home, Grandpère and I missed "A Grave Affair" on Sunday. And I missed seeing Ormonde, from Through the Dust, and meeting his family. And it was at my church!
We got the date mixed up and failed to show. I'm disappointed, because I enjoyed the event last year and because I missed a chance to have a chat with my fellow Louisiana blogger and his family.
Maybe next year.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Off You Go, And Rightly So
From the Daily Comet:
A 6-year veteran of the Thibodaux Police Department was dismissed Monday in connection with charges arising from his display of a rope tied in the shape of a noose from the rear-view mirror of his personal car that was parked on city property.
....
...[Michael] Rodrigue expressed disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal to the city's Civil Service Board.
That's the proper decision. I hope the Civil Service Board does its job and supports the police chief.
A 6-year veteran of the Thibodaux Police Department was dismissed Monday in connection with charges arising from his display of a rope tied in the shape of a noose from the rear-view mirror of his personal car that was parked on city property.
....
...[Michael] Rodrigue expressed disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal to the city's Civil Service Board.
That's the proper decision. I hope the Civil Service Board does its job and supports the police chief.
Feast Day Of Simon And Jude
From James Kiefer at the Lectionary:
On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the "Cananean," the Aramaic word meaning "Zealot") and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. ("Judas" in New Testament contexts corresponds to "Judah" in Old Testament ones.
Beyond those references, we don't know much about Simon and Jude. There's speculation, of course, but few facts.
What I liked about Kiefer's post is his take on "invocation of the saints".
In the first place, the expression, "praying to Saint X" is misleading and unfortunate. In older English "pray" simply meant to request politely.
....
That was a preliminary comment on terminology. Now to the question. Undoubtedly asking one's fellow Christians in heaven for their prayers is something that can be abused. It can readily degenerate into the notion that getting what you want from God is a matter of knowing what channels to go through, what strings to pull. One ends up thinking of heaven as a place like the seat of a corrupt government (whether Washington or Versailles), where favors are traded and deals are made by influence peddlers.
....
Do I spend a significant fraction of my prayer time asking various Christians now in heaven for their prayers. No, just as I do not spend a lot of time asking my fellow Christians here on earth for their prayers. But I do ask for, and value, the prayers of my fellow Christians, living and dead; and I delight in the knowledge that when I praise God, my voice is part of a great chorus of praise in which angels, glorified and perfected saints, saints still on their pilgrimage, and even (in ways befitting their natures) beasts, plants, and inanimate objects join together. "Let all things praise the LORD." Amen.
I think that's quite good. Kiefer expresses my view of the purpose and use of the invocation of the saints.
READINGS:
Daily Office:
AM: Psalm 66; Isaiah 28:9-16; Ephesians 4:1-16
PM: Psalm 116, 117; Isaiah 4:2-6; John 14:15-31
PRAYER
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles,
and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray
that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we
may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the "Cananean," the Aramaic word meaning "Zealot") and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. ("Judas" in New Testament contexts corresponds to "Judah" in Old Testament ones.
Beyond those references, we don't know much about Simon and Jude. There's speculation, of course, but few facts.
What I liked about Kiefer's post is his take on "invocation of the saints".
In the first place, the expression, "praying to Saint X" is misleading and unfortunate. In older English "pray" simply meant to request politely.
....
That was a preliminary comment on terminology. Now to the question. Undoubtedly asking one's fellow Christians in heaven for their prayers is something that can be abused. It can readily degenerate into the notion that getting what you want from God is a matter of knowing what channels to go through, what strings to pull. One ends up thinking of heaven as a place like the seat of a corrupt government (whether Washington or Versailles), where favors are traded and deals are made by influence peddlers.
....
Do I spend a significant fraction of my prayer time asking various Christians now in heaven for their prayers. No, just as I do not spend a lot of time asking my fellow Christians here on earth for their prayers. But I do ask for, and value, the prayers of my fellow Christians, living and dead; and I delight in the knowledge that when I praise God, my voice is part of a great chorus of praise in which angels, glorified and perfected saints, saints still on their pilgrimage, and even (in ways befitting their natures) beasts, plants, and inanimate objects join together. "Let all things praise the LORD." Amen.
I think that's quite good. Kiefer expresses my view of the purpose and use of the invocation of the saints.
READINGS:
Daily Office:
AM: Psalm 66; Isaiah 28:9-16; Ephesians 4:1-16
PM: Psalm 116, 117; Isaiah 4:2-6; John 14:15-31
PRAYER
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles,
and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray
that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we
may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Red Beans And Rice And Bishop Katharine
When I saw the post at OCICBW about Bishop Katharine, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, mentioning red beans and rice in a sermon in Dearborn, Michigan, I thought surely that it was a joke, but, indeed, it is not.
From Episcopal Life via MadPriest:
The Executive Council is meeting in a hotel not too far away, and usually when we meet in hotels we're not the only group there. When we met in Chicago last year there was a convention of North American Roman Catholic nuns. This time it's a missionary Baptist gathering. I was walking through the convention center yesterday morning, and some of the doors to the meeting rooms were open. One group was hearing about family ministry, and from another room came a booming voice talking about prayer. He said, with the wonderful cadence of the best of Baptist preaching, "fasting and prayer go together like red beans and rice."
And of course, he's right. Fasting is enriched and made meaningful through prayer, and prayer becomes deeper when it's connected to some kind of fasting. And the combination of beans and rice is significant -- in order to get a complete protein, you have to eat them together -- either one alone is incomplete, and a healthy diet needs both. The same is true for prayer and fasting.
But the more I thought about that image, the richer it became. There's a wonderful irony in comparing fasting to eating. Particularly when you think about the emotional aura around red beans and rice -- it's not just survival food, it's the kind of comfort food you bring out for a feast, like those great and abundant images of the heavenly banquet. In a deeply real sense, we can't know the gift of either fasting or feasting without the other -- the feast that comes at the end of Lent is a greater joy when we've really fasted. The daily evening feast in the month of Ramadan is spiced by the discipline of fasting through the sunlit hours. Prayer is deepened through fasting, both the prayer of desire and hunger, and the prayer of gratitude at being filled.
Then, Bishop Katharine continues on to preach about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I'll let you go to Episcopal Life to see how she connects one to the other.
Now MadPriest believes that this sermon is conclusive proof that the PB is a secret reader of OCICBW. Again, stooping to quote myself, I said this in the comments over there, with only the barest trace of irony:
Of course, the Baptist preacher and her visit to New Orleans had nothing to do with the PB's forming the rich image of a heavenly banquet consisting of red beans and rice. It is definite confirmation that she reads OCICBW.
The PB's recipe is surely not for eating.
Yes, please, do not eat the red beans, if you use the recipe for cooking them in the cartoon over there.
From Episcopal Life via MadPriest:
The Executive Council is meeting in a hotel not too far away, and usually when we meet in hotels we're not the only group there. When we met in Chicago last year there was a convention of North American Roman Catholic nuns. This time it's a missionary Baptist gathering. I was walking through the convention center yesterday morning, and some of the doors to the meeting rooms were open. One group was hearing about family ministry, and from another room came a booming voice talking about prayer. He said, with the wonderful cadence of the best of Baptist preaching, "fasting and prayer go together like red beans and rice."
And of course, he's right. Fasting is enriched and made meaningful through prayer, and prayer becomes deeper when it's connected to some kind of fasting. And the combination of beans and rice is significant -- in order to get a complete protein, you have to eat them together -- either one alone is incomplete, and a healthy diet needs both. The same is true for prayer and fasting.
But the more I thought about that image, the richer it became. There's a wonderful irony in comparing fasting to eating. Particularly when you think about the emotional aura around red beans and rice -- it's not just survival food, it's the kind of comfort food you bring out for a feast, like those great and abundant images of the heavenly banquet. In a deeply real sense, we can't know the gift of either fasting or feasting without the other -- the feast that comes at the end of Lent is a greater joy when we've really fasted. The daily evening feast in the month of Ramadan is spiced by the discipline of fasting through the sunlit hours. Prayer is deepened through fasting, both the prayer of desire and hunger, and the prayer of gratitude at being filled.
Then, Bishop Katharine continues on to preach about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I'll let you go to Episcopal Life to see how she connects one to the other.
Now MadPriest believes that this sermon is conclusive proof that the PB is a secret reader of OCICBW. Again, stooping to quote myself, I said this in the comments over there, with only the barest trace of irony:
Of course, the Baptist preacher and her visit to New Orleans had nothing to do with the PB's forming the rich image of a heavenly banquet consisting of red beans and rice. It is definite confirmation that she reads OCICBW.
The PB's recipe is surely not for eating.
Yes, please, do not eat the red beans, if you use the recipe for cooking them in the cartoon over there.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
No Anonymous Comments
For now, I'm allowing only folks registered with Blogger to comment, because I'm being annoyed by anonymous comments. For a couple of you who do comment as anonymous and then sign your names, I'm sorry. I'll try turning the block off in a few days.
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