Maundy Thursday

"The Sacrament of the Last Supper" by Salvador Dalí.

Readings:

AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 142, 143
Lam. 2:10-18; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; Mark 14:12-25

PRAYER

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Last Supper

Come, my friends, it's Passover night.
Find the room; prepare the table.
Buy the bread; get the wine.
One of you will betray me.

Take and eat. This is my body,
Given for you.
Drink the cup, my blood shed for you
And many.

We'll not eat together again
Till kingdom come.
Sing with me now, for you'll run
When they take me.

"Oh, no, Lord, not I!"
Peter, my friend, you will,
And deny me, too.

June Butler - 3/12/08

Prayer Request From Kate Morningstar

Kate Morningstar said...

Mimi -- I'd e-mail you directly, but I'm not having any luck. I'm requesting prayers for my Diocese, and the senior clergy of the diocese, for tomorrow, Maundy Thursday. You can see why here.

From Kate's blog:

Late in February, three parishes of the Diocese voted to secede from the Diocese and the Anglican Church of Canada, and receive Episcopal oversight from the Province of the Southern Cone. They intend to take the real property of the parishes with them. Ownership of the property has gone to court, and the court granted temporary, sole occupancy of the premises to the parishes, which belong to something called the Anglican Network of Canada. The issue is scheduled to go back to court tomorrow, Maundy Thursday. We don’t know what time. The Diocese holds the position that the Diocese owns all parish property, and that the people who gave money for their purchase in the first place intended for the parishes to be part of the ACC.

Please, hold us in your prayers tomorrow: the Diocese of Niagara, Bishop Michael Bird, Executive Archdeacon Michael Patterson, and Secretary of Synod, the Rev. Canon Dr. Rick Jones. I’m a secretary in an Anglican parish, and doing a pre-internship M. Div. student placement in the same parish. I’ll be putting in at least an 11-hour day tomorrow. Also, I’ve got the flu, and may not have energy to make a blog entry. Please, keep the diocese in your prayers, and you can check for updates at this link.

Were You There?

Our man in black, Johnny Cash, and the Carter family. They were young, weren't they? That's Mother Maybelle Carter on the right, June Carter second from right, and perhaps, Anita Carter second from left. I don't know who the other woman is. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, because I'm guessing.

Thanks to Ormonde at Through the Dust for calling the video to my attention.

UPDATE: Ormonde Plater said...

As someone (Susan S) on my blog advised, the four Carter girls are (from right): Mother Maybelle, June, Anita, and Helen. I'm guessing the date is 1968 (the year Johnny married June) 1963 or thereabouts.

Iraq War Blogswarm

Statement of Purpose

This blogswarm will promote blog postings opposing the war in Iraq and calling for a full withdrawal of foreign occupying forces in Iraq. Five years of an illegal and catastrophic war is five years too many. On the March 19 anniversary of the conquest of Iraq by the Bush Administration, there needs to be a loud volume of voices countering the pro-war propaganda from far too many politicians and corporate media outlets.

You can believe the number of 1,000,000 Iraqis dead or not. I've had folks argue with me about the number. No one is really counting, but I'll wager the number is, at least, in the high hundreds of thousands. There are untold numbers of wounded, many with horrible wounds, loss of limbs, blindness, brain damage, with not much in the way of good medical care, since many medical facilities have been destroyed. Doctors and other medical workers have been killed and kidnapped, with the result that a good number have fled Iraq.

Much of the infrastructure in Iraq is destroyed. Once the war stops, it will be a decade or more until life returns to anything approaching normal in the country. The task of rebuilding will be daunting and extremely expensive - but not until the war is over can the rebuilding begin.

The numbers of refugees inside and outside Iraq total between 2 million and 4 million, many of them living desperate and dreadful lives in refugee camps. The countries which admitted them do not have endless resources to care for them. We should be helping those countries more than we are now. We should be taking in more refugees ourselves, if they want to come here, especially those who have cooperated with the US and will be likely targets when we leave.

On Democracy Now, I watched the testimony of three young men who served multiple tours in Iraq, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, on what they had seen and done, the orders that they had been given, and the "rules of engagement" of the US troops in Iraq. It was difficult to watch, because the three that I saw were obviously traumatized, each in his own way, by the war, and again by recalling the memories and giving their testimony.

At Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, I learn that 3990 3992 3996 American troops have been killed - getting close to the 4000 number. Nothing significant about the number, except the passing of another thousand mark.

I note this at ICCC:

Wasielewsk, Anthony Raymond 08-Oct-2007
Cassidy, Gerald J. 25-Sep-2007
Richards, Jack D. 29-Jul-2007
Salerno III, Raymond A. 16-Jul-2006
Smith, John "Bill" 01-Oct-2005
Note: The soldiers listed above died from wounds received in Iraq, however, the DoD has not included their deaths in their official count.

What's with that? Why aren't they counted?

The total number of wounded at ICCC is 40,229. Again, many of these troops suffer from terrible wounds, lost limbs, blindness, deafness, brain damage, but that number does not include many of the wounded in soul and spirit, nor does it include the numbers who suffered from undiagnosed concussions, with resulting brain damage, which are only now being given attention. That's not counting many cases of PTSD resulting in ruined lives, divorce, and homelessness amongst veterans.

We've learned that many are not receiving the best of care in military hospitals. We hear of difficulties and neglect of the veterans after they're discharged from military hospitals. Many of the disabled must fight long and hard to get their disability pensions, if they get them at all. In gratitude for serving their country, this is what the vets get from the government who sent them to war.

John McCain says that the surge is working. It's true that the incidents of violence have decreased, but the numbers may now be creeping back up. However, our troops are worn out, their equipment is worn out. We don't have the resources to continue in the increased numbers of the surge.

Does anyone see signs that Iraq will have a functional government in the near future? That was the purpose of the surge, a last-ditch opportunity for the Iraqi leadership to make progress in forming a workable government. John McCain is prepped for a hundred years war in Iraq if it takes that long. What will be left for the government to govern, if the war goes on for much longer?

It's time to begin to bring the troops now. Make a responsible plan for withdrawal - complete withdrawal, with no US military bases left in Iraq. Give Iraq back to the Iraqis. End the occupation.

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

UPDATE: please read Johnieb's essay at Here Still Running. He's been there. He knows. No, not in Iraq, but in Vietnam. Don't say they're not the same. War is war. War is hell.

Please Pray

Blogger susankay said...

A wonderful pregnant moon,

And, please, once again --pray for Molly-the-WonderDog. She is see-ing or hearing things I cannot hear. They terrify her, I guess it may be a brain tumor. She loves you all as I do.

May God send the love that heals to Molly and Susan.

Pastor Wright, Obama, And The Media

For several days now, I have been appalled at the news coverage of the tempest in a teapot, the molehill turned into a mountain, that is the sermon of the Reverend Jerimiah Wright. That's the Rev. Wright who is recently retired, but was, for 20 years, pastor to Barack Obama at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He preached a sermon recently which included words that some deemed offensive or, at the very least, inflammatory. I watched those parts of his sermon on video, and I did not find them offensive.

I do not agree with everything the Rev. Wright said, nor have I agreed with everything I have heard in sermons preached in the predominantly white churches that I attend, including one in a Roman Catholic Church recently, in which the congregation was called upon to applaud President Bush.

The best responses to the sermon and the coverage by the media that I have read are from bloggers.

From Rmj at Adventus, the Beatitudes from the Scholar's Version.

Congratulations, you poor!
God's domain belongs to you!

Congratulations, you hungry!
You will have a feast.

Congratulations, you who weep now!
You will laugh.

Damn you rich!
You already have your consolation!

Damn you who are well-fed now!
You will know hunger.

Damn you who laugh now!
You will learn to weep and grieve."

Rmj adds:

The congratulations are pretty risible, whether you translate makarios as "Congratulations" or "Blessed." And the ouai, rendered here as "Damn you!" is not really a nice reflection on the rich and powerful, no matter how you slice it.

Rmj has another good post here in which he includes this quote from a press release from Trinity UCC:

"Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ. This does not include weekday worship services, revivals and preaching engagements across America and around the globe, to ecumenical and interfaith communities. It is an indictment on Dr. Wright's ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite," said the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

To which Rmj responds:

It is not only a cheap shot, it's pretty damned stupid to think that 15 seconds sums up a person's entire thought over 36 years. But, of course, this is politics, not a graduate seminar on theology or hermeneutics, so what else can we expect? And other than accept Jeremiah Wright as their spiritual leader and pastor for 36 years, what has Trinity UCC-Chicago done?

From Pastor Dan at Street Prophets:

Rev. Wright is I'm sure sharply aware that poverty and repression are daily realities for many of those seated in Trinity's sanctuary. The anger of his sermons is not his own invention, but grows from the unhappiness and frustration his parishioners feel. He must be responsible to those feelings even if he doesn't endorse them, even as he tries to move his community beyond them. It isn't his responsibility to comfort the privileged overhearers of his message, nor is it to speak "respectfully" of the outside world. His job is to articulate the good news for his congregation, which often means articulating a message of hope, liberation, and justice, even if that upsets the outside world.
....

In short, Wright eschews the feel-good comforts of religion and poses difficult questions about whether things in America are just and equitable.

This, of course, makes Sean and Tucker and Anderson and all the other fatuous f*cks who control our popular discourse pop a gasket. They are invested almost like no others in propping up the ways things are. It's how they make a living in the world of the corporate media.

About the media, I could not agree more with Pastor Dan, but the name that I would name would be Chris Wallace. He was sick-making.

Thanks to Fran at FranIAm for calling my attention to Pastor Dan's post and for letting me vent at her blog.

I read the transcript and watched a replay of Obama's speech today. I thought it was a fine speech. He distanced himself from certain of the Rev. Wright's words, but not from the pastor himself, which would have been quite unworthy. In the speech, Obama gave a brief and eloquent history of our country, including parts of the history that are often neglected. He's quite the speechmaker, and it's a true pleasure to watch him. Here's a link to the video from MoveOn.

Here's the text of Obama's speech from the New York Times.

A quote from the speech:

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.

Very good, Mr. Obama. Now if you can get elected and if your deeds match your words, we just might be on the way to better times.

An Italian Boy's Confession

Tomorrow is St. Joseph's feast day, the day the Italian-Americans set aside for celebrating their heritage day with St. Joseph altars and food, food, food. I will be blogging on another subject tomorrow, so here's a bit of Italian-American humor one day early.

From my daughter, whose boys are half Italian-American. Did I train her up right?

This could only happen with a little Italian kid..
Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have been with a loose girl". The priest asks, "Is that you, little Joey Pagano ?"
"Yes, Father, it is."
"And who was the girl you were with?"
"I can't tell you, Father, I don't want to ruin her reputation"
Well, Joey, I'm sure to find out her name sooner or later so you may as well tell me now.
Was it Tina Minetti?"
"I cannot say."
"Was it Teresa Mazzarelli?"
"I'll never tell."
"Was it Nina Capelli?"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot name her."
"Was it Cathy Piriano?"
"My lips are sealed."
"Was it Rosa Di Angelo, then?"
"Please, Father, I cannot tell you."
The priest sighs in frustration. "You're very tight lipped, Joey Pagano, and I admire that. But you've sinned and have to atone. You cannot be an altar boy now for 4 months. Now you go and behave yourself."
Joey walks back to his pew, and his friend Franco slides over and whispers,
"What'd you get?"
"4 months vacation and five good leads."

I know. I'm naughty, naughty, naughty. You needn't tell me.

The Opera - Part II - "Otello"

Verdi's "Otello", with Renée Fleming, of the gorgeous voice, was one of the major lures for me to bite and schedule the Smithsonian opera program. The opera schedule seemed made for me, with the exception of "Peter Grimes", which turned out to be a wonderfully pleasant surprise.

Renée Fleming was as beautiful in appearance as her voice was beautiful. She looked lovely. Her voice is incredible, full, rich, smooth, sweet, and seemingly effortless. Of course, I know that it's not effortless, but that's how it seems when the sound comes forth. Her poignant portrayal of the loving, good, and loyal Desdemona was quite moving.

Johan Botha, as Otello, is a rotund man, which, in this case, reinforces for us his image of himself as unworthy of the good and beautiful Desdemona. I'm told that singing the role of Otello is incredibly difficult, and Botha made it through the opera with flying colors, seeming as fresh at the end of the opera as at the beginning. His voice left a bit to be desired, and his acting even more. I wanted more power in his voice and acting. More's the pity that he was outperformed by both Fleming and Guelfi (as Iago), although I will give him points for stamina.

On the other hand, Carlo Guelfi, as Iago, was magnificent in voice and in acting. His singing was powerful, as was his stage presence. The air was electric when he was on stage. As the scheming, malevolant deceiver, his performance was outstanding. I part company with the reviewer in the NYT on Iago, but he saw a different performance than I. Perhaps Guelfi was better the second time around. Wendy White was excellent as Emilia, and both Ronald Naldi and Garrett Sorenson were strong in the parts of Roderigo and Cassio.

Of course, I love the lyrical and beautiful music of the opera. "Otello" is thought by many to be Verdi's greatest opera. The libretto follows Shakespeare's drama fairly closely, with the exception that certain parts of the play are omitted.

My hope to hear Renée Fleming live was realized, and what a joy it was! Fortunately, our seats were fairly close to the stage. I had seen pictures of Fleming, and I knew that she was beautiful, but to see her and hear her in real life was a pleasure that I'll never forget.

Conductor - Semyon Bychkov
Montano - Charles Taylor
Cassio - Garrett Sorenson
Iago - Carlo Guelfi
Roderigo - Ronald Naldi
Otello - Johan Botha
Desdemona - Renée Fleming
Emilia - Wendy White
A herald - David Won
Lodovico - Kristinn Sigmundsson

Picture of the two principals from the New York Times.

Whither Goeth David Vitter?

Nowhere, apparently, because, as Vitter says, "Anybody who looks at the two cases [his and Eliot Spitzer's] will see there is an enormous difference between the two of them. The people that are trying to draw comparisons to the two cases are people who've never agreed with me on important issues like immigration and other things."

Well, now we all understand. That explains why Sen. Vitter is still in the US Senate and why his fellow family-values Republican senators seem OK with that. There are prostitution scandals and prostitution scandals, and, according to Vitter and the Republicans in the Senate, Vitter's prostitution scandal doesn't meet the resignation test.

Sen. Vitter's quote taken from the Times-Picayune.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's another of the Irish jokes sent to me by you-know-who, our Doug, of course. Doug is not fictitious, you know. I met him in New York.

An Irishman who had a little too much to drink is driving home from the city one night and, of course, his car is weaving violently all over the road.

A cop pulls him over. "So," says the cop to the driver, "where have ya been?"

"Why, I've been to the pub of course," slurs the drunk.

"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite a few to drink this evening."

"I did all right," the drunk says with a smile.

"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight, and folding his arms across his chest, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"

"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk. "for a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

And since it's the very day when we all join to celebrate the Irish, whether we're Irish or not, here's another:

Mary Clancy goes up to Father O'Grady after his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears. He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary my dear?"

She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news. My husband passed away last night."

The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible. Tell me, Mary, did he have any last requests?"

She says, "That he did, Father."

The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary?"

" She says, "He said, 'Please Mary, put down that damn gun..."

Yeah, that one has a little touch of the black humor, doesn't it?

As Doug says, "AND THE BEST FOR LAST!"

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth, sits down, but says nothing.

The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention, but the drunk continues to sit there.

Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.

The drunk mumbles, "Ain't no use knockin, there's no paper on this side either."

That Doug! He's wicked, isn't he?

Photo by Keith I. Marszalek at NOLA.com.