My First Communion Boy

Pictured above is my youngest grandson on the occasion of his First Communion in the Roman Catholic Church. He's thumbing through his gift from Mimi and Grandpère, a Star Wars dictionary, which he adored. The tradition is to give the children something pious like a rosary, a cross, a Bible, etc. I wanted to give him a Bible, but, as usual, I wasn't organized in time to buy a suitable Bible online, and none were to be found in my area. There was a "God's Warrior Bible", but that did not appeal to me. I settled for the Star Wars book, so as not to be at the ceremony empty-handed. Not pious at all. Or is it? Well, it could be. I found out what the rest of the family gave him, and he did not get a Bible, so he'll get one from us - later.

All the children looked so sweet and holy. My GS answered not one, but TWO questions from the priest, both correctly. He was quite proud, as was his grandmother.

Fr. Irish is no longer the pastor of their church - Fr. Irish, of the request for applause for President Bush during the sermon and the unusual liturgies with "Hail Marys" in the middle of the Eucharistic prayer, lost his work permit and had to return to Ireland. I'm sure the bishop will miss him, as there is a serious shortage of priests here.

May God bless all the children and draw them close through the precious gift of the Holy Eucharist.

Pray For Roseann

Mimi, Roseann is back in the hospital. The nausea was very bad and now her electroytes are out of wack, so the doctor's are attempting to get that under control.

She is very distressed about this.

Sue

I'm sure that Roseann is distressed. I would be, too. It's quite discouraging.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant Roseann, and give your power of healing to those who minister to her needs, that she may be strengthened in her weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p.459)

"The Banality Of Bush White House Evil"

Frank Rich writes with his usual excellence in his opinion column in the New York Times. Today's column is on torture. I quote the final paragraph in the column:

President Obama can talk all he wants about not looking back, but this grotesque past is bigger than even he is. It won’t vanish into a memory hole any more than Andersonville, World War II internment camps or My Lai. The White House, Congress and politicians of both parties should get out of the way. We don’t need another commission. We don’t need any Capitol Hill witch hunts. What we must have are fair trials that at long last uphold and reclaim our nation’s commitment to the rule of law.

Yes. Please read the entire column.

Brain Food Through The Eyes

From the Independent:

Most centenarians attribute their great age to some magic elixir or other. The longevity of the Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who this week became the first Nobel Prize-winner to reach the age of 100, might be the result of a potion that is a little out of the ordinary: Professor Levi-Montalcini, it is said, puts her undiminished mental vigour down to regular doses of nerve growth factor (NGF) – the discovery that made her famous.
....

Dr Levi-Montalcini, a neurologist and development biologist, still works every day at the European Brain Research Institute, which she founded in Rome.
....

"If I'm not mistaken," she said, "I can say my mental capacity is greater than when I was 20 because it has been enriched by so many experiences, in the same way that my curiosity and desire to be close to those who suffer has not diminished."

Her collaborator in the NGF research, Pietro Calissano, says:

"Every day, she takes NGF in the form of eye drops," he said, "but I can't say for sure if this is her secret.

I wonder if I can get some of those drops.

Levi-Montalcini's life has been hard at times. She is Jewish, and during the Mussolini era, she fled from place to place and went into hiding.

"Don't fear difficult moments," she said, "the best comes from them."

Good words from a strong woman who has her priorities right. And isn't she a classy looking lady? She's beautifully groomed, and she's not alone. Italian women are the best dressed anywhere. The women who walk on cobblestones in five-inch heels are amazing.

Thanks to Lapin.

It's So Simple

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Cathedral Church Of St. Nicholas Newcastle

St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas website

Thornton brass

Photos

Virtual tour

mediaeval glass
crown spire
maddison monument
st. george's chapel windows

If Christianity Is About Anything....

Faith is not certainty so much as it is acting-as-if, in great hope.

What chutzpah to quote my own words right under the title of my blog. Well, why not? It IS my blog. And the words describe my faith quite well.

Perhaps due to old age and a greater conviction that there really is nothing new under the sun, I seem to be repeating myself more and more. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that if Christianity is about anything at all, it is about hope, and I often speak those words - to myself and to others - my Good News, so to speak.

The prophets in the Hebrew Testament and the writers of the Christian Testament show us the path of hope. Above all, the Gospels, the books that tell the story of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, the Word made flesh, the One whom we are called to follow - the Gospels, above all - point the way to hope. The Incarnation, the teachings, the healings, the embrace of the outcasts, the death on the cross, and the Resurrection, the whole of the human life of Jesus Christ shows us the way to hope.

In the face of our own sinfulness, struggles, sicknesses, losses, deprivations, and all manner of adversity, we are called to be a people of hope.

From Isaiah in the Lectionary on the feast day of St. Mark, a bearer of the Good News:

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 52:7-10

Deep Thought

In earlier days, my blog was better than it is now.

(I've turned off the comments to this post, because I'm not fishing for compliments, nor for helpful suggestions. I'm just saying what I think. It is what it is.)

Food Art

Make sure you scroll all the way down and read what is written.

Today is International Disturbed People's Day.


Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend... just as I've done.


I don't care if you lick windows,


take the special bus,


or occasionally pee on yourself...


You hang in there, Sunshine, you're special.


Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back.



Today's Message of the Day is:

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.

Life may not to be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance!



Thanks to Ann.

Note: The bottom picture is supposed to be animated, but I could not get that to work.

"...There Is A Depth Of Evil...."

Rmj at Adventus wrote a series of thoughtful and thought-provoking posts on torture, including links, beginning with the most recent, which is linked above, going backwards from there. Or you can start with the earliest and read them in sequence, as they were written.

The post written today concludes with the words:

Yes, there is a depth of evil here that is very, very difficult to fathom.

Yes, there is.