The Feast Of All Saints

Wassily Kandinsky - "All Saints l" - 1911.
Glass painting, 34.5x40.5 cm.
Munich, Städtische Galerie in Lenbach, Germany.


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.

Ecclesiasticus 44:8-10,13-14


Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:20-31

PRAYER

Almighty God, who by your Holy Spirit have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen


The "cloud of witnesses" and the "fellowship of love and prayer" comfort me greatly. I think especially of those who lived holy lives quietly, giving without ceasing of themselves and what they had, and who will be known to me only in the perfect Kingdom.

Story Of The Day - Middle Ground

I try & walk a line between terror &
ecstasy, she said & then she shook her
head. You'd be amazed at the people
who avoid me for no good reason, other
than that.


From StoryPeople.

From Roseann - "Hello friends"

Sorry I've been lax in posting but I haven't felt good lately. Gary has to have surgery again on Monday and fortunately we have family here to help us. Our church family has been great too. We got a huge basket of food all homemade to get us through this latest crisis. I'll be starting physical therapy soon so hopefully I'll be gaining muscle strength.

Thanks for all the prayers and kind words. You're all in my prayers. Love, Roseann

Please pray, and if you'd like to comment, leave word at Roseann's blog, Give Peace A Chance.

They're Baaaack!

Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito and the gang are back at Padre Mickey's Dance Party.

It was a dark and stormy night....

Read the rest over there.

Episcopal Diocese Of Minnesota - Rev. Brian Prior Elected Bishop

The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota is pleased to announce that the Rev. Brian Prior has been elected IX Bishop of Minnesota.

Prior has been the Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane, Washington since 1996. Among the manybrian prior photo slight crop boards and committees on which he serves, Rev. Prior is the Vice President of the House of Deputies of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. He received his M.Div. from Church Divinity of the Pacific in Berkeley, California in 1987. Rev. Prior has been married to Staci Hubbard Prior for 21 years. They have two teenage sons.

"I am thrilled to have the privilege of being among the first to welcome Rev. Prior as our new bishop," says Scott Crow, chair of the Standing Committee, which is charged with overseeing the election. "Our process has been filled with prayer, discernment, and the movement of the Spirit in our midst. It has been a powerful experience to witness the church at work and I look forward to the joyful Ordination and Consecration of our new bishop on February 13, 2010."

H/T to John Chilton at The Lead.

Louisiana Soldiers Amongst The Fallen

From WGNO:

NEW ORLEANS - At least two of the 18 fallen soldiers honored Thursday by President Barack Obama were from Louisiana.

The bodies of 24-year-old Sgt. Patrick Williamson of Broussard and 21-year-old Pfc. Brian Bates of Gretna, in suburban New Orleans, were on the plane met early Thursday by the president at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Paul the BB lists more names of troops who died recently in Afghanistan and Iraq.




Lower image from Paul's blog.


UPDATE FROM THE COMMENTS:

Webmaster said...

Here they all are, sorted by home town.

Oh my! So many just from Louisiana....

Lord, have mercy.

"Young Frankenstein" - Dr. Fronkonsteen Meets Eyegor

Scares you half to death, this one.

Happy Halloween!

Am I cute?



Oompa Loompa likes green.



Have a cuppa tea?



A package for you.



I'm a big, scary grasshopper praying mantis.



Solve my Rubic's Cube.

Halloween cuteness from Doug.

UPDATE: You know, I'm terrible with cations, no gift for them at all. Of the wee teabagger, Oyster at Your Right Hand Thief sez, "What would be the best label, though? Constant Comment? Sleepytime? Red Zinger?"

Other suggestions for captions for the costumes are welcome.

My Friday Shuffle

Padre Mickey does it. Why can't I? The tunes below are from my popular music files. (El Padre didn't do the shuffle today. Sometimes he misses, but he's now in the process of purchasing and setting up his new Macmini)

My Love Is A Guarantee - Toussaint McCall

Work With Me Annie - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters

The Nightingale - Cyril Tawney

Day Dream - Allen Touissaint

Here I'll Stay - Karen Akers

Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers

You Win Again - Hank Williams

Bold Riley - Kate Rusby

Tell Her to Come Back Home - Crooked Still

I'll Fly Away - Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch

Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino

A Rose In April - Kate Rusby

Bright Mississippi - Allen Touissaint

Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers

S'Wonderful - Diana Krall

Obama's Words After Signing The Hate Crimes Act

Remarks by the President at Reception Commemorating the Enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you so much, and welcome to the White House.

There are several people here that I want to just make mention of because they helped to make today possible. We've got Attorney General Eric Holder. A champion of this legislation, and a great Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. My dear friend, senior Senator from the great state of Illinois, Dick Durbin. The outstanding Chairman of Armed Services, Carl Levin. Senator Arlen Specter. Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House, Representative John Conyers. Representative Barney Frank. Representative Tammy Baldwin. Representative Jerry Nadler. Representative Jared Polis. All the members of Congress who are here today, we thank you.

Mr. David Bohnett and Mr. Tom Gregory and the David Bohnett Foundation -- they are partners for this reception. Thank you so much, guys, for helping to host this.

And finally, and most importantly, because these were really the spearheads of this effort -- Denis, Judy, and Logan Shepard. As well as Betty Byrd Boatner and Louvon Harris -- sisters of James Byrd, Jr.

To all the activists, all the organizers, all the people who helped make this day happen, thank you for your years of advocacy and activism, pushing and protesting that made this victory possible.

You know, as a nation we've come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. And today, we've taken another step forward. This afternoon, I signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade. Time and again, we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit. But the cause endured and the struggle continued, waged by the family of Matthew Shepard, by the family of James Byrd, by folks who held vigils and led marches, by those who rallied and organized and refused to give up, by the late Senator Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation -- and all who toiled for years to reach this day.

You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights -- both from unjust laws and violent acts. And you understand how necessary this law continues to be.

In the most recent year for which we have data, the FBI reported roughly 7,600 hate crimes in this country. Over the past 10 years, there were more than 12,000 reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation alone. And we will never know how many incidents were never reported at all.

And that's why, through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability.

At root, this isn't just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another -- whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus. It's hard for any of us to imagine the mind-set of someone who would kidnap a young man and beat him to within an inch of his life, tie him to a fence, and leave him for dead. It's hard for any of us to imagine the twisted mentality of those who'd offer a neighbor a ride home, attack him, chain him to the back of a truck, and drag him for miles until he finally died.

But we sense where such cruelty begins: the moment we fail to see in another our common humanity -- the very moment when we fail to recognize in a person the same fears and hopes, the same passions and imperfections, the same dreams that we all share.

We have for centuries strived to live up to our founding ideal, of a nation where all are free and equal and able to pursue their own version of happiness. Through conflict and tumult, through the morass of hatred and prejudice, through periods of division and discord we have endured and grown stronger and fairer and freer. And at every turn, we've made progress not only by changing laws but by changing hearts, by our willingness to walk in another's shoes, by our capacity to love and accept even in the face of rage and bigotry.

In April of 1968, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, as our nation mourned in grief and shuddered in anger, President Lyndon Johnson signed landmark civil rights legislation. This was the first time we enshrined into law federal protections against crimes motivated by religious or racial hatred -- the law on which we build today.

As he signed his name, at a difficult moment for our country, President Johnson said that through this law "the bells of freedom ring out a little louder." That is the promise of America. Over the sounds of hatred and chaos, over the din of grief and anger, we can still hear those ideals -- even when they are faint, even when some would try to drown them out. At our best we seek to make sure those ideals can be heard and felt by Americans everywhere. And that work did not end in 1968. It certainly does not end today. But because of the efforts of the folks in this room -- particularly those family members who are standing behind me -- we can be proud that that bell rings even louder now and each day grows louder still.

So thank you very much. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

UPDATE: Watch the video at The Friends of Jake.