PLEASE PRAY FOR LITTLE JAMES AND HIS PARENTS

Dear friends and associates,

Please pray and/or think good thoughts for my little great-nephew, James Theophilus Smith, who was born late Tuesday night and baptized just yesterday. He is undergoing open-heart surgery this morning at 10:00 (Eastern time, USA) at the University of Virginia Medical School Hospital. He will die within a month's time without the surgery.

Also pray for his young mother, Jane (my niece), and her husband, Chris, as well as Sam and Susan (my brother and his wife.) As if the baby's illness weren't enough, Susan just got back suspicious mammogram results. She has already been through a bout of breast cancer so this is very worrying.

Thank you all more than I can say. Blessings to all.
Ellie

Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd of the sheep, you gather the lambs in your arms and carry them in your bosom: We commend to your loving care this child James. Relieve his pain, guard him from all danger, restore to him your gifts of gladness and strength, and raise him up to a life of service to you. Hear us, we pray, for you dear Name’s sake.
Amen.

UPDATE: Prayers also for a good report for Susan. "Suspicious mammogram results" can be frightening, especially for a person who has already had breast cancer.

HOME AGAIN...

...exhausted and happy to be back here safe and sound in sleepy Thibodaux. Yesterday was a grueling, 20 hour travel day after my fantastic and fabulous trip to Scotland and England. I've a load of pictures and wonderful memories of my travels, but I'll need time to settle in here, take care of all the business that piled up while I was gone, and process and reflect on the journey, which was a dream come true for me. From where I sit at my computer, the trip already seems like a dream.

My main projects today are to wash my clothes and sort through the mail which piled up while I was gone, and that's just for starters. Have patience, my sweets, and you will hear it all.

TRAVEL BREAK

Tomorrow, I leave for my great adventure into the wilds of northwest Scotland. Please pray for safe travels for the mad three. For details of our trip, see my earlier post.

I will not have my computer with me, because I don't want to wrestle another item through security. Also, I want a break from blogging to return fresh and rejuvenated to pound the keys once again. You'll hear all about the trip and see pictures when I get home. Who knows? Even MadChauffeur may strike a pose. Before I leave, I will turn off the comments function.


Oban, Scotland

Message to the Scots: Forewarned is forearmed.



Photo of moi courtesy of Paul the BB.

Other photos from Wikipedia here and here.

UPDATE: Miss Cathy and Miss Mimi waved a tearful good-bye to MadChauffeur this morning. He left quite worried that Miss C and Miss M would not be capable of making their way on the rest of the journey without him, but they will be fine.

STORY OF THE DAY - OBVIOUS MISTAKE

Some of the stuff I learned early on was
useful, she told me, but most of it was
obviously meant for someone who was
not me.

From StoryPeople.

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

Transfiguration - Lorenzo Lotto, 1510-12

Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,* one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen;* listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

From Fr. John Dear's sermon on the vigil of the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 5, 2005.

Tomorrow, we commemorate two events, one a great holy event, the other an evil, demonic event. On the one hand, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, when he was revealed as the face of the God of peace, as he exploded with the spiritual power of inner nonviolence and unconditional love into the light of the world, the fullness of love and peace for the whole human race. So beautiful!

On the other hand, we remember that 60 years ago, our country dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and vaporized 140,000 people in a flash and did it again three days later in Nagasaki. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker, called our bombing of Hiroshima, "the anti-transfiguration," and said in effect that we have rejected Jesus' loving nonviolence, and created our own demonic light, the blast of the bomb, the dark cloud, and instead of bringing light and peace to the human race, we are bringing death and destruction to all.
....

First, we have to recognize and name, that we live in the culture of the anti-transfiguration.
....

And this anti-transfiguration culture is trying to instruct us, the church, on sin and morality, telling us what is right and wrong, distracting us from the criminal, immoral, and sinful murder of 130,000 Iraqis in the last two years or the development of these weapons at Los Alamos. Unfortunately, many people in the church are being misled by the culture of the Bomb. So like Dorothy Day, we have to be clear about our predicament.

Second, I would say, because of this, because of our story, we are called to go forth into this culture to fulfill Jesus' mission of Transfiguration nonviolence.
....

I think that as his followers, our job is to carry on that mission of transfiguration nonviolence, to follow Jesus down the mountain, confront systemic injustice, and go with him to the cross with perfect nonviolent, forgiving, suffering love.

How do we do this? The voice from the cloud says first we have to listen to Jesus which means we have to take time every day...to hear what Jesus is saying to us, and then go and do it.

And when we listen to Jesus, we hear a few simple commandments: Love one another; love your neighbor; forgive one another; be as compassionate as God; seek first God's reign and God's justice; do unto others as you would have them do unto you; put down the sword and Love your enemies." That is the mission for the rest of our lives.

PRAYER

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

READINGS

Psalm 99 or 99:5-9;
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Peter 1:13-21




I am not a pacifist. I am not courageous enough to be a true pacifist. I wish I were. Pacifism is not talking about hating war and linking to Fr. John's web site on my blog. Pacifism is active. It's "getting in the way" as the Christian Peacemaker teams do when they put themselves between the warring parties and risk being kidnapped, like the four team members in Iraq, with one of their number, Tom Fox, being killed.

No, I am not in their company. God bless and keep them and all who strive for peace and justice.

Note: Reposted with editing from the feast day and the anniversary in 2007.

PRAY FOR THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD

From the State Journal-Register:

The Rev. Christopher Ashmore has pored through reams of material and watched hours of DVDs on the 14 nominees for the office of bishop for the Springfield Episcopal Diocese. And he has his own personal thoughts about his top four candidates.

Asked how he expects Saturday’s nominating synod to play out, Ashmore, rector of Trinity Church in Jacksonville and secretary of the standing committee, which has ecclesiastical authority in the diocese in the absence of a bishop, was at a loss for words.

“I’m not really sure (of the outcome),” admitted Ashmore. “And that’s the end product of a lot of thought.

“It could come out any number of ways. I’m completely mystified.”

If all goes as expected, clergy and lay delegates from around the diocese, comprised of 60 counties and about 5,000 communicants, will pare down the number of nominees for bishop to four candidates. The Electing Synod will choose a bishop from among the four next month.
....

The past few years, the Springfield diocese has been a battleground over theological differences within the Episcopal Church. In 2006, Bishop Peter Beckwith, whose Feb. 1 retirement shocked many, requested oversight from the Anglican community, a volley at Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, with whom Beckwith had tangled.
....

“The fear is that everyone will go in different directions (dividing up the votes),” said the Rev. John Bettman, vicar of St. Paul’s Church in Carlinville. “That would be awkward, but I’ve seen that before.”

Said Chuck Evans, a lay delegate from St. George’s Church in Belleville: “I’m cautiously hopeful that the process will be executed the way it should be, that there won’t be parliamentary manipulations.

“We may have a long day ahead of us. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as it remains peaceful and civil in the process."

‘Ourselves to blame’

“We’ve been greatly fractured, and we have ourselves to blame,” conceded Ashmore. “We’ve lost the grace and dignity of who we are — brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The prayer at the head of my sidebar on the right is for the election of a bishop but, with only a few words edited, is suitable for the nomination process for a bishop.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall nominate candidates for bishop for the Diocese of Springfield that they may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip them for their ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOOD NEWS FROM MEXICO CITY

From CBS:

The Mexican Supreme Courthas upheld the constitutionality of gay marriages in Mexico City. Gay marriages have been legal in Mexico City since March, but have drawn opposition from the Catholic Church and the Mexican government.

The 8-2 vote not only upheld gay marriage in Mexico City, it also said the law was valid to allow homosexuals to possibly adopt children.

Mexico City is the only area in Mexico that allows gay marriages and it is the first area in Latin America to have such a law.

H/T to Timothy Kinccaid at Box Turtle Bulletin for the link.

JESUS AND MO

From Jesus and Mo.

THE CHURCH LADY

The lady was a fine upstanding Southern Baptist who attended services and taught Sunday School every week. On one Sunday, an out of town slight acquaintance, a gentleman, was in the pew right behind her. He noted what a fine looking woman she was and, while they were taking up the collection, he leaned forward and said, "Hey, how about you and I having dinner on Tuesday?"

"Why yes, that would be nice", the lady responded.

Well, the gentleman couldn't believe his luck. On Tuesday he picked the lady up and took her to the finest restaurant in that part of South Carolina. When they sat down, the gentleman looked over at her and suggested, "Would you like a cocktail before dinner?"

"Oh, no," said our circumspect fine example of southern womanhood, "Whatever would I tell my Sunday School class?"

Well, our gentleman was set back a bit, so he didn't say much until after dinner, when he pulled out a pack of Lucky Strikes and asked, "Would you like a cigarette?"

"Oh my goodness, no," said the woman. "I couldn't face my Sunday School class if I did!"

Well, our boy felt pretty low after that, so they left, got in his car and as he was driving the lady home, they passed the local Holiday Inn. He'd been morally rebuffed twice already, so he figured 'What the Hell', he had nothing to lose so he ventured forth with, "Ahhh ... mmmm, how would you like to stop at this motel?"

"Sure, that would be nice," she said in anticipation. The gentleman couldn't believe his ears, and did a fast u-turn right then and there, and drove back to the motel and checked in.

The next morning, after a wild and passionate night of the most incredible love making imaginable, the gentleman awoke first. He looked at the lovely Dixie Darling lying there in the bed and with remorse thought, "What the hell have I done?"

He shook her awake and asked, "Whatever are you going to tell your Sunday School class?"

The lady said, "The same thing I always tell them, "You don't have to smoke and drink to have a good time.."

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

PROPOSITION 8 RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN CALIFORNIA

From The Lead:

According to the ruling by Judge Vaughn R Walker, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California:

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.

Good news, indeed. One battle won, but the fight is not over.

For more information and quotes, check out The Friends of Jake.