AZALEAS FOR OLGA

 

DEDICATED TO OLGA SZPYLCZYN...

FOR FRAN, MARK, AND ERICA,

WITH LOVE FROM GRANDPÈRE AND MIMI

Grandpère says these are double azalea flowers. Whether they are or not, they are lovely.

FEAST OF ÓSCAR ROMERO AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR

"EACH OF US CAN DO SOMETHING."
Óscar Romero

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He later became prelate archbishop of San Salvador.

As an archbishop, he witnessed numerous violations of human rights and began a ministry speaking out on behalf of the poor and victims of the country's civil war. His brand of political activism was denounced by the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and the government of El Salvador. In 1980, he was assassinated by gunshot while consecrating the Eucharist during mass. His death finally provoked international outcry for human rights reform in El Salvador.

From Wikipedia.

In the sermon just minutes before his death, Archbishop Romero reminded his congregation of the parable of the wheat. "Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grains of wheat that dies. It only apparently dies. If it were not to die, it would remain a solitary grain. The harvest comes because of the grain that dies… We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us."

From Caritas Europa.

On December 2, 1980, four American churchwomen were killed by El Salvadoran National Guardsmen: lay missionary Jean Donovan, Maryknoll sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, and Ursuline sister Dorothy Kazel .

On November 6, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter were killed by armed men who broke into their house: Ignacio Martín-Baró, SJ, Joaquín López y López, SJ, Juan Ramón Moreno, SJ, Amando López, SJ, Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, Segundo Montes, SJ, Elba Ramos, and Celina Ramos.

In 2009, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church voted to add San Romero de las Américas and the Martyrs of El Salvador to the church calendar. Their feast day is observed on the date of Romero's martyrdom, March 24.

PRAYER
Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

“LET THOSE WHO HAVE A VOICE, SPEAK OUT FOR THE VOICELESS.”
Óscar Romero

San Romero, ruega por nosotros.

R. I. P. OLGA SZPYLCZYN

Rest in peace dear Olga. May the angels speed you to paradise.

+Olga Szpylczyn
Born, Stuttgart, Germany May 15, 1947
Died, Johnson City, NY March 23, 2011

It was our Lord Jesus himself who said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Let us pray, then, for our sister Olga, that she may rest from her labors, and enter into the light of God’s eternal sabbath rest.

Receive, O Lord, your servant, for she returns to you.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Olga.

Wash her in the holy font of everlasting life, and clothe her in her heavenly wedding garment.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Olga.

May she hear your words of invitation, “Come, you blessed of my Father.”

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Olga.

May she gaze upon you, Lord, face to face, and taste the blessedness of perfect rest.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Olga.

May angels surround her, and saints welcome her in peace.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend our sister Olga.

Almighty God, our Father in heaven, before whom live all who die in the Lord: Receive sister Olga into the courts of your heavenly dwelling place. Let her heart and soul now ring out in joy to you, O Lord, the living God, and the God of those who live. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)


Please pray for our friend Fran, for her husband Mark, Olga's brother, and for Erica, Olga's niece, that God may give them comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to keep their minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.

Please leave your prayers and thoughts at Fran's blog There Will Be Bread.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK

The bashing of the Episcopal Church from certain quarters of the Anglican Communion (no names, of course), and, indeed, from within our very own church, continues due to our naughtiness in extending a measure of justice and equality to our LGTB brothers and sisters, thus we are presented with an excellent opportunity for a Lenten discipline: the practice of Jesus' admonition to turn the other cheek.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ann Fontaine for the link to Walter Wink's sermon on turning the other cheek, which I think is impressive and thought-provoking.

R. I. P. ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Elizabeth Taylor is so beautiful. I remember her in "National Velvet", which I saw when I was about 10 years old. Her beauty was nearly unbelievable to me. I wanted to look like her, even then. Elizabeth grew up gracefully, never passing through the awkward stage.


Then I remember "A Place in the Sun" with the marvelous Montgomery Clift, with whom Elizabeth remained dear friends as long as he lived. Indeed, she was in love with him, but, he was gay. Monty loved Elizabeth, too, but not the way she loved him. He did a damned fine job of acting the part of a man deeply in love in the film.

Elizabeth as Maggie the Cat in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" is one of my favorites of her roles. She maneuvers Brick (Paul Newman) and Big Daddy (Burl Ives), until she gets what she wants.

"That girl's got life in her, alright."

Words that Tennessee Williams put into the mouth of Big Daddy have a permanent place on my sidebar.

"There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity...You can smell it. It smells like death."

What an emotional workout it was when Grandpère and I went to see "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" We felt battered and bruised when we left the theater after watching Elizabeth and Richard Burton verbally duke it out for a couple of hours. The movie caused us to cringe a bit, because it hit home in that we both realized that a good many of our own quarrels were unnecessary and served no useful purpose, except to upset us and those around us. For me, as a result of seeing the movie, I was inspired to try to do better.

Though Elizabeth may have been a bit confused at times about the direction of her life, as we all are from time to time, she was as good as she was beautiful. Don't fail to read Leonardo's moving post at Eruptions At the Foot of the Volcano about Elizabeth's early advocacy in the cause of AIDS. She was amongst the first of the Hollywood celebrities to jump in and call attention to and demand help for those suffering from AIDS and HIV.

Eternal rest grant unto Elizabeth, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

A BELATED ST PAT'S FUNNY

An Irish Man is sitting in the pub with his wife, and he says, "I love you."

She asks, "Is that you or the beer talking?"

He replies, "It's me talking to the beer."

Isn't that just like a man? And not just an Irishman!

Hey guys, don't blame me. Blame Doug.

IT'S NOT JUST THE DEEP WELLS...

From NOLA.com:

A large sheen of oil that has confounded the Coast Guard and state officials for days has been traced to a well-capping accident about 20 miles southwest of Southwest Pass, a state official said.

A state official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of a continuing Coast Guard investigation, said the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries traced the emulsified oil to West Delta Block 117. He said tests by a state-contracted lab confirmed that was the source of the oil.

Wildlife and Fisheries officials found the source of the oil Monday evening and encountered workers in a boat trying to restore a cap on the well using a remotely operated submarine.

"Well-capping went out of control," the state official said.
....

At a news conference earlier Tuesday, Coast Guard officials said only between ¼- and ½-mile of beach was directly affected by oily material within the 30-mile stretch between Grand Isle and West Timbalier Island where the sheen and emulsified oil has been seen.

Why didn't the company that owned the well report the the accident? Why must the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries people and the Coast Guard play detective to find out where the oil is coming from?

Although, "only between ¼- and ½-mile of beach was directly affected by oily material", we may not yet know the end of the story.

UPDATE: From NOLA.com:

Responding to reports of a 10-mile-long slick from a second Gulf of Mexico oil spill, federal officials said "small amounts of oil" have been leaking from wells that were connected to a production platform destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

An average of less than 14 gallons per day have been leaking from the wells about 10 miles off the southeastern Louisiana coast, said Kendra Barkoff, a federal Interior Department spokeswoman.

Oh well. Just a small leak. The truth is that oil is always leaking into the Gulf, because the well caps tend to erode in the salt water. What? Me worry?

ON PROPAGATING CHANGE

From Bishop Gregory Cameron's article in support of the adoption of the Anglican Covenant by the churches in the Anglican Communion in Search; a Church of Ireland Journal:

Whilst this report criticises those who have propagated change without sufficient regard to the common life of the Communion, it has to be recognised that debate on this issue cannot be closed whilst sincerely but radically different positions continue to be held across the Communion. (The Windsor Report, para. 146)

And who are "those who have propagated change"?

Paragraph 146 of the Windsor Report states:

One of the deepest realities that the Communion faces is continuing difference on the presenting issue of ministry by and to persons who openly engage in sexually active homosexual relationships.

Could the answer be the Episcopal Church?

I must take issue with the phrase "have propagated change". The Episcopal Church has instituted changes within our own church that certain other churches deem offensive and unacceptable, but we have not pushed changes on other churches in the communion.

prop·a·gate - To cause to extend to a broader area or larger number; spread.

In my dreams, as an experiment, I'd like to see the Episcopal Church step back from official participation in the affairs of the AC for a season and watch to see if those who have absented themselves from communion gatherings return to the fold and if perfect peace descends upon the Anglican Communion once our troublesome presence is gone.

I'm sick to death of being blamed for all the troubles in the Anglican Communion, as well as the suggestions that we must be disciplined for our wayward ways, or, as others phrase it, lets "spank the Yank".

I'll leave it to my betters to take up the rebuttal of Bp Cameron's push for the adoption of the Anglican Covenant it's entirety, but I could not resist saying my piece on the accusation of propagating changes.

STORY OF THE DAY - RELATIVE WORRIES

I'm not worried about ghosts in general,
she said. Just the ones that are related
to me.

:-)

From StoryPeople.

ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY DOLAN - GENIAL ENFORCER OF ROME'S CONSERVATIVE WRIT

From NewsBusters:

On Sunday's 60 Minutes, CBS correspondent Morley Safer interviewed New York Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan and pressed him on the his commitment to traditional Church teachings: "No question that you're conciliatory, that you like to have dialog, but underneath that you're an old-fashioned conservative. I mean, in the sense of right-wing conservative."

Dolan turned Safer's characterization around: "I would bristle at being termed 'right-wing.' But if somebody means enthusiastically committed and grateful for the timeless heritage of the Church, and feeling that my best service is when I try to preserve that and pass that on in its fullness and beauty and radiance, I'm a conservative, no doubt."

Our neighbor called to tell Grandpère to watch as Morley Safer interviewed Archbishop Dolan. GP called me into the room, and I wish I hadn't gone, because I felt a little ill during Abp. Dolan's performance during the interview. In my opinion, Safer went easy on the archbishop, however Safer did say:

Despite the jolly open demeanor, he's about as conservative as they come....He is unwavering on what he calls the 'settled' questions: abortion, birth control, ordination of women, gay marriage, and celibacy."

And that is that! All settled and done.

The "jolly open demeanor" was very much in evidence. Abp. Dolan smiled and laughed often, nudging and patting Safer on the shoulder. I told GP that he seemed very much like a salesman to me, which I suppose is what an archbishop is called to be in these troublesome times for the Roman Catholic Church, especially an archbishop who was recently elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The thing is, I'm not buying what he's selling.

SAFER: What do you make of the Church's response to the abuse scandals?

DOLAN: When you think of what happened, both that a man who proposes to act in the name of God would've abused an innocent young person, and that some bishops would have in a way, countenanced that by reassigning abusers, that's nothing less than hideous. That's nothing less than nauseating. The second story, Morley, is the Church's reaction to that, which I think has been good. It's been strong. It's been rigorous.(My emphasis)

I found the caveat, "in a way" quite troublesome. You either countenance child abuse, or you do not. There is no "in a way" that diminishes countenancing child abuse. The entire interview disturbed me a good deal. The phrase that ran through my mind as I watched and listened was, "De Nile is not just a river in Egypt." - not very original, I know, but there it is.

Abp. Dolan again:

Yeah, there would be – yes, I think there would be changes in the Church. But I don't think they're the ones you have in mind. I don't want to see changes in the Church when it comes to celibacy or women priests or our clear teaching about the sanctity of human life and the unity of marriage between one man and one woman forever. I'd love to see changes in the Church in the very area that you're hinting at over and over again, in the perception of the Church as some shrill scold. We need to change that. (My emphasis)

Well, for crying out loud, archbishop, the church needs to stop scolding! If the hierarchy would stop threatening with excommunication the Roman Catholics who disagree that the issues you mention are "settled" once for all, then the church might not be perceived as a "shrill scold".

After I wrote the words above, I saved them and left them, partly because I was quite busy with other matters. Then, too, when I departed from the Roman Catholic Church, I promised myself that I would not be a bitter ex-Catholic, obsessed with ranting against the church I left. I confess that I have not always been successful in my determination. My reaction to Abp. Dolan was visceral, and I know that we must examine our visceral reactions closely before we settle into their meaning for us. However, I also believe that to ignore our instincts is perhaps not the wisest path to follow.

For those reasons and because, as I've said, I was quite busy yesterday, I never completed the post. Then, through a link from MadPriest, I was led to Jan's post at A Church For Starving Artists on the interview. Jan's wise words, which I quote below, impressed me greatly.

One of the biggest spiritual issues of our day is the need to be with people in the throes of Real Life. It's tempting to be "the entertaining pastor" or the "funny pastor" or merely "the smart pastor." But the 21st C Church is sorely in need of the equipping pastor who models servanthood and compassion, the pastor who is unafraid to grapple with the deepest issues of our lives, the pastor who sees people with the eyes of Jesus.

Jan's entire post is well worth a read. I thank her for the push to complete the post - for better or for worse. If for worse, the responsibility is all mine and not Jan's.

More on the interview at CBS News.

Photo above from the New York Times article from February of this year on Abp. Dolan's election as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The article states:

Archbishop Dolan also does not outright deny the sacrament to dissenting Catholic lawmakers, but he is genial enforcer of Rome's ever more conservative writ.

UPDATE: Ann V. alerts me to the article in the Washington Post on a poll by the Post and ABC News:

The question was straightforward: “Do you think it should be illegal or legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married?” In February 2010, an astounding 55 percent of white Catholics said "legal." In the current poll, the number jumped 8 points to 63 percent.

My question is what about non-white Catholics?

Not that the poll will change any minds amongst the hierarchy.