GOOD-BYE, HENRY

Henry to MadPriest:

I'll meet you round the bend, my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...

MadPriest lost his best friend, Henry, the Cat. I'm proud to have met Henry, who was a good cat. The small black spot on Henry's chin gave him the sweetest expression.

O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Henry, who brought MadPriest and his family so much joy in life, has now died. His happy times in their family's embrace have come to an end. They miss Henry already.

Help them, O God, to remember the good times with Henry.

Remind them to rejoice in the happy times he brought to their home.

Let us be thankful for the good life they were blessed to give to him.

We are grateful to You, God, for creating Henry, for entrusting him to their care, and for sustaining him in their love for a measure of time.

We understand that all that lives must die. They knew that this day would come. And yet, O God, they would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Henry.

O God, as they have taken care of Henry in life, we ask that You watch over him in death.

You entrusted Henry to their care; now, they give him back to You. May Henry find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.

As we remember Henry, may we love each other more dearly.

May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as they protected the blessed life of Henry.

May Henry's memory bless their lives with love and caring forever.

Amen.

The words quoted above are from Riverbend, the Baghdad Blogger.

The prayer is by Rabbi Barry Block.

STORY OF THE DAY - BUSY LIFE

Everyone sang Happy Birthday except
Max who claimed he didn't know the
words. I was busy that day, he said, & it
really hasn't let up since.

From StoryPeople.

ABOUT THE NEW ROMAN CATHOLIC ORDINARIATE...

The Personal Ordinariate in the United States of the Chair of St Peter under the protection of Our Lady of Walsingham

From the National Catholic Reporter:

Pope Benedict XVI established a new nationwide U.S. ordinariate Jan. 1 for U.S. Anglicans (Episcopalians) who wish to become Catholic. He named Fr. Jeffrey N. Steenson, a Catholic theology professor in Houston and former Episcopal bishop, as its first head.

The new Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter will be based in Houston, according to Jan. 1 announcements released in Rome and Washington.

In a news release on its new Web site the ordinariate said that more than 100 Anglican priests in the United States and nearly 1,400 individuals from 22 communities are seeking to enter the Catholic Church as part of the ordinariate. Two of those communities entered into full communion with the Catholic Church this past fall after a period of preparation.

After 28 years of ministry in the Church of England and the U.S. Episcopal Church, in 2007 Steenson and his wife became Catholic. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2009 and was instrumental in establishing the formation program for Anglican priests applying for Catholic priesthood as part of the ordinariate, which has been in the planning stages for the past two years.

Fr. Steenson is currently a professor of patristics, the study of the early Christian theologians known as the Fathers of the Church, at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary's Seminary in Houston.

A sampling from the comments at NCR is below.

The largest and by far the most flourishing Anglican Use Parish in the US, Our Lady of the Atonement in San Antonio/TX has many members, probably the majority, who were never Anglicans, but came to them from other Latin Rite parishes, or who entered the Catholic Church through Our Lady of the Atonement.
....

WWJD comes to mind about the reason for their conversion to Catholicism? Is there a Catholic Church we women can join because we do not like the male clergy only of the Catholic Church? Would the Pope mind appointing such a church ordinariate so that we women can feel more fulfilled as fully formed in the image of God? I personally will welcome the day when there is a woman priest in the area where I live, so that I may attend a liturgy to help me heal from the injustice of the Roman Catholic Church.
....

100 priests and 1,400 people already have asked to join? That's great, 1 priest for every 14 members! This has to be the best priest to member ratio in the entire world. No, "I can't get the priest to answer my call" in those parishes.
....

Submitted by whiteycat (not verified) on Jan. 02, 2012. (yes, our whiteycat)

I guess the Vatican needs to bolster its anti-woman, anti-gay membership since American RCs appear to be going in the other direction.

At least those who don't like the new Roman missal will have an alternative!
....

Submitted by Grandmère Mimi (not verified) on Jan. 03, 2012.

What's with the members of the ordinariate calling themselves Anglicans? They may use an Anglo-Catholic (Sarum) rite, but they are converts to the Roman Catholic Church, no more, no less.

And I'm pleased to see someone noted upthread that a good many of these folks had already left the Episcopal Church or were never part of it.

The new ordinary, the Rev Jeffrey Steenson, was received into the RCC by the recently retired Cardinal Bernard Law.

How the ordinariate brings about any sort of reconciliation with the Episcopal Church is a mystery to me.

Correction: Rather than being received into the RCC by Cardinal Law, the Rev Steenson was ordained to the diaconate by the cardinal.

Not just anyone will be permitted to join a parish in the ordinariate. One must have been Anglican/Episcopal or enter through marriage or family relationship. Some might say that the ordinariate fails the inclusive test.

And yes, I'm late to the US ordinariate party which started on New Year's Day, but not for lack of notification by my trusty stringers. I simply wanted to let the excitement die down first.

The office of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is located on Shadyvilla Lane in Houston, Texas.

THREE CHEERS FOR JUSTICE JAMES C NELSON OF THE MONTANA SUPREME COURT!

"While, as a member of this Court, I am bound to follow Citizens United, I do not have to agree with the [U.S.] Supreme Court’s decision," wrote Justice James C. Nelson, in his dissent. "And, to be absolutely clear, I do not agree with it. For starters, the notion that corporations are disadvantaged in the political realm is unbelievable. Indeed, it has astounded most Americans. The truth is that corporations wield enormous power in Congress and in state legislatures. It is hard to tell where government ends and corporate America begins: the transition is seamless and overlapping."

The photo of me taken at Occupy New Orleans is a fright, and my enemies may well use it against me, but I sacrifice for the cause.

H/T to Charles Pierce at The Politics Blog at Esquire, who urges us to send flowers to the justice.

POINTS TO PONDER IN THE NEW YEAR

WARNING: Not 100% PC.

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Is Santa so jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live?

I went to a bookstore and asked the sales woman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

If a deaf person swears in sign language, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

Is there another word for synonym?

Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"

What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

If a parsley farmer is sued can they garnish his wages?

Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?

How do they get deer to cross the road only at those yellow road signs?

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people.

Does the Little Mermaid wear an algebra?

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

How is it possible to have a civil war?

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown, too?

If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Whose cruel idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have "S" in it?

Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?

If you spin an oriental man in a circle three times does he become disoriented?

Can an atheist get insurance against acts of God?

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

Don't blame me. Blame him up there.

IOWA: A MICROCOSM OF THE US - NOT!

The graphs below, which were posted by Juan Cole at Informed Comment, show the percentages of the various ethnic voters in the State of Iowa as compared to the percentages of the entire US. The crowd of Republican candidates, which consists of five white men and one white woman, is scrambling for votes in tomorrow's VERY IMPORTANT IOWA CAUCUSES, which Cole labels "Conservative White People’s Primary".

The candidates:

Michele Bachmann
Newt Gingrich
Ron Paul
Rick Perry
Mitt Romney
Rick Santorum

Who will win? From Washington Post Politics:

Over the past few months, Iowa has embraced and then rejected four charismatic front-runners: Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), Perry, Gingrich and pizza executive Herman Cain.

Fickle, fickle Iowans.

FOR MY FRIEND MARGARET

Margaret and Joel are doing what needs to be done before heading out to their new home in the Episcopal Mission on the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota, home to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Today at her blog, leave it lay where Jesus flang it, margaret speaks of the move and about leaving Richmond, Virginia:

I have loved it here. Truly loved it. The people. The foods. The worship. It hurts to pull on these roots....

Perhaps I can braid them, clean them off and make them strong, and carry them with me as an unexpected gift. One body. One Spirit. One calling. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God. Through all and in all.

To the big sky country, big wind country, sight equal only to the horizon... a new river to come to know.

I am so ready. Got so much to do. Amen.

From the wonderful book, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, by Kathleen Norris, who now spends half her time in South Dakota and the other half in Hawaii:

Communal worship is something I need; that it is an experience, not a philosophy or even theology. Whatever the pitch of my religious doubts, it is available to me for the asking. It seems a wonder to me that in our dull little town we can gather together to sing some great hymns, reflect on our lives, hear some astonishing scriptures (and maybe a boring sermon; you take your chances), offer some prayers and receive a blessing....

We all know that margaret needs communal worship, because she urges us each week, "G'wan. Go to church!" And nearly every Sunday, I follow her advice, because I, too, need communal worship, which is, indeed, a wonder. Margaret will preside and preach at the services in her churches. I have never heard margaret preach, but I have read her sermons, and I've read her blog for a number of years, and I have never been bored by what margaret writes. I rather doubt that the flocks in her new churches will be bored by her sermons. I just don't see it happening.

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our dear margaret, and upon the congregations committed to her care, the healthful Spirit of your grace: and, that they may truly please you, pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The picture is lifted from margaret's blog.

STORY OF THE DAY - FASHION ANGEL

these are multi-purpose wings & when
she's not flying they accessorize nicely
with almost anything she wears

From StoryPeople.

Nice.

LET THE JOY AND HAPPINESS BEGIN!

I borrowed the image from my friend Dan at Facebook, and I promise to return it at the end of 2012.

And the Peanuts gang from Doug and me.

If you think I'm watching football today, think again. I will have a bowl of Grandpère's delicious vegetable soup, with cheese and crackers and a glass of wine, and then I will chill.

Last night we attended a very nice, low-key party, with good food and good company, and almost, but not quite, made it to the turn of the New Year, as we made our departure at around 11:25 PM in 2011.

UPDATE: I found an old piece of paper with this quote from the New York Review of Books copied in May of 1998 in my KJV, which I used for the Bible readings today.

A poem of Goethe's describes a quiet scholar returning from a party. "How was it?" he was asked.

"If the people there were books, I would not read them."

Not my party!

A BLESSED AND JOYOUS NEW YEAR!

Stonehaven Fireballs Ceremony 2003

Celebrating the New Year in the Scottish style:

HOGMANAY

WE are come to the door,
To see if we be the better of our visit,
To tell the generous women of the townland
That to-morrow is Calendae Day.

May God bless the dwelling,
Each stone, and beam, and stave,
All food, and drink, and clothing,
May health of men be always there.

Should the guisers be inhospitably treated, they file round the fire withershins and walk out, and raise a cairn in or near the door, called 'carnan mollachd,' cairn of malison, 'carnan cronachd,' scaith cairn.

They tramp loudly, shaking the dust of the place off their feet, and intoning with a deep voice the following and other malediction.

The malison of God and of Hogmanay be on you,
And the scath of the plaintive buzzard,
Of the hen-harrier, of the raven, of the eagle,
And the scath of the sneaking fox.

The scath of the dog and of the cat be on you,
Of the boar, of the badger, and of the 'brugha,'
Of the hipped bear and of the wild wolf,
And the scath of the foul foumart.

THE BLESSING OF THE NEW YEAR

GOD, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless Thine own presence
Thou hast given me this time, O God.

Bless Thou to me mine eye,
May mine eye bless all it sees;
I will bless my neighbour,
May my neighbour bless me.

God, give me a clean heart,
Let me not from sight of Thine eye;
Bless to me my children and my wife,
And bless to me my means and my cattle.

Benedictions and maledictions from Carmina Gadelica here and here.



Robert Burns - "Auld Lang Syne"

A lovely version sung by Dougie MacLean from the album "Tribute".

Click on the snowflake for the snow effect.

New Year's Prayer

Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. Amen.

New Year prayer from Appleseed.