CARDINAL BURKE IN FABULOUS RED SATIN AND LACE

I’m sure that [Cardinal Raymond] Burke could explain why he is dressed this way. I am not sure that I would understand that explanation.

Yes, I’m a Protestant from a very low-church Baptist tradition. And, yes, I’m sure that explains a measure of my befuddlement over this photograph. But not all of it, because, well, just look at it.

I can only guess that this is a ceremonial costume. It surely does not seem to be anything one might wear for practical reasons.

If the splendid vestments point the worshippers to God, then fine, but if the elegant satin and lace serve as adornments for humans (in the Roman Catholic Church, men only) in a way that indicates the wearers are special in the eyes of God, then it's all wrong.  I showed my posts on Cardinal Burke's liturgical fashions to my friend, and she said she liked them...well maybe not all of them.  I believe the red vestment is the cappa magna which has a 20 foot train.  I hadn't see the puffiness in the back before now.

Photo from the cultural christian via Slactivist.

Thanks to Paul (A.) for the link.  You all know how fond Paul is of the splendid vestments. 

RUNNING AROUND LIKE A MADWOMAN

Ever since our visitors from Connecticut left to return home yesterday, I have been running around like a madwoman, and I got to feeling a little sorry for myself.  Woe is me.  But then I thought of a relative of mine who is laid up with a painful leg after knee surgery, and I prefer running around.

Below is a picture of us with our friends: Grandpère, Hugh, Ginnie, and me.  As I said in my earlier post, we visited the Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building, in the picture below, and then had lunch at the golf club near Lockport, Louisiana.  The couple's son, Andrew, is not shown as he took the picture, and I'll have more to say about him later. 

Our friends and GP and I talked and talked. Ginnie and I stayed up very late talking Monday night, so we were tired and went to bed fairly early on Tuesday.  Ginnie and Andrew were my companions on the nightly walk with my dog Diana.

We lost track of our friends for many years after we moved and they moved, and then several years ago I found them through the internet, and we've stayed in touch ever since and visited back and forth several times.   Of course, we had filling in to do about what had happened over the years, but we seemed to get back quickly into the friendship groove.

WORDS HAVE POWER

Bro John Anthony

If you can recall words that hurt you, you can probably also recall words that sustained you, encouraged you, lifted you up. Words have power, power to create and power to destroy, power to bless and power to curse, power to heal and power to hurt.

-Br. David Vryhof
Society of Saint John the Evangelist

Bro John Anthony posted in St. Cuthbert's Cottage

OUT TO LUNCH...

...and breakfast and dinner.  Well, we are not literally out for all the meals, but we had lunch today at the club house of La Tour Golf Club.   No, we are not members of the golf club, but the restaurant, with its very good food, is open to non-members.

Friends from Connecticut are visiting us, so I have little time for blogging.  We visited The Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building with our friends today.  Grandpère gave us the grand tour of the museum, and then we had lunch at the golf club nearby.  We were in our friends' wedding 50 years ago, and we always have much to talk about when we get together.  I hope to have a few pictures later.  Unfortunately, our friends must leave tomorrow morning, so we have to cram in as much food and talk as possible in a short time.

I'll be back blogging tomorrow or the next day.  Au revoir.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MY CANADIAN FRIENDS!

BONNE ACTION DE GRÂCE, MES AMIS CANADIENS!

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer/Book of Divine Worship)

STORY OF THE DAY - NO INCENTIVE

There's no incentive to tell the truth when you're 
already in this deep, he said. I'm just hoping to die 
peacefully in my sleep.

From StoryPeople.

CRIE DE COEUR

“I’m sorry, Jim, I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS… I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too," went Romney's vow.

Since then, Big Bird started a Twitter account, journalists calculated exactly how much of the federal budget PBS actually uses (.012 percent), and our favorite thing of all, this happened:

 

Poster from Dear World on Facebook.

Thanks to Ann V for the link to Huff Post. 

UPDATE: I corrected the percentage of the federal budget that subsidizes PBS.  

BIG BIRD MAY YET DO ROMNEY IN

Romney told moderator Jim Lehrer, “I’m sorry Jim. I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m gonna stop other things. I like PBS, I like Big Bird, I actually like you too.”

A collective stab pierced the heart of Generation X who grew up with Big Bird, Bert and Ernie and Oscar the Grouch as their best friends. I immediately thought, “Oh no, Big Bird will be unemployed if Romney wins.” I wasn’t alone.

Not only Generation X.  Think of the children!   Of course, children can't vote, but at least some parents and grandparents of whatever generation may remember Romney's threat to Big Bird when they head out to vote.  And it's not only "Sesame Street" and other programs for children that will be affected by Romney's elimination of the subsidy.   A good many grown-ups of voting age watch PBS, too.

I COULD NOT RESIST

From Bipartisan Report.

STORY OF THE DAY - WISH LIST

I wish you could have been there for the sun & the
rain & the long, hard hills. For the sound of a
thousand conversations scattered along the road. For
the people laughing & crying & remembering at the 
end. But, mainly, I wish you could have been there.

From StoryPeople.