Seriously?!?

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) In London last Friday, a high ranking United Nations (UN) jurist called on the British government to detain Pope Benedict XVI during his upcoming visit to Britain, and send him to trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “crimes against humanity.”

like Chesterton said this sound is recognizable it is “a hiss out of hell.”

Mark has a good answer

why not try it at home

"There was a time when you and I and all of us were all very close to God; so that even now the color of a pebble (or a paint), the smell of a flower (or a firework), comes to our hearts with a kind of authority and certainty; as if they were fragments of a muddled message, or features of a forgotten face. To pour that fiery simplicity upon the whole of life is the only real aim of education; and closest to the child comes the woman --- she understands. To say what she understands is beyond me; save only this, that it is not a solemnity. Rather it is a towering levity, an uproarious amateurishness of the universe, such as we felt when we were little, and would as soon sing as garden, as soon paint as run. To smatter the tongues of men and angels, to dabble in the dreadful sciences, to juggle with pillars and pyramids and toss up the planets like balls, this is that inner audacity and indifference which the human soul, like a conjurer catching oranges, must keep up forever. This is that insanely frivolous thing we call sanity. ... "

GKC What's Wrong With The World

The Missing Piece

When my children were little we would always attend Easter Mass at the Cathedral , which is a great place to be on any given Sunday but at Easter you get all the smells and bells. Since the majority of my children have grown and started families of their own this tradition has faded.

This year my bride suggested we start going again. I was not sure if it was for our littlest one or she was being nostalgic but it did not matter. I missed the Cathedral too.

Once you enter the Cathedral, even after a long absence, it is as if you were never away. There is a joyous wonder in its sameness. Its sameness comes from the dynamic position of always being where the past and the potential of the future meet in the envelope of the present.

As you walk in and someone unseen would be wailing on the large pipe organ and when the horn section enters in you could feel your sternum vibrate. The choir is angelic. The building is beautiful in fulfilling the prophesy, “If These Were Silent, the Stones Would Cry Out”, all this before the procession had begun.

As the procession past us I began to take a closer notice of the throng of the faithful before me. I felt something was different then from what I remember and honestly I missed the opening prayers trying to figure it out. Before the first reading it dawned on me – there were no ladies in hats. Those marvelously large pastel colored hats were gone - not one Easter hat. In the past as you focused on the alter it was through a sea of big brimmed soft flowing hats acting as flowers turning toward the morning sun. Now everywhere not only were there no hats there were very few ties, little finery, only a few children in new outfits. Our pew was the exception where as in the past I would sometimes feel we looked a little ragged.


I am not one to wear a tie much and I keep my sport coat in a bag until Christmas and Easter my wife never wore a hat but many did. But EASTER that was the time when dads wore suits, mom’s bought you new outfits and your one pair of new shoes for the year were bought at Easter. It all added another layer to the day we were all, in a way, “resurrected” from winter to the new life of spring.

We wore our best on the best day. Now, how is anyone to know that this day is above all other days, when all they see are jeans and polos?

A word from Pope John Paul II

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
- Pope John Paul II

(I don't think GKC would mind a Pope being cited on this day!)

Good Film For Good Friday

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Speaking of Judas

Judas has appeared in all the Church readings this past week. In dramatic terms this is because he is the pivotal character in the passion, it is his decision on which all else turns. Even though we know how this story ends we keep hoping Judas will have a change of heart.

It is fascinating to me that at this time pope Ben is being assaulted on all sides by the priest sex scandals throughout Europe. Judas’ are popping up all over (in and outside the church) saying everything from the pope should resign to the pope needs to change his mind on priest celibacy and sexual "freedom", (ho-hum).

Archbishop Timothy Dolan says Pope Benedict XVI, is suffering "some of the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob, and scourging at the pillar as did Jesus"!

It is important to remember that after the first Judas the other disciples did not say, “We need to change the teaching of the Lord so we won’t have another Judas incident”.

It won’t be said now. And it will not lessen the pain.

The Judas type will be with us always. Salvation history is filled with God’s people falling away and coming back. The “What could it hurt” to the “How were we to know” syndrome.

The difference between Peter and Judas is that Peter asked for forgiveness.

The question, as always, are we going to leave Peter because of Judas?

“But the best example of this unjust historical habit is the most famous of all and the most infamous of all. If there is one proper noun which has become a common noun, if there is one name which has been generalized till it means a thing, it is certainly the name of Judas. We should hesitate perhaps to call it a Christian name, except in the more evasive form of Jude. And even that, as the name of a more faithful apostle, is another illustration of the same injustice; for, by comparison with the other, Jude the faithful might almost be called Jude the obscure. The critic who said, whether innocently or ironically, "What wicked men these early Christians were!" was certainly more successful in innocence than in irony; for he seems to have been innocent or ignorant of the whole idea of the Christian communion. Judas Iscariot was one of the very earliest of all possible early Christians. And the whole point about him was that his hand was in the same dish; the traitor is always a friend, or he could never be a foe. But the point for the moment is merely that the name is known everywhere merely as the name of a traitor. The name of Judas nearly always means Judas Iscariot; it hardly ever means Judas Maccabeus. And if you shout out "Judas" to a politician in the thick of a political tumult, you will have some difficulty in soothing him afterwards, with the assurance that you had merely traced in him something of that splendid zeal and valour which dragged down the tyranny of Antiochus, in the day of the great deliverance of Israel.”

GKC The New Jerusalem

Always a Great Day

"If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

This past weekend our youngest received her first and second Holy Communion. Great day - it was - for real.

If you are a Catholic Christian you understand the ginormous joy this day holds. I have been struggling all week to find the words to explain this feeling to our non Catholic brothers and sisters and have failed completely. I just could not find a relevant analogy.

As we waited in the school before the mass the men watched the women going into full Martha mode: straightening out veils and ties, curling or flattening out hair with spit, chatting with the other moms about how many guests would be at home and what they would be fed hoping there would be enough.

It was just after the line-up and before the procession to the Church that one of the dads said, “It’s like a wedding but with out the dread.”

As we went over I began to hum an old hymn “…sometimes it causes me to tremble.”

Conspiracy theory - and a Chesterton sighting

"The Invisible Man" is a frequently anthologized Father Brown story. A "postman" (i.e. mailman) plays an important role in the the story - though in a negative way.

I've sometimes suspected that my local mail carriers bear a grudge against Chesterton because of this.

My issues of Gilbert invariably arrive a week or two after other people have already begun to blog about what great issue it is and refer to articles I have not yet read.

And last week, my March-April issue of StAR (Saint Austin Review) arrived graced with Chesterton on the cover and chock full of articles about him.

The cover was torn.

Hmmm. I wonder what Father Brown would make of that. Coincidence?

Or a conspiracy?

Paranoia aside, I have been enjoying the articles. Dale Alquist, of course, contributes a piece (how could you have an issue of anything devoted to Chesterton and not have something from Dale?). He speculates what might have happened if Chesterton had gone bad!

We also have articles of orthodoxy, being a defender of the faith, fairy tales, Chestertonian drama, a little bit of Belloc, and more.

If you are a Chestertonian (why else would you be reading this blog?) and you don't subscribe to StAR, at least get a copy of this issue.

(Go to http://www.staustinreview.com/ for info.)

They Are Smarter Than We Are

Many a moon ago I discovered this truth: When building a fence around your chicken coop you don’t make it strong enough to keep the chickens in but to keep the carnivores out. I rebuilt my fence to that ideal or so I thought. Carnivores are clever in their pursuit and relentless in their search for a weakness in the defenses’.

Such a weakness was found in my coop, one loose board high up on the south side.

This morning I found only feathers.

I’m sure there is an analogy to the health care bill that could be made here but all I know is that I will now have to buy my Easter eggs.

I didn't do it. You didn't see me do it. You can't prove a thing.

ah spring

The rains have stopped and the sun is gaining confidence. The remaining snow weaves emaciated down shadow filled alley ways. It still clings, weak and weary, to the corners of parking lots like an old postcard stuck in back of your sock drawer. Its cryptic message now understood: “The weather is here. Wish you were beautiful.”

After the cookies are gone

Is this what the Girl Scouts will sell next?
Will it be door to door or will we have to go to meetings
Will they at least earn a badge for doing 'it'?

Mark Shea once said,"Show me a culture that despises virginity and I'll show you a culture that despises children."

...and the tears will not stop.

very cool

A Small Glass Of Whine

Recently the news has been filled with the problems of our public educational system. Simply put it is failing. The talking heads are blaming everyone from the teacher unions to not enough money.

Central Falls High School in Rhode Island fired all their teachers because they would not accept a change with out more money. That school did make the statement that the school should run the school - not the Union.

The current occupant of the white house is threatening to close more schools unless they improve.

California college students are protesting a hike in fees (they still think higher education should be free even if the state is bankrupt).

A democratic state senator in Chicago is campaigning for a voucher system in that city.

However this is not entirely about the union. Most teachers want to teach, love to teach, and do a great job and follow the Chesterton rule, "A teacher who is not dogmatic is simply a teacher who is not teaching".

As nice as it is it is not about the money either.

For the past several years I have been working in the public educational system and my job this year has given me a different view on why this may be happening. In the mornings I teach, off campus, a group of young boys who do not work and play well others. In the afternoons I along with two full time teachers tutor high school kids in order to help them pass their state exams - without which they can not graduate. These tests are not that difficult most of the questions are on an eighth grade level. Nearly 90% of these just don't care to learn the material.

When I was in school we would ask our teachers, "Why do I gotz to learn this stuff"?
The answer was simple, "You need a good education if you want to support yourself and your family."

Since we are now in our 3rd generation of an entitlement society this answer is no longer true. Some have learned that 'workin for da gubment' they can get food, a place to live, health care, energy allowances, with enough money for beer, cigarettes and cable TV. So why bother with school why bother with work?

It is very hard to convince these kids of the importance of education. The percentage of these kids is growing every year. This attitude of "I don't care and I don't have to care." is infections. The parents of the motivated and gifted are pulling their kids to send them to private schools or home school. The scale in public schools is tilting and not in the right direction.

This very disheartening for a teacher.

The why bothers go to school cause they got nothing else to do, and it is better than sitting at home with dad.

QUALIFICATIONS

In a Purdue University classroom, they were discussing the qualifications to be President of the United States . It was pretty simple, the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.

However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.

The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone's jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, "What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-section?"


And don't forget, "They walk among us!"

good times

Thursday the weather began to soften to the point where school was back in on Friday. On Saturday I had no choice but to proclaim a road trip. We went to go see semi distant family where we would partake in the simple joys of storytelling, snacking and letting the grandchildren, nieces and nephews climb all over me. Before dinner we went as a faction to church to take up a pew and a half. It is sometimes excellent to be patriarch.

I like this church. It is a small neighborhood church that sits about 200 and no matter what mass we have attended it is always standing room only. Each parish manages to bubble up it's dominate talents. This church excels in it's music ministry. It is beautiful to listen to as well as to participate with which the whole congregation does with gusto. From this we moved to great dinner of truly more comfort food.

When we returned from this trip we found that our Girl Scout cookie order had arrived.

Life is good.

Start your Lent with a Song in Your Heart

Snow Daze

We are now on our seventh day without school because of the SNOW. Snow, snow and more snow - up to our knees in snow. It is too cold to make snow persons, too deep to go sledding and too flat around here to go skiing.

Even the cats are getting cabin fever.

It's not all that bad, really we are doing ok. We watched butter soften and then made cookies. Shuffled around on the rug and played shock tag. I received on going reports from my wife on how she was doing rearranging her fabric collection. I cleaned out "that closet" and tried to solve the mystery on how there could be, in there, 7 gloves and 2 mittens none a match and all left handed.

There is a store within walking distance so we have not run out of chips and beer.

I saw my first Robin.

The Jesus Rifle

Oh No! It is the end of the world. The war is lost! (be sure to watch Rachel Maddow's video at the end of the post) But for $660,000,000.00 I will stop talking about Jesus.

"If a boy fires off a gun, whether at a fox, a landlord or a reigning sovereign, he will be rebuked according to the relative value of these objects. But if he fires off a gun for the first time it is very likely that he will not expect the recoil, or know what a heavy knock it can give him. He may go blazing away through life at these and similar objects in the landscape; but he will be less and less surprised by the recoil; that is, by the reaction. He may even dissuade his little sister of six from firing off one of the heavy rifles designed for the destruction of elephants; and will thus have the appearance of being himself a reactionary. Very much the same principle applies to firing off the big guns of revolution. It is not a man's ideals that change; it is not his Utopia that is altered; the cynic who says, "You will forget all that moonshine of idealism when you are older," says the exact opposite of the truth. The doubts that come with age are not about the ideal, but about the real. And one of the things that are undoubtedly real is reaction: that is, the practical probability of some reversal of direction, and of our partially succeeding in doing the opposite of what we mean to do. What experience does teach us is this: that there is something in the make-up and mechanism of mankind, whereby the result of action upon it is often unexpected, and almost always more complicated than we expect."

The Superstition of School, by G.K. Chesterton