Take Back the Rainbow

I love color. All color, all shades. I am blessed to live in a part of the country where the lakes look like liquid sapphires in the summer, snow crystals form millions of prisms in the winter, leaves look like crisp fire in the autumn and every sunrise reveals colors only nature can produce. Its no wonder that I love the rainbow. I've seen beautiful rainbows in Rome, Venice, Ireland, and right over my own back yard. It irks me to no end that this has become a symbol to glorify sodomy and licentiousness.

You know those bumper stickers that people put on the back of their cars? I'm tempted to start putting them on my car simply because it's wrong that we allow a group of deviants to use it for their symbol. For them, it has nothing to do with the promise to Noah from God to never destroy the earth by flood again. For them, it has nothing of the hope and the promise of eternal salvation.
Why have we let others take our symbols like the rainbow, the name "Madonna", the unicorn, the peacock, the pelican and desecrate them at the worst, or completely secularize them at the least?

I don't care what people think, I'm heading out to my nearest 'peace and justice' store and taking back the rainbow.

Uh..., well, I would if I wasn't boycotting the 'peace and justice' store. *sigh*

Want Coffee - Will Travel

So, while most of America is up at 5am this morning rushing to buy cheap plastic Chinese-made gifts that will inevitably be returned, regifted, "lost" or broken - I got up intending to go to daily Mass. Denied. I snuck into the church through the basement where a nice lady was preparing for a Meals on Wheels Luncheon, went upstairs and read the bulletin announcing No Mass on Friday. Bummer.

As an aside, why would they be doing Meals on Wheels in a Church Basement? Where's the Wheels part? Anyway, I didn't ask.

So, knowing that our favorite cafe for muffins and Chai's was closed today I decided to head to the next town to try the Sunshine Cafe. Isn't that a lovely name? It gives you the impression that you can actually buy sunshine in a cup. While dreams of espresso beans danced in my head, I headed out. I rolled into town, where the early-risers were walking down the street with their papers tucked under their arms, hunters were coming in from the woods for a break, and policemen patrolled the quiet streets. I park on the street, look over my shoulder, and the sunshine cafe is not shining. Denied. Closed for Thanksgiving. Bummer.

So, then I had to settle. And settle I did for Dunkin Donuts. Ahh... cappucinno, two sugars and an old fashioned for man's best friend.

This is What Happens...

when a Church first defies the authority of Holy Mother Church. After that, nothing is sacred.

The Church of England has come out in favor of infanticide. We're not really surprised.

Accent - Thanks Mom - I Don't Have One!!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Philadelphia
North Central
The Inland North
Boston
The Northeast
The West
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Here's a fun quiz... and just goes to show that homeschoolers have good diction!

We Lost AND We're Losers

So, we lost the House and the Senate today. And yes, I do mean we.

This post is for thsoe who say that we cannot vote if someone, like President Bush, isn't conservative enough.

Remember this Bible Verse "Be wily as serpants and innocent as doves"? No one is saying that anyone on the Hill would ever be up for canonization, but lets look at one important fact.

Right now the Supreme Court, with two new justices on it, are deciding whether or not to uphold the Ban on the Partial-Birth Baby Killing method.

The truth is, that we never would have gotten this law passed without the likes of the not-conservative-enough Senate, House and President. Further, we would never have a chance in Hades of upholding it if Roberts and Alito were not on the bench, confirmed by the not-conservative-enough House and Senate. If this ban is upheld, and babies are saved because of it, then those votes "wasted" on lukewarm conservatives will have been well wasted.

Voice Crying Out

DEEP THOUGHTS

Sometimes when you hear a voice crying out in the wilderness, you think of John the Baptist. And you assume that they have something profound to say.



But most of the time, when men are crying out in the wilderness, they're saying "I'm LOST!!"

Ahhh... Sunday Mornings

So, I meant to go to 8am Mass this morning, but lost my keys, lost my purse, missed my not-being-late-window and now I'm waiting for 10am Mass to roll around.

So, time for a little blogging.

My day today will consist of Mass (of course) and then out to Starbucks and Borders to grade papers, prepare classes, and determine grades for report cards. The funny thing is, 20 or maybe even 10 years ago, the natural impulse would have been to head to the library. But instead, it seems that the coffee shop is the place to go for quiet concentration. At most coffee shops, people talk in hushed voices, students study diligently with their Venti Chai, or Grande Caramel Macchiato. In all appearances, the coffee shop is something akin to a temple for reflection, rather than the billion dollar money-maker that it is. The more serene and focused the setting, the longer people lounge buying coffee after sweet cake, after coffee, after sweetcake. People are willing to pay $5.00 for a $.75 cent coffee as long as it comes with the privilege of sitting in this hallowed space for just few hours, or even minutes.

With the rise of Starbucks, it seems that we have transferred our loyalties from the temple to reading & learning that the library once was, to the shrine of caffeinated drinks and little pastries.

I guess this signals another notch in the belt of consumerism... but I sure do like my Starbucks!

The First Romance

My religion students are reading the Old Testament this year, and they were very intrigued by the story of Isaac and Rebekah. It is as pure and beautiful as any love story, and the customs shown are truly remarkable.

As you may remember from reading the story, Isaac was coming of age to marry (about 4o) when Abraham decided to send his servant back to his kinsfolk to find a suitable wife for his son. The servant, after a long journey and much prayer, decides that he will wait by the well for the women to come and get water. The first with the generosity to give water to him and water his camels is the girl for his master's son, Isaac. So far, its interesting to note that the servant does not first seek out those with good connections, good families or with a hefty dowry. His first test is one of generosity, hospitality and - of course, beauty.

So, the servant waits and along comes Rebekah who readily offers to water the camels after serving the servant. The servant, in exchange, gives her a NOSE-RING (oh yes. Genesis 24:22 maybe he was worried that he couldn't get a ring size correct) and bangles and asks to stay with her family. When the family hears the tale, and the request for Rebekah to marry their kinsman's daughter (Rebekah was actually Sarah's niece) their response is: "This thing that comes from the Lord; we can say nothing to you either for or against it. Here is Rebekah, ready
for you."

This story gets even better. Of course, the servant gives abundant gifts of gold and silver to Rebekah, as well as to her mother and brother (interesting, no dowry from her side...) and they return to Abraham's house.

Here's the best part. Not only has God allowed the servant to find a generous woman for Isaac, but when the camel train approaches, Rebekah sees Isaac from afar - inquires about him, and immediately covers herself with her veil as a show of modesty. Isaac falls in love with her at first sight, and they live happily ever after. Someone pointed out to me once that this is the only marriage of the great patriarchs that is completely monogomous.

Strangely, Rebekah was working outside the home when she met with the servant. She needed to provide no dowry. And these two facts never detracted from her virtue.

Things that make you go "hmmm..."

Remember These?

Remember going to the library, and checking out a book?

First, you'd go to the card catalogue system, and thumb through thousands of index cards that were either handwritten, or typed with the title, author and other pertinent information. Then, you'd wander the stacks of musty smelling books until you found the one you were looking for - or the section that held your favorite author.

My favorite part of the old library system though, was the cards inside the book where you wrote your name and the librarian used a stamp to sternly imprint the date that this book was returned to the library.

I loved getting the older books that contained tons of names and different signatures. I'd try to imagine what the other people who had checked out the book were like. Sometimes I'd study the dates to see if I could tell if someone had NOT returned a book on time... or perhaps they returned it early because they hadn't like it. In this case, "Mamie" liked the book so much that she checked it out twice!

I just finished reading a book that contained an old receipt like this picture. The person I borrowed it from has but their name on the list.

The previous reader had borrowed it 31 years ago.

In Search of...

Catholic Culture.

Don't worry. This isn't a whiney, 'there's no culture anywhere' post. I'm actually looking for interesting Catholic traditions that might include semi-regional customs for Catholic feast days. For instance, see my earlier blog on the invention of croissants, and the introduction of coffee into the Western world.

I recently learned of a custom related to All Souls Day that involves children going from door to door offering to pray for the souls of departed members of the household in exchange for food. They were given pieces of bread made of water and floor that were called "dry bones" because they were baked in the shape of bones, signifying the dead, and because of their "lack" of tasty ingredients.

I'm particularly looking for All Saints Day and Advent customs. The more the merrier!!

No Cussin

Here's a good post about not 'cussing.'

I'd like to add my own thoughts to the matter.

1) Cursing does not make you a better baseball player. I'm sure that there was no cursing on this team!! (I know that this picture doesn't really go with the theme, but it was so neat that I wanted to post it and had to tie it in somehow.

2) There's nothing worse than hearing a woman or a child curse or swear. It totally strips the woman of any dignity and represents her to have an utter lack of decorum and grace. Its like watching a girl try to spit just so that she can 'fit in with the guys'. What I never understood - guys won't date other guys, so acting like one doesn't get you brownie points... or a date.

3) NOT cursing definitely sets you apart, and decreases the amount of swearing that goes on around you. I've never told any of my coworkers NOT to swear, but they try not to around me, and apologize when they do. Ahhh... the power of suggestion.

4) Cursing makes you sound like a broken record... as if there are no original thoughts in your head and you keep playing the same tune over and over again. Give it a break already!!

5) St. James said that if you can control your tongue then you have conquered the man. With that said, control of speech beginning with cursing and ending with gossip and detraction certainly are the basis for living a holy life.

6) People say that if they curse less, people pay more attention to them when they do curse. While that may be true... isn't it true that in times of anger, frustration or pain those words wouldn't even be on the tip of your tongue if you're not already in the habit of cursing???

7) My personal favorite: Do you kiss your mother with that mouth??

Just wondering...

There are Riches, and Then There's Money.

Simply put, I'm wondering if keeping a substantial savings account, with no particular purpose in mind, might be considered harmful as it lead one to rely more on their own power of providing than on God's providence.

Jesus makes it quite clear in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew that this life is fleeting . Further, since this life is simply a preparation for the grand finale, we need to spend our resources on preparing for that, and not spending our time on the dress rehearsal.

It made me think about my savings account. Usually, the number is around zero-ish but despite that fact I've had some great opportunities including travel to 7 European countries and a few areas in the United States. I had stayed at home, and not taken any of those trips, its hard to figure out how much richer I'd be...

On a limited income, these trips certainly made me frugal. When I had to buy my own lunch in Rome during my college semester, most lunches consisted of leftover rolls from dinner the night before (which were from breakfast the morning before), peanut butter brought from the States, and fruit - again, from dinner the night before. On feast days or for a treat, we might purchase cheese and nutella from the local market. There was also a trip in Spain where we ate a roll and coffee for breakfast, skipped lunch, and found an inexpensive dinner. Again, we had bread and peanut butter in case there were any real emergencies.

Of course, I don't think its really a sin to have a savings account, especially if one is saving for their family, future family or future plans. Yet, Jesus does point out that there is a virtue in living as if we may be taken from this world at any moment, and we should spend our resources, time and talent in becoming holier and closer to Our Lord.

I do remember a certain pride as I came home from my semester in Rome with a credit card small balance, and one US dollar in my purse. I had spent three months in Rome, and visited Florence, Subiaco, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Orvieto, Pamplona, Avila, Toledo, Madrid and southwest Ireland. I was able to attend daily Mass at St. Peter's, attend the station churches during Lent and celebrated Easter Week with the Holy Father.

All in all, you might say that I'd be richer if I hadn't spent the semester in Rome - but you could only say that if you were counting richness in dollars.

Why Some Women Don't Sew

There's a funny story about why the women in my family don't sew, and it goes like this:

My grandmother was darning socks one day as she sat in her rocking chair. She dropped the spool of thread, and she leaned over the chair to catch the thread which was rolling out of her reach. As she leaned, she tipped the chair over, catching her foot under the weight of the chair - and her own weight - breaking her ankle. She declared that she would never darn another sock again. Consequently, my mother doesn't sew.

It makes me wonder what other fine arts & family traditions have been lost due to similar tragedies...

BUT THEY DON'T KNO-OW ANY BETTER

Well, normally I attend the Latin Mass, but I have to admit that I've been a bit run-down lately with the new school year starting, and various other runnings around - so, I decided not to do the 1.5 hour trek to the Latin Mass this morning and to attend our local church instead. Its a nice small rural community and the priest loves Our Lady. There are usually lots of families in Church with little kids and the choir reminds me of the choir in our parish where we grew up. Remember that part in Cinderella where the step-sisters are crooning "sing sweet nightingale"? That's pretty much what it sounds like.

Anyway, as we arrive, there's a crowd of people around the front door, obviously waiting for someone, but they don't look like they're dressed for church - especially since one is holding a Dunkin Donuts cup. Anyway, we enter, find our seats and kneel to prepare to Mass.

Well, the entourage finally enters, led by a pair of soon-to-be-baptized twin boys. Proudly in tow is the Dunkin Donuts toting, sweatpant suit wearing woman we saw outside. Horrified at seeing a Donkin Donuts cup in Church, I decide to go and ask this girl if she'd like me to throw it out for her. My sister tells me that I should probably ask Father first.

So, I did. Father was quite confused, and after asking a few questions, tells me that there are some mentally ill people in the parish, and we'll just let it go. Okay...

Then, the two children in front of us are playing with a pocket watch, and other toys while the mother looks on and occasionally smiles at them. Some people come in after the Offertory, but at least they're not toting Donkin Donuts...

Why this list of notably distracted and unprepared parishioners?

Well, it occurred to me that people act this way in Mass because NO ONE TOLD them that this isn't appropriate. We have a whole generation, namely mine, that were told that its okay to show up to Mass late and still receive; that Christ said "let the children come to Me" which means that children can play and cry and eat and color in Mass; that thinks its great to have your friends arrive at your children's baptism carrying their designer coffee; that formal dress isn't necessary for Mass and roll-out-of-bed styles are just as good.

My question is: WHO IS GOING TO TELL THEM????

You can't really blame them. They'd probably say "at least we're going to Church" and that is precisely the problem - it is the least they can do. The very least.

But Catholics, and Americans, have never been about the "least we can do" - we're about giving our best to God, Country, Family.

And its also occurred to me that this is precisely the source of the deep sigh that you sometimes see priests do, especially when they realize that yes, they are the ones who have to TELL THEM. And, since they haven't been doing it for so long, they have a lot of work to do.

God help our priests.

VOTE NOW!!!!

Should the Pope apologize for his words?

!Absolutely NOT! (click here to vote).

Coffee: Nectar of the gods

So, in preparing for a one-minute-or-less meditation for my high school students yesterday, I decided to look up the history of the day's feast - the holy name of Our Lady.

Apparently, Our Lady's intercession was sought when the Turks had occupied Vienna in the 16th century. The Polish King, Sobieski gathered his troops to stop the Muslim invasion into Europe, leaving Poland and first bringing his army to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestawova. Their prayers were answered on the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary.

In honor of this victory, the people drank the spoils left behind by the Turks, coffee, and the bakers created a crescent shaped pastry (croissants, presumably) in imitation of the crescent moon on the Turkish flag.

I'm seeing that my coffee addiction may actually be a virtue, and not a vice.

What's Really Wrong with Men Today

There has been alot of speculation lately on what ails a healthy Catholic femininity in this contemporary age. I'd like to take a break from this debate to talk about what really irks me about the opposite sex.

1. Why don't men spend their time practicing how to take out the garbage more before marriage? This is clearly a task that has been traditionally relegated to the stronger sex, and I want to know why men so loath this task that they are not properly prepared for it when they enter the married state. I mean, how hard is it to put another bag into the trash can and tie it so that garbage doesn't cause it to slip down the can, hence creating a nasty, stinking garbage can. It wastes time and puts unneeded stress on a marriage that is already wrought with hardships and turmoil.

2. Why can men not gracefully open doors? I was recently crossing the lobby of an office building, when a very gentlemanly looking man noticed my approach to the door. He hastened his step, and stationed himself next to the door to pull it open for me, only to be awkwardly embarrassed to find out that the door opened outward! His embarrasment, and my smirk at trying not to laugh was weird indeed, as he had to push the door open, and plaster his body against the door so that I could go through before he did. Instead of playing sports, getting jobs, saving money and other manly pursuits, men should make themselves apprised at the various ways to open doors for ladies. This would indeed be an imitation of Christ who opened the door to heaven for us.

3. Learn how to shake a hand! My goodness, there's nothing worse than shaking a man's hand, and you feel like you've been given a wet noodle to shake. Enough said on that subject.

4. I am pleased to hear that some men have taken the task of creating the "head of household" and "suggestions welcome" buttons to be used during marriage so that their wife can wordlessly determine whether now is a good time to discuss a major issue with their husband, or if she should passively submit. I am pleased to hear of such creative modes of communication between married persons that cuts out needless words.

5. Learn how to smoke a pipe! For goodness sake, how am I supposed to have your pipe, slippers and smoking jacket prepared when you return home from work if you don't smoke a pipe, or at least a cigar. Seriously, surely your job or other preparations for marriage don't exclude you pursuing some vices that are to be upheld in marriage.

6. While dating, I fully expect that there should be certain obstacle courses, trick questions, and other challenges by which to test my worthiness as a wife. Please, please, please - put some thoughts into these. Some suggestions might include leaving me in the woods overnight with a sewing machine and some knitting needles to see if I can have a sweater knitted and a suit sewn by morning. Asking me how many degrees I have, and how many degrees I wish I didn't have might be another challenge. Since the results will be used to determine whether or not I am able to sacrifice during marriage, these should really be HARD.

These are just a few random thoughts. If there are other suggestions out there, I'm very open to hearing them. If you are a man and responding, be sure to be really harsh so that I can get used to the castigations of my husband should I ever marry.

(Judging from the sarcasm of this post, I think its pretty unlikely)

Pitt Pontificates on Matrimony

Finally, someone who's willing to stand up for his beliefs - and in defense of marriage at that!!

And who is this brave person you may ask? Yes, you guessed it (or maybe you didn't) - Brad Pitt. He has declared that he and Angelina Jolie will not marry until "all Americans are able to wed". And I'm sure that this brave groundbreaker is really suffering for his beliefs. Imagine, being so convinced of the sanctity of marriage that you sacrifice living with your beloved, raising a family together or side by side taking on the challenges of life because you believe that society is not truly valuing the married state.

Oh wait...

But they are living together, and Brad Pitt has adopted Angelina's children, and supposedly they are working side by side handing out food for poor Africans.

So, what are we really getting from the Hollywood crowd? More hot air. No wonder Al Gore is worried about global warming.

Farewell to Pluto

In 1930 an astronomer named Clyde Tombaugh made a discovery, the likes of which would not be replicated for another 70 years. He found a planet which later came to be known as Pluto. This discovery not only added another word to the mnemonic device "Many Visitors Eat Many Jelly Sandwiches Until Night Passes", but it also inspired the name of a dog beloved by Mickey Mouse and his many fans. You can read all about Pluto here.

If you want to read the tragic story of how Clyde's wife is taking the news that her husband's discovery is being demoted, click here.

My question now is - what's going to happen to Disney's Pluto???????

He's done a lot in 76 years. He had quin-puplets, he has a kid-brother, he's been a faithful companion to Mickey, Minnie Mouse, Donald and Goofy. He starred in 48 of his own cartoons, and he never broke his contract because he wanted more money. He never jumped up and down on couches declaring his love for some new labradoodle, or spouted strange demonic religions.

He never spattered the headlines because of some midnight drunken accident, never had to apologize for thoughtless words, never sparked any media scandal, never made embarrassing comments about how he hates America, never raised money for baby-killers or crooked politicians.

Now that the planet is being demoted, will he have to change his name? Will he go nameless until they discover another planet to name him after? If you are concerned about the fate of Pluto, I urge you to contact Disney and let them know that you don't want Pluto abandoned despite the fact that the science community is abandoning the planet.

For the moment, we'll be gathering names of people who are willing to adopt Pluto in case Disney is looking to "bring him to a farm."

Let's Be Serious...

So, you're at the airport. You've picked up a newspaper and the headlines read all about the terror plot planned to down 10 planes flying over the Atlantic by Muslim terrorists. Disturbing indeed. The news reports on the monitors show pictures of planes, the World Trade Centers crashing and other forms of hysteria. You think about the stepped up security, how you can't have your Starbucks with you at the moment, and that expensive Clinique lotion you had to discard before going through the security line. And you're okay with that. Life with chapped hands is better than being blown up over the Atlantic.

And then you see these guys come into your gate. You think either, they're Muslim male models who take themselves way too seriously, OR they've just spent all of their suicide bomber money on Western clothes before carrying out their mission. That's what the other passengers thought, and refused to get on the plane until they were removed.

When I first read the story I was a bit sympathetic to these guys. They're just getting on a plane... what if someone sees my innocent Irish face and thinks I'm on some sort of a bomber mission?!?!?! But then again, I don't look like I've just returned from a training camp in Syria.

The other reason that they may have rebelled is the excessive cologne, but to be fair - that was not in the article.

Here's my advice to these guys: If you don't want to kicked off any more planes in the near future - try shaving, and stop dressing like thugs. You might even want to do something about those eyebrows. And buddy, grease goes into your car- not the hair. Just a thought.