Catholic Ragemonkey

Valiant effort
One reader commented on Tuesday's road trip in Fr. Tharp's car, affectionately referred to as the Batmobile, suggesting that we call the car the Prayermobile. Now, for the record, in referring to Fr. Tharp's car as the Batmobile, it was not in his mind (nor mine) that the exclusion of prayer was to be understood. Rather, it is our view that prayer is the foundation, an essential part, of what lends superhero status to Fr. Tharp's car. Of course, that it is sleek and black also helps!

But, we decided to give the re-name a try. While motoring along in Kansas, we pulled out our Rosaries and I led the Joyful Mysteries (I chose the joyful on a Tuesday because we are in the Octave of Christmas). Soon after we began praying, I, sitting in the passenger seat, began to notice that the shoulder of the road was becoming increasingly aligned with MY SHOULDER! Those "warning-you-are-driving-off-the-road" strips cut into the asphalt were getting closer and closer. I tried to calmly and nonchalantly glance over at Fr. Tharp, pushing my head back a little in the hope that he wouldn't notice my looking at him. Sure enough, he had that squinting look about his eyes that can either be a sign of deep prayer or of falling asleep. In this case it may have been both! So, I began changing up my inflection in the Hail Mary and occasionally coughing loudly, to alert our driver. Thankfully, we were able to finish the Rosary and NOT in a fiery ball in the middle of a Kansas field.

So, I'm not sure of the future of the "Prayermobile" name. Perhaps that is a name that can only be used when Fr. Tharp has a passenger to help keep him awake. Otherwise, the Batmobile/Prayermobile may have as much success on the road as this driver: