New profession
In addition to being a Roman Catholic priest, I have decided that I am going to pursue medical licensing in my State so that I may be recognized as a medical doctor. To answer your questions, no, I have not attended medical school and I have no medical training. However, I have just finished administering a medical treatment -- normal folks call it eating breakfast -- and so I believe I should be licensed before attempting such again. Hey, and maybe I could charge major bucks to feed myself!

Terri Schiavo, R.I.P.
I just received breaking news that Terri Schiavo has died 14 days into her starvation. May she rest in peace! May God grant his peace and grace to her family. May God have mercy on the souls of those who have promoted and participated in her death.

Slave of the "Culture of Death"
I have commented before that "schiavo" is the Italian word for "slave". It is just too fitting that Terri Schiavo has become a pawn of the culture of death. The slaves of that culture have made her a slave for their purposes. I have been reading quite a bit about the Terri Schiavo drama. I am outraged at what is going on and not quite sure what to do about it. I believe that we have reached a new low, a turning point, and I fear for what this latest episode will mean for the world inherited by those who are now children. A couple of questions come to mind from the latest round of Terri reading I have been doing:

(1) Remember when we were told that feeding Terri was prolonging her dying? Remember when we were made to believe that without extreme medical intervention, Terri would not survive? Folks, if she was really dying already (and, therefore, food was only prolonging the agony) then why are we now in day 13 of her starvation? Why is it taking so long? Could it be that, despite being severely incapacitated, she was otherwise healthy? I know it takes days and days for an otherwise strong person to die from starvation, but why is it taking Terri so long, especially if somewhere in that quiet brain of hers, she has the original desire (as her husband claims) to die anyway? Just seems a little odd to me.

(2) I am sure a legal scholar could describe all sorts of minutia that contributed to the courts consistent rulings against Terri keeping her feeding tube. I can't enter into that debate. However, it seems clear that the crux of the argument of the Felos-Michael Schiavo camp is that Terri herself allegedly expressed to Michael a desire to not be kept alive if severely incapacitated and in a state such as hers. NONE of us can know whether that alleged conversation ever took place and, if it did, whether Michael's claim is an accurate account of Terri's wishes. There is no record of that alleged conversation (and certainly not a legally binding one) and Terri never made such wishes known to others in a manner that could be known without doubt. But you and I DO know something else about Terri's wishes, something that is public, that is fact, that is recognized by the courts, and which, it seems to me, ought to be given FAR MORE weight than the private words allegedly spoken to Michael. We know that Michael and Terri married. They stood before a community of others and publicly professed their love for each other and their committment to each other "...for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

We all know WITHOUT A DOUBT that Terri did publicly express her desire to be faithful to her husband and received what she hoped was his desire to be faithful to her in all of the above states of life. And even if you won't grant me that, we AT LEAST know this with more certitude than we know the claim that Terri told Michael she would not want to be kept alive in her current condition. Furthermore, we also know, because it is public record, that Michael has not been faithful to his wife, has not lived up to those vows he made with her in public. There is nothing private, alleged, or unknown about this: witnesses heard them both state their vows, the State recognizes its legitimacy, and it is publicly known that Michael has been living with a woman who is not his wife and has two children with her. Why is a private conversation, for which there is no record, and upon the truth of which Terri's very life rests, being given more weight than the public marriage vows which were proclaimed before multiple witnesses and which are recognized as legally true and binding by the State issuing the marriage license?

Liturgical Footnote #8
By Fr. J.C. Garrett


Thomas à Kempis, in his spiritual classic The Imitation of Christ, speaks about there being two tables at which we dine during the Mass, the table of the Word and the table of the Sacrament. In fact, this two-fold division is seen in Scripture in the account of the “second Mass.” In St. Luke’s account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, first the Resurrected Jesus explains the Scriptures to them so that their hearts “burned within” them, before they “recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.” After the Introductory Rites of the Mass, we get to the first table, the Liturgy of the Word.

The Liturgy of the Word is an ESSENTIAL part of the Mass. If you miss the readings, even if you are present to receive the Eucharist, you have NOT fulfilled the Sunday obligation to attend Mass. And making it just in time for the Gospel is also NOT good enough. One of the questions we grimace to hear at the rectory is “How much of the Mass can I miss and still fulfill my Sunday obligation?” Mass begins with the Entrance Hymn (Introit) and ends with the Final Bless and Dismissal; you really need to be there for ALL of it. Of course there are occasions when a person might be late for Mass, but to be habitually late for Mass suggests that one is not placing God first in one’s life and is just “fitting God in” when it is convenient.

Why is the Liturgy of the Word essential? As St. Jerome wrote, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” At the Mass we are having a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the “Word made Flesh.” For those who remembers the “old” Mass, you might recall that the Liturgy of the Word was shorter than it is now; there was just one reading, the Psalm and then the Gospel, and the same readings were used each year. One of the revisions of the New Mass was to expand the amount of Scripture used during the Mass. Now the Sunday Mass has typically an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading, and the Gospel. In addition, there is now a three year cycle of readings; Cycle A we hear from St. Matthew’s Gospel, Cycle B is from St. Mark’s Gospel (with five weeks from Chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel, since St. Mark’s Gospel is rather short), and Cycle C is from St. Luke’s Gospel. Actually, the cycles of readings are a bit more complicated than that, but this basic outline fits rather well for the Sundays of Ordinary Time. The Gospels are read in a more or less continuous manner, one week picking up where the previous week left off. This continual system is also used for the New Testament readings; the Letters of St. Paul and St. James are read during Ordinary time, while the Letters of St. John and St. Peter are read during Christmas and Easter. Unfortunately this results in the New Testament reading often not fitting well with the Gospel reading. The Old Testament reading (during the Easter Season it is replaced by readings from the Acts of the Apostles) and the Psalm are selected to somehow relate to the Gospel reading.

With all this Scripture, it is important for us prepare ourselves for Sunday Mass, but that’s next week’s column.

A few pictures of the parish where I am assigned, St. James in Red Bank, NJ




Fr. JC Maximilian

And why is this happening now?
I really am glad that Jesse Jackson has shown up outside of Terri Schiavo's hospice and that he has expressed grave concern over this injustice [being done to Terri] because, let's face it, this woman is dying NOT because of an alleged coma, NOT from some terminal disease, and NOT because she needs machines to keep her alive (she doesn't) but simply because SHE IS NOT BEING GIVEN FOOD OR WATER. SHE IS DYING BECAUSE SHE IS BEING STARVED TO DEATH! This has been going on for 11 or 12 days now. So, why is Jesse Jackson showing up only now? Where was he months ago? Where was he 11 or 12 days ago? I'm just a bit baffled by that, even though I am happy he seems to have landed on the correct side of this issue.

Revising My Language...

Initially I was going to call this post, "Brain Death," but given what's happening in Florida, I think, in honor of Terry's fight, I won't use this term ever again, outside of medical moral discussions.

I have so wanted to blog all day but haven't had a blessed thing come to mind. There's lots of sad and troubling things out there -- but not a brilliant thought leaps out of my head.

So, then I tried to be very Octave-of-Easter about the whole thing and again failed. No brilliant flashes about the good things.

For the interim, my frontal cortex has stopped cooperativing with the operator of the organism known as 453-96-0943652XCFG aka "Fr. Shane Tharp." Suspect software and hardware mismatch. Will attempt to clear the brain jam with mental floss or will call service rep.

FRESHLY GROUND COFFEE!!!
It's been since Mardi Gras ... ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT!ILOVEIT! ... I apologize. This inappropriate use of the word "love" brought to you by your formerly freshly-ground-coffee-deficient beta ragemonkey.

A snowy start to Easter
Well, the forecasted snow did indeed come. When I woke up this Holy Saturday morning, snow had blanketed the earth and it continued to come down most of the day, ending in the afternoon. The practice for the Easter Vigil went well. Decorating took most of the day (see photos below: moving that many flowers around ALONE takes time, not to mention the cleaning and other arrangements). After taking all the altar boys for the Triduum out to lunch, I came back to the parish and took some photos which I will post below.

All the ceremonies of the Sacred Triduum went so very well and smoothly. The practice with the altar boys paid off -- they all did a magnificent job with very complicated ceremonies. Things were calm and I think a spirit of prayer dominated. Amazingly enough, I think I was most recollected tonight even though tonight's is the most complicated of all the ceremonies. I was just so proud to be a Pastor tonight. So many people worked hard to make this beautiful. Attendance was good. I baptized one person; received two others into the Church; confirmed those three previous and another three who were already Catholic but needed confirmation (six confirmations in all). There was a tangible "fatherly pride" for me tonight as I looked out over everything (after the lights were finally turned on!). It is a major relief that it all went so well. Easter Day is off to a great start!

This is a shot from the right aisle from earlier this afternoon, before the Vigil. In this shot, I managed to get more of the Baptismal Font (foreground, right side) which is surrounded by flowers too. 

This is a shot from the right aisle as you face the sanctuary. The shot is from after the end of the Vigil. 

I took this photo of the front of the Altar this afternoon before the Vigil began. The Tabernacle is still empty and the Paschal Candle is not yet occupying its stand. 

Here is the front of the Altar after the Vigil ended, candles are still lit. The Paschal Candle is in the foreground, directly in line with the center of the Altar and the Tabernacle. 

Finally, here is the Tabernacle surrounded by flowers and candles. I took this after the Easter Vigil ended. 

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit!




Since I got back from the Vigil before all the other monkeys, I get to wish all our readers a Blessed Easter. May you experience the Resurrection in this present hour by Christ liberating you and all whom you love from the yoke of sin.

P.S. There are two reasons this particular image of the Resurrection is fitting for my post. One is obvious, another less so...see if you can guess.

Test for a Successful Lent

Okay, readers, a quick check of your barometer of the success of your Lenten Penances. Go to the link provided above. If you respond with anything other than anger, scorn, hostility, etc., then you did okay during Lent.

Frozen in the tomb?
Well, folks, two ceremonies of the Sacred Triduum are now complete in my parish for 2005. We still have the "mother of all vigils" (as the Church refers to the Easter Vigil) tomorrow night. I am a bit concerned however, because a winter storm warning begins tonight and continues through Sunday, with predictions of 4-7 inches of snow. It looks like weather may require a much smaller fire held just inside the church, using chemicals rather than wood and things. We shall see. I am sure that whatever happens, the Easter Vigil will still be beautiful!

Tonight, thirty minutes before the start of the Good Friday Service of the Lord's Passion, the parish began the Divine Mercy Novena which will continue through April 3, the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. I am happy to be doing this here. Actually, in the rush toward the Triduum, I hadn't given much thought to this novena. Credit goes to Fr. Tharp who mentioned in one of our phone conversations last week that he would be beginning the novena in his parish tonight. So, I quickly made a plan, announced it at last weekend's Masses, and got notice of the novena in the bulletin for Easter weekend. And then something providential happened as I was wondering how to provide information on how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and whether I would have to take it upon myself to type up some sort of explanation sheet. I walked into the Parish Office and there was a bundle of pamphlets on the Divine Mercy that had been ordered some time ago. It was all set and ready to go! May the graces of this novena and this year's celebration of Divine Mercy rain down upon us! And, thanks, Fr. Tharp!

Good Friday, St. Peter Catholic Church, Guymon, Oklahoma. I took this shot of the cross with lit candles after everyone had left the church following tonight's service. After taking this shot, I removed the purple cloth from the crucifix, as the liturgical books suggest. Tomorrow the purple cloths covering the images of saints will come down. 

Here is a close-up of the cross with candles burning next to it. The church remained open for about an hour and a half after the service ended. We turned out most of the lights, creating some quiet, dark solitude for prayer before the cross. 

I fear this shot is a bit dark, but this is a photo of the sanctuary in the church decorated for Holy Thursday. The Tabernacle has been emptied before Mass, flowers are in place and big candleabra are in the back, near the adoring angels on the wall.

Holy Thursday Altar of Repose, (Parish Hall) St. Peter Catholic Church, Guymon, Oklahoma.

The Gauntlet's Down; Join in NOW!

I spent the entire day rubbing my temple, attempting to send Mark every good idea and sentence in my head, so that his book would be finished sooner. Instead, he came up with this. All in all, a good use of my delta waves....

Thank You for the Irony

I thought there was something else, apart from obvious issues, that was bothering me concerning the Schiavo case. A tip of the biretta to Barbara Nicolosi for the link.

A Letter from Dad

This one is for all my brother priests on this, our special feast day. While we can look to our particular date of ordination as the moment of our participation in the Priesthood of Christ, this day is the cause for our participation. Jesus wants every ordained priest to be the continuation of His priestly outpouring. In short, when someone sees you, may their hearts and minds say, "God is for us, not against us!"

Civil Disobedience Revisited

For our parents' generation, questions of the rights of minorities and women created this response. Isn't it peculiar that we now have to fight to make sure that a person is treated as a person?

They didn't want to have all of the chairs simonized afterward, not that there is anything wrong with that...

I should hope so...

Holy Week activities have only served to heat up the debate. This case is very important and so, regardless of the outcome, a lot of people suddenly have to give a lot of thought to end of life issues.

Church Tapped to Square Off Against Spidey

At first, I thought this would be a mano-a-mano death match between Cardinal Egan and the Websligner. Alas, I was mistaken.

For those who remember this actor from Wings on NBC or his most recent turn in the excellent film, Sideways, I am looking forward to what this third Spidey flick might generate. The question remains though, which villian will he be?

I think we can reasonable eliminate the Lizard from the list as we have already met Dr. Connors. They could change actors; it's not unheard of. Venom could be a likely candidate, but there is some question if the screenwriters are going to follow the TV cartoon story line which had J. Jonah Jameson's son become the first alien symbiote host or if somehow they will bring Eddie Brock into the picture. Hmmm...who else? Submit choices in the comments area, but I am going with (in order of likelihood) Mysterio, Electro, or Venom.

Has it come to this?

It's a bad sign when the governor of a state has to step in and defend one of his constituents from their husband. Any civil rights ramifications can be discussed as well.

Archdiocese of Oklahoma City: Chrism Mass 2005
Yesterday was the annual Chrism Mass for our archdiocese. At this Mass the bishop, gathered with most of the priests of the archdiocese, deacons, religious, and lay faithful, blesses the three oils used in the Sacraments for the coming year. The Mass is held at the Cathedral, which required your ragemonkeys to hit the great American highway once again. As I was half-way into my four hour plus drive, I called Fr. Tharp via cell phone and we spoke briefly. He informed me that before the Chrism Mass he would be attending his priest support group meeting at the Catholic Pastoral Center of the archdiocese. Some two hours later as I was entering the city, a need made itself known. I realized that the very first thing I would need to do upon getting to Oklahoma City would be to find a restroom. The highway that I drive in on takes me literally by the Catholic Pastoral Center (CPC). So, it was a natural place to pull off the road, run in, and move on to do a few errands before the Chrism Mass ... or so I thought. As I was waiting for a green arrow to turn into the CPC, I looked at the clock and realized Fr. Tharp's group was already meeting. My brain then registered that I would most likely see Fr. Tharp's car (the Batmobile) parked at the CPC and then ... giddy from my four hour drive, the very next thought my brain registered was: shoe polish!

Yes, I quickly did a u-turn, visited the nearby Wal-Mart for some white shoe polish, and returned to the CPC. I pulled up next to Fr. Tharp's car and I began to howl with laughter as I thought of his reaction to my prank. I then proceeded to write messages all over his windows. Yes, I got a few strange looks from some CPC visitors and employees -- but no one stopped long enough to inquire what was going on. Only later did I find out another hilarious witness to the prank. It seems that one of Fr. Tharp's group members was late and had not arrived yet to the meeting as I was in the parking lot shoe polishing the car. From an upstairs lounge area, another of Fr. Tharp's group members got up to look out the window to check the parking lot for the missing member's car. All the while, Fr. Tharp was sitting in the lounge but had not gotten up to look out the window! This other priest told me later that he saw me and put forth his best effort to not reveal what was going on. It worked!

I drove away from the CPC parking lot expecting a phone call from Fr. Tharp any moment. But one didn't come until much later. The funny thing is Fr. Tharp didn't realize I had done the deed. So, I let him think it was someone else for a while, telling him to leave the messages on the car, and to come to the Cathedral so I could take pictures of the Batmobile. After taking all the photos I revealed to him that I had been the prankster. Fr. Tharp, you've been punk'd!

I have included photos of the prank, and a few other photos, below. There was one message I didn't get a picture of. It was on the windshield of Fr. Tharp's car and he had to wash it off in order to safely drive. It read: "Destroying relativism and doctrinal indifference!" with an area pointing to the driver's side of the windshield.

Fr. Tharp was nice enough not to clean his car before arriving at the Cathedral. It allowed me to capture photos which I had previously forgotten to do. Silly me! 

This message is sort of a Public Service Announcement: Don't get in this driver's way, he may be blogging while driving or, if you upset him in traffic, he may blog about you! 

Here Fr. Tharp, still unaware that I had shoe-polished his car, poses for me next to the Batmobile. 

I added this myself to my own car. I thought it captured nicely the excitement of gathering the bishop, priests, deacons, religious, and laity from all across the archdiocese for the blessing of the oils. 

The Crucifix over the altar at my parish. I covered it with purple cloth, but didn't have a large enough piece to cover the whole cross. So, I covered the corpus and felt fairly pleased with myself until I realized it looked as if we had crucified Grimace from McDonalds! 

Ooops! I saw this sad sight on my way to the Cathedral for the Chrism Mass. 

I Saw It in the Mirror

As I write this, Terri begins her descent into death. As I listened to the news today, I figured out the key to the puzzle. The issue is not whether Terri said, essentially, I don't want to be kept alive this way. The issue is whether her feeding tube consistutes extraordinary means of life support. Anyone can refuse life support that 1.) is not going to be of benefit for the person, 2.) is going to place an undo burden on the patient, and 3.)is not ultimately address the illness. The Catholic Encyclopedia online can give you more info.

And here is where the case starts to swirl. Without examination, no diagnosis and prognosis can take place. Without diagnosis and prognosis, a list of necessary treatments cannot be drawn up. With a list of necessary treatments, then, it seems to me, anything and everything can seem extraordinary because the value of the patient as a person and a subject of health is not in the midst of the question.

Two for the Price of One

I am so irritated over how the news portrays this situation with Terri Schiavo as a right-to-die case. If there is, it is the only right that no one will be able to deprive you of. Terri has severe brain damage, but is not PVS. How can I tell? She isn't drooling. Drooling usually is a sign of being unable to swallow, and that is one of the diagnostic keys to assess how severe one's brain damage is or how likely the possibility of recovery is. On top of that, from what I have read, Terri has never received a proper PET scan or MRI or any of the other things that go into making a diagnosis of any kind. Terri could be taught how to speak more clearly and even eat with a fork and spoon, but for that to happen, Terri must receive some physical therapy. Why Michael or the doctors have not provided this is beyond me. As Terri's mother says, "She just eats differently than you or I."

Hence, this post is two for the price of one: fisking media and promoting life. It's religious multitasking.

Thank You for the Music

I wanted to give a tip of the biretta to the various persons who are working to get the word out about Terri Schiavo. The links are given below.

After Abortion
Blogs for Terri
Davetown
Thrown Back (in spite of snarky comments left here, I still hold Fr. Johansen as a further sign of what's right in the Catholic clergy today. His blog is a galmafrey of Terri-related information.)
Veritatis Splendor

I will refresh this post and update it for the next few days probably up to Holy Thursday.

Hole in Your Soul

My apologies for not reporting sooner. Blogger was being an absolute beast.

This morning, I had on my mind, Terri Schiavo. I had listened to Drew Mariani's talk radio program last night after the gym. He reported that Terri's feeding tube was to be pulled as of 1:00 p.m. EST. As I listened to his impassioned plea, I could not help but sit there and feel stupid and useless. After all, I spend all this time complaining that I have too much to eat, and here is a woman for whom that is about to be non-issue.

When I got up, I decided that Terri would be the subject of the homily because this case touches the very heart of basic question. In today's Gospel, John 10:31-42, we see the Jewish people reach for stones to kill Jesus for blasphemy. Normally, we say, "What a bunch of doofuses!" There is something to be praised, though, in the response of the people. In their minds, it was very clear that God is God and Man is man (creature) and never the two shall meet. If you are one, you cannot be the other. Hence, the task for their conversion to accept the coming of Christ, is to accept that Man and God can live as one without confusion or comingling of those things that are proper to each.

Take a step back for a moment and see if you see what I see. Judge Greer and Michael Schiavo, in a certain sense, are taking to themselves perogatives that are proper to God. Is her life worth anything? Does she deserve to live? These are questions that only a Creator can answer, and the creature can only guess at. Logically, then, if there is a question of value or worth, judgment should favor whatever goods are present and not penalize for those goods which are not necessarily demonstrable. From what Mr. Mariani mentioned on yesterday's broadcast, Judge Greer ruled that when the feeding tube is removed, Terri may receive nothing by mouth: no water, no Jello, not even any Vasoline to keep her lips from cracking. In a normal hospice situation you would be able to swab the mouth with ice or a moistened sponge. Clearly, this is not a normal situation.

Take one step forward. Worse case scenario, Terri's tube is removed today. Since most folks can only survive about 3-4 days without water, that would mean Terri's intense suffering would coincide with the beginning of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum. I guess we still have not learned our lesson. The Lord takes the side of the afflicted, the needy, the little ones. When He is lifted up on the Cross, lifted up like the serpent in the desert, He is accepting to Himself, all the failures of human history. Therefore, when we treat the least of our brothers as though they were nothing and non-persons, we simply re-present the Cross to Jesus and tell Him to get moving. We don't want to be troubled with you.

Thankfully it looks like Congress et al. are taking some steps but it might be too little, too late. As those called to spiritual combat, we can use the time profitably through pray, fasting, and almsgiving. Pray and intercede especially for the judge, Michael Schiavo, and Terri's parents. I don't want to assume bad motives on the judge's or Michael's part, but my inner sensors are telling me something different.

Demanding photo credit
I was delighted to see the photo Fr. Tharp posted below. I had actually forgotten about it. Allow me to explain.

Last week, Fr. Tharp and I were in Oklahoma City, generally being menaces and theologically obnoxious. As we drove down one particular road, looking for the next ridiculous prank to pull, we noticed the sign you see posted below. Actually, I think I saw it and started laughing, but that is an aside. The sign is outside of The Village United Methodist Church. It advertises the final presentation about a 12 step process given by -- and get this, folks -- Rev. Chuck Dollarhide. No joke!

We just howled in laughter because we thought it was an hysterical name for a pastor -- dollarhide. Uh, oh, grab your wallets, here comes the pastor! OH, no, Rev. Dollarhide is asking for money again. What are we building this week?

Anyway, we quickly decided that the photo of the sign was something we needed to post for CRM readers. So, Fr. Tharp, ever-so-skillfully at the wheel of his Batmobile, turned into the parking lot of the church, drove slowly to the entrance nearest the church sign, rolled down his tinted window, and used his cell phone camera to take a snap shot. Well, it was very sunny that day and the photo was almost impossible to make out. So, to bump the nonsense up another notch, I offered to get out of the car, walk up to the sign and take another shot. That is the shot you see below (and it is still hard to make out well).

So, folks, it may not seem funny to anyone else, but Fr. Tharp and I howled in laughter at what other people passing by the church that day saw and might have thought. Picture it with me: There we were in a black car with tinted windows occupying a strange spot in the entryway to the church. Then I step out, Roman collar and all, and creep across the lawn of the Methodist church to get closer to the sign. Drivers passing by and the old ladies in the parking lot probably wondered what was going on.

Thus is the story of the Rev. Dollarhide photo below.

Money, Money, Money
Posted by Hello

This was discovered by Fr. Hamilton and I during one of our romps through OKC. It seems an unfortunate name for a pastor. I mean, c'mon, Dollarhide? The jokes practically write themselves. Kudos to Fr. Hamilton for getting the shot and looking like an uberdoofus while doing it.

Take a Chance on Me!

On the good news front, it turns out that OSV is going to take another look at the Borromeo Project for publication. Thanks to my inside operatives who are helping me to take over the western world. I worked up a quick marketing proposal to help the publishing committee to say yes, i.e. they will take a chance on me. If they don't, I will start to put together a self-published empire. I'll keep you informed.

Crazy World
The world around me continues to get crazy. First, there was the notice from Austrailia. Then, there was the interview on Relevant Radio. Now the Miami Herald has mentioned CRM TWICE (?!) in its pages. Thanks to Ms. Alexandra Alter for her coverage.

Check them out here:
Blogging for God
Blogging: That Real-Time Religion;-)

Voulez Vouz!

Earlier, I mentioned how my niece was fretting over whether or not she would pass her second try at the driver's test. Well, she did! Hurray for the junior Ragemonkey in training. For all those who live in the OKC metro, watch yourself on the roads -- a new menace is spawned.

Of course, I remember my own days of wanting a car and so a new mode of whining will begin. I was most pleased with my sister who categorically said, "The car is MINE; she will be borrowing it. When she goes to college, then she can have it." Sadly, the next few months and weeks will be a constant refrain of "I want you" to every car for sale she sees. Since my first car was a beat-down junker, I hope my niece will continue the pattern.

Seeing purple
Well, I am just about done covering the crucifixes and images of saints in the church. I am still trying to rig some way to cover the enormous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but I think I have an idea. We also have many smaller images, icons and stuff in the church foyer area. Since we don't have enough pieces of purple cloth, I think I may just remove those images from the wall until the Easter Vigil. An even more severe deprivation of the senses (than the previous days of Lent) is now upon us. We cover images of the Lord's Passion, and Crucifixion so that we, in a liturgical sense, walk through those events as if for the first time, seeing it happen before us, rather than looking upon the Crucifix as a past event. As well, all the images of holiness (statues of saints) that are before us are covered since they would be nothing without the act of the Supremely Holy One, Jesus Christ the Lord! How much more joyful will Easter be when our starved senses have a veritable feast opened before them again!

S.O.S.!

Once again, I keep coming back to a basic premise: Abortion is acceptable because of a defective notion of personhood. You can mask it with terms like "quality of life" or "contingent health questions" but you can't avoid it. You are person because you, on the natural front, have everything you need to be a fully developed and differentiated person. On the supernatural front, you as a human person are created differently from the rest of creation that meets your eyes.

Happy Birthday
to my brother John, who celebrates his 24th birthday today! You've come a long way, little bro. I hope today was a good one. You are in my thoughts and prayers in a special way today!

With any luck this will get posted. I have been trying all night and Blogger has been eating this post and others.

Watch Out!
I guess there is something to be said for passive learning and watching the Food Channel...

Bacardi 151 Congratulations! You're 144 proof, with specific scores in beer (60) , wine (116), and liquor (121).

All right. No more messing around. Your knowledge of alcohol is so high that you have drinking and getting plastered down to a science. Sure, you could get wasted drinking beer, but who needs all those trips to the bathroom? You head straight for the bar and pick up that which is most efficient.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 79% on proof You scored higher than 86% on beer index You scored higher than 98% on wine index You scored higher than 97% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme...

a break already! Why does American Idol continue to be considered newsworthy?

Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong...

Yesterday, I zipped down to OKC for a meeting with the Archbishop and a penance rite at one of the parishes. I decided to stay with my sister and her daughter last night because apparently the family doesn't get enough face time with yours truly. At any rate, this morning, my niece, despite being on Spring Break, was in something of a lather. You see, she was taking her second pass on her driver's test. She kept asking various questions of driving minutiae that my efforts to memorize all of Season 7 of Star Trek:Deep Space Nine wiped out. Apparently, she was a weeee bit stressed at the thought of failing her driver's test...again. Personally, the person who was the most interested in her passing the driver's test was my sister.

All of this made me recall my own sordid history with the driver's exam. I passed the written portion just fine, but I botched the first try at the driving component. The officer who accompanied me thought I was drifting into the other lane while I was changing lanes and therefore grabbed the wheel. Fifteen seconds into the test and I had already failed. This didn't prevent the officer from driving me around for another 20 minutes thus building up my hopes only to pulverize them when we got back to the testing station.

I certainly had sympathy for my niece but at some point it got to be too much for me. I turned to her and said, "Tell me what's really wrong." She replied, "I'm really nervous." I came back with, "Well, that's your problem and you can control that so stop it." Another flawless example of starting with the right question and ending with the wrong response.

Jesus, what are you doing out here?
That was the remark made to me by one sweet young boy as I shook hands outside of church this past Sunday morning. I chuckled when I heard the question and simply told him I am the priest, Fr. Hamilton.

But for some reason, I started thinking again about his innocent comment. We were outside of the church walls and this boy wanted to know what Jesus was doing outside of church. Now, certainly that is an innocent and natural enough question for a child to ask. But I began to think and to wonder about how many adults really have the same question: "Jesus, what you are doing out here?" In other words, how many adults, though they might never verbalize this thought (though some do!), really keep Jesus in the sanctuary and think it odd that his presence, his call to us, his mission would have any impact on the world outside of the church walls. I bet that sentiment, even if not acknowledged, is rather common in the modern mind. What does Jesus, faith in him, discipleship, have to do with my life in the world, outside of church, beyond the one hour or so I spend at Mass? I have certainly encountered some very angry people who feel threatened by a Jesus who would place demands upon how we live our lives (morality), what we say about him (doctrine), and how we practice that faith (governance). I have had people yell at me in defiance when I suggest that our faith in Christ MUST influence how we do things like voting. OH, no, you don't, Jesus! You don't have any place in the voting booth with me!

I bet that boy's innocent remark reveals an attitude that, unfortunately, isn't limited to youngsters.

Liturgical Footnote #7
By Fr. J.C. Garrett

After the Gloria, we come to the first of the “three prayers of the Mass,” the Collect or Opening Prayer. First the priest invites all those present to pray which is followed by silence. During this silence all the Faithful are asked to place themselves in the presence of God, and then to formulate their own intentions for the Mass. In other words, based on our experience of witnessing to Christ’s love in the world, we bring to each Mass we attend an intention for the needs of the Church and the world. For us to adequately to do this, we really should spend sometime in “proximate preparation” before Mass thinking about what we have experienced in the past week – at home, at work, in school – that needs to be brought to the Altar of God. The priest, being configured to Christ the Head of the Body, which is the Church, then unites or “collects” these intentions and presents them to the God.

There is a separate Collect for each week of the year, and for each Solemnity and Feast, and for most of the Saints’ memorials. The Collect for Mass expresses the character of the celebration. Each Collect has the same basic structure, however in our English translations this common structure can be difficult to see. “They begin by calling on God the Father, recalling some point of our faith or some moment in salvation history, and then make a request in the name of Jesus Christ and in the unity of the Holy Spirit” (Randolph, Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread, p. 60; see also GIRM #54). This is a Trinitarian prayer of the whole Church, thus at the end of it all respond “Amen.”

Do you hear the drums, Fernando?

I don't think that I mentioned this earlier, but my rectory is really run down. This month, the roof is being repaired as it has been leaking. It has been leaking so badly that one of the walls in the living room lost its plaster due to water seeping through the wall. Last week, the roofers ripped the shingles off; this week, the nailing of new shingles has begun.

This is why I am so glad that for at least a couple of days I will be away from the rectory doing some business in the city. The drumming of booted feet and the hammering of nails I won't have to endure. So the answer to the question above is, thankfully, not yet.

He is your Brother
Homily: Fifth Sunday of Lent
Readings: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45
(Despite Fr. Hamilton's protests, this is essentially what I preached this weekend.)

Botulism is a very aggressive form of bacteria that results in food poisoning. If you inject this bacteria, you can not only get sick when it attacks your gullet, you can die because it eventually attacks your nervous system. The toxins released by the bacteria cause paralysis, and then you die. Sounds fun, huh?

Currently on the market, there is a product called Botox. It is used in the cosmetic surgery front to smooth wrinkles. It does this by killing nerve endings and tissues that are bunched together thus forming the wrinkle. What's the connection? Botox is made from the toxins of botulinium bacteria. If you inject this stuff too deeply, it can kill someone, and already we have heard reports in the news of this happening.

Why would anybody do this? The only person who I can think of is a person terrified of death. They can't even cotton seeing death in the mirror. So to keep death at bay, they will do anything, even risk death. This posture is unbecoming for Christians.

The raising of Lazarus is not a proclamation of Jesus as the Lord of Life. I personally think that is reserved for Easter. Jesus raises Lazarus back to this life; when we encounter the Resurrection, we will see a very different mode of existence in the Savior. This raising of Lazarus demonstrates that Jesus is the Lord of Death. Death has no more power in His presence. This man, Lazarus, is fully dead: he is in the tomb for four days. In the Jewish mindset, decomposition begins after three days. Therefore, if one possesses faith, the result is an abandonment of the fear of death.

For the Christian, ultimately the questions of death and resurrection are not questions of when or how. Death and Resurrection are questions of who. Who has control over our life? Who will save us from death? We need not look to doctors or plastic surgeons, if the true Surgeon is known to us.

Waterloo!

Well, I think that I have reached a whole new low in the ongoing battle with my alarm clock. (By the way, any typos in this post are to be blamed on the fact that I don't have my glasses on. I am typing by feel and blur.) My alarm went off at the usual time and I reached out to snap on the bedside lamp. I reached out and I could feel a long stem-like feature but couldn't find the switch for the lamp. Upon reflection, that's not surprising. What I had my hand on was not the lamp; it was my container from Sonic Drive-In last night. No matter how perky a Diet Coke with Lime makes you feel it won't light up your bedroom. So, consider me defeated by a stryofoam cup.

Knowing Me, Knowing You

Here are my three quotes:
"A holy-minded man of good renown/There was, and poor, the parson to a town,
Yet he was rich in holy thought and work./He also was a learned man, a clerk." Chaucer: Canterbury Tales

"From sullen saints and silly devotions, deliver us, dear Jesus!" St. Teresa of Avila.

"We are the music-makers and we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The Name of The Game

Since Fr. Hamilton makes no mention of the concerns that the evening at Mamma Mia generated, we all know what the name of the game is. The name of the game is "Let's leave Fr. Tharp to take the hit for criticizing a show by taking it too seriously when it is clearly a fluff piece." Just for that, there will be a very subtle punishment dispensed not only to him but also to all the blog's readers. Let's hope it is not so subtle that no one notices.

Mamma Mia is the story of one girl's marriage and the effort to find her biological father. You see, mom met three men within the space of a few days and well, it was the 70's after all. Mom ends up pregnant but all three men leave. Mom raise the child on her own and does a pretty good job. But the daughter wants her dad to give her away for the wedding. So the daughter invites all three men to the island. Hilarity and hijinks ensue. Since some readers might want to see this musical, I will endeavor to not spill the beans about anything else.

Mamma Mia is known in the industry as a "slam musical" i.e. pre-existing songs are "slammed" into a story line or structure. This, of course, can be an enormous deficit to overcome because the audience is waiting, with baited breath, for a misplaced or badly placed song. I can say that with MM this was not the case. By and large, the songs were cleverly and masterfully integrated into the book of the musical. Here are two examples. Early in Act One, we meet Donna, a struggling hostel/bar owner on an unspecified Greek Island. The writers naturally have the cast break out into a rendition of "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!" which extols the need for money in a rich man's world. Late in Act Two, the token feminist character and flat stereotype adventurer writer (and I couldn't help but think of Hunter S. Thompson at the same time) are alone right before the wedding and both are bemoaning their single status. Can you guess what happened next? The feminist character simply sang "If you change your mind..." and then cringed. It was a great use of the song, "Take a Chance on Me." This leads me to also compliment staging and choreography. Since this was a touring company, I suspect that the choreography is set for all shows, and everyone learns the same thing. However, with that said, I did find some of the blocking a little stiff, a face front style. In any other show, this could be excused or expected, but that the other elements were so well done, these little missteps stand out even more.

And speaking of missteps, even though the plot is a little thin, it should have an internal coherence. In other words, conflicts and dilemmas introduced in the first act help the audience to know the characters, to care about the characters, and frame the action as it progresses. However, in MM, it was like watching two acts from two different musicals which just happened to have the exact same names and locations. [SPOILER ALERT! Read no further if you don't want the musical ruined for you. This goes for those who saw it and loved it.]

Act One centers around a dilemma -- who is Sophie's dad and how will Donna, Sophie's mom, react when this comes about? The context for the dilemma is the impending wedding. Because the wedding is going to take place, and this is pretty much assumed by everyone in the action, this drives a need to know who the father of Sophie is pretty urgently. Move to Act Two, and in the first couple of scenes, Sophia and Sky (anyone out there who would like to make the Gnostic interpretation of this is free to leave it in the comments box) break off the engagement ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING. It completely betrays the image of Sky that the first act spent 1.5 hours constructing. Then when the wedding does take place, it is Donna who gets married to an old flame whom she hated. The play because it is in a rush to conclude never gives good justification for why Donna would have anything to do with this chap. It descends further when Sophia proclaims that suddenly, she doesn't care which of the three men is her father. What? She spends the ENTIRE backstory and first act pining, hoping to know who he is, and now because she isn't getting married she dumps the need.
And this is the show's greatest weakness. It is TERRIBLY SUPERFICIAL. For instance, a priest is dragged into the second act, putatively to marry Sophia and Sky. The costumers made sure that the extras looked like they dropped off of a wayward sardine skimmer. But the priest (Catholic or Orthodox, they didn't bother with the distinction) looked like he stepped out of the pages of the Banana Republic catalog, wearing an awful brown linen suit. The most insulting part of the priest's presence is he could not do the sign of the Cross correctly. Allow me to demonstrate. Place both of your hands, palms flat, on the desk. Now raise your right hand so that it is level with your chest, keeping the palm parallel to the desk. Now turn your hand so that it is perpendicular to the desktop and draw back your arm as though you were going to do the Tomahawk chop. Next, raise your hand straight up to the level of your eyes, then straight down, bring your hand back to the starting point, and swing your hand from the left to the right (reverse for Orthodox readers). Congratulations. You just made a better sign of the Cross than that actor did. For the entire musical, religion was not mentioned except for two brief snarky passages about "good Catholic girls." If you aren't going to treat Catholic or Orthodox Christianity seriously, then just leave us out of it!

In the end, it is an adequate musical that quite frankly a moderately talented high school show choir could probably pull off. It has left me with the idea for a slam musical based on the music of the Alan Parson Project. I can see it now, my name in lights..."I want to be a producer/ and work on old Broadway..."

Two very different evenings of entertainment
Last night was an outrageous evening at the Oklahoma City Civic Center seeing "Mamma Mia!" with Fr. Tharp and tonight was the movies with my dad and stepmom seeing "Hotel Rwanda".

Weeks and weeks ago Fr. Tharp had asked if I would like to see "Mamma Mia!" This is a musical written around songs from the 1970's (and a bit into the 80's) international hit band ABBA. Of course, ABBA's songs, despite having disbanded in 1982, still play on and are known by a rather large audience. We've all probably heard the music. The notion of a musical written around this music, I will admit, both horrified and intrigued me. On the one hand, it sounds like a hopelessly stupid scheme to pass as a musical; on the other hand, the music is rather nostalgic and, in its time, it was rather innovative. I think the beginning of the musical itself actually capitalized on these sentiments. A faceless voice over the sound system made the typical announcements for live theatre (regarding no flash photography, recording devices, or cell phones and other electronic devices in use) but added something like this, "A fair warning to our patrons: White spandex and platform boots will be in use during the performance!" It was certainly loads of fun to hear the songs done live. Until last night I had only heard the songs on the radio or on CD. But, what really surprised me was that there is really a story, a legitimate plot to the show. Granted, the plot may be a bit thin, but it wasn't nearly as thin as I had anticipated. There was minor tragedy, conflict, and resolution. And the writers really were clever at how they incorporated ABBA songs into the script. In addition, the very simple set was superbly employed and the actors themselves moved props and helped change scenes in a manner that can only be described as part of the choreography for the show (only done with low lighting). All in all, it was very enjoyable and clever. It certainly won't stand the test of time as memorable drama and -- I pray -- generations from now won't look back on us and see "Mamma Mia!" and the likes as what we ourselves viewed as normative theatre. I admit, I am a bit worried about this sign of our cultural times because "Mamma Mia!" is not the only musical out there incorporating pop songs. We shall see.... I'll let Fr. Tharp add any more details about the show that he might want to share.

Tonight was a very heavy drama about the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It was an excellent film based on historical events that told the real life story of a man in the midst of this sadly real human drama. The film captured the atrocity and the weight of the tragedy without showing gratuitous violence and without being oppressively bloody. In the midst of the ugliness of the tragedy, the beauty of human goodness was also visible (reminds me somewhat of "The Passion of the Christ"). I think the lead actor (I don't remember his name) performed exceedingly well. As an African man he was very much involved in, and overwhelmed by, the events of the unrest in his country. But the movie also showed how his role as the manager of a hotel-turned-refugee-camp placed on him a certain duty or role that he had to play -- a certain facade he had to keep up -- in order to bring some sense of stability to terribly frightened people. Ultimately, of course, this was a role he played to save lives. It was gripping film. It made me think about the larger connections we all ought to know and feel as members of the human race. It made me think how easy it is to see such terrible storied on the news and to go on, leading my daily life with little impact or even thought to the depth of human tragedy in other parts of the world.

I would highly recommend "Hotel Rwanda" to anyone and, should "Mamma Mia!" come to your town, I think you would enjoy a little 70's flashback!

Notice to Television Executives, et al.
You are likely playing with fire (read: eternal fire (read: damnation)) with programs such as Medium and others!

The Liturgy of the Hours today has a selection from Leviticus, which prompted me to do some biblical research and to open the corresponding section of the Catechism. Leviticus 19:31 reads:

"Do not go to mediums or consult fortune-tellers, for you will be defiled by them. I, the Lord, am your God."

The Catechism goes on to develop this divine injunction:

"Divination and magic
2115 "God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.
2116 "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
2117 "All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others—even if this were for the sake of restoring their health—are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity."

So, consider yourselves warned. Do not seek power apart from God Himself and do not have recourse to "forces" other than a confident, filial trust in God's providential care for us, His children.

Liturgical Footnote #6
By Fr. J.C. Garrett

After the more somber tone of the Penitential Rite in which we recall our sinfulness and ask God’s mercy and forgiveness, the whole mode of the Mass changes rather dramatically as all present burst out in the Gloria. “The Gloria is a very ancient and venerable hymn in which the Church, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb” (GIRM #53). This is a triumphant hymn of great joy for the redemption we have received. In the Gloria, using snatches from Scripture, we praise Jesus who, like the scapegoat in the Old Testament, has taken on the burden of sin of the enter world and has set us free.

As a hymn, it is preferred that the Gloria be sung; and always with joy! The text of the Gloria may never be replaced with some other text (GIRM #53). If the Gloria is not sung, it is to be recited by the priest and congregation together. It is always to be sung or said on solemnities and feasts, and on all Sundays outside the seasons of Advent and Lent. “Because of the triumphalist joy of the Gloria, it is omitted completely when the whole Mass is of a penitential or simple character, in Advent and Lent and on ordinary weekdays” (Fr. Francis Randolph, Know Him in the Breaking of the Bread: A Guide to the Mass, Ignatius Press, p. 59).

Some Random Thoughts on Church Architecture
I mentioned in my "I'm Back" post that during my vacation to Williamsburg, VA I had the opportunity to visit two new churches, and that I would make some comments about the architecture. First allow me to make this caveat: I AM NOT AN ARCHITECT, Jim ( ala Dr. McCoy for all you Star Trek fans). My advance degrees are in Counseling Psychology and Theology. The Theology degrees give me some understanding of ecclesiology, which should be somewhat reflected in church architecture, as well as having me read some documents on the subject, so the following is my somewhat education but FAR from expert opinion. Agree or disagree with me as you want, as long as we keep it charitable.

The one parish I visited was St. Bede parish in Williamsburg, VA, and the other was Immaculate Conception BVM parish in Birdsboro, PA (where I picked up my priest friend). Both are not new parishes persay, rather both where parishes which outgrew their current facilities and built new ones. I think this is an important distinction because this means that each parish had a history, people in the past had donated funds and items for the original churches, so there was something of a legacy to perserve.

St. Bede's was still being worked on when my friend and I visited it, but they were clearly already using it for worship. The day we visited the big project was installing a very large organ. The church is designed in the round. Personally, I do not care for churches in the round, but I recognize that this is a traditional design for churches. From what I read, ideally in a church in the round the central focus of the design should be the Altar of sacrifice. When we first entered St. Bede's there was a large "gathering space" (I still prefer the term narthax) and off to the sides were a couple of hallways with offices (presumably for the parish). I even noticed a kitchen. On either side of the main doors into the church itself were some legacy artwork from the original church: one was a wood carving (I think they call it something like a redoube) with the Trinity and the BVM. It had a high Middle Ages/English design to it, and was very beautiful. Opposite to it was a large, iconish painting of the life of St. Bede; also very traditional and very beautiful. Then we entered the church. As should be the question whenever you enter a church, we both asked ourselves, "Where's Jesus?" In other words, "Where is the tabernacle?" Certainly our eyes did not quickly spy where they had taken our Lord. While the Altar was in the center of the circle, it was dwarfed by the HUGE organ they were installing. Clearly the central focus of this "worship space" was the music. While I love beautiful, liturgical music (and I am not sure that would be the type of music offered at St. Bede's) it is a creation of Man, the creature. We turned to our left, and there behind us to the left, in a room all to Himself, with a nice window to the church, was our Lord. If there was stain glass it was hardly memorable. The ceiling of the church seemed low, certainly no real vertical dimension to lift our spirits upwards towards heaven. While not the ugliest church that I have ever seen, it was just another very forgetable modern church that hardly inspired any sense of the sacred. With very little modification you could turn it into a lecture hall or performance hall. As we turned to leave we noticed the final "insult" -- a "feel good" incipid "Covenant" with the local Lutheran parish, basically pledging friendship and joint worship opportunities. Parishioners were encouraged to go to the "covenant" partner parish for some Sunday worship. No mention was given that it would not suffice for the Catholic's Sunday obligation. Disappointing is to state things very mildly.

At the end of the vacation, when I dropped my friend back at his parish, we went to the new parish complex that is being built. The school and the church are complete, and they are finishing the rectory and parish office. The parish is named Immaculate Conception BVM, and I am connecting a link to some photos of the church. In my humble opinion, simply put, this represents some of the best in contemporary church design. While it is true that the granite and marble masterpieces of the past are probably not possible for most parishes (both economically and practically because so much of the artisans needed no longer exist), it does not mean that just because you have to use more affordable and available materials that the church has to be ugly. Immaculate Conception BVM sits about 900, so it is big, but at the same time it does not feel as if people are sitting a far distance from the altar. It is a cruciform design (OK, I prefer that so it might have made me a bit more positively disposed). There is a good size narthax in the back. For first thing I noticed was that the church had some color. Too often, IMHO, modern churches have dark earthtones. While some may disagree with the choice of color (the walls of the main church were something of a peach color, though in two shades, and the tabernacle was in space with what I thought was a very nice dark red), I thought it was nice. The first thing you notice is the huge crucifix which is hanging right over the Altar of Sacrifice. It is very nice, though I think a tad too big -- reduce it 20% and I think it would still be significant but not over dominanting. Next you noticed the very nice baptismal fount at the back of the church. I did not get the full history of the fount, so I am not sure if it is new, used or from the original parish. It does have what seems to be part of an old altar rail around it. It is marble and very classic in design. A closer look at the Altar shows that it is designed in the same pattern as the baptismal fount. The church has nice wooden pews, on a tile floor. The ceiling is high. The stations of the Cross are mosaics, and I am told that they were originally in a church that was closed. The stain glass windows were from a closed parish in Philadelphia, and of a craftsmanship that is hard to find today. Since they wanted larger windows, the original stain glass windows are surrounded by what looks to be blown, white glass borders. In the four "corners" of the where the arms of the cruciform comes together they have alcoves for four statues of saints. I was informed that they are the same saints whose statues were in the original church, although the statues themselves are new. There are devotional candles infront of each alcove. There are two huge stained glass windows in the center part of the church (where the "arms" are), also classic designs from a closed parish in Philadelphia. Behind the main Altar there is a beautiful grill, behind which is a big tabernacle tower of marble with a lovely tabernacle. I am told that the tower and tabernacle was from usedchurchgoods.com, a site that "rescues" church art from churches that are closed, mostly from Europe. So while the main part of the church was of contemporary materials (the walls, floors, etc.) there was enough classic church art to tie the church to the tradition. The lighting is modern, but excellent; designed to call attention to the particular worship happening in the church. In other words there was a setting for "between Masses", another for "Weekday Masses", one for "Adoration" (almost all dark, with spots on the Altar where the Monsterance would be), and then very bright for Sundays and Solemnities. I was hugely impressed, and cannot wait for my friend to put even more photos of the church on the parish website. Truly a testament that modern churches can invoke a deep sense of the sacred was still being affordable.

How Utterly Fitting


You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Rose day ... liturgically speaking
Shucks ... only the second time the liturgy allows the use of Rose-colored vestments has come and gone for another liturgical year. The characteristic of joy is highlighted on Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The lighter color vesture serves as a reminder that we are more than halfway through Lent, approaching the great feast of Christ our Light (the Resurrection), and that joy and repentance are not mutually exclusive traits for the Christian. We can, and should, be joyful in the midst of our penances, in the midst of the simplified and somber season of Lent, because we are being drawn closer to Christ and renewed in his likeness! How could we not be joyful? Laetare Sunday, now past, reminds us that this season of penance and conversion is joyful, indeed, as one of the Lenten prefaces states (perhaps that has sounded awkwardly in our ears if we have heard it before): "Lord, each year you give us this joyful season..."

Sometimes, due to having ashes smeared on our heads, reflecting on our sinfulness, and struggling with our unruly body's demand for the thing given up for Lent, we forget how joyful we should be that Christ freely bestows on us his grace that our baptismal dignity may be restored!

Laetare Sunday (The Fourth Sunday of Lent), Year A
Readings: I Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

Most of us know the unique torture that is a bad case of flu. You can feel it come on; you can feel your strength go away until you are too weak to anything more vigorous that watch TV. Then, that happy day comes, when you recognize that you are on the mend. You aren't well, but you aren't going to get sicker. That is what this Sunday of Lent is like.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. It is a Sunday in which to rejoice but at the same time, knowing that Lent isn't over. We haven't reached Easter, but we can see it coming. This Sunday brings us to examine our sources of joy. Joy is different from happiness, but it might be hard to see.

When we think of David, we normally put him at the end of the journey of his life, crowned as King of Israel and Uniter of the Kingdom. His Kingdom is a reflection of the Heavenly Kingdom. He gives us the first transitory taste. In today's first reading, however, the story is completely the opposite. Here, we see the runt of the litter, from a family with little or no influence, from a family with no money or power, elevated to the office of King. What's the underlying message? The only reason David is King of Israel is because God chose him to be.

When we encounter the man born blind, we deal with someone else who is also an absolute nothing, from the world's perspective. Being blind means you are as good as dead. You couldn't take care of yourself; you were unproductive. Compound this with the fact his being born blind creates the stigma that somehow a MAJOR SINNER has caused this to happen. That's the background to the behavior of both the disciples and the Pharisees. When Jesus heals this man's blindness, we see the catestrophic reversal for the goods of the world. This man is not the most forgotten by God; this man has been watched and tended by God for this hour of healing. The man born blind, and other like him, are most especially God's possession.

What do these two men have in common? Both of these men are lowly. They have no other resource to defend themselves, except for the intervention of God. The shocking fact is God spends a heck of a lot of time dealing with the lowly. The powerful don't seem to be on the radar; they probably aren't on the radar because they have used their wealth, fame, and power to cloak their movements and cloak their hearts from God.

This brings us to a question about ourselves. If I were to ask for a show of hands of those who consider themselves lowly or would want to be lowly, I don't think I would get many takers. (N.B. When I preached this, I phrased it as "Raise your hand if..." Nobody raised their hands.) We like to present ourselves and all together in charge. However, when we are alone, the truth pushes back on this facade of self-reliance. We are forced to say, "I am lowly because I am sick. I am lowly because I can't pay my bills. I am lowly because I sin." Over and over again, lowliness presents itself as the more truthful state of affairs.

Here then is the secret of Joy. Joy comes from lowliness. It comes from knowing that no matter how disregarded or discarded we are by the world, God never neglects the lowly. He sustains; therefore, we can always hold out hope, and that hope leads to joy. Happiness vanishes all too readily. Happiness from physical beauty vanishes with the first wrinkle. Happiness from a beautiful car vanishes the moment a deer bolts out into road. Happiness from wealth vanishes the moment the stock market crashes.

My pastor when I became a Catholic had a classic line, "Happiness is over rated." I agree. Only those whose blindness has been removed by the waters of baptism, can see that happiness flees, but joy endures.

Beautiful and Delicious

Just when you can't imagine a more interesting use for someone's melons...and get your minds out of the gutter.

In communion with St. Peter's successor
We had a special First Saturday Mass this morning for the Pope. It was fairly well attended. Given the Pope's latest hospitalizations and his weakness, I figured it would be a good idea to have a special parish Mass for him. It was good to join the Church universal in praying for our beloved Holy Father who has so faithfully confirmed the brethren in the faith and has been the rock solid foundation of the Church's unity.

I've got you, Babe...
I couldn't find a good link for this news item, but apparently Cher is suing a company owned by Time/Warner for back royalties that have gone unpaid for the past few years. I suggest the executives of the production studios begin singing Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" as a sign of their regret for dissing Cher.

And I really hope that things won't turn ugly for Fr. Tharp, too, for his unroyaltied use of "I've Got You, Babe" at his parish weddings!

Opening Night
Last night was the opening night of "Annie" at the Guymon Community Theatre. It was one of the best opening nights attendance-wise in recent years. And the show went very well. I was able to pastorally attend the parish fish fry, attend Stations of the Cross and assist the associate pastor (who lead Stations) with Benediction at the conclusion, and then, put on my costume and get over to the theatre with plenty of time to spare (my brief scene is at the start of Act II). The schedule works out nicely, especially on Saturday nights when I have Mass first and still have time to get over to the theatre.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the show and I know I enjoyed being involved in it. I think the brief cameo role is the perfect role, generally speaking. You get the benefits of being a cast member and enjoying the excitement, without the anxiety of being on stage the whole time and having to memorize endless lines. There was a day when I was gunning for the lead roles; but, not anymore, thanks be to God!

It's All So Blessed- Damian-of-Molokai-esque

I have a good friend named Grace Gallagher who lives and works with Hispanic seminarians in the Diocese of Puero Plata, Dominican Republic. If that were not enough she also helps to coordinate funds and support for various charitable enterprises in the DR. Her activities remind me so much of the work of Blessed Damian of Molokai. Blessed Damian, before preaching the Gospel in words, built housing and improved sanitation conditions on the island. In essence, he preached with his hands as much as with words. In the end, he shared every sorrow they did. He shared in the death of leprosy. The only part of him that was unaffected were his fingertips where he held the Sacred Host.

Take this as a lesson, faithful readers. We do as much with a strong back and charity to promote the Gospel as clever well formed arguments might achieve.

If you are interested in helping Ms. Gallagher with this work you can contact her at Mustard Seed.

Some Addictive Fun . . . though not Politically Correct.
My sister's father-in-law sent me this link which I have found very amusing. The instructions are simple; click once to get the penguin to jump, click a second time to get the Yeti to swing, and see how far you can go.

Even More Separated at Birth

Readers know of my pechant for noting when other folks who think like me and act like me end up looking a lot like me. You can consider my previous observation about the similarity between myself and Mark Shea. Well, after my interview today, we have found another "brother from another mother."

You can compare first, my very small visage in the upper right of the column. I am the one in the black shirt.

Here's Sean Herriot, one of the hosts of Morning Air:


However, much to her credit, Sally Robb, the other host of Morning Air, looks nothing like me:

(Isn't she as cute as a button?)

The jury is still out on whether or not their news voice, Glen Lewerenz, fits the bill:

Edmond Middle School Students Return After Evacuation

This may explain why Techmonkey Dave was looking for some tools and plumbing implements...

All Said and Done

Ahhhh....That cyber-sigh comes from the depths of my soul. The interview is over. I don't think that I made a boob of myself, but others will have to judge that. I think we will have a segment link available soon, but you can catch the replay of the show tonight, from 6-9 p.m. I think that the interview will be on from 8:00-8:30 p.m., but quite frankly, you should listen to the whole show.

What Pontiff is This?

I have to admit, I don't see it. What say you?

Well, I wanted to get the attention of Cardinal Pell...

Last afternoon, I got back to the parish after a couple of days of business in Oklahoma City. On Sunday, I had my regular 3rd Order Dominican Meeting which was wonderful. I gave a little lecture on how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and accordingly Evening Prayer went much more smoothly. On Monday, I took part in the UCO Catholic College Students Fundraiser. This project began under the leadership of Fr. Hamilton when he was the parochial vicar at St. John's in Edmond. The fundraiser consists in a prominent speaker lecturing and a dinner before it. This year's speaker, Dr. Teresa Burke, the creator of the Rachel's Vineyard Retreat, blew people away with the facts about abortion's occurance and the aftermath of abortion. On Tuesday, I sat down and tried to chew through my jugular vein as I attended a Business Meeting for the Priests of the Archdiocese. In truth, it was rendered much more pleasant by having dinner with beloved brother priests, especially my fellow blogger, Fr. H. Also, we came up with an exciting idea, we that is the dinner group, but more on that later.

As I was saying, I returned to the parish yesterday and found a packet from The Record, the diocesan newspaper from Perth in Western Austrailia. Apparently, the paper did a cover piece on CRM and the review was very favorable. However, I forgot to ask for copies for Fr. H and Fr. G, so if the editor is reading this, send me an email so that I can give you their addresses and they can have a copy as well. As for me, I will be slicing this out and having it framed. I am not sure if the article will bring accolades from Cardinal Pell, but we will see.

There was one interesting paragraph that I wanted to share with you all. The unnamed author writes:

Another interesting aspect of what they are doing, although I'm not sure that this was specifically their intention, is that when orders such as the Dominicans first started out they went out into the highways and byways, the markest and the pubs and places like these to preach the Gospel of Jesus. Today, I wonder where are we, as Catholics, doing this? A place called Almost Precious Nowhere, is my guess. But one possible answer is the Internet; it is in many ways, the marketplace of ideas for the 21st century.

To answer these questions, 1.) yes, there was that intention in the blog's origin. Techmonkey Dave, once the blog really hit, said, "What you are doing in the quintessence of the New Evangelization." 2.) Given my third order status, isn't that interesting that he compared the blog to the work of the Dominicans. If I find that the article is available online, I will link it back here.

Only 15 minutes more...

Perhaps, you are sucking down some coffee before dashing off to work. Maybe you are getting ready to go to your morning Chem Lab. Whatever the reason, sit down and click on the link to Relevant Radio and listen to the interview with me, Fr. T, which will kick off in about 12 minutes.

Update: my bad, the interview starts at 8:00 a.m. If you listened, you got the bonus coverage of the great spiritual classic, Abandonment to Divine Providence.

Tentacles galore!
I often comment to Fr. Tharp that his many (worthwhile) pastoral initiatives, which he shares with other parishes (sending them his adult formation series The Borromeo Project, and speaking in other parishes), are analogous to tentacles from his megalomaniacal ego stretching out, spreading his influence far and wide. Of course, this is done in all jest and Fr. Tharp, to be fair, does not have a megalomaniacal ego (his is pretty close, but not quite that bad!).

Well, he's not the only one with tentacles folks! No, I haven't grown dreadlocks, but I, too, am preparing to headline a group of speakers in the coming weeks on the topic of marriage and family life. Longtime CRM readers may recall that last spring Fr. Tharp and I were among the speakers at a marriage and family life conference put on by another pastor in the archdiocese. Well, that pastor was moved to a new parish this past summer and guess what? Now in a new parish and with a college campus ministry program, that pastor has asked us to speak again. This time, rather than doing it all in one day as we did last time, we are each coming on a Wednesday night to speak on our subject matter. So, the influence is spreading far and wide, thanks to greedy tentacles and the pastoral vision of Fr. Mark Mason who has now organized this important formation at two parishes! May God bless his work and ours!