Let's Be Honest, hmmmm?

From shadowness.com

Okay, let's be honest here. While my first reaction to this is, "Wow! I would love to go here and just relax and have peace", my secondary reaction is "No freakin' way". Because I realize that I would be hot, and uncomfortable, and probably get a sunburn, and get thirsty too. Then I can't swim well, so I would just get to sit uncomfortably just dangling my feet in. Then I'd get freaked out because there might be sharks or worse, jellyfish, and then I'd have to pee on my own wound so I wouldn't die.

So, now I'm all freaked out. Awesome.

Not Much Doing

I'm not going out tonight. To tell the truth, New Year's Eve has never been a big thing for my hubby and I, usually because one or both of us always works. True to form, he is working tonight. That's okay with me though. My parents would always do something, like oyster soup and crackers, and people would stop by through the night and say hi. I dunno, it's just not something that's ever been important to me to celebrate. For me, it's big whoop. Tomorrow is just another day (albeit, a feast day of the Church). I mean, when I worked retail, don't get me wrong, it was a nice to close early and open later. I just didn't see what the fuss was about.

So, have a good night tonight, be safe, don't get too drunk, and be holy.

Abortion Specials

From Newsbusters
So MtV is going to have a special program on one of  their teen moms making the decision to have an abortion. What I'm concerned about (besides the obvious) is the fact that girls are already getting pregnant in order to get on the Teen Moms show. Are we going to have another trend of those same moms choosing abortion to get on tv too?

In a way, I see it as a confirmation of the theory that children are objects to do with as you wish - not seen as gifts from God. It is seen as a 'right' to have a child, when no one has that right.

Update: Matt Archbold from CMR says they forgot one thing: the abortion.

Somebody Told Me

So, I got tagged in one of these things on facebook, but didn't want to do it there, so I'm doing it here. I'm also including the artist in parentheses. 

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, WINAMP, etc. on shuffle

 2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer

 3. You must write the song name down no matter how silly it sounds

1. IF SOMEONE ASKED, "ARE YOU OKAY?" YOU WOULD SAY:

 All of a Sudden (The Slow)

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (The Supremes)

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

 Traffic Patterns (Soccer Team)

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

 That Smell (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

 Parting Gift (Fiona Apple)

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

 Why (Annie Lennox)

What is Wrong with Men

And I don't mean just celebrity men, I mean a lot of men out there.

Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy explodes on photog because the photog got too close to his kid. Hey, I have no problem with that. Your job is to protect your kids from threats. I'm not sure what the fatherly instinct is called, but for moms, I call it momma bear syndrome. You see a threat to your child, and some other instinct takes over (been there before).

What I have a problem with is that this Scott Disick basically wussed out and offered a half-hearted explanation. Don't apologize or explain yourselves for sticking up for your kids. Be a man, and tell people to deal with your actions, like it or not.

I'm tired of panty-waisted little boys running around pretending to be men. One, marry the girl. If she's good enough to have a baby with, she's good enough to be your wife. Two, protect your kid from every threat and don't apologize for it. Three, grow up.

Geez.

Drink Thursdays

Because we're not pagans, and we're not Puritans, we are Catholic, and we like to appreciate drinking. (Here's the introductory Drink Thursday.)


So today, I'm going to write about someone whom you don't know, and I won't be posting a picture of him, either. Since I need to go to confession, and I would love to receive Eucharist too, I've got priests on the brain. 

Civility Down the S#!tter

So this is what it's come down to in this country? You have to be afraid for your life because you asked someone to shush in the movie theatre? Are you kidding me? What the heck? My goodness gracious. Because some guy wanted to take his wife on a date when he got back from Iraq, and actually wanted the experience to be a nice one, they almost get killed? Geez la frickin Louise.

Oh, and something I said totally got jacked on facebook, and it made me laugh. As in, incredulously.

(I'm up way too early for my liking this morning, and I'm cranky, can you tell?)

I need your help

Rounding out my #18 for followers to #20 for followers.

Yes, this is shameless.

Is it less shameless because I'm upfront about it's shamelessness? I'm hoping so.

At least I'm not pulling a Mark Shea and putting up videos of Star Wars Christmas.

See, don't you love me now?

If you follow me, you get a puppy or kitten (your choice), free ice cream and lots of rainbows and sunshine. /sarcasm.  You'll get the satisfaction of helping your fellow human being? No? Hmm. Okay then, never mind, it's late at night and I should be sleeping.

I haven't killed anyone yet

To catch you up: I've recently become a stay at home mom, and while I know how to cook (you didn't grow up in my house without learning at least the basics), my husband has been the one to really do the majority of the cooking for most of our lives together. So, I'm learning slowly, how to not poison anyone with my cooking. I'm not adventurous and I must follow a recipe meticulously. Like, I get flustered if I screw up. So, stressing out while cooking is a real possibility.

Well, so far so good with my cooking skills. I haven't burnt anything yet. Okay, I did but it wasn't my fault. I put raisin bread in the toaster, not realizing that my husband had turned the dial up, so they burnt. And okay, last night I almost had a disaster, but luckily, I fixed it. I had used 3/4 cup of cider vinegar instead of 3/4 cup of apple cider. Yikes! Ha ha, big difference. But I caught my mistake in time, thankfully.

Why did Jesus come as a baby?

Mountains could be written, and have been written, by much smarter people than I about this subject. But of course, I'm going to give my own two cents about it, inspired by the movie Despicable Me.

First, I love the movie. Cute, and funny without being too 'adult' about it. Second, I love the music. I think it helped create a vibe for the movie that was just right. Third, it shows the power of a child's innocence, which brings me to the question: why did Jesus come as a baby?

You are warned: here be spoilers.

Grieving

Language warning.

Why do reporters think they have a right to know about painful events in a person's life? I was watching Nightline who did a piece on Michelle Williams, whose former partner was Heath Ledger. And for me, it was really awkward to see Cynthia McFadden ask about how she dealt with the grief, etc. Why does she think she has a right to know about an individuals' grief? Or any other tragedy: divorce, separation, loss, an affair?

Open Tabs

Well, we haven't done open tabs in awhile, so let's see what's happening around the joint.

Harry Durves: I can't help it, every time I see hors d'oeuvres, I say it in my head as Harry Durves.

Praying for those innocent babes murdered through abortion. Also, Msgr. Pope gives us a reflection on the role of fear in abortion. Powerful stuff.

Our illustrious president has time to thank the Eagles' owner for giving Vick a second chance. Adrienne gives us the real scoop - he didn't just 'do' dog-fighting, he also personally killed (viciously tortured to death, more like) or was involved in the killing of 13 dogs. Disgusting.

Cheeky Pink Girl talks about after-Christmas let-down via the airwaves. Sigh. I guess it makes me all the more glad that we don't really start Christmas talk until a couple of days before Christmas and extend it into January. I love Christmas! Also, then I'm really glad I use Pandora.

I think this wax statue would creep me out endlessly. Eww eww eww!

Rounding Up Thoughts

I'm going through my journal that I use for the blog, and rounding up all the small little random thoughts that I haven't gotten around to publishing yet, because I've already filled one journal up so I have to get a new book to write in.

Dear Hollywood, do you think Americans are made out of money? Shoot, the economy is in the crapper! I see all these movies I would love to go see and since we don't have a dollar theatre anymore, I have to wait until they come out on redbox or netflix, by which time I've usually forgotten that I wanted to see the darn thing in the first place. Case in point: Black Swan, Tangled, True Grit, The Fighter. Urgh. Seriously.

Fr. John Harvey has died

From Terry at Abbey-Roads:
We just received word from Father John Harvey's niece that he died this morning. He had a fall two days ago, and they took him to the hospital, but he never bounced back. His niece told us that he died very peacefully, and that is family is sure that he is in heaven. Let us all thank God for this wonderful and holy priest who has helped so many. Let us pray for him, and let us ask him to pray for us. - Fr. Knapp


Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

A Priestly Hook-Up

'The priest is (treated as) a Sacrament Dispenser, instead of being called to be in relationship to his flock.'
     This was a quote from a priest featured on the PBS documentary, The Calling. I think it brings up several problems that priests and their parishes have (or are encouraged to have) today.

First that priests are treated as a Sacrament Dispenser. I will admit, I have done this too; texted a priest for a Confession Booty Call. Ha ha, I really don't mean that to sound dirty, but that's what it comes down to. What is a booty call or a hook-up? A sexual encounter with someone with whom you do not have a relationship with outside of the booty call or hook-up. Yikes. I do that. (I mean the Confession Booty Call, just so's we are clear.) I do that a lot with priests that I trust (by that, I mean that I know they are not liberal "don't believe in sin" kind of priests). I think I need to dwell on that on a personal level, for awhile.

Children are not our future

Children aren't the future of the Church - they are already the Church. They are not a group to be set apart, a group for future reference - they are part of the Church now!


What has the past 40 years of separating our children from us at Mass done to our children? Let me rephrase...what good has come of it? We now have grandparents, parents, and children who are apathetic and listless about their faith. We keep demanding less and less of our children at Mass.
     For instance, I saw a lady take her four and six year old to the nursery this past Sunday. Never mind the sign that says "For children and infants 3 years old and younger". Yikes lady. If your six year old won't behave at church, maybe you should come to church more often, and not let him go have playtime at the nursery.

Thankfully, our parish doesn't have children's liturgy of the word any more (not because they think it's wrong, though, but because there is no one interested in running it). What a nightmare children's liturgy of the word is. What does it teach our kids? Arts & Crafts? Dumbed down, watered down faith? Well, I don't want that for my kids. So they will stay with me during Mass.

Rude, Offensive, and Boorish, Part Two

I think that Ricky Gervais needs to watch "A Christmas Carol" (you know, the good one, with George C. Scott!) and put himself in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Wow. Probably needs to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original cartoon version, only) too. Geez, what a tool.

Actually, Christmas is about us, dontcha know?

It's a Broadway show, complete with tickets! There will be singing and dancing and a play. And a Christmas message? Oh wait, it's a Christmas service? (I saw a commercial for a Christmas service at a local evangelical 'church'.)
     Way to boil the birth of our Savior into something that is all about us, instead of all about Him. Seriously? Sometimes I wanna go incognito to these entertainment gatherings and spring Catholic teaching on them.

In a way, it's like masturbation. Wait, stick with me here. Masturbation is all about pleasuring self, right? Not the love shared with another? 'Services' like the one I saw advertised on TV are just the same: self-love, making it all about me, me, me. It's masturbatory church services. They become so inwardly focused on self, and how church makes them 'feel' that they have forgotten about the God who invites them to worship Him, not dance around in adulation around a golden calf on an altar stage.

God is actually pretty specific in how to worship Him, but because you don't like teh Kathlickz, you don't want in any way to worship in a style that might be confused for Catholicism.

Rude, Offensive, and Boorish

....are all not words that describe Megyn Kelly, who is awesome. It does describe Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League.

Megyn Kelly rocks! And she's much prettier than
the other person I talk about in this post.

We may need a Catholic League, but we sure as h-e-double hockey-sticks don't need Bill Donohue to head it.

Merry Christmas

A very merry Christmas to you and yours. May this be the start of a joyous Christmas season for you!

Christmas Novena, Day Nine

The other Christmas Novena.

December 24: 
O Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, God of hosts, come, show Thy face, and we shall be saved. 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

Deformity

Should plastic surgery be more regulated? I posit that it should. I think the whole industry needs to be more tightly regulated. When girls in high school are getting nose jobs, boob jobs, liposuction, etc.; that is an abominable practice that should be abolished. They are not done going through puberty! (Believe me, my chest size went through a lot of changes from high school to post high school to womanhood to motherhood. I haven't even mentioned what happened to my hips.) Now even teenage boys are getting plastic surgery.

I see the whole field as another way of sexualizing our children. 15 & 16 year old girls shouldn't look like grown women, they should look like teenage girls. They aren't supposed to be at their peak in their teenage years. Boys and girls are still maturing at that stage.

I heard Joan Rivers (@@) says, 'If it helps girls and boys have good self-esteem, I'm all for it. If it makes them feel better about themselves, good.' Is that what our standard for surgery is nowadays? What a dangerous attitude to have and to perpetuate through the media.

To be honest, I think plastic surgery should be rare, for all ages. (Of course, I don't deny when it is needed for actual health reasons.) I think our society has so focused on the externals and plastic surgery just perpetuates that. Would we have a Blessed Margaret Castello if there had been plastic surgery in her time?

Christian manner?

When people say 'in a Christian manner', what do they mean by that? What do you think of when you hear that? What is inferred by 'in a Christian manner'?
      Obviously that it is a standard by which to measure people's behavior up to. But are they referring to Christ's behavior or followers of Christ? If they are measuring behavior by measuring to Christ's, which behavior of his and by whose perspective are they measuring?
     And are they using followers as  measuring rod, like St. Peter or Judas or Martin Luther or St. Thomas More?

As you can tell, I don't like the phrase 'acting in a Christian manner'. It's too ambiguous; it can mean too many different things to everyone.

Remember that sometimes the proper response is to throw furniture and curse.

Freedom

I am now a stay at home mom. I am very much looking forward to the next phase of my life. Yay!

Christmas Novena, Day Eight

The other Christmas Novena.

December 23: 
O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God! 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

Drink Thursdays

Because we're not pagans, and we're not Puritans, we are Catholic, and we like to appreciate drinking. (Here's the introductory Drink Thursday.)

This Christmas is going to be crazy, because we are fixing food at my parents' house. So one, I need someone that could help me cook. Two, I need someone with a wicked sense of humor around the holidays. (Remember Thanksgiving?) Three, he's a drinker.

Today's drinking partner is someone that I don't always agree with, but I think he is funny, and witty, and sounds like someone to actually have a conversation with.

O Emmanuel!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Isaiah 7:10-15

Romans 8:20-24

John 1:1-18

Prayer

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Savior: come and save us, O Lord our God! Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel;

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Late Night Roundup

Sarah Palin tra-la-la


Gay man introduced by sexy women? With a video of naughty grammas. Ewwwww. On a washed-up comedian's show.

The other washed up comedian is still working a shtick that stopped being funny around the same time he got his fweelings hurt and left NBC.

Nightline promoting giving money to organizations. Problem is, they don't tell you everything about that organization, so you don't know what they really support (i.e. abortion, contraception, etc.). Always do your research before supporting any organization!

Why do late night talk show hosts sit behind a desk? What's the point? To separate themselves from the interviewees? I don't get it.

Christmas Novena, Day Seven

The other Christmas Novena.

December 22: 
O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth! 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

Atheists

I just realized that I (and some other Catholics and Protestants) really have something in common with atheists, Jews and Muslims during the world's celebration of Christmas.
     I, too, am sick of Christmas even before the day is here. I, too, wish the world would stop shoving their gift-giving viewpoint down my throat. I, too, tire of the cards, the Santas, the trees, the decorations.

But I tire of it all for a different reason. I am tired of it because I am trying to await my Savior's birth in hopeful expectation, and the world tries to distract me from awaiting Him, tries to get me to focus on the external and not the internal. I want to truly take the time to celebrate His birth, after He has arrived, and not before.
     So all my decorations may not be up all in December, but they stay up until the Christmas season is actually over. I am finally getting excited for Christmas!!

O Rex Gentium!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Genesis 2:7

Ezekiel 37:21-28

Isaiah 26:8-9; 40:31

Prayer

O King of nations, and their Desired, their Cornerstone who make all one: come and save our race, whom you formed out of clay. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid every sad division cease

And be thyself our Prince of Peace.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

No Touchy

Why is it assumed that because I'm a woman, I want to be hugged and kissed in greeting or in farewell? It's irritating beyond all belief to me. I don't know you from Adam, mister, so a handshake will do, thank you very much.

Christmas Novena, Day Six

The other Christmas Novena.

December 21: 
O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death! 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

O Oriens!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Luke 1:78-79

Hebrews 1:1-4

Malachi 3:2

John 8:12

Prayer

O Dayspring, brightness of eternal Light and Sun of Justice: come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here; 

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Christmas Novena, Day Five

The other Christmas Novena.

December 20: 
O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

No Middle Ground

'We started with the question, "What place does Christ have in modern society?" But we cannot end without asking the same question on a personal level: "What place does Christ have in my life?"....
     To say "Jesus is Lord!" means making a genuine decision.'

So I'm finishing up the first chapter (!) of Remember Jesus Christ, and it comes down to the question of "What place does Christ have in my life?" To proclaim kērygma is to make an offensive statement - that a man is God is offensive to most of the world. But that statement is a definitive absolute in the midst of wishy-washy, touchy-feely ambiguousness. It means stating: "I believe in someone other than myself, I believe in something greater than anything I could ever conceive of and I believe that Someone came here on earth to establish a relationship with us, a personal, intimate relationship."
     And that is offensive. That is crazy talk. But there is no going back with that statement. Those who want an impersonal God, someone who stands back to watch you suffer, go somewhere else. I have God who was willing to come down and suffer with us, and asks us to unite our sufferings to himself.

O Clavis David!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Isaiah 22:20-24

Revelation 1:18; 3:7; 20:4-6, 13

Prayer

O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come and lead forth from his prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O Key of David, come, 

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high, 

And close the path to misery.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Christmas Novena, Day Four

The other Christmas Novena.

December 19: 
O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry. 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

People have names

'Our names proclaim us to be individuals. Names are bestowed on us with almost sacred care...Things have numbers; people have names. Our names make us known by others as unique people. To call someone by his name is to take the first step toward meeting that person as a person. It is the beginning of relationship.' (Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Life in Christ)

Thank goodness for Fr. Groeschel! He sums up for me what I couldn't articulate the other day, when I was speaking of names having power.
     Just that sentence 'the first step toward meeting that person as a person' sums it up. That's what bothered me so about the survivor refusing to use her attacker's name because if you can refuse to call someone by their name, refuse to meet them as a person worthy of dignity (God-given), then you can cease seeing that person as a person. They become lower than you, less than you. He (or she) becomes an it, a thing with no immortal, eternal soul, and so who cares whether he is dead?
     And so this mentality pervades much of the horrors throughout history: make a group of people become less than, become objects for a dictator to dispose of as they wish and you have a recipe for disaster.

O Radix Jesse!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Isaiah 11:1-5; 52:13-53:6

Revelation 5:5; 22:16

John 15:1-4

Prayer

O Root of Jesse, who stood as a sign for the people, before you kings shall remain silent, and to you the Gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us, and delay not. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell thy people save,

And give them victory o'er the grave.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

When you need a kick in the pants...

Yes, I love this song.

I think this video is hilarious:

Christmas Novena, Day Three

The other Christmas Novena.

December 18: 
O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm! 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

O Adonai!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:

Exodus 3:1-6

Exodus 6:6

Exodus 19:16-20:1

Exodus 20:2-6

Prayer 

O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O come, thou Lord of Might,

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Christmas Novena, Day Two

The other Christmas Novena.

December 17: 
O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence! 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

All in

George Bailey at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life" has such a look of wide-eyed wonderment and unbelief on his face that it makes me marvel at how great of an actor Jimmy Stewart was. I don't know how many takes that it took to film that scene, but that scene was like he was filming it for the first time - and like it was really happening.

    This look reminds me of what my reaction is to the Eucharist - to Jesus Christ present in bread and wine. Do I have an attitude of wide-eyed wonderment and unbelief? 'I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.' Do I remember what a miracle is happening right before me? A literal miracle. And sometimes I just blithely accept the host and take no notice of the miracle. I should be gasping in amazement, shouting for joy, or crying tears of joy! I certainly should be more conscious of the sins on my soul.

There, I get into dangerous territory. Because I have this tendency to go overboard. I'm either way scrupulous or way lax when it comes to my spiritual life. I can never seem to find any middle ground. I can worry myself sick over the smallest things and begin to think I'm never going to be worthy; so I start a downward spiral of being more & more lax - because if I'm never going to be worthy, then what's the point?

     I can never remember to think about the psalmist who says "better to be in the doorway of the house of the Lord than anywhere other". All or nothing with me!

O Sapienta!

Read more about the O Antiphons at Catholic Culture.

The following is from my Magnificat Advent Companion.

Read one or more of the following passages prayerfully:
Sirach 24:3-4, 7
Baruch 3:29-37
Wisdom 9:1-6
1 Corinthians 1:24

Prayer
O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reached from end to end, and disposed of all things sweetly and mightily: come and teach us the way of prudence. Amen.

Sing this verse of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O Wisdom from on high,
Who order all things mightily,
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

R/. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Christmas Novena, Day One

The other Christmas Novena.

December 16: 
O Shepherd that rulest Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, come to guide and comfort us. 

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. 

Remember when...

Green Day made good music, and not political statements?

(can't embed music, but see "Longview", "Welcome to Paradise" etc.)

When Ace of Base was popular?


When Alanis was starting out?
(see "Ironic")

When you got your music on cassette tapes, and cds were newfangled breakable gadgets?

Suffocation

"The church must never become like that complicated and suffocating palace from which the messenger is unable to exit....(story by Franz Kafka)
     Other obstacles include the abundance of and confidence in human resources - too many tunics and too many purses that weigh the messenger down (see Luke 10:4). ... There is also an excess of bureaucracy, a clericalism that dulls the incisiveness of the word and makes it seem remote from real life, language that is abstruse and incomprehensible, all constituting an insurmountable obstacle. Excessive human caution and self-protection keep the window shades lowered." (Remember Jesus Christ by Fr. Cantalamessa)

I think this passage summed up for me how I feel about church hierarchy and bureaucracy - that is has become a 'complicated and suffocating' place where the message of Jesus is Lord is 'unable to exit'. Since I've had the "opportunity" to work in church ministry for a number of years, I've seen how the hierarchy works - the politicking, the bullshitting, the rules that are pointless - and this passage so speaks to my heart. I read it and I was like - YES!, this is it! - and at the same time, was disheartened, because it's like "Why?".

I mean, I realize the corporate structure is important - actually I don't know that it is important. I think that's why small evangelical churches are so attractive to many people - because the rules aren't strangling them; bureaucracy isn't strangling the messenger.

Coolness

6 Saints who could kick your ass

The link is from Cracked, so obviously it has strong language.

This is cool:


The Seven Deadly Sins by John Zmirak is finally available! I love the Bad Catholics guides, so pretty sure I'll be getting this book too.

Drink Thursdays

Because we're not pagans, and we're not Puritans, we are Catholic, and we like to appreciate drinking. (Here's the introductory Drink Thursday.)

Today's fellow drinker is someone that I admire for the roles that he has played, but also for his personal life where he has been married to the same woman since 1987 (!), raising two boys, and rescuing two boys trapped in a car that was aflame.

Charlie Brown Trees

I am a Charlie Brown Tree person. Growing up, we never got our tree earlier than December 22 or thereabouts, so consequently all that was usually left were Charlie Brown trees. But I loved it. We brought out all these old lights that we've had for years, and decorating everywhere - except, funnily enough, outside - we almost never decorated outside. But I do remember one year we begged our dad to put up lights around the trim of the house.

As a kid, the part I looked forward to was moving the Nativity pieces closer to the manger and on Christmas, putting baby Jesus there too. We never did the shoe thing on December 6, though (not that I remember, anyway). And always family. Lots and lots of family - which as a kid, I loved; as an adult, I mostly love too. I just love all my family around (even the ones I don't get along with), and the kids. It's a crazy, hectic thing, and I love it.

I think that's one of the reasons I want more kids, so they can grow up and hate each other. LOL. I kid, of course. So they can grow up with lots of love and brothers & sisters, aunts & uncles, grammas and grampas, and hectic craziness.

Live To Tell

I was watching this 48 Hours story, and was late in tuning in, so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but the gist is that this boy and his (girl)friend were shot by another man who did it to see what it 'felt like'. So I do not deny that what sounds like a heinous crime occurred. Nor I am going to get into whether the state was right in asking for the death penalty - or they were going to before the family agreed to accept the plea bargain.

What I find interesting is that the survivor stated (paraphrasing): "I won't say his name. I refuse to let him have that power." I just thought it was so striking that she would refuse to humanize him, even slightly, by allowing him his name.

Now, you may tell me, "Ranter, she has every right not to speak his name after what has happened, especially if to do so would cause her anguish." And I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you.
     But it did give me the though that we depersonalize when we refuse to give or use someone's name - I think of prisoners with numbers instead of names. Names are powerful, and to take away a person's name can take away part of their identity, part of who they are, making them less than.

Stillness

Sorry so quiet. I've been dealing with my work stuff, husband's work stuff, children's stuff, etc., etc., etc.

New posts coming up.

Miscellany

Pet Peeves:
     People who run red lights - and parents who run red lights. Grrr. I mean, how selfish can you get? Because you're late, you're going to risk your kids' lives? Pffft. Idiots.
     People who drive with their dogs on their lap. Seriously? And it's drivers talking on their cell phone who are the dangerous ones? Sorry, I'd be more distracted by a dog shitting in my lap than if I was talking on my cell phone.

I watched part of the Barbara Walters' special on Oprah. She says (of her OWN channel) that she wants 'value-centered programming'. WTF does that even mean? No, what Oprah wants is a spirituality that is separate from God, which is impossible. There is no spirituality without God. As I said before, Truth has a sneaky habit of popping up everywhere - a little smidge there, a kernel here. Anytime you seek Truth, you are seeking God.
     Perhaps what she really wants is for people to worship her, lol. I don't know. Perhaps she truly is seeking God, but I see her as to paraphrase Chesterton (I think?): having an open mind, but so open that her brains are falling out.

SSDD

Skating with the 'Stars' and the Sing-off. Wow. Seriously? This is mid-season replacement that people actually watch? I cannot believe it. I don't watch the 1/2 hour 'comedies' on CBS because it's all about sex; same reason I don't watch the CW. I love to watch Castle, and I love Chase. It's just annoying that the networks can't find something that is good and isn't about sex and dirty jokes.
     Skating with the 'Stars' - most of which I'd never heard of or barely. The Sing-Off - I guess I just tire of these 'competitions'. There's no denying the talent these people have, I just tire of the vehicle in which these talented people are showcased. I tire of the judges and the scoring. Ugh. It gets old, doesn't it? Don't people yawn of the same formula that is re-packaged over and over again? It's all the same.

You Know You're Catholic

When you drive past a Protestant church, with their marquee sign that says: "Want to read 66 good books? Pick up a Bible" and you want to stop and change it to say 73 books instead.

Oh crap, she's up!

'Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, "Oh crap, she's up."' (stolen from another blog)

I read this quote and thought, "Wow, do I fail miserably at that! The devil probably delights when I wake up in the morning."

I really do need to make a conscious effort to go to bed earlier and wake up more rested in the morning so I'm not such a grouch.
     Part of the problem is that we (hubby and I) got spoiled with the Wide-Eyed Mischief Maker (WEMM). She slept through the night at 3 weeks old, and been a sound sleeper ever since. Drunk Monkey, on the other hand, was weaned from night nursing this summer and has never slept through the night. He wakes up at least once. And it seems like every time I lay down to sleep, DM wakes up and cries. No, seriously. I used to get annoyed, but now I just have to laugh, because it's comical.

Anyway, I'm a night owl at heart, and not a morning person, and I think that's been the hardest transition for me to make, from single to married to children. They get up whenever (summers are the worst) and crawl into your bed and basically just disrupt your sleep.

Sigh. It's hard to change a life-long habit. I'm gonna need a lot of heavenly help to change. Thankfully, hopefully, there is always another morning waiting for me to try.

Drink Thursdays

Because we're not pagans, and we're not Puritans, we are Catholic, and we like to appreciate drinking. (Here's the introductory Drink Thursday.)

My drinking buddy this week is a redhead, a football fanatic (believe me, I've seen the facebook posts), and a caring and honest woman.

Expectations

She lives in such a garment of silence, as though she were listening to hear the stir of life within her. (Dorothy Day, comparing Advent to an expectant mother.)

Learning that every child leaves within his mother a microscopic bit of himself - and that it remains within her forever - the dogma of the Immaculate Conception instantly became both crystal clear and brilliant to me. (The Anchoress)

I can remember during pregnancy, waiting for that first discernible movement - a kick, a heartbeat, anything; and waiting with such an inner stillness that was not always reflected by an outer stillness. The first time I felt that movement, I had to catch my breath, and I waited with such a moment of expectation for the next movement within, that moved me ever closer to love.
     Doesn't it make sense for that love to imprint itself upon a mother's body, so as to continually call you to love? Wouldn't that which is Love Itself, leave an imprint upon the vessel which it chose to bear Him into the world? Wouldn't such an imprint fundamentally change that vessel forever?
     How could Mary not be changed by having God Himself present in her body for 9 months, and birthing Him into this world? How could she remain of this world after such a life-altering event?

I am so glad that the Church, in Her wisdom, celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (which is of course, about the conception of Mary and not of Jesus) during Advent. What a wonderful way to remind us (only 2 weeks in, because we need the reminder already!) to be still in expectation of hearing Him stir within us, to move us ever closer to Himself, to anticipate His coming again.

I pray that I can always await Jesus' next movement within me with such bated breath, with a stillness of soul that I carry within.

Our Immaculate Mother, pray for us!

TV miscellany

Wheel of Fortune: don't you just wanna slap those people for being so stupid?

St. Jude's Children's Hospital: What the hell kind of insect crawled onto Robin Williams face and attached itself there like a parasite? Gah, that thing is freaky. It's all I can look at, watching it bounce up and down.

The Bachelor: 'I was a broken man' but now I'm back to get more nookie. What a douche. Seriously? This guy must have a masochistic streak.

Overanxious Boobage

My new favorite phrase, courtesy of Seraphic Singles.

Along with Tridentine Avenger and Feminist Crusader.

Lazy, too

Besides selfish, I'm also lazy.

No Advent candles or wreath up, or the manger (that I haven't bought yet). Also, the entertainment center isn't cleaned off. Turns out, the hard part isn't convincing my husband, it's convincing myself!

I am a born procrastinator. Is that why my kids always are born late?

The Little People, part two

Part One

Perhaps I am short-changing Undercover Boss a little, perhaps being too cynical about it.

Because in a way, it allows for a communion between persons. Not only for a boss to his employees, but for employees to their boss. It allows, as I said from another post, for the rich to step outside of themselves and be generous to others and hear another's story; and it give others a chance to be humble and accept a gift that wasn't asked for nor expected.
     It allows for each person to make a gift of each other, without the constraints of societal pressures or expectations one may have of the other. And that, I think, is the beauty of such a show as this.

I am selfish

Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to grow out of my selfishness and my own desires, and help another person.

I won't tell you exactly what the situation was, but I was feeling pretty shitty about myself because of something that took place on facebook, where I was criticized for criticizing the 'put a cartoon picture to fight child abuse'. So I was feeling shitty about myself, and acting out and feeling brusque and angry. I had to go to the grocery store, and let's just say that whilst there, I had the opportunity to stop and help another person, and grow out of my little bubble of self-righteousness. I was given the opportunity to die to self a little that day, and thanks be to God, I took it.

Godspy

I love the site Godspy. I think it's run by some Communion & Liberation people, who are great. One of the coolest priests I've ever met, and read his book and papers, is Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete, writes occasionally for the site. The problem is that it is never updated. Some articles are two years old, some are as recent as last December. It's so sad, and I don't know what's going on with it. I hope they get started up again.

Number 200

So, this is my 200th post since starting in September. And with help from Mark Shea, I've passed 3,000 views. Yay? lol, I kid, mostly.

I was watching Nightline the other night (shocker, I know), and there was a 'special' report from Dan Harris, meeting an Iraqi boy of the same first name, interviewing him about the U.S. being in that country. Dan Harris meets this boy and starts getting involved in his life - even getting him a scholarship to Thomas College in Maine. (But being a reporter, he records the whole thing.) He follows up and keeps touch with Dan's journey, with behavioral problems at the college, getting kicked out, his problems with drugs, being almost homeless, getting into a home for troubled boys, and then getting kicked out there for rule violations (drugs, sex, etc.). He finally makes the decision to go back to Iraq, despite the fears of being killed for being a U.S. sympathizer. Dan Harris follows up a year later with how Dan is doing - which is remarkably well and happy.

Controversy, Part Two

So I guess there are some bloggers ticked off (I don't know if that's the right term. Upset? Flustered?) that other bloggers ask for donations.

You know what? Who cares? If people ask for money, and are up-front about where it's going, and other people still want to give them money, who cares?

There's a priest blogger I know of that asks for donations to buy new vestments, probably because the previous priest used the kind of shit you'd see on Bad Vestments. (Unfortunately, you have no idea how many of those vestments I've seen personally. *shudder*)  That's a good thing to donate to, if you have the money.

Hell, you know what? So is good beer!

So tired....

Tired of getting jerked around. I'm tired of not being told what's going on - tired of being taken advantage of. I'm tired of listening to near-heresy or flat-out heresy every day. I'm tired of listening about my friends, the Church, the Pope, and holy priests, all being denigrated and mocked in front of me. I'm tired of practices of the Church (that I adhere to) begin mocked in front of me.
     I'm tired of the run-around bullshit! Tired of those around me complaining about the hierarchy of the Church - when they are the type of hierarchy they rail against: elitist, mocking, expecting those under them to fall in line. Overgrown hippie children that don't realize the damage they have done.

Oh God, I do hope that they all have happy, holy, and SOON deaths.

Drink Thursdays

I know some will call me sexist, because all I've been picking for drinking buddies, so far, are guys. (Here's a clue: that's not about to change.) I can't help that all the intriguing people that I'm coming across are men. All the women I've seen lately are one or a combo of the following: bitter, whiny, bitchy, brittle, etc. (Hey peanut gallery: I'll thank you to keep your comments about 'what we hate in others, it's because we hate it in ourselves' to yourselves!) I don't want to drink with someone like that.

So, that's the first clue: this person is a guy. Second clue is he's an actor. What I find intriguing is his diverse acting roles: Beethoven to Sid Vicious to Lee Harvey Oswald to a meanie in a futuristic sci-fi, to another meanie in a futuristic western to a character in the Harry Potter movies, to cops. He  plays such deeply flawed characters, but gives them such depth in any role he's in.

Controversy

Anne Rice is out promoting her new book 'Of Love and Evil'. Will I buy it? Perhaps. If it's in a clearance bin in a couple of months (I rarely buy a book that's not on sale or clearance).

     Look, I don't read fictional books for any theological insights the author may have (unless it is specifically geared toward that). Have I found a passage from a Stephen King book particularly striking? Yes. But Truth has a habit of popping up everywhere - regardless of the form it comes in - because Truth is God, and He is constantly calling us to Himself.

     So, no, I'm not going to start boycotting her books just because of some stupid shit she has said about the Church (I have too). Not that I've read any of her books anyway.

You Know You're Catholic When...

After a horrid day, you realize you need to get thee to a priest for confession and spiritual direction, and hopefully to receive Eucharist afterwards. Then perhaps a drink or two at your favorite place.

Days like today...

...make me wanna go all SSPX.

What is Real?

I've been thinking more about the Windows Cloud thing. I guess it just bugs me that the line between real and computer generated/enhanced keeps getting blurred more and more. Now they've created the most humanly-looking computer generated image ever, so much so that your eye can't tell the difference between real and created.
     That doesn't excite me, it worries me. It worries me that we can't interact with each other in a real way. Have you ever seen Gamer? Good movie with Gerard Butler (also with Michael C Hall). It's a futuristic movie, where humans can control and play other humans in a massive multi-player game. Gerard Butler plays a guy sent to prison, where he is controlled and played by another person (a snot-nosed kid). To win his freedom, he must play and win a certain amount of battles (which no one has ever done). He gets to that number and realizes that they will never let him go. His wife and his child are driven to poverty, and his wife has to take a job as a virtual whore.  He end up breaking out, to find his wife and child and save them from the life they are living. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say that it deals with my original point: real versus created.