Health Care Questions

This evening, while I was on the elliptical at the gym, I watched PBS' "Washington Week" with Gwen Ifill. The entire program was dedicated to questions on health care reform.

Below, I am posting the show's "Webcast Extra." I place it here, not necessarily with endorsement, as food for thought:



And, here is another clip on this issue from The Newshour:

A Second Discovery of Fire

Quote of the Day:

“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. (1881 - 1955), as quoted earlier this month on the funeral prayer card of Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921 - 2009).

An aside: Teilhard de Chardin has recently been the subject of posts by John Allen, Fran and A Concord Pastor.

Jerusalem Bells

I was pleased to receive some good vibes on Facebook for picking a Coldplay tune for last week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend." So, I thought I'd stick with the Brits for this week's selection.

Below is a performance of "Viva La Vida" (it's live but I suspect some overlay -- the sound quality is too good).

Pace:



And, check this out:

Arguing with a Dining Room Table

I find myself increasingly frustrated by the debate surrounding the proposals to reform the American health care system.

I am frustrated for two reasons. First, I am frustrated because I am having trouble deciding where I stand on the issue. (Although, I recently found the USCCB site on health care reform to be helpful.)

Second, I am frustrated by the nasty tenor of the debate.

Perfect case in point:



Here is the full video from another angle.

Update: Via Deacon Greg via Rod Dreher, I recommend reading this column by Leonard Pitts, Jr., on comparing political opponents to Nazis.

A Nine-Bedroom, Georgian Teardown?

Earlier today, this report from the Wall Street Journal caught my attention. Here's the key passage and some video:

Bond guru Bill Gross, whose Pimco Total Return is the world's largest mutual fund, has bought a bayfront home in Newport Beach, Calif. through a trust for $23 million, according to three people close to the deal.

Records show the home was bought by the Monte Carlo Trust, which names as trustee Jeff Stubban. Mr. Stubban couldn't be reached for comment. Three people familiar with the matter say Mr. Gross intends tear the home down and build a new one on the site.

Now, I'm a believer in property rights. Certainly, billionaire Bill Gross has a right to spend his money any way he sees fit. And, it should be noted, this report is from "sources."

But, the nation is in a very bad recession. Unemployment is a huge problem. Americans across the country can no longer make mortgage payments and are losing their homes.

Now is a poor time to choose to tear down one 11,000-square-foot mansion just to build another (perhaps grander?) edifice in its place.

Sign of End Times?

So, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Scandal) is going to be part of the upcoming season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

It may be an indication of end times. Not sure yet.

"The Hammer" (ugh) is slated to be dancing in the same line-up as songstress Macy Gray.

Unbelievable. Those two don't live on the same planet.

Here is Macy Gray's catchy 1999-2000 hit "I Try" in case you forgot her claim to fame:

Learning from Bertha

The interesting image above shows the painting "The Assumption of Bertha Huber." A Concord Pastor posted it a few days back in relation to the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (actually a re-post from '08).

From the good pastor:

If this painting offends, please accept my apology. I post it here not out of any irreverence or even playfulness but rather because the feast of the real Assumption is upon us and, as on all feasts of the Blessed Virgin, we need to discover how what happened in her life and love for God relates to our own. From the website of the painter, Marcia Sandmeyer Wilson:

"This 16x20 oil painting is called The Assumption of Bertha Huber. It is the third version I have done of this theme. Miss Huber was godmother to my three children. She died at age 87 in August, 1975 and I told the children I would paint what it 'really' looked like.

"Miss Huber was from Munich so I know she was expecting nice blond angels waiting for her in heaven... (I)n the first version I also had little pug dog angels because Miss Huber was very fond of our dogs.

"At the bottom of the painting is supposed to be me and the three children weeping for her at the nursing home where she had expired just moments before our arrival. It was a very good nursing home, by the way, named Calvary, in the Bronx."

Painting in the folk art style, Wilson has given us a kind of folk art appreciation of the Assumption. The word comes from the Latin assumere which means to take to one's self. Assumption celebrates the Lord's taking to himself his beloved Mother, the Mother of us all, who, the Church has taught from early times, was assumed into heaven body and soul lest the body which bore the Christ into the world should undergo any corruption.

We pray that one day the Lord will take us to himself at the time of our passing from this life to life forever with God: one day the hands reaching down in Wilson's painting will reach out for you and me. No, we will not be assumed body and soul: this mortal coil of ours will undergo the inevitable corruption of nature. Yet one day the Lord will waken each of us to glory and our souls will be reunited with our bodies in a glorified state, the beauty of which we cannot yet imagine.

Big Brother Pizza

I'm not always an ACLU fan, but this is scary.

Go here if the link above gives you trouble.

Hat-tip: CP on FB

Bird Songs

I find myself needing a tune to get ready for the Sunday afternoon.

This might work -- an unexpected combination of two favorites:



Flashback: Learn to Fly

"For the Life of the World"

For a fourth consecutive Sunday, today's Gospel at Mass is a passage from the Gospel of John related to Christ as the "bread of life."

Today's passage uses language that certainly gives pause -- both because of the terminology used by Christ and because of what he is saying about salvation.

It's a passage that can be troubling -- or hope-filled, depending on your perspective.

For Catholics and some other Christian traditions, the passage helps to explain the belief in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine used during Communion.

From John Chapter 6:

Jesus said to the crowds:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

"For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

"Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Deacon Greg recalls a miracle in his homily for this Sunday. A Concord Pastor is asking a good question in his homily.

Fran has a reflection, too.

Monday Update: Missy has posted some good quotes on Sunday's Gospel at St. Anne, Pray for Us. This "Priest's Diary" entry by Fr. Victor Muzzin is worth a look as well.

The image above is from here.

Maria, Ora Pro Nobis

For Catholics and some other Christian traditions, today (August 15) is a day set aside to celebrate the belief that the body and soul of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed into heaven after her time on earth had ended.

The proper name of the celebration is the Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To mark the day, here is the soprano Jessye Norman with "Ave Maria":



Flashbacks: Ave Maria, Hail Holy Queen, Mary's Month, Bookends, Lourdes, Guadalupe '06, Guadalupe '07 and Nuestra Señora.

The Osaka Sun

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," how about another tune featuring Chris Martin? Below is Coldplay's "Lovers in Japan."

Peace:



Song hat-tip: Dave. His comment:

"I admire Coldplay for making a video for a song that doesn’t really have a chorus. Well played, pasty British people."

Plaxico to Portsmouth?

It was hard not to think of Plaxico Burress this morning while reading Gail Collins’ column "Gunning for Health Care" in today’s New York Times.

One graph:

“The question is, why don’t people bear arms these days,” said William Kostric, when asked why he came to welcome President Obama to Portsmouth, N.H., on Tuesday with a protest sign and a loaded handgun strapped to his thigh. This turned out to be completely legal under New Hampshire law.

Memo to P.B.: Post-slammer, move to New Hampshire.

There's even an arena football team in Manchester (the "Wolves"). Bet they could use a good wide receiver.

The August Quiet

Fran has said "The End" at fran.i.am.

Amy is leaving BeliefNet and going home.

The Anchoress is on retreat.

Deacon Greg is at Disney.

Rocco is in summer slowdown. (That's his beach shot at right.)

It's near silence in my favorite part of the Catholic blogosphere! :-(

At least A Concord Pastor is still chiming in from the Cape. In fact, he just introduced us to Brother Patrick.

And, Mike, who just had some great news, is still around too.

Deo gratias.

Distraction

Quote of the day:

"The very pains we take to prevent distractions often work upon us as a considerable distraction."

– attributed here to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, d. 1641, whose memorial is celebrated today, August 12.

Whoa

Remind me never to tick off U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. It's hard to believe she lost her cool while abroad:



As Dorothy Z. would say:

Baby Sneeze

God bless you!:



This is Sean Joseph. The nephew of one of my co-workers, he was born July 31.

An Outdated Institution?

This afternoon, following the flight from Atlanta, I took the M60 bus - W train - 6 train public transport combo from LaGuardia Airport back to the pad in Little Italy.

En route, I had the chance to read some of the latest print edition of The Atlantic, which includes a provocative article by Sandra Tsing Loh entitled "Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off." Subtitle: "The author is ending her marriage. Isn’t it time you did the same?"

It goes without saying that I don't agree with the conclusions reached by Tsing Loh in the piece. (It certainly was a departure from what I saw and heard over the weekend in Wichita!) But, the article is a good read and provides ample food for thought about relationships and life-long human development.

One passage:

... In World Values Surveys taken at the turn of the millennium, fewer Americans agreed with the statement “Marriage is an outdated institution” than citizens of any other Western country surveyed (compare the U.S.’s tiny 10 percent with France’s 36 percent). We are also more religious—more Americans (60 percent) say they attend religious services once a month than do the Vatican-centric Italians (54 percent) or, no surprise, the laissez-faire French (12 percent). At the same time, Americans endure the highest divorce rate in the Western world. In short, although we say we love religion and marriage, Cherlin notes, “religious Americans are more likely to divorce than secular Swedes.”

Cherlin believes the reason for this paradox is that Americans hold two values at once: a culture of marriage and a culture of individualism. Or is it an American spirit of optimism wedded, if you will, to a Tocquevillian spirit of restlessness that inspires three out of four Americans to say they believe marriage is for life, while only one in four agreed with the notion that even if a marriage is unhappy, one should stay put for the sake of the children. If America is a “divorce culture,” it may be partly because we are a “marriage culture,” since we both divorce and marry (a projected 90 percent of us) at some of the highest rates anywhere on the globe. Hence Cherlin’s cautionary advice consists of two words—“Slow down”—his chief worry about our frenetic marriage-go-round being its negative impact on our children. In fact, while having two biological parents at home is, the statistics tell us, best for children, a single-parent household is almost as good. The harm comes, Cherlin argues, from parents continually coupling with new partners, so that the children are forced to bond, or compete for attention, with ever-new actors. These are the youngsters who are likely to suffer, according to a measurable matrix of factors such as truancy, disobedience in school, and teen pregnancy. Instead of preaching marriage, Cherlin says, we should preach domestic stability for children. Is marriage the best way to ensure this? Apparently not, at least not the way we do it in America.

The bolding is mine. As someone who has had four step-parents (two step-mothers and two step-fathers) in his 33 years, I have to say this line rang true.

The image above, which accompanied the magazine article, is credited to Kim Rosen.

Bread of the Angels

Earlier tonight, our flight from Wichita arrived in Atlanta some 15 minutes too late to make the connection back to NYC. It was the last flight of the night to Gotham.

So, I'm blogging from the Doubletree Hotel near the Atlanta airport where Delta has put us (and a bunch of other stranded folks) up for the night. It's not a great situation but at least they threw in complimentary hotel Internet access.

I thought I would use this largess to note that today, at the Sunday Mass in Kansas, the choir sang César Franck's beautiful setting of the hymn "Panis Angelicus" ("Bread of the Angels") during Communion.

It has been been my privilege to hear this piece performed twice by the great tenor Placido Domingo -- at the Papal Mass in NYC's Central Park in 1995 and at the Papal Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., last April.

Here's some video from the latter:



Many great vocalists have recorded Franck's "Panis Angelicus." Here, for instance, is tenor Andrea Bocelli:



A chill rendition by Sting and Pavarotti:



And, we can't forget the ladies. Here's the soprano Renee Fleming:

"Is This Not ...? Do We Not ...?"

As happened once in the past, I come to you this evening from the little airport in Wichita, Kansas. I was in this "really big little town" to exhibit for my gig at the Midwest Catholic Family Conference.

It was our third time at this conference, which seems to draw a mix of local Catholics, folks interested in apologetics and homeschooling families from several Midwestern states. I'd say the event drew around 1,800 to 2,000 adults, teens and children. All in all, worth the trip -- even if there isn't a direct flight from NYC. ;-)

I went to Sunday Mass today at the conference. The Gospel was a continuation of the "bread of life" theme we've been exploring these past weeks.

From John Chapter 6:

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

"Always Stop at Exits"

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," I think it's time to go with something created this millennium. (Not that I didn't enjoy our MJ series.)

So, below is Nelly Furtado and Chris Martin with "All Good Things."

Peace:



Official video (just Nelly):



Song hat-tip: Ed

Sans Accordian

Quote of the day:

" ... going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. ..."

-- Jed Babbin, former U.S. Defense Department official, January, 2003.

One of my co-workers came across this quote this morning at Snopes. Dated but creative.

Prayer in a Time of Tragedy

It has been difficult today not to think about the shooting last night at a gym outside of Bridgeville, PA. For readers of this blog not from the Pittsburgh area: the location of the shooting is about a 10-minute drive from my hometown.

One of my best friends was in the gym at the time of the shooting. Thanks be to God that he was never in harm's way.

This morning, I read the on-line writings of the shooter. But, I am not going to link to these writing or repeat the name of the shooter. In the writings, he makes it clear that attention is what he wanted. While his soul requires prayer, his earthly violence should not earn him posthumous celebrity.

Three women were killed in the shooting: Elizabeth "Betsy" Gannon, Heidi Overmier and Jody Billingsley. These are names to remember -- as are the names of those who were injured.

A prayer:

Dear God,

We pray that your Holy Spirit may be in us -- and all that we say and do -- in the aftermath of this act of violence against innocents.

We pray for those who have died. May their souls now be with you, in the warm embrace of your love that is beyond all understanding.

We pray for the family members and friends of those who have died. Console them in their grief, O God. May they know your love. May they come to again know peace in their hearts and minds.

We pray for anyone who may be contemplating an act of violence such as we have witnessed. God, your people plead for the strength and knowledge to reach out to these troubled souls. Help us to be your instruments in bringing them back from the brink of hate, despair and violence.

We pray for an end to all violence in all its forms everywhere upon the Earth. God, grant us peace in our time.

Amen.

See also: The Bread Line Blog here and here.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Yesterday afternoon, my old college buddy, Greg, and his wife, Mary, welcomed a new addition to their family:

Welcome to the party, Olivia Mary! May the Holy Spirit always be your guide.

If you are counting, this is the fifth birth of a baby girl this year to one of my friends or family members. Little Olivia joins Nora, Ann, Olive and Mariah. (There actually was a sixth but I have yet to get a photo of the little one born some months back to the wife of my old Western PA buddy Mike Carberry.)

I have one more college friend who is expecting in 2009. But, this time, it looks like the Y chromosome has prevailed. My cousin, Luke, is slated to become a dad in January, 2010. Too early to tell there.

There's an old song that may be appropriate for the entry of all these little ladies into our midst:

Scolding by the Public Editor

When I was a newspaper reporter, I had nightmares that something like this would come out of one of my articles.

From the NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt:

The short answer is that a television critic with a history of errors wrote hastily and failed to double-check her work, and editors who should have been vigilant were not.

But a more nuanced answer is that even a newspaper like The Times, with layers of editing to ensure accuracy, can go off the rails when communication is poor, individuals do not bear down hard enough, and they make assumptions about what others have done. Five editors read the article at different times, but none subjected it to rigorous fact-checking, even after catching two other errors in it. And three editors combined to cause one of the errors themselves.

Hat-tip: Andrew Sullivan: "Poor Cronkite"

Never Hunger, Never Thirst

In this Sunday's Gospel at Mass, we find the crowd getting restless -- and asking many questions.

From John Chapter 6:

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”

So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”

So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Deacon Greg has a thought-provoking homily for this Sunday.

A Concord Pastor has background for this Sunday's Mass readings here, here and here. (The image above is shamelessly cribbed from one of these posts by the CP.)

A Heavenly Cause

Yesterday, in his eulogy at the Memorial Mass for Louisa Kirchner, her son Joe recalled that his mom used Cervantes' novel "Don Quixote" in her Spanish classes at the University of Connecticut.

Joe added that, while his parents were not "theater people," they repeatedly attended performances of "Man of La Mancha," the Broadway treatment of "Don Quixote."

So, for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," below is a Brian Stokes Mitchell recording of a ballad from that show: "Dulcinea."

Pax:



And, of course, that's hardly the only famous tune from "Man of La Mancha":

In Memoriam: Louisa Kirchner, 1915-2009

In the summer of 1997, I was working as a resident assistant at Goddard Hall, one of NYU's traditional residence halls on Washington Square in New York City. The summer position brought with it free room and board as well as a "triple" room all to myself.

That summer, I had hoped to get an internship at GQ magazine. But, due to my lack of formal design and layout experience, my application was rejected. This left my evening job at the NYU alumni phonathon as my only cash-generating employment for June, July and August.

So, I slept in many mornings. I helped to plan Goddard Hall's fall orientation schedule. I planned (and executed) my blow-out of a 21st birthday party on July 26.

And, that hazy summer, I had my first communication with Louisa Kirchner.

It was Sarah LaPlante, in a telephone call from Milwaukee, who made the connection.

Sarah was then serving as the executive director of the National Catholic Student Coalition (NCSC), an association of Catholic college and university students who are active in campus ministry programs around the United States. In 1997, I was chair of NCSC's Northeast Regional Team.

Sarah had been asked to recruit a new Catholic college student or two to go to the United Nations headquarters in New York to attend briefings for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on behalf of the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS). Thanks to the luck of geography, yours truly was one of the students to get the nod.

Waiting for me at the U.N. was Louisa.

By the time I met her in mid-1997, Dr. Louisa Byles Kirchner, age 82, a retired professor of Spanish at the University of Connecticut, had been laboring on behalf of IMCS and its professional / academic sister organization (called "Pax Romana") for the better part of 60 years. In fact, Louisa was one of the founders of one of NCSC's predecessor organizations, the National Federation of Catholic College Students.

Louisa, and her husband, Ed Kirchner (then aged 85 years), took me and the other Catholic student representatives under their wing. The couple would come to the U.N. multiple times a month from their home in Stamford, CT. They would take the train into Grand Central and then walk over to the U.N. buildings by the East River.

The Kirchners were with us as we sat through NGO briefings, meetings of the various U.N. NGO committees as well as events at the International Catholic Organizations Center on 47th Street upstairs of Holy Family Church. And, Ed and Louisa were sitting behind me in June, 1998, when I made a statement to the U.N. General Assembly Committee of the Whole during the Special Session on the World Drug Problem.

With her small stature, white-gray hair and pants suits of muted colors, Louisa did not immediately strike fear in the hearts of the U.N. bureaucrats. But, she had a strong presence. She was never afraid to ask a hard question in a briefing or remind someone of a proverbial elephant in the room.

After a briefing or meeting, I would love to go to lunch with Louisa and Ed. Often over sandwiches in the cafeteria of the Engineering Societies Building (now the site of the Trump World Tower), we would talk about the Church, international affairs and politics. I remember the day I told Louisa I was a Republican. The feisty proponent of the preferential option for the poor was not amused!

In July, 1998, I moved home to Western Pennsylvania to work in newspapers and politics. But, I stayed in touch with Louisa and Ed for as many years as Louisa was able to e-mail. And, in 2000, we spent a week together in Paris for an international conference of Catholic academics and professionals. (The photos in this post are from that trip.)

Ed died in 2003. Louisa passed away on June 28 of this year. A child of 1915, she would have turned 94 on August 29.

Friday morning, I took that New Haven-line train from Grand Central to Stamford to attend a memorial Mass for Louisa at the Kirchners' old parish, Our Lady Star of the Sea, where she once served as a lector.

At the Mass, it was recalled that Louisa was a great-granddaughter of Peter Delmonico, one of the brothers who founded the famous Delmonico's restaurant, and that she was a niece of Father Thomas Byles, the priest who went down on the Titantic.

Also remembered was Louisa and Ed's wedding in the Lady Chapel of St. Patrick's Cathedral in May, 1946. The New York Times report of the nuptials indicated that the wedding ceremony was performed by Paulist Father Joseph McSorley while the Mass was celebrated (and a Papal blessing bestowed) by the Jesuit theologian Father John Courtney Murray.

Joe Kirchner, the youngest of Louisa and Ed's three children, recalled the years his parents spent in Europe after WWII. Ed ran a displaced persons camp while Louisa worked with students and helped to secure scholarships for many of them.

Joe also reported how, in Louisa's final years, she continued to inspire others just by her presence at Sunday Mass. From his eulogy:

"Louisa may have been frail, but she did not want anyone coming down the aisle to bring her communion. She inched her way up, navigating her walker around musical instruments where the aisle narrowed next to the choir to receive God from both the Eucharist and the cup. When people held the door for her or made room in the pew, you could detect a sense of awe in their faces. She may not have been able to articulate it, but people were inspired by the strength of her conviction, every Sunday, inching her way to communion. ... at her core, was her faith."

Awake

Quote of the day:

“The goal is to be awake in your own life. ... Sometimes you have to leave the country to jar yourself awake, and sometimes you have to just go more deeply into your own life.”

- Melanie Gideon, in a feature on her memoir, “The Slippery Year,” in today's New York Times

"They Saw The Signs"

The Gospel at Mass today is the well-known passage on Christ's miraculous feeding of the 5,000 with the boy's five loaves and two fish.

From John Chapter 6:

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.

Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”

He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.”

One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”

So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

For good homilies on this passage, check out Cardinal Newman and A Concord Pastor and Deacon Greg and the Parish Blog of St. Edward the Confessor.

Flashbacks: This miracle has been described in this space before as it occurs in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

And, a video with this week's Gospel:

Victim of A Selfish Kind of Love

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," here is NYC-based singer-songwriter Jay Brannan with his chill take on "Man in the Mirror."

Peace:

If John Allen had $10 billion ...

... he would put a nurse in every U.S. parish.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Kind of reminds you of the BNL song, huh?:

"Him Whom My Heart Loves"

For many Christian traditions, today (July 22) is the feast day or memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene. She was the first evangelist of Christ's Resurrection.

One of the options for the first reading at Mass today is a beautiful passage from Chapter 3 of the Song of Songs that may evoke what Mary Magdalene felt in the garden on Easter Sunday morning:

... I sought him but I did not find him.

I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.

The watchmen came upon me
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?

I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

The Anchoress and Fr. Aquinas also have posts for today's memorial.

Regarding the image above: The name of the artist who created the image may be Jesus Martinez Gordo. However, as the Website where I found it is down, I cannot confirm this.

R.I.P. Frank McCourt

In a press release Monday, NYU marked the passing of one of the university's great alums: teacher and author Frank McCourt (NYU School of Education Class of 1957). McCourt died Sunday at the age of 78.

The release included this interesting video with some great old images of NYU and the Village:

Frank McCourt: The Journey of an Ordinary Teacher from NYU Steinhardt on Vimeo.

An aside: When I read McCourt's second book "'Tis", I was tickled by his passing reference to the NYU Newman Club.

See also: "St. Frank of Limerick" at Googling God

No POTUS Fear?

Speaking of good lines in the NYT, columnist David Brooks provided this one today in a piece entitled "Liberal Suicide March":

Machiavelli said a leader should be feared as well as loved. Obama is loved by the Democratic chairmen, but he is not feared. On health care, Obama has emphasized cost control. The chairmen flouted his priorities because they don’t fear him. On cap and trade, Obama campaigned against giving away pollution offsets. The chairmen wrote their bill to do precisely that because they don’t fear him. On taxes, Obama promised that top tax rates would not go above Clinton-era levels. The chairmen flouted that promise because they don’t fear him.

"A World That No Longer Exists"

The editorial page of Sunday's New York Times included an "Appreciation" of Walter Cronkite, the famed television news broadcaster who died Friday at the age of 92.

I liked this line from the piece:

Some deaths end only a life. Some end a generation. Walter Cronkite’s death ends something larger and more profound. He stood for a world, a century, that no longer exists. His death is like losing the last veteran of a world-changing war, one of those men who saw too much but was never embittered by it.

He Began to Teach Them

Like several other places in the New Testament, the Gospel at Mass today leads us to think of Jesus as a "shepherd." The passage also speaks to the importance of going away, sometimes, to "a deserted place and rest a while."

From Mark Chapter 6:

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.

He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Flashbacks: Previous "shepherd" passages on Good Shepherd Sundays in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Deacon Greg has posted his homily for this Sunday. Good bit:

One of the lessons of this Sunday’s gospel is that after the apostles have done their amazing work – we heard last week about the miracles they performed – they returned to Christ, who reminded them that the job of being a faithful Christian isn’t all work. It’s rest. It’s prayer. It is seeking out a deserted place to find peace.

In the chaos of daily life, each of us needs to return to Christ, and to find a deserted place to rest, a sea of tranquility for prayer.

Like the River Jordon

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," I tried to locate a high-quality a capella version of Michael Jackson's early 1990s hit "Will You Be There." Below are three versions that aren't too bad.

Pax:







Jennifer Hudson, of course, was the inspiration:

A Front-Row Seat for Miracles

The July 20 edition of America magazine includes a good essay from Deacon Greg with observations from his two years as a permanent deacon in the Church.

These two items in his list of seven caught my eye:

4. Never, ever, under any circumstances, tell people in a homily that it might be spiritually enriching to pray for our enemies and then suggest a name. I did that once, mentioning Osama bin Laden, and the congregation actually gasped. I never heard the end of it.

...

7. But despite all that, no amount of preparation can prepare you for the miraculous. The first time I baptized a baby, I made a mental note to check out my eyeglass prescription, until I realized I was having trouble seeing because my eyes were blurred by my own tears. Ministerial life has been like that. I have been moved and inspired by the boundless joy of a couple on their wedding day, the giddiness of a mother and father dabbing the water from their baby’s brow on the day of his baptism and the heartfelt handshake of a man who was grateful for something I mentioned in the pulpit. I have dried tears at funerals (sometimes my own) and smiled at small children who trot around the aisles during my homilies. I have been reminded, week after week, at wakes and weddings, at fundraisers and first Communions, that I am a part of something that is, like the mysteries of the rosary, joyous, luminous, sorrowful and glorious.

I have had a front-row seat for the great milestones of life and have shared in the worries and wonders and hopes of the people in the pews. I do not know most of their names, but they know me, and they know my wife, and they wave at us in the supermarket or stop us on the subway and go out of their way to say hello or how are you or thank you. I have been doing this for only two years, but already I’ve witnessed more miracles than I can count.

Lizard Poisons Spock

I've been thinking that rock-paper-scissors needed an update:

Mockümentary

Friday night, we caught a late showing of "Brüno" at Destinta Theaters in Bridgeville, PA.

"Brüno" is the latest gotcha comedy or "mockumentary" from Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator of "Borat."

The film was offensive and shocking, especially the Ron Paul scene. But, admittedly, I laughed a lot -- although probably not $9.50 worth of laughs.

I just was not as interested in the outcome of Brüno's travels and trials as much as I was in Borat's American adventure.

Even if you're a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, "Brüno" can wait for Netflix.

As of this writing, "Brüno" has a 69 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Take Nothing

This morning, my maternal grandmother and I went to the 8:30 a.m. Mass at my hometown parish, St. Alphonsus Church in McDonald, PA.

The Gospel at Mass included a commissioning by Christ of his apostles -- with some interesting instructions.

From Mark Chapter 6:

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them."

So they went off and preached repentance.

The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

A Concord Pastor and Deacon Greg have posted their homilies on this Sunday's readings.

Powerful quote from Deacon Greg:

The gospel is meant to be lived on its feet -- taken to others, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. It is to be taken beyond places that are flat, and safe and comfortable, to deserts and mountains and plains, to places where you may find yourself tired, trudging, where the terrain may be rough and the hills steep. The trip won’t necessarily be easy.

But it is one we all are asked to take. It is the great adventure of living the Catholic Christian faith, and taking it into the world.

All you need are sandals. And a walking stick. And someone else to share the journey. Take nothing else. It is the journey itself, and the willingness to make that journey, that matters.

Need Look No More

I am on the road this week. On Tuesday, I left NYC for Las Vegas where one of my younger brothers, Cliff, got married on Wednesday. (Cliff is the proprietor of Big Shot Bob's -- be sure to stop by if you're ever west of the Pittsburgh and hungry for some excellent wings.)

The wedding was at the Luxor, which had very poor wifi access (hence the lack of blogging mid-week).

On Thursday, I flew from Las Vegas to Pittsburgh. This leg of the trip was for the wedding of my cousin, Ben, yesterday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Burgettstown, PA.

While here in wonderful Western Pennsylvania, I've been staying at my mom's house in the village of Primrose, west of McDonald Borough. The house is situated in a spot with lots of trees and a small creek ("crick") abutting the back yard. Early Friday morning, I was pleasantly surprised by a symphony of birds out back.

But, while the nature is nice and all, mi madre has neither wifi nor standard Internet (hence the lack of blogging late-week).

So, tonight, I come to you live from Crazy Mocha on Pittsburgh's South Side. (They have wifi ... whew.)

I'm pleased to report that, in addition to Ben's wedding, this visit to PA afforded me the opportunity to meet Nora Louise, as well as catch up with Mariah Paige.

On Tuesday morning, the Delta flight to Vegas included personal television sets with satellite TV. Like many others on the flight, I watched nearly the entire CNN coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial.

I know, I know. The coverage has been too much. MJ should not be seen as a role model. I agree. But, indulge me. For this week's rather late "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," I have chosen another MJ song: "Ben." (It fits rather well with the nuptials theme of this post.)

I actually had forgotten about "Ben." Dual hat-tip to my old high school buddy, Ed, and my cousin, Amy, for mentioning it.

There are YouTube clips of MJ himelf singing "Ben." But I think I prefer this newer, in-concert version by another vocalist (song starts after 0:19).

Peace:

Course-Correct

An essay in the technology section of Saturday's New York Times ended with this quote from Scott D. Anthony, president of Innosight, a consulting firm:

“You see again and again the companies that succeed are not the ones that have the brilliant strategy,” he said, “but the ones that course-correct along the way.”

Perhaps true for life in general, actually.

Baby Boom

The baby boom continues.

Late Sunday afternoon, my friends John and Allison Welch of Houston, PA, became parents to their second daughter.

Nora Louise Welch is pictured at right. She was born at Washington Hospital.

Welcome to the party, little Nora! May the Holy Spirit always be your guide.

Nora is a little sister for Molly, who was born exactly two-and-a-half years ago today.

Photo hat-tip: Grandpa Jack

His Native Place

Unlike last Sunday's Gospel, with its two great examples of faith and healing, Jesus has a more difficult time in this week's Gospel at Mass. And, in his hometown nonetheless.

From Mark Chapter 6:

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.

They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?"

And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house."

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Deacon Greg has a very good homily for this Sunday.

The image above is from A Concord Pastor.

A City Baby

Tonight, as I was walking into my apartment after watching the great fireworks display over the Hudson River, my cell phone rang.

The call brought the wonderful news of the the birth of a daughter to my friends Melissa and Tim. Ann was born at 2 a.m. on July 3.

Check her out:

Welcome to the party, little Ann! May the Holy Spirit always be your guide.

Melissa, who also grew up outside of Pittsburgh, told me that Ann is a true city baby. As Ann needed some coaxing to make her big entrance, Melissa and Tim were able to calmly take the N-W subway from Queens to the hospital in Manhattan for the birth.

Photo hat-tip: Waldie's World

Liberty at Night

A very happy Independence Day to all!

For this Fourth of July, I thought I would give a brief report from an outpost of America's favorite pastime.

Tuesday evening, I went a game of the Staten Island Yankees minor league baseball team.

It was my first exposure to this Single-A franchise of the New York Yankees -- thanks to an invite from Mike and his friend Donna. We went to the game as part of a group from Regis High School.

The S.I. Yanks play in a great little stadium at the northeastern tip of Staten Island, conveniently located next to the ferry terminal. The stadium boasts beautiful views of the New York harbor and the Manhattan skyline.

It was great to be in a ballpark where you could see the action up close. And, I was very glad to see so many families with children there.

Watching the S.I. Yanks reminded me of the Washington Wild Things, the Frontier League team in Washington, PA, as well as some of the campaign events we held there. A lot of things on Staten Island actually remind me of Pennsylvania. Parts of the island have quite a small town or suburban feel.

We took the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan after the game. It may have been my first time in the harbor at night. The clear nighttime view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry was beautiful:

Flashbacks: Independence Day posts for 2008 and 2006.

Bring Salvation Back

I can't deny that my inner-soundtrack this week has been dominated by the music of Michael Jackson.

An MJ-related song that I particularly like is "I'll Be There," a hit of The Jackson 5 from 1970.

So, for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," here is a great take on that piece by the ACM Gospel Choir.

Peace:

"A Religious Man"

Sister Rose has recalled another instance when Karl Malden (1912-2009) portrayed a priest -- in what sources say was his last appearance on screen.

A scene from an episode of "The West Wing" called "Take this Sabbath Day":

"It's a Crucifixion!"

The Academy Award-winning actor Karl Malden died today at the age of 97.

Over at In All Things, America magazine's blog, Jesuit Father Jim Martin has the goods on one of Malden's most memorable roles -- Father Pete Barry, the priest in the 1954 film "On The Waterfront." The character was was inspired by the real-life "Waterfront Priest" Jesuit Father John Corridan.

Here are two clips from that classic starring Malden and Marlon Brando:



Here is another famous scene (without Malden) from "On The Waterfront" with the oft-quoted line "I coulda been a contender":

Hat-tip: Deacon Greg