The Greatest

The disciples of Christ don't look good in today's Gospel at Mass.

From Mark Chapter 9:

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.

He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”

But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”

But they remained silent.

They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

A Concord Pastor has some background on today's readings.

Two

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," here is the tune "Two" from the Brooklyn-based band The Antlers. It's from the new album "Hospice."

Peace:



Hat-tip: Dave (who has the lyrics for this one)

Pharaoh High

LOL: This was posted to YouTube in 2006 but I just saw it for the first time:

"A comedy 3,000 years in the making ... "



Hat-tip: Kellybelle at Ephphatha

In Innocence and Love

Bit of verse for a Wednesday morning:

And so it is that clothed in innocence and love
I moved forward each day mapping out my work
Praying to God and believing in the beauty of things

-- from "Le Laboratoire Central" (1921) by French poet and painter Max Jacob (1876 - 1944).

The verse was quoted by Harold Bordwell in an essay entitled "The Perfect Sinner" in the February 27 issue of Commonweal. Born Jewish, Max Jacob became a Catholic in 1915, according to Bordwell. In 1944, Jacob was taken by the Gestapo and died a month later at the camp in Drancy.

The photo above is by my cousin Sara. Her caption: "Brookline Blvd. I like my neighborhood."

Octogenarian Gold

A few years back, while on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to meet Jack and Margaret Eckenrode of Cecil Township, PA.

Today's Observer-Reporter caught up with this amazing couple (pictured above, ages 81 and 82) after a victorious trip to the Senior Olympics.

Congrats!

"The Dime Standard"

If you have been following the health care reform debate, it likely would be helpful to read this NYT column from last week by David Brooks.

Important graphs:

Obama rested the credibility of his presidency on what you might call the Dime Standard. He was flexible about many things, but not this: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits — either now or in the future. Period.”

This sound bite kills the House health care bill. That bill would add $220 billion (that’s 2.2 trillion dimes) to the deficit over the first 10 years and another $1 trillion (10 trillion dimes) to the deficit over the next 10 years.

There is no way to get from the House bill to deficit neutrality. The president’s speech guarantees that the more moderate Senate Finance Committee bill will be the basis for the negotiations to come.

The Dime Standard also sets off a political cascade. Since the Congressional Budget Office is the universally accepted arbiter in such matters, the Democrats have to produce a bill that the C.B.O. says is deficit-neutral, now and forever. That means there will be a seller’s market for any member of Congress, Republican or Democrat, who has a credible amendment to cut costs. It also means the Democrats will have to scale back coverage and subsidy levels to reach the fiscal targets.

Second, the president accepted the principle of capping the tax exemption on employer-provided health benefits. The specific proposal he embraced is a backdoor and indirect version of the cap. But what’s important here is the movement and the concession on principle. Soon moderates and Republicans will produce amendments to impose a cap directly. These amendments will credibly raise revenue and reduce costs. The administration will now have no principled argument to reject them.

Third, the president accepted the principle of tort reform to reduce the costs of defensive medicine. Once again, the specific proposal Obama mentioned is trivial. The important thing was the concession on principle. There are already amendments being drawn up to create separate malpractice courts and to otherwise reform the insane malpractice system. The president is going to have a hard time rejecting these amendments just because they might reduce campaign donations from tort lawyers to the Democratic National Committee.

Hat-tip: Sully

The image above is from here.

Rebuke

I went to "Sunday" Mass yesterday evening at the conference in Houston, Texas. The principal celebrant of the Mass was the Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston. (I'm proud to point out that the cardinal grew up in Castle Shannon, PA, near Pittsburgh.)

The Gospel at Mass was a passage from the Gospel of Mark in which Saint Peter does not fare well. In his lively homily, Cardinal DiNardo spoke of how such blunt descriptions are a defining characteristic of Mark's Gospel.

From Mark Chapter 8:

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.

Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.”

And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.”

Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly.

Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”

For a homily on this passage, check out A Concord Pastor. Brother Patrick has a reflection, too.

The image of Saint Peter above is from here.

"Mindless Meanness"

A commentary this morning from CBS' Bob Schieffer:

That was not a State of the Union speech we heard the other night, but it had all the trappings - and when that Congressman hollered "You lie!" at the President, we did get a snapshot of the nation's state.

It was not a pretty picture.

The country is in an angry mood - people are frustrated, tempers are short, congressmen are being shouted down at town hall meetings (where constituents sometimes show up with guns), and at rallies like the one yesterday in Washington where people carried signs such as "Bury Health Care with Kennedy."

The irony of a congressman trying to heckle a president in the midst of a speech that was, among other things, about the need for civility is just one ugly sign of the mindless meanness that has settled over our politics.

How different it was in the aftermath of a far more difficult time, those days after 9/11, whose anniversary we marked on Friday.

I remember watching then, not far from where that congressman hurled his insult, as Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott put his hand on the shoulder of his Democratic counterpart Tom Daschle to announce the Senate had passed a $40 billion emergency appropriations bill, and passed it unanimously.

That day the country came together as it had not done since World War II. It made us proud to know what we could do when we had to. It brought out our best.

Put aside for the moment who is right and who is wrong in the current debate, and ask yourself: Can anyone really be proud of the side of America this argument is bringing out?

Here, here. We've got to be better than this.

Poor South Carolina

LOL:



Confidential to South Carolina voters: Ya'll just can't catch a break, can you?

Sam and Katie, what's in that Palmetto State water these days?

Dona Nobis Pacem

I'm writing this from Houston, Texas. I'm here through Sunday morning exhibiting at a conference for my gig.

It's that time in the week when I usually post a "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend." Choosing a song this week has been difficult as Friday is the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. No ordinary tune will do.

Perhaps like many, I'm still trying to sort out what 9-11 means. Should it be a day for mourning or a day for patriotism? Should it be a day for celebrating freedom or a day of praying for peace?

Certainty evades.

I have been watching a documentary about the life of Fr. Mychal Judge, O.F.M., the NYFD chaplain who died at the World Trade Center. In the years since I've learned his story, Fr. Mychal has been an inspiration to me.

So, in remembrance of this yet-to-be-canonized saint and all those who died on September 11, 2001, below is a Bach setting of "Dona Nobis Pacem" (Latin for "God, grant us peace").

Peace:

Merton on "Praise"

Today's food for thought:

"Do we know what it means to praise? To adore? To give glory?

Praise is cheap today. Everything is praised. Soap, beer, toothpaste, clothing, mouthwash, movie stars, all the latest gadgets which are supposed to make life more comfortable -- everything is constantly being "praised." Praise is now so overdone that everybody is sick of it, and since everything is "praised" with the official hollow enthusiasm of the radio announcer, it turns out in the end that nothing is praised. Praise has become empty. Nobody really wants to use it.

Are there any superlatives left for God? ... "

-- Thomas Merton, 1956, from "Praying the Psalms" published by The Liturgical Press of Collegeville, MN.

Sully: "The Catholic Thing"

Andrew Sullivan reacting to the POTUS' address:

I'm a complicated person as readers well know. And I'm suspicious of government healthcare and also a fan of the drug companies for saving my life. But I am also a Catholic and I was brought up to know and believe that we do have an obligation to care for the sick. It is a non-negotiable demand of my faith, although, of course, how we do it is up for debate. Right now, our conscience is appeased by emergency room care. That's obviously dumb, expensive and horribly unjust.

I don't find Obama's fundamentally private reform measure socialist; I find it pragmatic in an age in which technology has transformed both our ability to be healthy and the expense of it. But the moral case is what got through to me tonight, and as someone who has lived very closely with illness and medicine, I know that in real life I cannot easily walk past someone who is sick and cannot get treatment. A reader sees the Catholic angle as well:

"I am so glad he spoke about abortion. Interestingly, I just received my Florida Catholic newspaper in the mail last week. It comes from the bishops. It had an entire section about the importance of reform. One article spoke about Obama's religious leader conference call that over 140,000 signed in for. They also mentioned that Obama said that abortion would not be federally funded. The article not only called for reform it called for universal healthcare as a basic human right. I think this proves people wrong who were skeptical of Obama reaching out to religious folks specifically Catholics. He gets the social justice aspect of our religion. He just gets it."

Yes, he does. And if the theocons would let go of their partisanship and remember the faith they are allegedly representing, they would too.

Reminder: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a Website dedicated to the topic of health care reform.

"The Character of Our Country"

Tonight, President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in regard to reforming the nation's health care system.

Regardless of where one currently stands on the reform proposals, it can't be denied that the POTUS' remarks will have an effect on the debate in the days and weeks ahead.

So, in case you missed it, I am embedding the address below.

For your consideration:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Go West, Young Man!

Mike Hayes, the “God Googler” and a friend of this space, announced today that he’s headed west – to western New York State that is.

Mike is completing his full-time duties at Busted Halo to serve as a campus minister for students at SUNY Buffalo.

Congrats, Mike! Prayerful best wishes as you begin this new phase of your ministry to young adults.

Back here in Gotham, we’ll miss Mike, his wife Marion (the matchmaker) and their pup Haze (a.k.a. the famous blogging chihuahua).

It’s a bittersweet situation that calls for song:



(Here's guessing that may be the first time "Go West!" has been used in relation to Buffalo.)

"Our Silence Cries Out"

Quote of the day (second of two on prayer):

"True prayer is found not in the sound of the voice, but in the desire of the heart. Not our words, but our desires give power and meaning to our prayers. If we ask for eternal life with our lips without desiring it from the bottom of our hearts, our cry is silence. If without speaking, we desire it from the bottom of our heart, our silence cries out."

-- Saint Bonaventure, also quoted by Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., in a pamphlet published by the Franciscan Friars' Holy Name Province.

The photo above is from here.

"As Much As We Love"

Quote of the day (first of two on prayer):

"We pray as much as we desire. And we desire as much as we love."

-- Saint Anthony, quoted by Fr. Flavian Walsh, O.F.M., in a pamphlet published by the Franciscan Friars' Holy Name Province.

Rain Choir

How about a little something relaxing for a Tuesday morning after a long weekend?:

Hit play, close your eyes and just listen:



Here's a longer version of the same performance with some song after the storm:



FYI: This group is Perpetuum Jazzile from Slovenia. The song is "Africa," a hit in 1982-83 from the band Toto.

Hat-tip: Deacon Greg

Happy Labor Day!

Speaking of historic photos, Deacon Greg has featured this old shot in honor of Labor Day 2009:

Recognize the worker in the middle?

Here's a quote as a hint:

"I come from your midst. I come from the quarries of Zakrzowek, from the Solvay furnaces in Borek Falecki, and then from Nowa Huta. Through all these surroundings, through my own experience of work, I boldly say that I learned the gospel anew."

New O-R Blog: "The Picture Box"

Another blogger has changed venues.

The Grumpy Old Editor, a.k.a. editor Park Burroughs of the Observer-Reporter, has moved to The Picture Box. The new blog is slated to feature historic photos "too good not to be shared."

Park has already featured an old-time picture from McDonald, PA, hometown of yours truly:

The creator of this photo was shooting slightly northwest while standing on South McDonald Street. In the photo, it says "Hotel Valentor" on the building. The structure still stands although changes were made early its history to that front balcony. Most current-day McDonald natives would call this building "The Pitt Hotel."

Speaking of the Observer-Reporter, some of the paper's recent castaways are doing some fine writing over The Bread Line Blog.

Joined Together

Saturday, at the Church of St. Anastasia in Teaneck, NJ, I was very honored to read the prayers of the faithful and serve as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at the beautiful wedding Mass of my friends Anthony and Heather.

Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Here's a glimpse of Anthony and Heather during the reception:

A & H, you are in my prayers for a long and happy life together. You are an inspiration to me!

Photo hat-tip: Ann Marie at FB

Be Opened!

It's a miracle!

After weeks of Gospel passages in which the message of Christ could be hard to comprehend and accept, today's Gospel at Mass brings an account of healing that the people proclaimed even against Jesus' wishes.

From Mark Chapter 7:

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

He ordered them not to tell anyone.

But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

For homilies and reflections on today's Gospel, visit A Concord Pastor, Deacon Greg, Fran, Missy and Fr. James.

In Memoriam: Bea Browand, 1948 - 2009

Word has come of the death yesterday of Bea Browand, a wonderful woman and political dynamo from the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

Bea was a grassroots political activist in the very best sense of the term. She understood at her core that all politics is local -- and worked hard locally for candidates and causes at the municipal, county, state and federal levels.

Door-to-door outreach, speaking at public meetings, serving on committees, circulating nominating petitions, organizing events, raising funds, making phone calls, recruiting candidates, training volunteers -- Bea did it all and she did it well.

When I ran for the PA House of Representatives, Bea and her husband, Tom, were generous supporters of my campaigns and did not even live in my district.

Bea died far too young from cancer at the age of 61. Bea, her family and friends are in my prayers.

From the words at end of the funeral Mass:

Bea,

May the angels lead you into paradise,

may the martyrs come to welcome you,

and take you to the holy city,

the new and eternal Jerusalem.

A 5'7'' Steeler?

Apparently ... Stefan Logan is his name. Check out this photo from the Post-Gazette credited to Peter Diana:

Caption: "Steelers' Stefan Logan is greeted by Brett Keisel after scoring a touchdown on a punt return in the first quarter."

From the Trib: "Stefan Logan dazzles with a punt return TD"

From the P-G: "Logan has earned roster spot with Steelers"

Go Steelers '09!

A Final Long Taste

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," below is the tune "A Final Long Taste" by Dan Schreck.

Dan is a native of Bethel Park, PA, who lives here in NYC. He recently completed a tour-of-duty as director of young adult outreach for the Archdiocese of New York. This Sunday evening, he's slated to perform at Catholic Thrive.

Pax:

"If We Change People’s Hearts"

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, has been criticized in some quarters for his presence Saturday at the funeral Mass of Senator Edward Kennedy -- due to the senator’s support for abortion rights.

Some of these critics have stated that Senator Kennedy’s pro-abortion stand should have even ruled out his having a Catholic funeral Mass.

Yesterday, Cardinal Seán responded to these criticisms on his blog.

Some quotes:

" ... We are people of faith and we believe in a loving and forgiving God from whom we seek mercy.

...

... the pro-life movement is best characterized by what it is for, not against. We are for the precious gift of life, and our task is to build a civilization of love. We must show those who do not share our belief about life that we care about them. We will stop the practice of abortion by changing the law, and we will be successful in changing the law if we change people’s hearts. We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss.

At times, even in the Church, zeal can lead people to issue harsh judgments and impute the worst motives to one another. These attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church. If any cause is motivated by judgment, anger or vindictiveness, it will be doomed to marginalization and failure. Jesus’ words to us were that we must love one another as He loves us. Jesus loves us while we are still in sin. He loves each of us first, and He loves us to the end. Our ability to change people’s hearts and help them to grasp the dignity of each and every life, from the first moment of conception to the last moment of natural death, is directly related to our ability to increase love and unity in the Church, for our proclamation of the Truth is hindered when we are divided and fighting with each other."

...

Amen.

From the Gospel of Mark 2:16:

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus heard this and said to them (that), "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

The photo above is from Cardinal Seán's Blog.

"His Sister’s Qualms"

In a recent NYT column, Ross Douthat contrasted the differing positions of Senator Ted Kennedy and his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver (pictured above, center), on abortion.

Some graphs:

... Along with her husband, Sargent Shriver, Eunice belonged to America’s dwindling population of outspoken pro-life liberals. Like her church, she saw a continuity, rather than a contradiction, between championing the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed and protecting unborn human life.

...

In 1992, Eunice participated in the last significant effort to push the Democratic Party away from abortion on demand, petitioning her party’s convention to consider “a new understanding” of the issue, “one that does not pit mother against child,” but instead seeks “policies that responsibly protect and advance the interest of mothers and their children, both before and after birth.”

...

It’s worth pondering how the politics of abortion might have been different had Ted shared even some of his sister’s qualms about the practice. One could imagine a world in which America’s leading liberal Catholic had found a way to make liberalism less absolutist on the issue, and a world where a man who became famous for reaching across the aisle had reached across, even occasionally, in search of compromise on the country’s most divisive issue.

That was not to be. And it’s entirely fitting, given his record, that Kennedy’s immediate legacy is a draft of health-care legislation that pursues an eminently Catholic goal — expanding access to medical care — through a system that seems likely, in its present design, to subsidize abortion.

But his sister would have written it a different way.

Hat-tip: The Anchoress

The Boston Globe photo above is from here. It is credited to Bill Brett.

Cracker Barrel vs. Waffle House

Quote of the Day #2:

"Aah, Cracker Barrel ... my love for you is complex and uncomfortable and tainted with shame. But Waffle House doesn't try to sell me Conway Twitty CDs or resin figurines of cats dressed up as pilgrims. If loving Waffle House makes me tacky and white trashy, then give me a mullet and a flock of plastic flamingos outside my trailer, cuz I love that place."

-- My totally un-pc but lovable friend Lara, commenting on her own Facebook status update: "Lara has seen the future and its name is Waffle House."

P.S. I feel the same way about Popeyes (particularly ones located in southern airports).

The image above is from here.

Newman on Public Opinion

Quote of the Day #1:

"I am not so irrational as to despise Public Opinion; I have no thought of making light of a tribunal established in the conditions and necessities of human nature. It has its place in the very constitution of society; it ever has existed, it ever will exist, whether in the commonwealth of nations, or in the humble and secluded village. But wholesome as it is as a principle, it has, in common with all things human, great imperfections, and makes many mistakes."

-- John Henry Newman, from here.

(This is my high-minded quote of the day. Lighter fare to follow.)

The Clean Hands of Hypocrites

Today's Gospel at Mass again brings us a Christ who does not mince words.

"Evils comes from within," he states in response to the "hypocrites."

From Mark Chapter 7:

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

— For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”

He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

A Concord Pastor has some background on this Sunday's scriptures.

Monday Update: Br. Patrick has a good reflection on this Gospel passage.

America: "A Distinct Sort of Society"?

In an op-ed column about Senator Edward Kennedy in today's New York Times, David Brooks provided some interesting thoughts on America itself.

For your consideration:

We in this country have a distinct sort of society. We Americans work longer hours than any other people on earth. We switch jobs much more frequently than Western Europeans or the Japanese. We have high marriage rates and high divorce rates. We move more, volunteer more and murder each other more.

Out of this dynamic but sometimes merciless culture, a distinct style of American capitalism has emerged. The American economy is flexible and productive. America’s G.D.P. per capita is nearly 50 percent higher than France’s. But the American system is also unforgiving. It produces its share of insecurity and misery.

This culture, this spirit, this system is not perfect, but it is our own. American voters welcome politicians who propose reforms that smooth the rough edges of the system. They do not welcome politicians and proposals that seek to contradict it. They do not welcome proposals that centralize power and substantially reduce individual choice. They resist proposals that put security above mobility and individual responsibility.

Like A River Flows

One night late last week, as I was walking home on Mulberry Street, I heard UB40's cover of "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You" emanating from one of the Little Italy restaurants.

I know it's a cheesy song. And, I'm not certain how well UB40's 1993 version stands up to the test of time. But, it's still a favorite.

So, for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," here is that ballad. But, for a little variety, the version I've chosen is a live concert recording by Pearl Jam.

Peace:



Source material: "Blue Hawaii" (1961)

More

Quote of the day:

"Thankfully, God knows more, and sees more, than the rest of us ... "

- The Anchoress, in a post on today's big news

Hat-tip: Deacon Greg

If We Had a Draft ...

... would American troops be in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Bob Herbert doesn't think so. In his column in today's New York Times, he states:

If we had a draft — or merely the threat of a draft — we would not be in Iraq or Afghanistan. But we don’t have a draft so it’s safe for most of the nation to be mindless about waging war. Other people’s children are going to the slaughter.

It's a good point to consider.

How many of us really have skin in the game? Is it real to us? Or, are the wars just another topic for discussion at dinner?

If I or my brothers or cousins or friends could be conscripted into military service, would I be actively pushing for an end to U.S. military involvement in those war zones?

Or, at least, would I (we?) be paying closer attention?

“This Saying Is Hard”

On Saturday afternoon, along with other young adults from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, I volunteered at a "Scoop and Serve" ice cream party for children who take part in activities at Abraham House on Willis Avenue in the Bronx.

We had a good time -- both playing games with the kids and learning about this location that serves former jail inmates and their families. (One young man named Leonardo bested three of us from St. Paul's in a highly competitive round of the board game "Sorry.")

We also went to Abraham House's 4 p.m. vigil Mass. Celebrated in Spanish and English, the Mass was very well attended by men, women and children. The Gospel at Mass was a continuation of the same section of the Gospel of John proclaimed last Sunday on the "bread of life" theme.

In my post last week, I stated that the terminology and message of Christ in the passage could be troubling to some people. In today's Gospel, we hear the disciples themselves murmur about the teaching's difficulty.

From John Chapter 6:

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.

And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Deacon Greg has posted his homily on this Gospel.

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.