"You Make My Heart Go-o Giddyup"

I wish this would happen at Grand Central:



Hat-tip: Jay

Poll Results

The results of a new Gallup poll on President Obama's first actions as president have been released. These two charts tell the story:

Survey Methods:

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,027 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2009. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).

Hat-tips: American Papist and A Concord Pastor

"A Rockier Path"

Earlier this evening, on the train ride back to the city from Yonkers, I finally had the chance to check out the February 2 edition of America.

The edition's cover (at right) features a photo showing a youngish Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (now B16) with the late French priest and theologian Yves Congar, O.P. According to the credit, the photo was taken in 1962 during the Second Vatican Council (subject of the cover story).

The edition also features an intriguing essay by Rabbi Daniel F. Polish that coincides with the current blogosphere discussion on atheism. It's headlined "When a Little Unbelief Is Not a Bad Thing."

Some food for thought -- Rabbi Polish's conclusion:

Spiritual Humility

Jewish tradition also enshrines this faithful skepticism in its liturgy. Every Jewish service ends with a doxology called the Kaddish. Customarily thought of as a mourners’ prayer, it never refers to death at all; rather it is devoted exclusively to extolling God. Yet in the midst of its effusive exaltation, we find embedded the idea that God is not easy to grasp. At the brink of the service’s completion, as worshipers prepare to walk out the door, the liturgy reminds us that God is “beyond all the praises, songs and adorations that we are able to utter in this world,” reminding us not to leave the service feeling smug, as if we had said everything about God that could be said. We can only approximate God and acknowledge the paucity of our effort.

This is a most challenging kind of faith: to live with a God we cannot fully understand, whose actions we explain at our own peril. This God is at the center of our lives. This may be a rockier path to walk than that of either simplistic absolutism or of atheism, but it is the faith of honest men and women, a faith defined by spiritual humility. We can hope such a path leads to the destination promised in the Book of Psalms: “This is the Gate of the Lord, the righteous do enter it.”

The image above is from here.

R.I.P. Michael Dubruiel

Very sad news tonight at Charlotte was Both. Amy and her children are in my prayers.

Michael,

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.

Steeler Nation Smiles

It's a wonderful morning to be a Steelers fan:

The photo above is credited to Michael Henninger of the Post-Gazette. Caption: Patrons of Peter's Pub in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland cheer Ben Roethlisberger's fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.

A Cheer from the Urban Canyon

It's rather odd being in NYC today. People are going about their ordinary business, happy to be out on a sunny, somewhat warmer day. No one or two colors stand out. There is no frenzied pace near grocery stores (or places where libations are sold!).

And, notably to yours truly, there was no mention of the Superbowl this morning at Mass (the 11:30 a.m. at Xavier), either in the homily or the prayers of the faithful.

How different from life this Sunday in the 'burgh!

My hunch is that many Pittsburgh priests somehow found a way this morning to integrate the Superbowl into their reflections on the readings.

The last time the Steelers were in the big game, I had a great conversation about the purpose of prayer with the 7th grade religious education class I was teaching at my old parish. Specifically, we discussed whether it was OK to pray for the Steelers. If memory serves, we reasoned it might not be such a bad thing if kept in the right perspective.

Ah, to be in the foothills of the Alleghenies on a Superbowl Sunday when the Steelers are in the game ...

The distance is great. But, from here in the urban canyons of Manhattan, we still will cheer.

Go Steelers!

"The Holy One of God!"

The Gospel at Mass today features a scene from the early ministry of Jesus.

From Mark Chapter 1:

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!"

Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Deacon Greg has posted his homily for this Sunday. Fr. Aquinas has posted a discussion of the readings.

Photo hat-tip: A Concord Pastor. Caption: Remains of the synagogue built in Capernaum in the 4th century, over the remains of the synagogue of Jesus' time, the synagogue where he worshiped and preached. Image by πρώρα (Prora)

Hoboken's Black & Gold Army

Here's more on the 'burgh diaspora celebrating the Steelers -- this time from across the Hudson River in Hoboken.

From nj.com:

Pittsburgh isn't the only place to find Steelers fans.

The biggest contingency of Terrible Towel devotees in the New York City area may just be in Hoboken. Over 200 members of the Steelers in Hoboken fan club meet at Hoboken bar Texas Arizona (they've actually renamed it "Texas Pennsylvania") every Sunday during football season.

As Super Bowl XLIII approaches, Hoboken Now spoke with two the club members this week. First, we asked them: Why so many Steelers fans in Hoboken?

"Pittsburgh is America's real team. Pittsburgh fans are everywhere - you'll see 10, 20 thousand Pittsburgh fans in places like Tennessee," said club president Ray Powers.

Webmaster and senior club board member Anthony Dunleavy has his own theory for the diaspora of the Steelers Nation.

"When the Pittsburgh economy bottomed out in the 70s, a lot of people were displaced from Pittsburgh. When the steel mills closed, people moved away. But you never lose your love for the Steelers," he said.

Purple Fingers

The Anchoress has posted a thorough write-up (with tons of links) on this weekend's provincial council elections in Iraq.

The success of democracy in Iraq is something for which we definitely need to pray.

I liked this comment by The Anchoress:

I’m starting to think the purple finger thing is a good idea for us, here in America, too. A nice strong purple ink that takes a few days to wash off…

Photo credit: Essam al-Sudani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

The Praying Kind

By this time tomorrow night, we likely will have a Superbowl victor.

A time for prayer? Maybe. Prayer for a good, sportsman-like game, that is. ;-)

The Steelers have long been the praying kind:

A Black & Gold Legacy

The New York Times sports page continued its week of background stories on the Steelers with a great article Friday on Myron Cope and the wonderful legacy of The Terrible Towel.

From reporter John Branch:

Myron Cope was treasured in Pittsburgh for his enthusiasm, nasally voice and quirky exclamations such as “Yoi!” and “Double yoi!” But he knew he would be most remembered for the towel. And he made sure that it would always be more than just something to cheer the Steelers to victory.

The NYT credits the image above to Chris McGrath of Getty Images.

Sully: "Involuntary Pull, Voluntary Push"

Well-put thought on faith by Andrew Sullivan below. He posted it yesterday in response to a reader's e-mail (regarding a stream of thought begun by the SSPX controversy):

What has kept me believing is not, as I have experienced it, a conscious act of will. It is more an acceptance of God's grace. My experience of Jesus will not let go of me, however much I would like to let go of it. This element of faith - its involuntary pull as well as its voluntary push - is how I have found it.

... the internal wrestling never ends. The search for truth must always be first; and religion is nothing if it is not true. Which is why doubt can never be a danger. Banishing doubt is the danger.

"Even Milkshakes!"

Not nice! ... but kinda funny:

Obama Reads Bush's Letter - watch more funny videos

Fight Song for a Peaceful Weekend

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," in honor of Sunday's Superbowl XLIII, I humbly present the newest fight song of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't know it's actual title. I usually call it "A Here We Go."

Note to anyone not from Western Pennsylvania: clicking on the clip below will provide an introduction to the Pittsburghese. (You've been warned.)

Pax:



Go Steelers!

Blogging The 'Burgh Diaspora

Speaking of the 'burgh diaspora, turns out that there's a blog with that blogspot name.

"R2P: Return to Pittsburgh" looks to be mostly about economic development and channeling the energy and smarts of the 'burgh diaspora.

But, this week, the blog's author also is reporting on how Steeler Nation is preparing for Sunday. Today, there's even a post on the The Terrible Towel.

The Terrible Towel photo above is from here.

Snow Day in PA

From the homesick for the 'burgh file:

Below is a photo posted today at Ambrose-a-rama, a blog written by "The only Catholic Expat Steelersfan Mommyblogger in China":

From Jen:

My dad sent over this picture of our street covered in snow. I just about cried. As long as the heat works, the coffee is brewing, and there are cookies to be made, I love the snowed-in days. I know it is easy for me to miss them as I am also not suffering the power-outages, the milk and diaper supplies running low, and having to dig out a car. However, I can still miss that one time that a snow day was that much fun.

Campbell Brown: "Obama's Hypocrisy"

Here, here:

Small-c Conservative?

Sully penned an intriguing post today titled "The Presider" on the differences in style between our 43rd and 44th POTUS:

... Now look at Obama. What the critics misread in his Inaugural was its classical structure. He was not running any more. He was presiding. His job was not to rally vast crowds, but to set the scene for the broader constitutional tableau to come to life. Hence the obvious shock of some Republican Congressman at debating with a president who seemed interested in actual conversation, aas opposed to pure politics. Last Tuesday, there were none of the bold declarative predictions of the Second Bush Inaugural - and none of the slightly creepy Decider idolatry. Yes, Obama set some very clear directional goals, but the key difference is what came next: a window of invitation. The invitation is to the other co-equal branches of government to play their part; and for the citizenry to play its. This is an understanding of the president as one node in a constitutional order - not a near-dictator outside and superior to other branches of government. It is a return to traditional constitutional order. And it is rooted in a traditional, small-c conservative understanding of the presidency.

If Bush was about the presidency as power, Obama is about the presidency as authority. It's fascinating to watch this deep difference in understanding slowly but unmistakably realize itself in public actions. Somewhere the Founders are smiling. The system is correcting itself after one of the most unbalanced periods in American history. But it took the self-restraint of one man to do it.

Bringing On the Shackles

MoDo was in rare form today in a column on the shameful spending of Merrill Lynch and Citigroup:

In an interview with Maria Bartiromo on CNBC, Thain used the specious, contemptible reasoning that other executives use to rationalize why they’re keeping their bonuses as profits are plunging.

“If you don’t pay your best people, you will destroy your franchise” and they’ll go elsewhere, he said.

Hello? They destroyed the franchise. Let’s call their bluff. Let’s see what a great job market it is for the geniuses of capitalism who lost $15 billion in three months and helped usher in socialism.

Bartiromo also asked Thain to explain, when jobs and salaries were being cut at his firm, how he could justify spending $1 million to renovate his office. As The Daily Beast and CNBC reported, big-ticket items included curtains for $28,000, a pair of chairs for $87,000, fabric for a “Roman Shade” for $11,000, Regency chairs for $24,000, six wall sconces for $2,700, a $13,000 chandelier in the private dining room and six dining chairs for $37,000, a “custom coffee table” for $16,000, an antique commode “on legs” for $35,000, and a $1,400 “parchment waste can.”

Does that mean you can only throw used parchment in it or is it made of parchment? It’s psychopathic to spend a million redoing your office when the folks outside it are losing jobs, homes, pensions and savings.

Thain should never rise above the level of stocking the money in A.T.M.’s again. Just think: This guy could well have been Treasury secretary if John McCain had won.

Bartiromo pressed: What was wrong with the office of his predecessor, Stanley O’Neal?

“Well — his office was very different — than — the — the general décor of — Merrill’s offices,” Thain replied. “It really would have been — very difficult — for — me to use it in the form that it was in.”

Did it have a desk and a phone?

How are these ruthless, careless ghouls who murdered the economy still walking around (not to mention that sociopathic sadist Bernie Madoff?) — and not as perps?

Bring on the shackles. Let the show trials begin.

Point / Counterpoint on Superbowl XLIII

The New York Times has a point/counterpoint video feature with two views on which team will prevail this Sunday in SuperBowl XLIII. After hearing from both sides, you can cast a vote for your pick.

As of this writing, 57 percent of respondents think the Pittsburgh Steelers will be victorious.

The Observer-Reporter, one-time employer of yours truly, also has a page dedicated to the Black & Gold.

Image hat-tip: Cousin Casey