Third Sunday

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent or "Gaudete Sunday."

On this day, we light the pink or rose-colored candle on the Advent wreath. It's a marker on our Advent journey that reminds us to "rejoice!" as we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child anew this Christmas.

To aid in our rejoicing, let's turn to the ACM Gospel Choir for a hymn:



Over at There Will Be Bread, Fran provides us "Gaudete" by Libera for this joyful Sunday:



Flashbacks: Gaudete Sundays 2008, 2007 and 2006.

The Nobel Lecture

On Thursday, President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Regardless of one's opinion of the POTUS, his politics or polices, you can't deny that his somber Nobel lecture warrants study.

I was particularly intrigued by the President Obama's articulation of the just war theory. In doing so, he seems to be making an argument to his liberal/progressive political base against absolute pacifism.

The ghosts of Ghandi and Dr. King obviously haunt President Obama as he readies to send more young Americans to Afghanistan.

I was glad that the POTUS mentioned, even briefly, the demonstrators in Iran. (They really deserved this year's Nobel Peace Prize.) It's also interesting that he noted the parts Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan played in ending the Cold War.

For your consideration:



Analysis from Shields and Brooks:



Flashback: In TR's Footsteps?

Ruega Por Nosotros

For Catholics, today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

A Concord Pastor has several good posts related to this important feast day for the Church in the Americas.

In Spanish, we pray:

Dios te salve María,
llena eres de gracia,
el Señor es contigo,
bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres,
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.

Santa María,
Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.

Amén.

Flashbacks: 2006, 2007 and 2008

The image above is from here.

Perfectly Themselves

Yesterday, December 10, was the 41st anniversary of Thomas Merton's death in 1968.

To mark the day, Deacon Greg posted this spot-on Merton quote:

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

I need to remember this. The temptation to "twist" is often great.

The image above is from here.

A Feeling of Christmas

Tonight, as some friends and I left a late dinner at Arriba Arriba on 9th Avenue, the wintry winds forced us quickly into cabs for rides back to apartments in different parts of the city.

The chill gave me my first real Christmas feeling of 2009 -- and reminded me it was time to post a clip of "Silver Bells," as I did in 2007 and 2008. For new readers: "Silver Bells" was co-written by Jay Livingston, a native son of my hometown, McDonald, PA.

For this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," here's a cover of that great old carol by Relient K.

Peace:


"Silver Bells" made its debut in the 1951 film "The Lemon Drop Kid.":

A 95th Birthday

I want to send congratulations today to my great-great uncle, Joseph Berger, on the occasion of his 95th birthday.

Uncle Joe is the youngest brother of my late maternal great-grandmother, Mary Berger Vincenti (1911-1999).

He's pictured at far right in the old photo above with Grandma Vincenti and two of their three half-brothers, Jules and Simmie Bohey. I'm sorry to say I don't know the year the image was created.

Uncle Joe was born December 10, 1914, the son of Peter Berger and Amelia Moulton Berger. Peter and Amelia had immigrated separately from Belgium sometime around the turn of the century and settled in McDonald, PA.

The town, which had a glass factory in those days, became the home of many Belgian immigrants. It has a "Belgium Hill" and a "Belgium Club." A patch of houses in a village west of McDonald is still called "Belgium Hollow."

Uncle Joe grew up in McDonald and went to school there. On June 8, 1942, he married the former Rose Dusie. They made their home and raised two daughters, Barbara and Natalie, in nearby Houston, PA. Aunt Rose died in 2000.

An avid golfer, Uncle Joe worked was an agent for Ashland Oil and Refining Company and operated a bulk plant in the village of Wolfdale. He then spent 16 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, retiring as a manager of purchasing and stores in 1979.

Uncle Joe's 95th is a milestone for my family. To my knowledge, we've never had someone live to within five years of their centenary. I have two other relatives coming close, however. My maternal great-great uncle, Ray Vincenti, and my paternal great aunt, Rosanna Snatchko Pancirov, are both also in their early 90s.

I was glad to have the chance to see Uncle Joe when I was in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving. We visited as he had dinner at his new residence, The Willows at Presbyterian SeniorCare in Oakmont, PA.

A small party was held today at The Willows in honor of Uncle Joe's 95th.

A Religious Man? Oui.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

The churchman and television personality died here in New York on December 9, 1979. His remains lie in the crypt beneath the main altar at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

To mark this anniversary, I could post one of Archbishop Sheen's famous quotes or perhaps a clip from his '50s network television show "Life is Worth Living."

But, the YouTube clip below is a little more fun -- and certainly speaks to Sheen's popular following in the mid-20th century:

Like Mary

For Catholics, today is the "Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

It's a day when we recall how God prepared Mary to be the mother of Jesus. It's a good occasion to think about how God prepares us for the challenges we face in life.

A Concord Pastor has several posts on the solemnity.

Over at Googling God, Mike has penned a reflection about one of his college friends who died 14 years ago today:

"... It is no surprise to me that Dave died on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Like Mary, he accepted his lot in life despite knowing that pain was on the other side. ..."

The photo accompanying this post shows a 2005 painting by old college buddy, Anthony Santella. It's entitled "Girlhood of the Virgin."

Flashbacks: I.C. 2008 and 2006.

Living with Dispassion

For most of this year, I've been surprised by how little President Obama seems to be part of the national conversation.

Is it just me? Am I not paying sufficient attention to his speeches?

Or, is the current POTUS really not a dynamic part of the day-to-day dialogue on the country's affairs -- in the style of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan?

Last week in his NYT column, David Brooks touched on this.

The column's bookends:

Many Democrats are nostalgic for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign — for the passion, the clarity, the bliss-to-be-alive fervor. They argue that these things are missing in a cautious and emotionless White House.

...

The advantage of the Obama governing style is that his argument-based organization is a learning organization. Amid the torrent of memos and evidence and dispute, the Obama administration is able to adjust and respond more quickly than, say, the Bush administration ever did.

The disadvantage is the tendency to bureaucratize the war. Armed conflict is about morale, motivation, honor, fear and breaking the enemy’s will. The danger is that Obama’s analytic mode will neglect the intangibles that are the essence of the fight. It will fail to inspire and comfort. Soldiers and Marines don’t have the luxury of adopting President Obama’s calibrated stance since they are being asked to potentially sacrifice everything.

Barring a scientific breakthrough, we can’t merge Obama’s analysis with George Bush’s passion. But we should still be glad that he is governing the way he is. I loved covering the Obama campaign. But amid problems like Afghanistan and health care, it simply wouldn’t do to give gauzy speeches about the meaning of the word hope. It is in Obama’s nature to lead a government by symposium. Embrace the complexity. Learn to live with the dispassion.

The photo above is from here.

World's Largest Library

Quote of the day, from the bulletin board in the computer lab at my gym:

"The Internet is the world's largest library. It's just that all the books are on the floor ... "

- Attributed to John Allen Paulos

The image above is from here.

Second Sunday

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday of the liturgical year, we always hear John the Baptist calling us to be prepared for what's coming.

We need John the Baptist figures -- brave men and women who call us out of our comfort and complacency. As Jesuit Father Alfred Delp (1907 - 1945) once said:

"Blessed is the era that can honestly claim that it is not a desert wilderness. Woe, however to the era in which the voices calling out in the wilderness have fallen silent, shouted down by the noise of the day, or prohibited, or drowned in the intoxication with progress, or restricted and quiet out of fear and cowardice. ...

... John the Baptist figures, forged by the lightning of mission and vocation, should never be lacking from life, not for a moment. They are led by their hearts, and that is why their vision is so keen and their judgment is so incorruptible. ... "

Father Delp was executed on February 2, 1945, for being part of the German resistance to the Nazis. (His quote is from here.)

The late great Eva Cassidy once performed a superb version of "People Get Ready" that I think fits perfectly with this Sunday:


Here's another artist with a similar style:


Flashbacks: Second Sundays of Advent 2008, 2007 and 2006.

The photo above is by Corey. My suggested title: "Advent Clouds over Cambodia."

Your Better World

It's Saturday afternoon in the first week of Advent.

In a comment on last Sunday's post, my cousin Casey asked for a picture of an Advent wreath here on the blog. I'm happy to provide such an image above (courtesy of Rocco).

This week, I also discovered the hymn text below. It seems a very appropriate prayer for Advent:

Behold a broken world, we pray,
Where want and war increase,
And grant us, Lord, in this our day,
The ancient dream of peace:

A dream of swords to sickles bent,
Of spears to scythe and spade,
The weapons of our warfare spent,
A world of peace remade.

O Prince of peace, who died to save,
A lost world to redeem,
And rose in triumph from the grave,
Behold our waking dream.

Bring, Lord, your better world to birth,
Your kingdom, love's domain;
Where peace with God, and peace on earth,
And peace eternal reign.

By: Timothy Dudley-Smith, b. 1926.

Copyright 1989, Hope Publishing Co.

Big Lights Will Inspire You

Last night, my date and I met by the clock in the center of Grand Central. Braving traffic and tourists, we walked north to Rockefeller Center to check out the Christmas tree (which, actually, looked a bit smaller this year).

From there, we strolled crosstown to Hell's Kitchen for a yummy Thai dinner at Yum Yum on Ninth Avenue. Then it was an R train downtown to Nolita for drinks ($4 Bourbon Cherry Cokes) at Vig Bar.

It was a quintessential Manhattan night -- and it put me in an "Empire State of Mind." So, that's this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

Peace:



Hey, if the Vatican can get into Tupac, I can post some Jay-Z.

Here's Alicia Keys' solo take on "Empire State of Mind":

A Too-Weak America?

Yesterday in a NYT op-ed column, Thomas Friedman disagreed with the POTUS' decision to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Here is a key graph as Friedman worked out his thoughts:

"Many big bad things happen in the world without America, but not a lot of big good things. If we become weak and enfeebled by economic decline and debt, as we slowly are, America may not be able to play its historic stabilizing role in the world. If you didn’t like a world of too-strong-America, you will really not like a world of too-weak-America — where China, Russia and Iran set more of the rules."

Marriage in America

Earlier today, the Democrat-controlled New York State Senate struck down a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in the Empire State. The vote was 38 to 24 with eight Democratic senators voting nay, including four from Queens and two from the Bronx.

One of the state senators who spoke in favor of the bill was Senator Diane Savino of the 23rd District, which includes parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn.

I had never heard of Senator Savino before today. I don't know anything about her beyond what I've read at her Website.

But, her animated remarks on the Senate floor provide ample food for thought about the institution of civil marriage itself (don't miss the story that begins at 3:10). A self-identified Catholic, Savino also draws a distinction between civil marriage (what city hall makes legal) and sacramental marriage (what the Church defines).

Things to consider:

65 Million

Today is World AIDS Day.

From Catholic Relief Services:

In the 25 years since the virus was first detected, 65 million people around the world have contracted HIV, with millions more affected. The impact of the growing numbers—and the millions of children left behind—endanger the development of many regions of the world.

Flashbacks: World AIDS Days 2008 and 2007.

First Sunday

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church's new liturgical year.

I went to the 8:30 a.m. (!) Mass at my hometown parish, St. Alphonsus, in McDonald, PA.

Please check out last Sunday's entry if you were a reader of my weekly Sunday Gospel posts.

Flashbacks: First Sundays of Advent 2008, 2007 and 2006.

A Concord Pastor has several posts for the start of the new season.

The photo at right is by Corey.

You Know I'm Bound

I'm writing today from the Panera at Settlers Ridge, a new shopping and entertainment development southwest of Pittsburgh. I've been in PA since Wednesday evening for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

In keeping with the holiday, I wanted to choose a tune related to "giving thanks" for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

So, below is Natalie Merchant's 1998 ballad "Kind and Generous." It's cheesy but appropriate.

Peace:



Hat-tip: Ed

Kissinger on Obama

From an elder:

“He reminds me of a chess grandmaster who has played his opening in six simultaneous games ... But he hasn’t completed a single game and I’d like to see him finish one.”

-- Henry Kissinger on the POTUS, as quoted here.

Hat-tip: Sully

Standards

Quote of the week:

“An alcoholic is someone who can violate his standards faster than he can lower them.”

-- Robin Williams, from "Opening Wide His (Repaired) Heart" in Sunday's New York Times

The NYT photos above by Jay Paul.