A wealth of information about each of the historic buildings in neatly designed flash presentations. Here.
By the way, have you inferred that I might be spending some time looking at Colonial American/Revolutionary American History this weekend. You would have inferred correctly.
As noted below I was looking for the life of George Wythe, a prominent Virginia Lawyer, teacher of Thomas Jefferson, Signer of the Declaration. In all of the noted biographies of the man we get a statement like the one that follows.
Reflecting a lifelong aversion to slavery, Wythe emancipated his slaves in his will. His grave is in the yard of St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond.
And every time I read something like this, I think--"If the aversion had been so lifelong, why did he endure it until he died?" Why not choose to put an end to what you have been so aversive toward? It lies within the power of the individual farmer/planter to do so.
This was part of the problem of slavery. I think it must have been rather like an addiction. People knew it was bad, but they just couldn't shake it. Most of the famous people who liberated their slaves, protesting how bad slavery was all the while, did so upon their deaths. In George Washington's case, I believe it was in waves, one set upon his death, the remainder upon Martha's death.
Or perhaps they devised ingenious arguments about why it would be harmful to the slaves themselves to liberate them. For example, Thomas Jefferson, despite the vaulted language of the Declaration with its famous excised clauses concerning slavery, not only kept his slaves until his death but did not manumit them upon death because "they did not have sufficient learning to care for themselves and must be cared for."
Like the addiction of slavery before, we are societal, and some individually, addicted to death. We call it choice, or "death with dignity" or any number of other euphemisms to disguise that what we really want is convenience. If someone is inconvenient to me and to my purposes, they should die and make things easy for me. Again, the attraction of such an addiction is understandable. And as with slavery, society has all sorts of clever reasons as to why it should be permissable. It boils down to the fact that we need death on demand to fulfill our own purposes. (I'm speaking societally.)
There is a cure for this addiction as for any number of addictions. His name is Jesus Christ. He died on the cross so that we would not have to bear the cross of our addictions. Nor should anyone else be faced with that terrible fate because He took it upon Himself.
from the beginning to now--here. Found searching for George Wythe.
I hate the cleaning of the lists. I always end up deleting something I don't want to. My apologies to the Old Oligarch as well as a few others who vanished.
The entry by T.S.O. cited below spawned many thoughts. One that I have not yet articulated is my profound love for our present Holy Father. In a very real way, his deep spirituality and gentleness of spirit have been the guiding hand in my faith journey.
I have probably often mentioned the crisis that occurred in my faith life with the promulgation of Vertatis Splendor. As is usual in these cases the ignorant media ran to the fringe of Catholic theology for an interpretation. What we heard was that this was a nearly medieval repression of theology in the Church--it was the biggest crackdown since the Reformation, etc. etc. I had determined at that time that if this were an accurate portrayal of the encyclical I was leaving and running off to the one place that I thought might have an equal claim to legitimacy--the Orthodox Church. A good friend pointed out that the media hounds are often this way and encouraged me to read the encyclical for myself, in fact obtained a copy for me (at that time I hadn't a clue about how they were published etc.)
I sat down and read the encyclical at least twice, perhaps three times, and it dawned on me that I was showing an arrogance and a hubris that was astounding. Here I was somewhat younger than thirty and I was presuming to pronounce on two thousand years of tradition and teaching from which the encyclical was derived. The Pope did not rub my nose in it, he simply articulated the truth of the matter and the Holy Spirit convicted.
Since that moment I have been an unabashed Papaphile. I love and trust the man so much that in many cases his prudential judgments have become my own. I know that I am not required to acknowledge in faith every judgment that he articulates, but his record has been such that I am swayed that the better way lies in trusting him until he has been proven to be wrong. It has not failed me to this point (so far as I can tell).
So I love the Holy Father. I thank God for Him every single day, and I wish for him exactly what God wills. Were I to have my own way, I would keep him forever--but I love him so much that I would not wish to keep him from that all-encompassing embrace of Love to which he will at some time return (God grant that we have yet more time with him.)
I am most deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his supreme dedication to his people and for the example of his life. He has taught us optimism in the face of the culture of Death and the way of life to show to all the world. He has taught us what it means to be the people of God in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and his actions and words have been a light and a beacon always calling me to turn toward Jesus Christ and accept the gift of salvation and love that is continually offered to me.
God bless Pope John Paul II and continue to bless him until the end of ages!
Let us run with confidence and joy to enter into the cloud like Moses and Elijah, or like James and John. Let us be caught up like Peter to behold the divine vision and be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration. Let us retire from the world, stand aloof from the earth, rise above the body, detach ourselves from creatures and turn to the creator to whom Peter in excstasy exclaimed: Lord, it is good for us to be here. From a sermon on the transfiguration--St. Anastasius of Sinai.
Praise and Thanksgiving
For a new addition to St. Blog's family. Mark, at Minute Particulars helped receive into the world a new baby girl. Sorry it took me so long to remember to add this.
Requests
Please continue to pray for Dylan
For the people of the Sudan that they may know peace and security and that they might learn to live together.
For married couples undergoing Encounter weekends and most particularly for those undergoing Retrouvaille, that they might once again recover the enormous power of the sacrament and they might be for one another a sign of Jesus Christ Risen.
A correspondent writes and asks for prayers for healing--for an end to the ringing in his head
For a special intention for Linda and me.
For a St. Blog's parishioner in need of work to forestall financial catastrophe, that the Lord provide all that is needed in both material and spiritual blessings.
For the Messers Blossers Grandfather/Father, that whatever condition is causing his difficulties is quickly brought under control and that this trial serve to strengthen the family.
For the repose of the soul of my brother's mother-in-law. May the Lord hold her and her family in His healing hands.
For three New York Carmelites who have serious health problems, two of whom face very serious operations, may the Lord guide the doctors' and surgeons' hands and bless with the blessing of great peace those who face the treatments.
For a young lady of e-mail acquaintance who requests our prayers as she continues on the path of healing and attends a retreat in the near future. She needs all of our support and love.
For Katherine's two friends as they each struggle with a different difficulty related to their respective pregnancies. Especially for S. as she spends the next ten weeks in the hospital, separated from her family seeking to preserve the life and health of the infant she presently carries.
For Franklin's father and family as they struggle with the present circumstances
A special request from two gentleman battling particularly troublesome and besetting sins for grace and help as they continue forward.
For those struggling against self to attain holiness, that the Good Lord will raise up new Saints for our times, visible beacons that draw all people toward Christ.
For all those in the process of discerning vocations to the religious life, for guidance, prudence and good counsel
For our children, that they grow up in security, comfort, and the certain knowledge that they are loved and that they be released from any bonds of darkness, fear, anger, or sadness that bind and threaten them
For all those living under the curse of generational sins, that they may have protection and the inheritance of the past may be made void in their lives.
For all who are suffering from marital problems, most particularly those in our own families or communities, that the Lord may intervene and remind them that a marriage is of three persons.
For mothers and families that struggle with autism and autistic-related disabilities: particularly for M'Lynn, Melissa, Christine, and Betty.
For families that desire more children
For the conversion or return of spouses and loved ones to the Catholic Church, most particularly for Amanda's husband
For the men and women of the American Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and for their families, may the Good Lord provide sustenance, support, compassion, and love that these separated families might continue to grow in strength and love.
Special Prayer Projects:
(1) For Katherine and Franklin, Peter Kucera, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
(2)Healthy Pregnancies and good and safe deliveries: From Davey's Mom: I am with child once again and could use prayers for a healthy pregnancy. For Suki, for a healthy pregancy and a safe delivery. For JCecil3 and Wife. For Pansy Moss. For Mts. White and child. For Katherine and her friend Corren. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us. Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
A very important request from a St. Blogs parishioner--"I found out recently that my friend's sister is pregnant for the fourth time. Her other three children have autism, and I know it would make her very, very happy to have a normal child." Please pray for this poor woman that she might have the joy of a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy delivery and new infant. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, Pray for Us.
Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
I have decided to let my subscription to Crisis Magazine lapse. There are many things that go into this decision. (1) I have an unfortunate propensity for packratism. Once it enters the house it may never again leave. If it weren't for the fact that I have a six year old about I would probably be one of those people you read about that have narrow tunnels winding through their house between piles of books and papers. (2) Generally I read the reviews, some letters, and one or two columns. All of which are enormously entertaining, but hardly worth the money. (3) I've decided, quite arbitrarily, that it is constitutionally bad on my psyche to be reading a magazine that every months announces to me that I and all I hold dear are in Crisis. That may well be. However, I don't feel particularly in Crisis. I see the bad things around me and recognize them for what they are but when Jesus promised that the church He would build would be such that "the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it," I made an assumption that the reason for that is because of Him and not because of me running about worried about the latest Crisis.
All of that said, I must recommend both the erudition and the depth of the articles in Crisis. For those whose moods and attitudes tend not to be so easily swayed as my own, it is a wonderful periodical and I have enjoyed much of it for the last five or six years. And here's really the final reason. More and more recently, I find the Deal Hudson, who edits and contributes to the magazine, seems to criticize every motion the Bishops take. While there is undoubtedly much to criticize and we do need watchdogs and people willing to sound the alarms, I have grown tired of the constant barrage of intimations that the bishops don't know what their doing. Perhaps this is more prominent in the e-newsletter, and perhaps it is simply a mistaken impression on my own part; however, I find this perception dismaying and not conducive to increasing my faith life. I fear I may have grown past the place where Crisis Magazine was a help to belief to a place where it may be distracting or delaying further progress.
So all of these conditions come together and I must make an evaluation about how to spend my money. For the price of crisis I could buy two or three really fine books about Carmelite Spirituality, or other aspects of contemplative prayer. It seems better to pursue this course.
Now, talking out of the other face, I do recommend to you all attention to and purchase of one of the finest Catholic Periodicals out there. Crisis along with First Things and sometimes Touchstone (most particularly when our own Mr. Luse is present) present a high point in Catholic journalism and commentary. I almost regret my decision, but I think it a good one for my present state in life. Perhaps there will come a time when the magazine will again hold a place of importance in my reflections on life in the Church. My real hope is that I can attain to the state of our own Ms. Knapp and Mr. Disputations who both espouse an ideal of what it means to be Catholic that I should take to heart--Crisis or no crisis.
TSO makes an interesting point in this post regarding the need for balance. He suggests that some of us might benefit from a swift kick of cynicism while others would do well to inhale the gentling spirit of the "Resurrection People."
For some reason it brought to mind one of several reasons I'm not out and out green. Apart from the pro-abortion platform, my chief difficulty with the green party is the somewhat naive belief in the perfectability of humankind. TSO comments that the "Resurrection People" tend to have forgotten the importance of fallen human nature in much that surrounds us. If the resurrection people have forgotten it, the green party never knew it.
Much of the green platform is as idealist as I was at 17. And that is, perhaps, a very, very good thing. Young people probably should be idealistic because it is on the bare shreds of that idealism that the ski their way into the cold territory of advanced maturity.
However, I can't position myself to vote for a neo-Rousseauian political philopsophy that denies the fact that some people will simply choose to do wrong and that not everyone is interested in seeing that all people do well and have sufficient means to support a decent standard of living. (And by that I don't mean to accuse any group--and not any identifiable single individuals. Suffice to say that I know from personal experience that there are some people whose very existence is made better by knowing that there is an underclass than can be oppressed at will.) There are some people who simply do not will good for themselves or for anyone else. To predicate a philosophy on a utopian vision of everyone giving up excess and surrendering their benefits for the sake of the poor is idealist, but not particularly leadership material.
To continue on TSO's point however--I like the presence of extremists at both ends of the spectrum. (While I may not care at all for the extremists themselves or for the bulk of their philosophy.) Extremists tend to keep ideas flowing and surfacing--sometimes very good ideas. Anti WTO groups are good to remind us that while globalization has the great potential for good, misuse, abuse, and lack of policing is likely only to lead to further oppression.
Extremist views are rarely rational on all fronts, but there is within some of the extremes the germ of something worthwhile. Sometimes an idea is transferred from the very fringe to the heart (for example--Slavery is immoral and evil--this wasn't mainstream thought at all). And that transference redounds to the good of all. So while I prefer to stay somewhere in the middle with no pronounced views on much of anything other than issues of life (I frankly don't know enough to decide whose economic policy is best), I do appreciate hearing from the sidelines--hearing from those who are aware that power can be abused in any number of ways. Sometimes these far-flung views help us to more carefully identify a personal "political center."
Later clarification: I don't seem to be able to say quite what I mean on this issue, so I'll try again. Extremist notions should probably never be embraced, but they should be considered, modified, and adopted if they have merit. I could never embrace the entirety of the PETA philosophy. And yet some of what they have to say has considerable merit and should be taken out of it radicalist framework, adopted, and set as a goal for the entire community. (I frankly haven't found any merit in groups whose extremism is related to hatred. This is one of those times when I thank God for the freedom of speech and assembly so I can readily identify who I want to avoid and pray for in the future.)
Below Katherine ask for prayers for those attending Retrouvaille in San Diego this weekend.
In light of this dismaying report these prayers are especially needful. (Originally located thanks to Alicia and TSO.)
Please be sure to pray today and each day this weekend for those attending Retrouvaille.
It is certain that Hell rejoices with each victory against the sacrament of marriage.
And for an end to the racist hatred that is inspiring genocide. Pray for just international intervention to rescue those displaced and to bring proper pressure to bear to stop to the atrocities. Pray for wisdom for our own leaders that they will speak out on this horror and not allow another Rwanda. Pray for those who cannot pray for themselves, in fear, alone, abandoned, displaced, struggling in the rough terrain just south of the largest desert on Earth. Dear Lord, use our prayers to help the people of the Sudan, sustain their spirits in this unjust oppression, give comfort, shelter, food, and all necessities through the miracle of charity and concern.
Later: Thanks to Katherine's notice:This notice about troubles on the Southern Border See comments to this post for a reference to the problems in Western Sudan.
And as a result I don't get to saying more about the places I visit. The most recent entries at Cow-Pi Journal are well worth your attention! Some interesting poems, anecdotes (see Words and Music) and insights. Sorry it takes me so long to make the rounds and note what's going on. Someday the fog will clear from my head--by that time I probably won't be blogging.
Following on today's office of readings, I was stunned to find this magnificent treasure trove on-line. St. Bernard of Clarivaux's Sermons on the Song of Songs--Volumes I and II.
I put a reminder up every day at the head of the prayer requests, and repetition tends to dull the senses. So I make a special plea that everyone remember Dylan in their prayers. He has been absent from us too long and I know that he will return in his own time. In the meantime long absence makes for uneasiness on my own part. So, please remember him as he has much need of our prayers.
Lord, take away my heart of stone, a heart so bitter and uncircumsized, and give me a new heart, a heart of flesh, a pure heart. You cleanse the heart and love the clean heart. Take possession of my heart and dwell in it, contain it and fill it, you who are higher than the heights of my spirit and closer to me than my innermost self! You are the pattern of all beauty and the seal of all holiness. Set the seal of your likeness upon my heart. God of my heart and the God who is my portion for ever! Amen. From a treatise by Baldwin, Bishop of Canterbury.
Praise and Thanksgiving
For a new addition to St. Blog's family. Mark, at Minute Particulars helped receive into the world a new baby girl. Sorry it took me so long to remember to add this.
Requests
Please continue to pray for Dylan
A correspondent writes and asks for prayers for healing--for an end to the ringing in his head
For a special intention for Linda and me.
For a St. Blog's parishioner in need of work to forestall financial catastrophe, that the Lord provide all that is needed in both material and spiritual blessings.
For the Messers Blossers Grandfather/Father, that whatever condition is causing his difficulties is quickly brought under control and that this trial serve to strengthen the family.
For the repose of the soul of my brother's mother-in-law. May the Lord hold her and her family in His healing hands.
For three New York Carmelites who have serious health problems, two of whom face very serious operations, may the Lord guide the doctors' and surgeons' hands and bless with the blessing of great peace those who face the treatments.
For a young lady of e-mail acquaintance who requests our prayers as she continues on the path of healing and attends a retreat in the near future. She needs all of our support and love.
For Katherine's two friends as they each struggle with a different difficulty related to their respective pregnancies. Especially for S. as she spends the next ten weeks in the hospital, separated from her family seeking to preserve the life and health of the infant she presently carries.
For Franklin's father and family as they struggle with the present circumstances
A special request from two gentleman battling particularly troublesome and besetting sins for grace and help as they continue forward.
For those struggling against self to attain holiness, that the Good Lord will raise up new Saints for our times, visible beacons that draw all people toward Christ.
For all those in the process of discerning vocations to the religious life, for guidance, prudence and good counsel
For our children, that they grow up in security, comfort, and the certain knowledge that they are loved and that they be released from any bonds of darkness, fear, anger, or sadness that bind and threaten them
For all those living under the curse of generational sins, that they may have protection and the inheritance of the past may be made void in their lives.
For all who are suffering from marital problems, most particularly those in our own families or communities, that the Lord may intervene and remind them that a marriage is of three persons.
For mothers and families that struggle with autism and autistic-related disabilities: particularly for M'Lynn, Melissa, Christine, and Betty.
For families that desire more children
For the conversion or return of spouses and loved ones to the Catholic Church, most particularly for Amanda's husband
For the men and women of the American Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and for their families, may the Good Lord provide sustenance, support, compassion, and love that these separated families might continue to grow in strength and love.
Special Prayer Projects:
(1) For Katherine and Franklin, Peter Kucera, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
(2)Healthy Pregnancies and good and safe deliveries: From Davey's Mom: I am with child once again and could use prayers for a healthy pregnancy. For Suki, for a healthy pregancy and a safe delivery. For JCecil3 and Wife. For Pansy Moss. For Mts. White and child. For Katherine and her friend Corren. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us. Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
A very important request from a St. Blogs parishioner--"I found out recently that my friend's sister is pregnant for the fourth time. Her other three children have autism, and I know it would make her very, very happy to have a normal child." Please pray for this poor woman that she might have the joy of a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy delivery and new infant. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, Pray for Us.
Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
How mysteriously familiar the following may sound. Certain key words have been deleted in the interest of articulating the profound similiarities:
When urged. . . to support the . . . petitions in the House, [he] responded, "Altho I feel the force of many of your remarks, I can not embrace the idea to which they lead." When pressed to explain the dispcrepancy bewteen his hypothetical position and his actual dedication to self-imposed paralysis, he tended to offer several different anasers. Sometimes it was a matter of his . . . constituents: "Those from whom I derive my public station," he explained, "are know by me to be greatly interested in that species of property, and to view the matter in that light."
All through you knew that it wasn't the person who speaks today. But who is the speaker?
The excerpt comes from Joseph Ellis's magnificent study Founding Brothers (p. 113-114 in the trade paperback edition) and the speaker is James Madison. Of course, the subject is slavery.
When Madison and his generation refused to deal with the problem of slavery they simply left a pot on to boil. That pot would eventually erupt into one of the saddest and most divisive struggles in the history of our nation--a war that lasted a little over four years, but the implications and emanations of which survive until the present day.
For those that argue that it is legitimate to allow evil to continue to exist in deference to a majority opinion or out of service to one's constituents, this should provide lesson enough on where that path leads. When such fundamental moral conflicts simmer, the end result is either what we know to be right, or the potential for a great deal more wrong.
Our present debate may take as long to erupt, it may never erupt in this fashion; however, it does tear at the fabric of society.
For those who argue that we should not pass laws that impose our own vision of morality on others, I think it's important to point out that nearly all laws impose someone's vision of morality upon us. If we do not struggle to try to keep that line clearly defined, the laws that will pass will land us in the same world as people in the Netherlands now face. We start with euthanasia upon request and we end with euthanasia at the request of another. A variant of the slippery slide argument I realize.
However, support of a candidate who supports what is unquestionably a moral evil derived from an immoral license tends to dull our senses to what is truly evil. To say that we will vote for so and so and then work to change this stand is like so many women who move from one abusive relationship to another. In each they have great hope for changing the person they knew when they entered the relationship. The sad reality is that it happens all too seldom.
It is unlikely that we will change either the people or the parties that back them. Many have already said, and I agree, that the only recourse is not to participate in one of those two parties, but either to find some other party that represents our interests or start a party that would do so.
The problem with this last suggestion is that given the diversity of opinion just within St. Blogs on any number of non-religious issues, what would be the unifying principle other than pro-life? Perhaps that is enough. But is Pro-life also pro-gun-control? Is it economically conservative or liberal? Is there a prefential option for the poor or "medical spending accounts" as a solution to the problem of no health insurance? What is the face of pro-life once you move beyond that issue? Is that issue in itself enough to form a party? Would the internicine divisions allow it to be effective in any way?
I think the issue is strong enough to form a party. But would it end up being like the Women's Christian Temperance League? Would it work toward an end that society ultimately could not tolerate for one reason or another? Would this one issue group push us toward the new version of the nineteenth and twenty first(?) amendments?
I don't know the answer. But it all comes back to the rhetoric that has been with us since the beginning. "Personally, I find it morally repugnant; however, who am I to force my morality upon others?" Leadership is more than making laws, it is showing the way to live. If you don't feel qualified to speak on moral points and to point the way for a people lost in themselves, then perhaps you should consider another profession.
My little children, your hearts are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the soul and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.from the Catechism on Prayer--St. John Vianney
Requests
Please continue to pray for Dylan
A correspondent writes and asks for prayers for healing--for an end to the ringing in his head
For a special intention for Linda and me.
For a St. Blog's parishioner in need of work to forestall financial catastrophe, that the Lord provide all that is needed in both material and spiritual blessings.
For the Messers Blossers Grandfather/Father, that whatever condition is causing his difficulties is quickly brought under control and that this trial serve to strengthen the family.
For the repose of the soul of my brother's mother-in-law. May the Lord hold her and her family in His healing hands.
For three New York Carmelites who have serious health problems, two of whom face very serious operations, may the Lord guide the doctors' and surgeons' hands and bless with the blessing of great peace those who face the treatments.
For a young lady of e-mail acquaintance who requests our prayers as she continues on the path of healing and attends a retreat in the near future. She needs all of our support and love.
For Katherine's two friends as they each struggle with a different difficulty related to their respective pregnancies. Especially for S. as she spends the next ten weeks in the hospital, separated from her family seeking to preserve the life and health of the infant she presently carries.
For Franklin's father and family as they struggle with the present circumstances
A special request from two gentleman battling particularly troublesome and besetting sins for grace and help as they continue forward.
For those struggling against self to attain holiness, that the Good Lord will raise up new Saints for our times, visible beacons that draw all people toward Christ.
For all those in the process of discerning vocations to the religious life, for guidance, prudence and good counsel
For our children, that they grow up in security, comfort, and the certain knowledge that they are loved and that they be released from any bonds of darkness, fear, anger, or sadness that bind and threaten them
For all those living under the curse of generational sins, that they may have protection and the inheritance of the past may be made void in their lives.
For all who are suffering from marital problems, most particularly those in our own families or communities, that the Lord may intervene and remind them that a marriage is of three persons.
For mothers and families that struggle with autism and autistic-related disabilities: particularly for M'Lynn, Melissa, Christine, and Betty.
For families that desire more children
For the conversion or return of spouses and loved ones to the Catholic Church, most particularly for Amanda's husband
For the men and women of the American Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and for their families, may the Good Lord provide sustenance, support, compassion, and love that these separated families might continue to grow in strength and love.
Special Prayer Projects:
(1) For Katherine and Franklin, Peter Kucera, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
(2)Healthy Pregnancies and good and safe deliveries: From Davey's Mom: I am with child once again and could use prayers for a healthy pregnancy. For Suki, for a healthy pregancy and a safe delivery. For JCecil3 and Wife. For Pansy Moss. For Mts. White and child. For Katherine and her friend Corren. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us. Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
A very important request from a St. Blogs parishioner--"I found out recently that my friend's sister is pregnant for the fourth time. Her other three children have autism, and I know it would make her very, very happy to have a normal child." Please pray for this poor woman that she might have the joy of a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy delivery and new infant. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, Pray for Us.
Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
From an interesting site, and interesting book by George Jackson--a summary of the writings of the Early Church fathers, The Greek Post-Nicene Fathers. There's a nice description of the Church Father and of the nature of his writings.
An interesting e-Catena which includes excerpts from the Apocrypha of the New Testament including the exceedingly weird Protevangelium of James.
Look around the site, there is much of great interest and much that will confound, confuse, and add fuel to The DaVinci Code flame. We've had them with us from the very beginning. I suppose we should be thankful for Dominicans and Jesuits.
For people interested in Homeschooling--theory and practice, you may want to visit Effervescence.
Last night I was reading the passage that follows, Wednesday's gospel reading
Matthew 15:21-28 (RSV)
[21]And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
[22] And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon."
[23] But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us."
[24] He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
[25] But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."
[26] And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
[27] She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
[28] Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
As I read, a not terribly astounding revelation took root. Here we have revealed the association of the trinity of theological virtues. A woman comes to Jesus out of great love for her daughter. She pleads with Him for the life of her daughter. I had always been a bit puzzled by the coolness of His reaction? Was He looking for abasement, for subordination? What is this insult of basically calling the woman a dog?
Charity finds a way through hope. She hears the Lord's words, and still knowing that He can do something for her daughter, hope lights a candle and she is inspired to say "Even dogs get the table scraps."
Jesus in turn recognizes this combination of hope and love as faith. He does not applaud her persistence in hope or her initial approach in Charity, but rather the depth of her faith that puts up with "persecution" and endures to the end she wishes to see.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. " (1 Cor. 13:13). The trinity of theological virtues, in this life, support and maintain one another. Where one exists the other two are likely there, one need only seek them out.
Let's face it--most of us don't like to think about the poor or look beyond the placid surface of what surrounds us to what is really going on. Well, perhaps many do, but I know that it makes me distinctly uncomfortable. Ms. Ehrenreich's book forces us to do this.
First, we need to acknowledge a certain truth which is that being poor in America, while not nearly as easy as those of us well-off would like to think, is still better than being poor almost anywhere else in the world. That said, Ms. Ehrenreich's book explores the world of the working poor and reminds us at every step that every convenience, every help, every inexpensive thing we have comes at a cost--sometimes a great cost--to someone else. There is no leisure class without an underclass to support it.
Barbara Ehrenreich spent several months in three different cities scattered throughout the country--Key West, Portland, Maine, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. She decided that she would try to "make it" on the salaries of the working poor, looking to live as they did. From the start she admits to certain flaws in her plan to live this life, and as she continues through the experiment, she recognizes more. For example, late in the book she gets an offer from a family member for housing and realizes that SOMETIMES the people she has been hobnobbing with have this same recourse. However, all too frequently they do not.
Ms. Ehrenreich exposes much of what life in the underclass is like. She has a particularly harsh experience as a maid in Portland under the aegis of a taskmaster who watches her scrub the kitchen floor on hands and knees and then calmly tells her to go and do the entryway too. For most kitchen situations, there is simply no need for anyone to get on hands and knees to scrub (having a six-year old child, I undertand that there are exceptions.) However the image of the imperious householder lording it over a group of hireling maids will not soon leave my mind.
How often do we take for granted the services that we receive from the working poor? The other day I called my cable company and asked them to send someone to install an additional cable outlet. This person came and crawled around in my attic (in Florida, in the middle of July) for something approaching an hour. He was actually grateful because my roof was vaulted enough that he could easily walk through much of the attic. His recompense for this work was a glass of ice-water and a check for something over thirty dollars. Of this he may have gotten as much as fourteen.
He was truly pleasant and said to Samuel who was utterly fascinated by what he was doing, "Stay in school, it will make it much easier when you need to get a job. Do not drop out as I did." This was too much of a window into a life and I desperately wanted to be able to change his condition. But the reaiity is that I'm not going to.
How many of us think about those people who may be raising families who do work at minimum wage, who often have no access to benefits that help the unemployed, who have no health insurance, and who can't afford a day of illness because they will not be paid? In a note below, Alicia indicates that she helps with medical assistance to these uninsured and underinsured. I'm sure there are a great many others who may do so as well. But how many of us would like to be in the role of Blanche, "I have always relied on the kindness of strangers?"
Ms. Ehrenreich's book forces us to look at these issues. What is remarkable about it is that there is relatively little diatribe. The chapter titled Evaluation heaps scorn and blame upon both parties. Her investigation was conducted at the height of the era of good feeling that was the latter days of the Clinton Administration when everything was just peachy in the economy. The policies she attacks were largely democratic/Clinton era initiatives. But she doesn't let either party off of the hook. In addition, she does not offer us easy answers and pat solutions. She lets the dilemmas and ambiguities of life among the poor stand. There is no simple resolution, no signpost that indicates the way out. Except for one, one small indicator of the way we should travel. Ehrenreich does point out our individual and corporate (though not necessarily governmental) need for almsgiving, sacrifice, and just plain mindfulness of those around us who may not be as well off.
I agree with Alicia's comments below on certain peripheral elements of Ehrenreich's books--I don't much care for some of the attitudes and "politics" that seep through at the seams. Nevertheless, this is an insight into the depths of poverty, and the resilience and lived-out hope of the working poor.
Highly recommended social-conscience-raising reading. And strangely, at moment, highly enjoyable.
What a debt of gratitude, then, do we owe to the Lord for letting us see the meaning of the past, for instructing us about the present and not leaving us in ignorance about the future. from A Letter attritbuted to Barnabas
Praise
One of the three Carmelites from New York who recently had surgery had been on a ventilator for five days. Yesterday he was taken off the ventilator.
Requests
Please continue to pray for Dylan
A correspondent writes and asks for prayers for healing--for an end to the ringing in his head
For a special intention for Linda and me.
For a St. Blog's parishioner in need of work to forestall financial catastrophe, that the Lord provide all that is needed in both material and spiritual blessings.
For the Messers Blossers Grandfather/Father, that whatever condition is causing his difficulties is quickly brought under control and that this trial serve to strengthen the family.
For the repose of the soul of my brother's mother-in-law. May the Lord hold her and her family in His healing hands.
For three New York Carmelites who have serious health problems, two of whom face very serious operations, may the Lord guide the doctors' and surgeons' hands and bless with the blessing of great peace those who face the treatments.
For a young lady of e-mail acquaintance who requests our prayers as she continues on the path of healing and attends a retreat in the near future. She needs all of our support and love.
For Katherine's two friends as they each struggle with a different difficulty related to their respective pregnancies. Especially for S. as she spends the next ten weeks in the hospital, separated from her family seeking to preserve the life and health of the infant she presently carries.
For Franklin's father and family as they struggle with the present circumstances
A special request from two gentleman battling particularly troublesome and besetting sins for grace and help as they continue forward.
For those struggling against self to attain holiness, that the Good Lord will raise up new Saints for our times, visible beacons that draw all people toward Christ.
For all those in the process of discerning vocations to the religious life, for guidance, prudence and good counsel
For our children, that they grow up in security, comfort, and the certain knowledge that they are loved and that they be released from any bonds of darkness, fear, anger, or sadness that bind and threaten them
For all those living under the curse of generational sins, that they may have protection and the inheritance of the past may be made void in their lives.
For all who are suffering from marital problems, most particularly those in our own families or communities, that the Lord may intervene and remind them that a marriage is of three persons.
For mothers and families that struggle with autism and autistic-related disabilities: particularly for M'Lynn, Melissa, Christine, and Betty.
For families that desire more children
For the conversion or return of spouses and loved ones to the Catholic Church, most particularly for Amanda's husband
For the men and women of the American Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and for their families, may the Good Lord provide sustenance, support, compassion, and love that these separated families might continue to grow in strength and love.
Special Prayer Projects:
(1) For Katherine and Franklin, Peter Kucera, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
(2)Healthy Pregnancies and good and safe deliveries: From Davey's Mom: I am with child once again and could use prayers for a healthy pregnancy. For Suki, for a healthy pregancy and a safe delivery. For JCecil3 and Wife. For Pansy Moss. For Mts. White and child. For Katherine and her friend Corren. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us. Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
A very important request from a St. Blogs parishioner--"I found out recently that my friend's sister is pregnant for the fourth time. Her other three children have autism, and I know it would make her very, very happy to have a normal child." Please pray for this poor woman that she might have the joy of a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy delivery and new infant. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, Pray for Us.
Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
I have already broken my reading system proclaimed last week (surprise! surprise!) but I also anticipated that things might intrude--such as books that arrive from the library and must be back. So it is with Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in American.
A short time ago I provoked a correspondent by asserting that everything that was inexpensive was, in fact, quite expensive--we just didn't really pay the price--the poor did. He responded cogently with a clear indication that I had failed to say what I intended. And reading this book, I feel the need to make the point again.
As we enter the season of political debate, the question of who addresses the needs of the poor is, in fact, critical to the determination of how we will vote. But before we can address the question, we should ask ourselves, "Who really sees the poor at all?" The answer is that we all do, though we may not recognize the fact.
People who are working minimum wage jobs and attempting to support a family fall easily into this category. This encompasses many of the people who wait on us at restaurants, who clean the rooms we stay in when we are away from home, who help us when we shop at Wal-Mart or any number of other retailers.
Think about where you live. Now stop for a moment and consider a paycheck that consists of six dollars an hour for forty hours a week--two hundred-forty dollars a week--just shy of $1000.00 dollars a month. Where does one live on $1000/month. How do you pay rent, utilities, food, gas, clothing, etc. on that amount of money. And what if you are not single, what if you have a family?
I know that I am guilty of not seeing the poor and not realizing the implications of these low wages. Ehrenreich's book spells them out clearly. No health care, poor meals, failing health. Some of the people that she speaks of in the book lived in their vans and "borrowed" the showers of others who lived in cheap hotels. I don't know that this is exemplary of the life of all--for example, being a college student is a kind of training in poverty that most of us go through. But most of us are really only in "mock-poverty." If something dreadful were to happen, most have recourse to returning home. The truly poor work without a net. There is no wealthier home for most of them to go to.
I recommend the book as an insight into the world of poverty. Most of us know that it exists, and most of us figure, as Barbara does in the book, that the poor have some mechanism, some means of coping that is beyond our view. Her conclusion--most of them do not.
And so, who offers a preferential option for the poor? I think we're foolish to think that any political party can do so. The best they can do is throw money at the problem through a massive bureaucratic system that tends to eat up the funds before they arrive at their intended goal. With all good will and good intent, the government can only help so much.
Now think about the last time you were in the DMV or had to deal with any part of the local or national government. If your child were ill, is that what you would like to go through to see to it that he was cared for? If you were hungry, would you want to jump through the hoops necessary to put food on the table?
I say, don't look to the government to make the world of poverty disappear. We, each and every single one of us, offer the preferential option for the poor. We do so through our work and through our donations. We also do it through our consideration. I'm sure most of St. Blog's consists of people who understand the necessity of tipping when one eats out. However, bear in mind that the average server gets less than one-half of minimum wage. (At the time of writing, Ehrenreich says that the law required payment of $2.13 an hour with the proviso that tips brought the wage up to minimum wage. If not, the employer was responsible for the entire bill.) The next time you get service that isn't everything you think it should be, consider the circumstances that you may not be seeing.
The poor are not asking for our help. According to the book, many are not expecting a hand-out and don't feel particularly oppressed. But, just because people are resilient enough to adapt themselves to horrendous circumstances, that does not mean we should perpetuate the circumstances. The first step in abolishing poverty is to face it squarely and to be willing to take upon ourselves some share of the burden--even a small share. Perhaps we leave a slightly larger tip for the waitress. Perhaps we treat people who assist us in shopping, who check us out at grocery stores in a somewhat better and friendlier way. Perhaps we bring more food to the pantry and we work with our local Church to expand our services to the poor. We each have within us the capacity to help make the world just a little bit better for others. We need to seize each opportunity. We need to revise our opinions of those who are less well off. (Ehrenreich noticed that when she was dressed as a maid or cleaning person, she could not even get waited on at the restaurant without obvious contempt.)
In short, WE are the preferential option for the poor. The government can go only so far, it is up to us to bridge the gap that makes life livable for those less fortunate. Surely it is part of our duty to consider which government plans are worthwhile and to support them. And indeed, when all other factors are equal, this is one of the issues that should dominate the consideration for whom we elect to office.
The poor are always with us--then and now. They are a direct challenge to us and they are an image of Christ among us. It is up to us to choose whether to help lift them up from poverty or to once again crucify Jesus by leaving them where we find them. We cannot solve all the issues of the world, but we can embrace those issues that come into our lives and in so doing attempt to make life better for everyone. Poverty is a weight upon us all and the responsibility of all. I know that I do not do enough and Ms. Ehrenreich's book brings it home for me. I hope that I can extend what I learned here into a constant practice of alms-giving and genuine concern.
Accordingly, we must flee from all vanity and show an utter hatred for the deeds of the evil way. Do not turn inward and live only for yourselves as though already assured of salvation; join together rather and seek for the common good. from a Letter attributed to Barnabus
Praise
One of the three Carmelites from New York who recently had surgery had been on a ventilator for five days. Yesterday he was taken off the ventilator.
Requests
Please continue to pray for Dylan
A correspondent writes and asks for prayers for healing--for an end to the ringing in his head
For a special intention for Linda and me.
For a St. Blog's parishioner in need of work to forestall financial catastrophe, that the Lord provide all that is needed in both material and spiritual blessings.
For the Messers Blossers Grandfather/Father, that whatever condition is causing his difficulties is quickly brought under control and that this trial serve to strengthen the family.
For the repose of the soul of my brother's mother-in-law. May the Lord hold her and her family in His healing hands.
For three New York Carmelites who have serious health problems, two of whom face very serious operations, may the Lord guide the doctors' and surgeons' hands and bless with the blessing of great peace those who face the treatments.
For a young lady of e-mail acquaintance who requests our prayers as she continues on the path of healing and attends a retreat in the near future. She needs all of our support and love.
For Katherine's two friends as they each struggle with a different difficulty related to their respective pregnancies. Especially for S. as she spends the next ten weeks in the hospital, separated from her family seeking to preserve the life and health of the infant she presently carries.
For Franklin's father and family as they struggle with the present circumstances
A special request from two gentleman battling particularly troublesome and besetting sins for grace and help as they continue forward.
For those struggling against self to attain holiness, that the Good Lord will raise up new Saints for our times, visible beacons that draw all people toward Christ.
For all those in the process of discerning vocations to the religious life, for guidance, prudence and good counsel
For our children, that they grow up in security, comfort, and the certain knowledge that they are loved and that they be released from any bonds of darkness, fear, anger, or sadness that bind and threaten them
For all those living under the curse of generational sins, that they may have protection and the inheritance of the past may be made void in their lives.
For all who are suffering from marital problems, most particularly those in our own families or communities, that the Lord may intervene and remind them that a marriage is of three persons.
For mothers and families that struggle with autism and autistic-related disabilities: particularly for M'Lynn, Melissa, Christine, and Betty.
For families that desire more children
For the conversion or return of spouses and loved ones to the Catholic Church, most particularly for Amanda's husband
For the men and women of the American Armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and for their families, may the Good Lord provide sustenance, support, compassion, and love that these separated families might continue to grow in strength and love.
Special Prayer Projects:
(1) For Katherine and Franklin, Peter Kucera, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
(2)Healthy Pregnancies and good and safe deliveries: From Davey's Mom: I am with child once again and could use prayers for a healthy pregnancy. For Suki, for a healthy pregancy and a safe delivery. For JCecil3 and Wife. For Pansy Moss. For Mts. White and child. For Katherine and her friend Corren. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us. Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
A very important request from a St. Blogs parishioner--"I found out recently that my friend's sister is pregnant for the fourth time. Her other three children have autism, and I know it would make her very, very happy to have a normal child." Please pray for this poor woman that she might have the joy of a healthy pregnancy and a happy, healthy delivery and new infant. Our Lady of La Leche, pray for us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. St. Gerard Majella, Pray for Us.
Blessed Gianna, pray for us.
Small Town Press: Notes from a Writing Coach
Written Road Blog (A blog dedicated to travel writing
An article on Blogs As Writing Practice
And another, extensive list of writing blogs fromBlogit