O Sacred Head Surrounded

Jesus does not give up on anyone, pope tells prisoners

Jesus does not give up on anyone, pope tells prisoners: ROME (CNS) -- Before washing the feet of 12 prisoners, Pope Francis told them and hundreds of inmates to remember that Jesus constantly stands before them with love, ready to cleanse their sins and fo

Maundy Thursday

The word "Maundy" comes from a Latin word meaning "mandate."  On the day before Jesus died and since we celebrate Good Friday as that day, then on Thursday, Jesus gave us a few "mandates:"

• to love.  Jesus tells us He loves us and asks us to love everyone like He loves everyone.
•  He told His disciples to eat and drink in remembrance of me.  
• He gave His Apostles the authority to forgive sins.

Tonight we represent the Last Supper where the mandates were given.

The Agape, 5th - 6th cent, Catacombe di Priscilla, Rome, Italy

A good priest makes Christ present to his people, Pope says at Chrism Mass

A good priest makes Christ present to his people, Pope says at Chrism Mass: Vatican City, Mar 29, 2018 CNA/EWTN News.- At his annual Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, Pope Francis said that a good priest is one who is close to his flock and who makes Jesus’ presence felt in

Spy Wednesday

Sometimes this particular day of Holy Week is called "Spy Wednesday."  Wednesday is the day tradition has picked to highlight the bad guys plotting to kill Jesus.  Jesus' enemies were looking for a way to trap Jesus and kill him.  Jesus was attracting followers (think of the parade with people celebrating with palms, His arrival in Jerusalem).  So when the apostle, Judas Iscariot came to them with a plan to turn Jesus over to them, they knew they could be rid of Jesus.

Since Judas and Jesus' enemies were watching Him and plotting against Him, the day is called Spy Wednesday.

AQ's Prayer

Father Fitz this morning had us pray this prayer from St. Thomas Aquinas.

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

Amen.

Passiontide

The word is vaguely familiar.  Although, I admit I can't tell you what it means.  Google-queen that I am, I did google it.

Passiontide (in the Christian liturgical year) is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, long celebrated as Passion Sunday, and ending on Holy Saturday.  Wikipedia

IOW, during the last two weeks of Lent we are to focus on the penitential aspect of  Lent. It's an old custom to cover the statues and crosses in the church. They are covered with purple cloth, since that's the color of Lent.  However, it's an old custom.  No churches around here do this.  And the Stations of the Cross are not covered because we use them during Lent.  Besides, they are a virtual reminder of the passion and death of Jesus--de facto!

Pity.  I love old traditions and it definitely is a literal tangible of what these last Lenten weeks are leading to--crucifixion of Jesus.

And the unveiling is a spectacular reminder of Jesus' death and resurrection.  On Good Friday, just the crosses are unveiled.  Jesus' crucifixion is revealed visibly for us. Then at the Easter Vigil all the other statues are unveiled.  How's that for a reenactment of the paschal mystery.

How much do you want to bet that this tradition comes back in vogue? 

Fired!

The cat is disappointed in me.  I just bought her the wrong kind of food.  The ingrate doesn't realize what I had to do to purchase "chipped beef in gravy."  She's old; I thought I was doing her a favor buying soft morsels in gravy; she doesn't even have to chew.  She can slurp it up.  How was I to know that she hates beef?

You see hubby does the food shopping in the family.  He has it down to a science, i.e., timing, traffic, sales, etc.  But March 19th is hubby's birthday.  His favorite is lemon meringue pie, so I had to go out myself.  It just wouldn't do to have the poor man buy the ingredients for his own birthday surprise.

Naturally, being the considerate person that I am, I asked before embarking on my shopping trip, if anyone needed anything.  Just cat food was needed.  Doesn't that seem easy enough?  Well, today being Saturday and also St. Patrick's Day, the traffic was horrendous.  So was the traffic inside the super market.  Add that to the fact, I couldn't find the cat food.  I circled the store two or three times, I lost track.  I saw no pet food signs, but I did find out that my eye prescription has changed.  The signs furthest down in the aisle were blurry.  But I could still read them when I squinted.  So I actually physically dragged myself up and down each and every aisle. 

I did find one can of cat food in the "reduced" basket.  But who knows if the dented can was still good.  Besides, the "sell by date" was too close for comfort. (See the tender loving care I give that  thankless feline!)

The store was very busy and there were no store clerks working in the aisles.  They were all working as cashiers and baggers.  And all the checkout lines were long.  However, eventually, I did find locate the pet food, without help.  But the choices were astronomical!  I was bewildered.  I had no idea what kind of cat food she preferred.  I knew the people food she liked was ham and pork.  But there were no ham or pork cat food.  The choices were mostly tuna and other kinds of fish.  Blegh!  I didn't know which to buy.  You'd think one of the choices would be "mouse."  No bird, either.  Although, I saw chicken.  That's close to bird, so I bought that.  I also figued mouse would be like beef, wouldn't it? 

But the fussy fur ball turned her nose up at these choices.  Worse, she turned around and gave me her backside with her tail up high. 

So that's why I was given the sack.

Koan

In my RCIA class, one of the elect, who is a former Buddhist, explained a Zen Koan to me.  A Koan is a question, a statement, a puzzle, so to speak, to test the student's progress.

And so the student asked the teacher, "cat's bowl broken, why is the mouse smiling?"

The teacher referred to the class. 
Some just shrugged, "What's the point of this?" 
Some were curious and wondered why the mouse was smiling.
Some offered answers: the mouse broke the bowl, now the cat is unhappy which makes the mouse happy, the cat will get a scolding from his master, etc.

The teacher wondered if the mouse was simple-minded.  The mouse's knee-jerk response was to be happy because the cat was unhappy because his bowl was broken.  But if the mouse thought deeper he'd realize that if the cat wasn't eating from his bowl, the cat would soon turn to eat the mouse.  That smile would soon be wiped off the mouse's face.

This example explains a zen koan.  Teachers give koans to students to make them think.  A teacher can see how the student reasons and the progress he makes.  The koan really has no answer.  It is open to discussion to open the student's mind.

The Story of Maddy

During the last blizzard, I read a book.  There was nothing else to do.  I read the whole book in one sitting.  The story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg is an easy read.  It's a cute story.  A recent widower visits his wife's grave every single day, at lunchtime.  An unpopular high school senior, Maddy, visits the cemetery every day because she doesn't want to eat alone.

Eventually, they talk.  The girl has a lonely life, living with a father who is distant.  When she becomes pregnant, her father wants her to have an abortion.  She runs away to Arthur Truluv, who takes her in.  That's basically the story.  There's a teacher who helps the young girl.  A neighbor of Arthur's who he helps, too.  Everything works out.

It's a happy ending and very unrealistic.

So what!

The Car Rental,

It was Sunday and I was bringing a friend to her church.  I dropped her off at the handicapped entrance.  As she pushed her walker up the ramp, I put the car in reverse and commenced to swing back to turn around.  That’s when my front bumper hit the church.

Yikes!  That church came out of nowhere!

My car turned out to have $ 1800 dollars damage to the front bumper and a scraped and dented driver’s side fender.  So my car is in the body shop and I am now driving a rental.

Now, the story: my experience with the rental is a sad tale.  It made me really feel old and out of touch.  The rental agency came and picked me up at the auto body shop. Nice and convenient!  I was told to turn the car on and off, all I had to do was step on the brake and push a button.

Push a button is how to turn a car on and off, nowadays.  Well, it worked to turn the car off, but a few hours later, I couldn’t get that button to turn the engine on. I stepped on the brake and then pushed the button.  I tried numerous times. And there was no manual in the glove compartment.  I gave up and called the rental company to ask what I was doing wrong.  The telephone number I was given was an “800” national number.  I was on hold for the national corporate office.  Then I was on hold for the state office.  Finally, I got my local office.  I explained the problem and was told not to step on the brake but to hold the brake down and turn the key.  That’s how one turns a car on, today.  I did that and it worked. 

Now I have to worry that my grandchildren can turn the car on.  I know.  I know.  I couldn’t do it, but you know children.  They’re smart that way.

It didn’t take me long to notice something else. The windshield wipers wouldn’t shut off.  I could see the markings on the lever indicating how fast the windshield wipers could wipe.  I had the indicator as low as it would go and the wipers still swiped the window every twenty seconds.  The lever wouldn’t turn anymore.

I had to telephone.  Again with the national corporate office, then the state office, and finally the office I needed.  This time, I asked for their local number.  I wrote it down.  By the way, the windshield wiper lever pushes in and pulls out.  Who knew?

After completing my errands, I received a message on my dashboard that I needed fuel.  Luckily, I was near a gas station.  I pulled in, as usual.  But after I got out, and walked around the car, I saw that I didn’t have a gas tank.  I walked around the car.  There it was, on the other side of the car.  Back in the car, step on the brake, hold the brake down and push the button.  I drove the vehicle around to another pump.  Although I now had the pump on the same side as the gas tank, I couldn’t open the damn door to insert the nozzle.  I tapped the door.  I knocked on the door.  I whacked the door and I tried to pry the door open.

Back in the car, I called the rental office again.  At least I didn’t have to jump through the circus hoops to get to my rental office. 

This time I was told there was a lever inside the car, under the dashboard.  And I didn’t have to step on it, or hold it down, or press a button.  All this required was to lift a lever.  So a child can start the car but one needs a degree in engineering design to find the bloody lever to open the fuel tank door. 

$50 lighter I could now go home.  I didn’t think I needed anything else.  I now got turning the car on and off down pat.  I could get the fuel tank door open.  I could turn off and on the windshield wipers, what else would I need?

The lights.  Nope, I will never drive this car at night.  There, problem solved.

As I got closer to home, I realized that I was freezing. How do I turn on the heat?  I twisted and turned some dials and saw an indicator gauge tell me that I had the heat to 90 degrees.  Well, it didn’t feel like it.  But it was warmer.  I think.  Maybe the heater just stinks. 

Do I dare put on the radio?  NO!  I’m having enough trouble with the heater, forget the radio.

But I am going to do one more thing.  I’m putting the telephone number of the rental agency on my cell phone’s speed dial.

Intergenerational Book Club

The day finally came.  Today was the first meeting of the Intergenerational Book Club.  The club is made up of Franklin, MA, High School students and Franklin senior citizens from the Senior Center.  We met at Franklin High School.  The book was You Bring The Distant Near, by Mitali Perkins.

We were greeted with bingo cards.  This was an icebreaker exercise where we had to socialize to fill out the squares on our bingo cards.  We had to find someone who had been to Paris, someone who plays a musical instrument, someone who is left-handed, etc.  The prize was a mango.  Mangoes originated from India.

We played bingo until it was time for our interview with the author, Mitali Perkins.  This was a skype interview.  Mitali was in her bedroom and we could see her plainly.  She saw us sitting in a classroom.  For 45 minutes we asked her questions.  She surprised us and we surprised her. 

You can't say you don't like Indian food because there are 29 states and 7 union territories in India and each one has its own language and food.  We learned how important Rabindranath Tagore is.  We surprised her with questions about her writing.  Why did you write the grandmother in third person and everyone else in first person?  Was the book biographical at all?

You Bring The Distant Near was inspired by Mitali's life.  She was all the characters at one time or another.  The book is about three generations of American Indian refugees.  The thread of how our personal histories are carried forward, travels throughout the story.  Not one person disliked the book.

After interviewing Mitali for 45 minutes we ate tandoori desi chicken tikka, vegetable pakora, samosa, white rice, mango, and orange/mango juice.  While eating we chatted about the skyped interview.  But it was afterward, when the young and the old sat together, that the discussion became rich.  The young identified with the second generation and the senior citizens with the grandmother and grandfather.  All could relate to the feelings of all the characters. But we each had our favorites. We explained how discrimination is perceived now, and back in the day.  Since the high schoolers were still young and impressionable, their sensitivities towards race, religion, class, and gender were more heightened than the senior citizens.  Whereas the seniors were sensitive to age discrimination and the teens weren't even conscious of that.

One thing we all agreed on was the success of the first meeting of the Intergenerational Book Club.  And we all look forward to another book and discussion.

The Snow Really Was Waist High

It is not uncommon for people to compare today’s snow storms to the blizzard of 1978.  That particular snowstorm was such an enormous nor’easter, that every blizzard will always be compared to the Blizzard of ’78.  When I hear mention of this notorious blizzard, I feel a little guilty.  I had just had a baby a year ago and was home safe and warm and living in the glow of new motherhood.  I felt guilty because I was not out in the thick of it.  Even so, I do have some memories that I can share.

The biggest factor in making this snowstorm such a monster was that it wasn’t predicted to be so horrendous.  The storm was predicted, but back then, the meteorologists were usually wrong, so not much attention was paid.  No one stayed home from work.  No schools were closed.  No one rushed to the supermarkets for milk, eggs, and bread.  Everyone went about their business as usual.  And that included my husband, Rich.

On the morning of February 6, 1978, everyone went to school or work.  The snow didn’t start coming until late morning. But by 1:00 the snow was thick and piling up.  It lasted for three days.  Thinking they were doing the right thing, employers let their employees out early and schools were dismissed.  The road conditions were horrendous.  Motorists crawled home and on Rte. 128, the cars and trucks came to a standstill.  Snow plows were trapped, also.  There were no cell phones so people didn’t know what had become of their loved ones.  Drivers were trapped in their cars.  Many people spent days in their cars and unfortunately, some died. 

The governor was Michael Dukakis and he declared a state of emergency.  He was constantly on TV wearing a different colored sweater each day.  Winds clocked over 100 miles an hour and the coast line was hit hard.  People were evacuated and unfortunately some died while being rescued.

Many people were trapped in their cars.  Not realizing that tail pipes were clogged with snow, some motorists died of asphyxiation.  My husband was one of the lucky ones.  His car died on Route 109.  He coasted off the road.  It seemed as if his battery was dead.  He walked to a store and called for help, with no luck.  He didn’t know what to do but a kind motorist stopped to help him.  He was going to jump the battery.  But when he turned the key, the car started.  We figure the spark plugs or wires got wet.  Whatever!  He arrived home safe and sound, albeit late.

I try to remember the good about the Blizzard of ’78.  That motorist who stopped to help my husband and other motorists who helped others who were stuck.  St. Bartholomew’s Church in Needham who sheltered 2000 people.  Showcase Cinema in Dedham who opened their doors for 300 drivers stuck on Routes 1 and 128.  Imagine watching movies and eating popcorn for three days!  Boston Garden let people stay, eating hot dogs and sleeping in the bleachers or locker rooms.  At least they could shower!  Hospital employees stayed for days, not going home and other hospital workers walked, cross-country skied, snowshoed and found emergency vehicles to transport them to work.

Of course there was no school for a week.  Students frolicked in the snow.  President Jimmy Carter declared Massachusetts and Rhode Island to be a federal disaster area.  At the end of the storm, it had snowed for 33 hours,  Boston had 27.1 inches of snow; parts of Rhode Island had 40 inches. There were 99 deaths, 4,500 injuries, $520 million in damages, 3000 cars and 500 trucks abandoned on just an 8 mile stretch of Route 128. Two landmarks were lost: Rockport’s Motif # 1 and Anthony Pier 4’s restaurant’s  the SS Peter Stuyvesant Cruise Ship. 

Yes, the Blizzard of ’78 was memorable in many ways.  But the weather cannot take us unawares as it did then.  Weather forecasting has improved exponentially.  A blizzard will not surprise us and modern  means of communication will get the word out.  We can prepare.  What we can’t do is control the elements.  High tides can be predicted, not stopped.  Snow storms can be forecast, not controlled.  And hurricane wind can be expected, not harnessed.  Not to mention, that tornadoes can’t  be predicted.

We have come a long way.  With the future always an uncertain entity, being able to know what tomorrow’s weather will bring, is one less concern taken away from us.  

From Tee Shirts to Rain Slickers and Maybe Snow Boots

It's hard to believe that after such a beautiful day as today, tomorrow is going to have a beast of a storm.  I was hiking the Borderland State Park today.  The temperature was in the 50's; the sun was shining and we were dressed in tee shirts.  Tomorrow we will be hit with a nor'easter. The people on the coast will be hardest hit.  It's a full moon, the storm will last through three high tides.  If it's cold enough it will snow, otherwise expect flooding from rain.  And the wind!  Get your candles ready because the wind will last for days, knocking down power lines.