Oplatek

It's interesting that the first meaning morphs into another, but both make sense.  Many things catholic are "both" and "and".

The old custom is that the pope breaks off a piece for his bishops, who in turn bring it to their home diocese, where they break off a piece for their priests.  

Also, watching the Mass celebrant break off a piece of the Body, and drop it into the Blood, unite the two into One.  I think that's a beautiful image.

It is also reminiscent of my own Lithuanian heritage.  Where the father of the family takes unconsecrated communion and breaks off a piece and passes it on, to the rest of the family.  
 

Human Sacrifice

 You know how we're all appalled by Abraham's sacrificing his son--ALMOST.  We can't believe that God would request that.  Even after God stopping the sacrifice, we're relieved.  Still!!! 

Well, it turns out that human sacrifice was not all that uncommon, for the times.  People hearing this story, for the first time, would not react like we do.

Also, remember Jonah?  He was sacrificed to appease the storm god.

You just can't judge different eras and cultures by our own sensibilities.

      Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C.

Original Sin and St. Agustine

 My "cloistered brothers" and I were doing some Lectio Divina on Psalm 51.  We focused in on verse 5.

Surely I was sinful at birth,

    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Most of us, I know I was, thinking of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve, called "original sin."  Steve, leading the group, said that wasn't possible to be in David's mind, when he wrote the psalm.  It seems that the term was used and promoted by St. Agustine, much later.  

Original sin is an Augustine Christian doctrine that says that everyone is born sinful. This means that they are born with a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God. 

It explains our desire to choose the bad, the wrong choice.  Original sin affects individuals by separating them from God, and bringing dissatisfaction and guilt into their lives.

That's exactly what happened to Adam and Eve.  They were separated from God.  So, I think that affect, separating oneself from God, was there from Adam and Eve, but there was no name to it.  I think everyone just accepted the fact that we are born sinful.  Agustine gave it a name.  

Grief is Not the End

 Argonauta Book Club is reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.  I finished it in two days!  Yes, it's an easy read, but it's much more.  The characterization hooked me.  Grief is the glue that holds the characters together.  There's Tova, whose husband has recently died.  But she is still grieving over her only son's death, from 30 years, ago.  She is now alone and wondering about living alone.  

Cameron is another major character.  He is still grieving over his mother, who took off when he was a child.  He never knew his father.  I guess he is constantly grieving the fact that he never had a normal childhood.

Lest I forget, Marcellus, the Octopus.  The star of the story.  He's the fulcrum.  Both Tova and Cameron are maintenance workers, in Marcellus' aquarium. The story is how they are related.  Marcellus manages a revelation.  

Everyone moves on.  Grief is dealt with, understood, and even embraced.  Life is what you make it, and grief is not the end.

Constant Conversation

 When you have the desire to improve, to get closer to Jesus, you need to start with prayer.  Luke 18:1, reminds us that we must pray continually and not get discouraged.  Jesus told his disciples in a parable, to pray and not give up. 

    1Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3“There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4“For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

 Prayer is the foundation of any endeavor.  In order to get closer to Jesus, one needs to be more contemplative--keep Jesus in the forefront of one's mind. Try to maintain a constant conversation with Jesus.

If you forget, go back to Him.  Wouldn't that prove how serious you are in establishing a relationship with Jesus?

Decisions Take Wisdom

 
Life is full of decisions.  My fourteen-year-old granddaughter and I have many discussions.  My favorite occurs when we discuss our decisions. There are a couple of generations between us.  That means different life experiences.  

I am amazed at her boldness.  She does not just accept authority.  She speaks right up and/or refuses to obey.  She would refuse to obey her teacher, and she would confront her, right in him/her face.  I would obey, then go report the teacher to the principal.

Other decisions, we agree on. However, she things money is the most important thing, now, at this time in her life.  But that's because she doesn't have any.  She sees many things she wants but can't purchase them.  She doesn't even get an allowance.  She wants a job and would even quit school, if she could, to work.  See how the immature brain works!  She doesn't have the wisdom to make a good decision.  Yet!  Come Holy Spirit!       

Blood Red Chianti

 Murder in Chianti by Camilla Trinchieri is about a murder in the location of where Chianti comes from.  Nico Doyle moves to this area because his recently deceased came from there, and they traveled back and forth from the USA to Tuscany, often.

Nico is a retired cop, so when a murder happens, he is asked to advise.  The victim used to live in the village but moved to California.  He did very well and returned as a millionaire.  Before he left, he might have left a pregnant girl.  He believes he did, which is why he came back.  Unfortunately, he is murdered before he finds out who really is his daughter. 

The killer would involve a spoiler.  I will tell you this.  The killer was paid well.  Now you figure out who did it.

I read this book in the first place, because I need to read a book about food.

There was a lot of food, in this story.  Nico works in a restaurant belonging to his wife's family.  It becomes his family.  Actually, it's a small village and everyone is family.  It's a cute story that will keep you guessing.

The Senior Center in Winter

 The Franklin Senior Center Scribblers Writing Group is making a story walk around the Senior Center Building.  Since each sign is a limited amount of space, we decided that each of us should write a poem.  It should be seasonal and topical (references to places we Seniors would know.)  Here's my first attempt.

Over the river and through the woods
the Gatra Bus does go.
This cold weather might bring snow,
perfect for December, this I know.

My fingers and toes are cold and red.
Maybe I should have stayed in bed.
My car wouldn't start.
Calling Gatra was very smart.

I must get to the Senior Center:
Bingo, Cribbage, and other adventures
beckon me out and into the cold
for activities, food and friends to behold.

Hope Springs Eternal

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6.

R. (3)  The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
   we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
   and our tongue with rejoicing. 
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
  “The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
   we are glad indeed. 
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
   like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
   shall reap rejoicing. 
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
   carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
   carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

STUDIUM:

This psalm probably was sung in procession, while on pilgrimage, perhaps for the festival of Tabernacles.  It offers hope and encouragement.  The sadness will lessen.  Have hope.

MEDITATIO:

Nothing last forever, except God, of course.  Grief will lessen.  One even gets used to pain.  God has a plan, and we trust Him.

ORATIO:

Thy Kingdom come.  Restore our fortunes, Lord.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Jesus I trust in You.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

 A range of emotions have been washing over me, today.  I have to keep Hebrews 13:8, in mind:

Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever

It started this morning, as I was entering Mass.  A friend and I who pray the Rosary together on Monday nights, were admiring the Rosary Wall in a small room.  We were commenting on how welcoming and nice that little room was.  Immediately, we were informed that everything in the room will be going out and the room can't be used anymore!

No rosary groups, no bereavement groups, no Bible Study, no prayer groups, no Legion of Mary, etc.  No anything!  Nada~!  We all have to have our groups in the school, from now on.

I was upset.  I guess I was mostly angry.  Don't we have a say?  

I couldn't keep my mind on Jesus.  That made me even more angry and upset.  I was remembering another time, where my prayer group came to have our meeting and saw our belongings, stacked up, outside a locked door.  We were displaced by the food pantry.

That was a shock.  Of course, we could understand how important a food pantry is and would have precedence over a prayer group.  Still!  It was like coming home and finding out that your landlord threw all your belongings out on the street.

This time, the news wasn't as egregiously shocking as that.  Still, I was saddened.  Since I was at Mass, I was trying to pray.  I was focusing on receiving Jesus in a respectful and loving manner.  It helped because Hebrews 13:8, came to mind.  Everything changes.  Why be upset?  Only God is consistent.  I had calmed down, as I walked home.

I also thought of a friend of mine.  She was having a hard time at work.  They wanted to get rid of her, but didn't want to fire her.  They wanted to make her quit.  She was treated badly.  The last straw was when her desk was moved to the basement!  Imagine!  They said she would be able to concentrate better, when she was alone.  How insulting is that! Now this definitely is something to be upset about, not having my favorite room, is not.

A Lifeline for Prisoners

 What exactly should I pray for when I want to pray for prisoners?

Justice and fairness in the legal system.

Family support and unity.

Protection and safety while incarcerated.

Hope for a better future.

Healing and restoration.

Transformation and a relationship with Jesus.

Peace in times of turmoil.

Wisdom and guidance for both the inmate and their family.

St. Leonard of Noblac (d. 559).
St. Leonard was converted to Christianity at Christmas 496, and went on to serve in the court of Clovis I. As a disciple of St. Remigius, Bishop of Reims, Leonard was granted the prerogative to visit prisons and free anyone held there. He secured the release of a number of prisoners (for whom he has become a patron saint).

Consolation

 

LECTIO:              Baruch 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
    put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
    bear on your head the mitre
    that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
    you will be named by God forever
    the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.
    
Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
    look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
    at the word of the Holy One,
    rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
    but God will bring them back to you
    borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
    that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
    be filled to level ground,
    that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
    have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
    by the light of his glory,
    with his mercy and justice for company.

STUDIUM:

Only a few books speak of the possibility of the Israelites living permanently outside the promise land: Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, and some of Esther.  The first three aren't in the Hebrew canon and thus are not part of the Jewish or Protestant versions of the Bible.  Apocryphal is the Protestant name for these books.  Catholics call them Deuterocanonical, from the Greek, a second canon, separated from the other.  Baruch tells us about homelessness and foreign existence.  So, Baruch encourages the Israelites to find God in the foreign territory.

     Baruch is for a people who feel abandoned, lost--physically and emotionally.  Baruch helps the people turn to God for help.  Prayer, traditions, hope, and strength to persevere, are Baruch's message.

MEDITATIO:

Presently, my country is very divided politically.  I take these verses to heart.  Israel is at war, again.  Russia is fighting in the Ukraine.  Countries in Southern Africa are revolting.  Drug gangs in Central and South America cause people to come to the USA.  But Baruch says to turn to God.

ORATIO:

Mercy and justice are hoped for, in the Lord.  It certainly isn't here in my world.  Hear our cries, Jesus.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Don't lose hope.  Put on God's cloak of joy.

Princess Alice

 

Poor Alice, had it all and by all, I mean, riches, prestige, love, and also knew penny pinching hardship, distain, fear, and worry.  She lived through wars, civil conflicts, revolts, insane asylums, illness, and always felt isolated and distant due to her deafness.  Her story is told in Alice Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers.

She was born in Buckingham Palace because her grandmother, Queen Victoria, wanted all her grandchildren to be born there.  She was hard of hearing and I think as she got older, her deafness worsened.  She learned to lip read in a few languages, but if the man had a bushy mustache, she couldn't.  Consequently, she seemed strange, aloof, and unstable.

She married a Greek prince, but when the Greek monarchy was overthrown, the family had to flee.  She was related to royalty in Germany and Russia, but their reigns were overthrown.  Assassinations were always a threat.  No wonder she had a nervous breakdown.  She spent some time in Switzerland's hospitals, away from her family.  They were ashamed of her and considered her religious obsessions ridiculous.  She was Greek Orthodox and started an order of nuns.  The family laughed at her smoking cigarettes and playing cards in her nun's habit.

She started a hospital and hid Jews from Nazis.  Due to her work, helping the Jews she was awarded the Righteous Gentile honor and is buried in Jerusalem. During WWII, while she was in Switzerland and working in the hospital, she was separated from her family.  Her husband hung out in the south of France and died there.  Her children, by that time, had families of their own and living in different countries.  Her only son, Philip was in an English school.  This boy eventually married Princess of Elizabeth--Queen Elizabeth and he became her consort.

What an eventful life!  The book was interesting, but at times, like all biographies, had too many details.  Queen Victoria's progeny was too hard to keep track.  The author made Alice's life sympathetic and interesting.  I am happy to learn about her.

Listen to Your Body

 The experiment failed.  I tried "intermittent fasting."  It made me miserable.  I did it for a week.  I was nauseous and had a headache, every morning until I ate.  

I fasted from 8 pm to noon, the next day.  After a week of fasting, it didn't work.  Good.  I do better just counting calories.  

I should have known when it was making me sick, that it wasn't for me.  I should have listened to my body.

Christian Engagement

Today's the big day--election day.  I am so happy it's over.  I am so very tired of the election commercials on TV.  I think everyone else is too.  No one talks about it.  People are so divided that we are afraid to bring the subject up.  Personally, I voted by mail, a month ago.  I honestly don't remember my voting choices.  I am so done.

No matter who wins, Jesus is still my King. I think we have to act like Christians, in the beginning.  Think how they began.  They were Jews who followed Christ, subject to the Roman Empire.  The Jews were throwing them out of the temple.  They didn't belong anywhere.  They were a minority.  They had no influence.

I'll say it again.  They had no influence.  How did they change the world?  They stayed true to Jesus.  They loved each other.  They served the poor, cared for the sick, they took in unwanted babies. They worshipped wherever, even in the catacombs. And somehow, their witness won over populations.

Christianity wasn't accepted until the Emperor Constantine accepted it and decriminalized it in the fourth century.  I'll repeat that, too--fourth century.  

Have patience and the humility to accept that you are only doing a small but important part making the Kingdom of God.  Have faith.

 

Improbability

 You have no idea how much I wanted Louise Penny's latest novel to be good.  Her nineteenth mystery finally arrived.  The Grey Wolf continued with the same Three Pines/Quebec/Canadian setting, the familiar characters, the tense suspense was there, the thrill, the fast pace, the heart stopping drama, but the clues, I found unbelievable.

I found myself saying, "Oh c'mon!", numerous times.  How could scraps of paper mean anything? Traveling from one country to another so easily, happen?  

Then I remembered that I always think that of Sherlock Holmes, yet I still enjoyed them.  And I do enjoy Louise Penny's writing.

What sealed the improbability of the clues was the behavior of the monks.  Since I'm Catholic, I know that monks take vows of stability.  The Dominican friars don't, since they work outside their priory; but Gilbertines and Carthusians take a "vow of stability" to NEVER leave their monasteries.  Maybe they could get special permission in extraordinary cases, but not as easily as the monks in The Grey Wolf, to hop from country to country.

The most egregious abnormality was the Confession. The priest who asked a non-ordained brother to hear Confessions for him is a ridiculous scenario. That would never happen, unless the priest was drunk, or on drugs, or had a gun to his head.  A brother without the faculties to hear Confessions would never assent to do that, either, unless he was drunk, or on drugs, or had a gun to his head. Their souls would be in serious jeopardy.  Besides, what was the sin?  No sin was committed.  The deed hadn't been done yet.  There was nothing to absolve.  Just thinking or planning bad things is just venial.  

I think Louise Penny should have had the scenario of Spiritual Direction, instead of Confession.  That's confidential, also.  Brothers, sisters, and trained lay people, can give spiritual direction. Definitely, that's believable.  

There's one other Catholic thing, Penny got wrong.  Catholics should be buried in consecrated ground, not have their ashes spread on a rock.  An abbot would certainly know that.  

It may seem that I didn't enjoy the book.  I did.  Authors often get the Catholic stuff wrong.  And Louise Penny is a wee-bit anti-Catholic, but it really doesn't bother me because I love Armand and all the other characters in Three Pines.  I hope the series doesn't end with Armand dying.  I want him to retire and continue to solve crimes.  He could be chief inspector emeritus.