4 Months Plus

It's been a little more than 4 months since I started going to the traditional Latin Mass. I have to be honest. I thought perhaps after a few weeks, the novelty would wear off and I would go back to the Novus Ordo. After so many years of hearing the Mass in English, would I tire of listening to Latin?

The answer is a resounding "no!". Au contraire, I find myself being more and more drawn into the Mass. When I wear my veil, my peripheral vision is blocked which makes me focus more intensely on the actions on the altar. All my senses are engaged in the unbloody sacrifice taking place. I feel the angels coming down to surround our Lord as the priest changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

I have often heard that the Latin Mass does not allow for active participation. Phooey! I have to concentrate even harder to pray the Mass along with the priest. So what if I am not saying most of the prayers out loud? How often in the Novus Ordo do we recite the prayers like a bunch of robots on automatic pilot, never stopping to think about the words? I feel more engaged than I ever did at the NO because it is not so easy to just slide by.

I also find it interesting that the Novus Ordo is called the Ordinary Form and the Tridentine Mass is called the Extraordinary Form. I know what the intention is of those names. But as we know those words in English have different connotations. Ordinary can mean the usual but it can also mean the humdrum. Extraordinary can just denote an addition to the ordinary or something that is different and special.

For me, I'll take the extraordinary over the ordinary any day of the week.

Calendars

This morning I was looking at my Catholic calendar to see whose feast day it was. The square is blank. I thought that odd since there are surely more than 365 saints. So, I pulled out my "Butler's Lives of the Saints" to check. Yes, it is the feast of St. Benedict, Abbot. Why isn't it on the calendar?

I also remember getting calendars with the birthdays of all the presidents and other famous Americans on it such as Thomas Edison and Robert E. Lee. I have searched in vain for a calendar such as this. Now we get Canadian and Mexican holidays. Why do I need to know that? If I am traveling to one of these countries, I'll check and see if it is a holiday.

Maybe I should just create my own calendar with the historical figures on it that I want. I could add people such as Babe Ruth and Albert Einstein who are icons of Americana. I'll call it the "Catholic & Famous Americans Calendar". And if anyone tries to steal my idea, I have the blog post to prove it was my idea.

American Idol

I swore that I would not become a part of the American Idol cult. Until Tuesday, I had not watched more than maybe 10 minutes of the show. Sure, I know about it. How can you not unless you live under a rock in Antarctica?

Well, last week, my co-workers started a pool. They were discussing all the contestants and I was intrigued. It seemed like a lot of fun. No longer able to resist peer pressure (and you thought that only happened to teens!), I joined the pool.

I watched Tuesday night. My first reaction is that Simon Cowell needs to go on "What Not to Wear". I mean, he looks like he shops in a Salvation Army thrift shop. Okay, I listened to the artists. I didn't recognize most of the songs but I am not really a fan of country music.

Come Wednesday, we have to give our picks for the pool. I had taken notes to help me make an educated guess. I was at a disadvantage as I was not really familiar with the system of eliminating the contestants. I had a hard time "reading" the judges.

Rising to the challenge, I gave my picks. We have to pick the bottom 3 and the one who will go. I didn't have one correct! The ones I liked, the judges hated and vice versa. The person who got kicked off, Alexis, was my favorite.

I'll try to do better next week. I think I'll base it on who the judges like and not who I like. It's Motown week so that should help as I know that music better. Sure hope they have a "Rodgers & Hammerstein" week. I'd like to hear Adam sing something from "The Sound of Music".

Ste Thérèse

When I was in grammar school, we were told the story of Ste Thérèse. I remember watching a filmstrip about her. She seemed terribly exciting to me because she was the first saint of whom there were actual photographs and not just some painting or sculpture. She was a real person.

She was portrayed as this beautiful girl who loved Jesus more than anything and gave her life to serving Him. It all seemed terribly romantic. Yes, she died young but that's because God wanted her close to Him.

Over the years, my impression of Ste Thérèse did not change much. She was a role model of holiness to be imitated. She was just all sweetness and light.

I just finished reading her work "Story of a Soul". BAM! I got a wakeup call. I always knew she died of tuberculosis. I thought she sort of faded away and died. Now it turns out she suffered tremendously. The doctor who treated the sisters would not diagnose the TB but insisted she just had a lung infection.

The infection destroyed her lungs and she got gangrene in her intestines. Her agony was intense. She said that if she did not have faith she would easily take her own life. She instructed those caring for her to make sure the medicines were out of her reach so she would not be tempted.

I was bowled over when I read this. I never knew about this. I really have a new found respect for her as up until now I thought she had a fairly magical life.


Ste Thérèse, ora pro nobis.

Stayin' Alive

I'm still here. Just haven't had time to put thoughts down. I get brilliant ideas when I am doing the dishes or driving the car. Now my mind is blank.

Glad that baseball is back. Looking forward to when the regular season starts. Still have a job, thanks be to God.

Peace.

What is the Truth?

Last Saturday, I was listening to my usual Saturday morning radio show. The host reported the story of the Connecticut basketball coach who got into a disagreement with a reporter. The way the host played the clip, it appeared as though the coach was a real jerk.

A couple of hours later, I heard another host reporting on this story. She had the opposite take on it. She was praising the coach and she played more of the clip. It seems that the coach was being criticized for making a big salary. What the first host left out is that the coach and the basketball program make $12 million a year for the university. In effect, his salary is not costing the state anything.

Finally, on a TV show, I heard about this story again and discovered that the coach was so upset with the reporter because it was supposed to be a press conference about basketball and the team and the reporter's question was out of line.

It really makes me wonder about all the other "news" I hear on the radio and TV. How often is a story distorted to make it fit the reporter's or host's agenda? Are they that desperate that they have to distort a story? Who can you believe?

I do try to verify when I am interested in something and I don't believe everything I hear. I suggest you do the same.

Is President Obama Really Barack Obama?

There are a lot of people out there questioning whether or not President Obama is really an American citizen. Let's take it one step further. What if he is not Barack Obama?

Yes, what if the person serving as president of the United States is not the baby born to Ann Dunham? No one can find any documentation on this man. His records are either not available or have not been released. Could the real Barack Obama have died (a la the rumors about Paul McCartney) and this man took over is identity? Do we have a Barack impersonator in the White House?

C'mon all you conspiracy freaks. Think about it.