My Thoughtful Spot

a universal truth?

Yesterday was Palm Sunday in Christian churches yesterday, which starts Holy Week; the last and final week before Easter. I've always marveled at the events celebrated in the Mass. We start by singing Hosannas and carrying palms, which remind us of the enthusiastic welcome Jesus received as he came into Jerusalem. Just a short time later, still clutching our palm fronds, we read the Passion of Christ: the events leading up to and including His death.

As we hold the fronds that we just used to praise and welcome Him, we are, as a congregation reading the part of the Jews before Pilate, asking for Him to be crucified. Because, really, we are that fickle. Remembering this year after year is always humbling.

Another thing struck me as I listened to the sermon. The Father Deacon who was speaking said that, during our spiritual journey with Jesus this Holy Week, will be preparing to die on the cross with Him, because that is the only way to get closer to our true selves and allow us to more fully celebrate the Resurrection at Easter.

This is not a new concept to my ears. I have heard it many times over the years in church and religious education. But this year I heard it with new ears because I've heard it in another, seemingly very different setting -- in the Bikram yoga studio. The idea I heard expressed there is that your "self" must die so you can realize your full Self and that is best done with a consistent yoga practice.

For a long time, I've believed that if a concept is found in more than one religion (i.e., Christianity and Buddhism) or two different schools of thinking, it is very likely a universal truth that we should pay attention to. Good to know that by practicing yoga I can improve my faith... and vice versa.

Christ is risen

Happy Easter! For several years, I have been fortunate enough to hear the same sermon at Easter Mass. That might sound odd to you, but when you read the sermon, you'll perhaps understand; I always feel like I'm the one who has come to the celebration at the eleventh hour. It is arguably one of the greatest sermons ever written, so says nearly two centuries of clergy and theologians. This particular Easter sermon was written by St. John Chrysostom, who lived from 347 to 407, in 400.

The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

If any man be devout and loveth God,

Let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast!

If any man be a wise servant,

Let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have labored long in fasting,

Let him now receive his recompense.

If any have wrought from the first hour,

Let him today receive his just reward.

If any have come at the third hour,

Let him with thankfulness keep the feast.

If any have arrived at the sixth hour,

Let him have no misgivings;

Because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore.

If any have delayed until the ninth hour,

Let him draw near, fearing nothing.

And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour,

Let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness.

For the Lord, who is jealous of his honor,

Will accept the last even as the first.

He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour,

Even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour.

And He showeth mercy upon the last,

And careth for the first;

And to the one He giveth,

And upon the other He bestoweth gifts.

And He both accepteth the deeds,

And welcometh the intention,

And honoreth the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord;

Receive your reward,

Both the first, and likewise the second.

You rich and poor together, hold high festival!

You sober and you heedless, honor the day!

Rejoice today, both you who have fasted

And you who have disregarded the fast.

The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.

The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith:

Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,

For the universal Kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities,

For pardon has shown forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death,

For the Savior's death has set us free.

He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.

And embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.

And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:

Hell, said he, was embittered

When it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.

It was embittered, for it was mocked.

It was embittered, for it was slain.

It was embittered, for it was overthrown.

It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.

It took a body, and met God face to face.

It took earth, and encountered Heaven.

It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?

O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.

For Christ, being risen from the dead,

Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion

Unto ages of ages.

Amen.

whitsunday

Every good Catholic knows that there are three persons in one God; the Trinity. This past Sunday was Pentecost, during which we remember Jesus' promise to not leave us alone in this world. He would send us the Holy Spirit to comfort us. Pentecost is also commonly called Whitsunday because, after Easter, it was the Sunday that saw the most baptisms occur, for which the liturgical color is white.

The Trinity is a difficult concept to grasp. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Except here, where it equals one. Add to that the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit, and, for lack of understanding perhaps, He likely gets neglected... forgotten. We often pray to the Father or the Son independently. But I have rarely heard of someone praying to the Holy Spirit.

It is relatively easy for us to picture God the Father; everyone has one. Even if that person is not the idyllic father we've seen on tv or read in books, there are examples of good fathers everywhere. Putting God into that role is not a big stretch. Jesus? Artists throughout the ages have given us millions of images from which we can choose. Again, even if they aren't accurate, we can "see" Him; have a face to meditate on when we pray. The Holy Spirit is much more challenging to envision. Like the wind, it cannot be seen with our eyes. It can be felt by blowing a tuft of hair, moving the leaves on the trees, or carrying a delicate fragrance.

Even though He is invisible, He does so much for us. Guides us. Gives us our faith. Sanctifies our souls. We believe that, at Confirmation, we fully receive all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We may have had some or all of them before Confirmation, but receipt of this sacrament matures each gift.

• Wisdom. This gift perfects a person's speculative reason in matters of judgement about the truth. In other words, it helps us love more dearly things that are of heaven.
• Knowledge. This perfects a person's practical reason -- using reason to decide how to act and to discover the will of God in all things in our path to heaven.
• Right Judgement (Counsel). This perfects a person's practical reason in apprehension of the truth and allows the person to respond appropriately. It helps us choose things that will glory God and help our own salvation.
• Courage (Fortitude). This gives a person the firmness of mind that is required in both doing good and enduring evil, especially when it is difficult.
• Understanding (Common Sense). Perfects a person's speculative reason whereby self-evident principes become known. I like to think of this one as like a veil being lifted from your eyes, when necessary, to grasp the mysteries of religion.
• Piety. At the Holy Spirit's instigation, we worship and pray to God as our Father and gives us delight in doing so.
• Wonder and Awe in God (Fear of the Lord). This gift is what makes us afraid to be separated from God, like a child not wanting to disappoint his father.

St. Thomas Aquinas taught that the first four gifts direct out intellect, while the last three direct our wills toward God. These gifts are similar to virtues but emanate from different sources; virtues are controlled by the impetus of human reasoning but the gifts are exercised when the Holy Spirit wishes. In a boat, we control the oars, but the Holy Spirit controls the sails. Before the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, they were too afraid to leave their small room in which they had been hiding for fear of prosecution as followers of Jesus. Afterward, they ventured out into the streets, teaching others about the works of Jesus. They had received the gifts of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to do that.

The one sin that shall not be pardoned, Jesus tells us, is blasphemy agains the Holy Spirit. What is distressing about this is that the Church's doctors have three theories as to what this could be. (I would hope that something so grave would be very clearly spelled out.) At the core of all three possible explanations is the malicious rejection of the impulses and inspirations of the Holy Spirit to turn us away from evil.

The Holy Spirit is also at the center of many classic heresies surrounding the Trinity and the division of the Eastern and Western Churches. There are too many heresies to discuss here, so I'll discuss the filioque... the one word that has kept the Church divided for centuries. The word and its insertion into the Nicene Creed states that the Holy Spirit comes forth from the Father and the Son. Before insertion of this word, it was believed that He came just from the Father. The addition of this word to the Creed occurred outside of a Counsel, where bishops from all over the Church gathered to discuss matters such as these. For this reason, the Eastern Church blames the Western for the insertion and therefore the division of the one true Church.

So it's almost no wonder that the Holy Spirit is neglected by us. Centuries-old difficulties in comprehension of It's true nature, difficulty grasping the gifts He bestows, and the ancient controversial insertion of one word into a Creed regarding His origination makes it easy for us to concentrate on other things. And as the liturgical year goes on, I do. But my sails are righted at least once a year... on Whitsunday.

ok. scary...

I was trying to get some things done when the title of this article on Fox News caught my eye: "Cleric: Islam Will Conquer Rome." Being a Roman of sorts, I clicked on the link. Here is the article in its entirety. It pretty much speaks for itself. Say what you will about Catholics, but I am fairly confident in saying that priests don't stand up on Sundays and talk about conquering Islamic cities through suicide bombings.

A sermon last Friday by a prominent Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament openly declared that "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital," would soon be conquered by Islam.

The fiery sermon, delivered by Yunis al-Astal and aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, predicted that Rome would become "an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread though Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, even Eastern Europe."

"Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion," al-Astal preached, "so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world.

"Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our prophet Muhammad," he added.

Al-Astal last June preached how it was the duty of Palestinian women to martyr themselves by becoming homicide bombers.

"The most exalted form of jihad is fighting for the sake of Allah, which means sacrificing one's soul by fighting the enemies head-on, even if it leads to martyrdom," he said in a June 23, 2007 interview.

"When jihad becomes an individual duty, it applies to women too, because women do not differ from men when it comes to individual duties," he said, calling Jews "the brothers of apes and pigs" who should "taste the bitterness of death."

Friday's rant repeated that theme: "Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam, and has planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam.

"I believe that our children, or our grandchildren, will inherit our jihad and our sacrifices, and, Allah willing, the commanders of the conquest will come from among them.

"Today, we instill these good tidings in their souls – and by means of the mosques and the Koran books, and the history of our Prophets, his companions, and the great leaders, we prepare them for the mission of saving humanity from the hellfire at whose brink they stand."

the weekend -- bullet style

As I survey the last three days, I realize I've been kinda busy. So here comes a big list of what we did since Friday:

• Went to funeral mass for one of our fathers in surgery.
• Bought goodies at the Container Store to help organize the bathroom. It's now my new favortie room in the house. The Container Store is right... life is more fun when you're organized.
• Lifted weights.
• Went to Angels game and got free wings at Hooters because they scored over ten runs and won the game. Steven joined us to eat my wings because I only eat the boneless ones. I texted him when the "winging run [was] in scoring position."
• Went to Angels game and got free wings at Hooters because they scored over ten runs and won the game. (I put this twice because it happened Friday and Saturday and we went to both games. I'm totally winged out.)
• Studied.
• Worked Saturday and Sunday mornings.
• Ran for 10 miles on Sunday. I haven't done that since May!
• Church. The music for the Mass always makes me bust up at the Angus Dei, which is bad, because I'm supposed to be preparing myself to receive communion. It sounds like the music from "The Muppet Movie." The Rainbow Connection, to be exact.
• Trader Joe's to stock up on protein shakes for the week.
• There's a synagogue I pass by on the way to Trader Joe's. The name is "Congregation Shir Ma'alot." I don't know what it means in Hebrew, but everytime I glace at it quickly, all I see is "Sir Mix-a-lot."
• Get rental car so that we can take in the SUV for electrical work, new tires, and repair the paint on the bumper.
• Finish editing the book chapter I'm working on.

warning! religion ahead!

I don't talk about religion much here, but tonight I came across something that needed my two cents. You've been warned. ;-)

For many years now, I have been concerned... nay alarmed at the increasing prevalence of disrespect for the Mass and other elements of our theology. Most people would label me a traditionalist, which comes with all kinds of horrible connotations. But to me it means that I think that the Eucharist really is the Body and Blood of Jesus, that Jesus was both man and God and died for our sins, that Mary is the Mother of God, Ever-Virgin, that women should not be priests, that guitars and drums don't belong in church, and so much more.

While catching up on blogs tonight, I ran across this post. It is written by a Roman Catholic priest who offered an alarming statistic. That two-thirds of people who call themselves Catholic do not believe in the Real Presence (that the bread and wine of the Euacharist is transformed by the priest during Mass to the Body and Blood of Jesus). I knew that many people didn't believe this, but two-thirds??? That is one of the most basic tenets of our religion! Why even call yourself a Catholic anymore? There are plenty of other religions who think that the Eucharist is just a symbol or a rememberance of the Last Supper.

His whole post discusses why it's important for us to dress up when we go to church and he makes coherent arguments. I'm shocked that this is coming from a modern day Roman Catholic priest, who are usually liberal and afraid at saying anything difficult because he doesn't want to scare anyone. I'm even more shocked that his bishop feels the same way. And relieved. Maybe there is hope for us after all. Catholics in general are scarily ignorant of what their own church teaches. And the reason for things that happen during Mass. The words and gestures have meaning and background. How can they not in a religion that is over 2,000 years old?

I'm not sure which came first... the sloppy theology or the sloppy dress. But I have no doubts that the two are intimately intertwined. Wearing flip flops, tank tops and shorts is disrespectful of the enormity of the Sacrifice of Jesus at the Mass. So if we're allowed to wear shorts, it's probably not as important as all that, right? It's a similar line of thinking for the guitars and drums. That is the kind of music we can hear every day on the radio. Nothing special about that. What happens at Mass is special... a miracle. To put it simply, it deserves a different soundtrack.

Fixing theology is going to take a lot of effort and time. Generations perhaps. It's likely too late for some. Fixing the dress code is much easier to do. And long overdue.

He is risen!

Alleluia! I'm so glad we can say that again! During the whole of Lent, that word isn't uttered... it's simply too happy for such a penitential season. But now that were in Eastertide, we can say it all we want... and I think we make up for the lack of saying it for 40 days! lol. The whole concept of Easter is mindblowing; the idea that God the Son died for His creation so we could be saved... wow. Then add to *that* that he rose from the dead? See? Mind. Blown.

We were also especially lucky to be able to have Dawn celebrate Easter with us! We went to a traditional Lutheran sunrise service at 6AM, which was pretty neat. The idea of starting the service when it was dark... like when Mary, Mary, and Mary (lol) went to the tomb and then the tomb was open and Jesus was gone. Then from there we went to Mass at 7:30AM. I had never been to church that early on Easter, but it was great to do it so the rest of the day could be spent hanging out with everyone.

Daniel had been preparing his Easter feast all day Saturday and the preparations continued when we got home. We were going to have a total of eight for dinner. But according to him, this was the easiest Easter to date because he was very organized and ahead of the ball by getting so much stuff ready on Saturday. It was great to see him be able to enjoy cooking more and have less stress. Although I think a lot of the less stress part had to do with the fact that I volunteered to take care of the fava beans. Those little suckers are really good but require a ton of labor. First, they come in these giant pods. Bust them out of the pods and boil them. Once they've cooked a bit, then peel off the outer shell to get the bean on the inside. The bean splits into two and one of the halves has a spine that is pointy and doesn't taste very good, so that has to be removed as well! It took me an hour and a half to do the part after they were boiled for two cups. But I requested this dish and it was totally worth it.

And without further adue, here is the menu!
Appetizers -- Seared ahi tuna with wasabi sour cream on a dicon radish slice; Cherry tomato with mozzarella inside, fresh basil on top, drizzled with oil and balsamic vinagrette; crudite with homemade Ceasar dressing; stilton and triple cream brie. The cocktail was a Spring Fling, which can best be described as lemonade spiked with vodka with mint and a hint of bubbles.

First course -- White borscht with kielbasa, ham, and onion

Second course -- Goat cheese souflee in phyllo dough cups on a bed of frisee salad

Intermezzo -- A Trio of Sorbets

Main course -- Thyme and lemon roasted capon; spring vegetables with fava beans, snap peas, green beans and mint; roasted garlic potatoes

Dessert -- Babka with krupnik drizzle (honey flavored vodka) and creme brulee.

This whole event (it can't really be called dinner; it doesn't do it justice) takes several hours, and there is so much food that there is time built in to digest and make room. So between the main course and dessert, we all played Cranium, which is always hilarious, especially when everyone has been drinking wine and is in a food coma. Renee wins the prize for the funniest charade performance of a pig -- with a curly tail. Where is that damn camera when you need it?? :-)

hail, full of grace

Today, and for the next eight days (the Octave), Catholics will celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin. I usually don't post much about religion, but wanted to today for some reason. (I realize the weirdness of me breaking my own rules, but anyway...)

I've been a Catholic for my whole life, and I've grappled with the real meaning of this Feast at one time or another. There are a lot of wrong ideas about the feast itself. It is not the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb without the intervention of a human father; that is the Virgin Birth. Some also think that Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit like Jesus. But She had a mother and father in the way we all do.

It's definitely part of the "Advanced Catholicism 131" class becuase there are many concepts that build upon one another . The first is that of Original Sin. That we, just for being human and descenants of the fallen Adam and Eve, are born with a stain that separates us from God. Many people, including many Catholics, have issues with this teaching. It just means that because of the actions of Adam and Eve, humans were separated from God's grace in the Garden and we remain separated until this day. I don't think anyone believes we're in the Garden still...

Since Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, She needed to be completely free of all sin to bear the Son of God, who is also free from sin. So the Immaculate Conception is a belief that Mary was free from Original Sin at the time of her conception. Jesus was also Her Savior, but in a different way that He is our Savior. We have already fallen into the pit. She was about to fall in, but at the last minute was saved. She needed saving, but never got to the bottom of the pit.

Introit: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garment of salvation, and with the robe of justice He hath covered me, as a bride adorned with her jewels. I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me." Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer: We beseech Thee, O Lord, to bestow on Thy servants the gift of heavenly grace, that, for those to whom the Blessed Virgin's maternity was the beginning of salvation, the votive solemnity of Her Immaculate Conception may procure increase of peace. Through Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Sources: Wikipedia, Catholic Answers, Catholic Forum

Okay. I'm done. ;-)

spiritually homeless

Very recently, Daniel and I stopped going to our church in Hollywood. To make a long story short, the rector of that church has been becoming increasingly more involved with shady business dealings and spending more and more time away from the parishioners. He has been distracted and appears to not be interested in the spiritual well-being of his flock.

Even after a group of people, including Daniel, approached him with their concerns, he persisted in his actions. He was actually dismissive of the concerns, re-affirmed that he would do what he wanted, and flat-out refused to address some of them. This culminated in a large parish meeting, which was completely mis-handled on several levels. The result of this was that the parish as a whole was fed misinformation about the true nature of the events that have been occurring, causing them to spurn and actually hate the original group of people who expressed concern all those months ago.

I wasn't at that meeting, thank goodness, but from what I hear, the venom and hatred spewed by many was simply appalling. Not only did they completely buy all the lies and spin dished out, but they relished in heaping scorn and poison on those that dared question the rector.

I don't have an idealized view of church. Shoot, I'm a traditionalist Catholic drowning in a sea of guitars, tambourines, and "cafeteria Catholics" (not a term I like, but it succinctly illustrates a point). I do expect that people who regularly attend Mass would have at least the pretense of Christian charity and be ashamed to hate "in the open." I am severely distressed about how quickly a group of people can so whole-heatedly turn against a few people who had genuine concerns about the direction of the parish and rector over the last few months.

A priest for whom I have a great deal of respect once said, "The people will have the rector they deserve." That is certainly true about the group of people who are there currently. I just hope that any more families who try to go to that particular church will clearly see what is going on and not buy into the spin.

As for me and Daniel, we are without a parish for the time being. If you pray, please pray for us that we may find a parish family that we may call home. And pray for those who were victimized in this whole horrible story.