Padre Pio

Julie says: "It was a photo of him with his head thrown back laughing that first made me notice him. I thought, 'Now there is someone I could talk to...that is what a real saint should look like.'"

Happy feast day, Padre Pio and all his fans.

I firmly believe in not much

For those of you who have outgrown the rigid, 'things are either right or wrong', judgmental, fact-based beliefs of your saner years, I offer you the Alternative Apostles' Creed.



Thanks to the Rev. Bosco Peters at the Liturgy blog, who knows and oldie-but-goodie when he sees one.

(Caveat: I myself have come to see that much of life has more shades of gray then I used to think. However, I don't believe the Apostles' Creed is included. Please do not accuse me of either heresy or blind inflexibility -- at least without more evidence than this.)

Overtaken

Matt at Creative Minority Report tells us about the first time God broke through to him, though he didn't quite recognize it at the time.

[A]s I approached the car I looked up. And my goodness. All the stars. Brilliant splashes of light shimmering like some clumsy angel had spilled a jar of stars over upstate New York. I stopped.

And that's how it happens. An unsuspecting kid on the New York State thruway on a random Sunday night looks up at the sky and is amazed by it all. For the first time since childhood, believing in something not named Matt Archbold was easy, the world looked so...on purpose. And to a punky know-it-all atheist like me that was a shock. . .

I wish I could say my life changed that night. But it didn't. I had a few more months of stupidity left in me. But it was one of the first intimations that there was something more.

It's worth reading the whole thing here.

How I'd rather speak

I noticed an unusual act of charity in speech today that really impressed me, perhaps especially because one of my besetting sins is criticalness and judgment. Sometimes I keep my little critique-y commentary to myself, but sometimes (usually to my husband) I just let fly with my tactful yet pointed assessment of something that's actually none of my business, rationalizing it to myself as "honest", "authentic", or "concerned". I'm working on it, but God's not done yet.

Today, we went out for brunch after Mass with several friends. One of them is a guy who I already realized is a wonderfully enthusiastic flat-out servant of God. He was talking about a priest-friend of his who is suffering considerable health problems that are greatly hampering his life and ministry and who, despite it all, hasn't been able to quit smoking. Did he at all imply in word or tone any contempt or criticism for this? Not at all. I believe his phrase was, "It has a strong grip on him that he hasn't yet been able to break." There was no hinted implication of weakness or poor judgment.

I was stunned. In a quiet way, relevant facts were presented without either criticism or the mealy-mouthed "it's no big deal" rationale which is my other automatic response to such things.

I'm sure my friend didn't have to think twice about how he spoke because he's been yielding up more and more of himself to Christ for decades. I admire him and would like to be more like that.

Quick Takes, a day late

I've been looking forward to joining the "7 Quick Takes" bandwagon, and then I let Friday go by without doing anything about it. So, though a day late, I hope I'm not a dollar short. (That is a really lame use of idiom. Don't try this at home.)

1. I've started an intermittent series of helpful hints over at In Dwelling that will be tagged "Let me 'splain it to you". Stop on by to say hello.
   
   
2. One of my almas mater is playing the other one in football this afternoon. There is no contest for my affections. Go Blue!
   
   
3. I'm sort of enjoying living a more simple life since our household financial situation has been affected by the downturn. I would like it, though, if travel could still be an intermittent part of our lives. My current cravings (besides cruising the country to visit my kids and hitting the Atlantic ocean from time to time) include the British Isles, Lebanon, and revisits to Italy and Turkey.
   
   
4. I have the cutest grandchildren. Case closed.
   
   
5. I was reared Catholic, spent 15 years at a Presbyterian Church, and then reverted to the Catholic Church in 2004. Therefore, I'm reasonably fluent in both Catholic and Evangelical language. I've been thinking of attempting some posts explaining some aspects of Catholicism in a way that attempts to be clear to Protestants in order to increase understanding. Would this be worthwhile, or has it been done to death? Any suggestions on what should be covered? Let me know your thoughts, either in the comment boxes or via email.
   
   
6. I've been a little preoccupied with politics lately, what with concerns about choice and conscience provisions in health care and the propriety (or not) of calling the President of the United States a liar during an internationally-televised session of Congress. It's not very good for me. I have a pretty good analytical mind, but it's hard for me not to get bent out of shape and become argumentative. I hereby remind myself of my personal maxim: If I'm not required to hold an opinion on an issue or have no responsibility for an area, it's perfectly okay to delay forming (much less voicing) said opinion.
   
   
7. I wish people would stop sending mail to my house with my late husband's (or my former married name) on it. I didn't live here until two weeks before Henry and I married, which should clearly demonstrate that Late Husband never had this address. The ultimate transgression happened today: Henry got mail addressed to "Mr. Henry Latehusbandname".
   
   Please cut it out, Stumpy's Sprinkler Maintenance and whoever else you are. If you haven't yet learned who lives here, chances are we don't value the communication you're sending. (Forgetful old friends who address correspondence while on autopilot are exempted from this scolding.)