5 videos from the classic "Father Guido Sarducci" (aka Don Novello)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Dust in the wind - cries from the Ukraine
This day started out in a sad way for me. I've been following the riots in the Malay peninsula, where young Muslims are destroying and vandalizing Christian Churches as a result of a lawsuit denying government claims for 'Allah' as exclusively the name of God in Islam. So, it was fitting that I read an email from my dear friend Lori in Honduras, with a memorial to all of those who suffer when society turns to violence and/or war. Thank you, dear friend! We all need to remember, to cry, and to pray...
=========
This video shows the winner of " Ukraine’s Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.
Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch, the images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.
The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
Kseniya Simonova says: I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand is my way, the art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment.
She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears. She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier. This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house. In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Joyful Again!
This is the 6th Christmas without David & for the first time I participated again.
I listened to Christmas music & I could hear him singing those songs and I was thankful that I could still remember and that the memories of fun and love and joy overshadowed the pain and empiness of not having him here.
I put up a tree and decorated it with many of his homemade & store bought onaments. It was so wonderful to have those flashes of memory back to the first time I ever saw those treasures and how he would ask every year if I was going to hang them again ...and I would say yes. No matter how the tree looked in the end ... David would always stand back and give me all the credit on how beautiful it was this year. He would find just one little thing i did differently and really imbelish on the genius I had in doing this or that ... makes me smile just remembering again now.
I participated in gift exchanges and I could feel his excitement at gift exchange (and purchase time). David was such a thoughtful gift giver and such an appreciative reciever. He made everyone feel like their gift was the most important and perfect.
Yes, I felt pangs envy for families as I watched them creating thier treasured memories, but more often I found myself celebrating quietly for them. I kept reembering how blessed I am to have 23 years of magical moments to call up in my mind and heart.
David loved it when I was happy. He was at his best when the masses were having fun, celebrating, singing, and just "hanging out" together ... remembering is good.....when the time is right ....for me it was 6 years ....
I listened to Christmas music & I could hear him singing those songs and I was thankful that I could still remember and that the memories of fun and love and joy overshadowed the pain and empiness of not having him here.
I put up a tree and decorated it with many of his homemade & store bought onaments. It was so wonderful to have those flashes of memory back to the first time I ever saw those treasures and how he would ask every year if I was going to hang them again ...and I would say yes. No matter how the tree looked in the end ... David would always stand back and give me all the credit on how beautiful it was this year. He would find just one little thing i did differently and really imbelish on the genius I had in doing this or that ... makes me smile just remembering again now.
I participated in gift exchanges and I could feel his excitement at gift exchange (and purchase time). David was such a thoughtful gift giver and such an appreciative reciever. He made everyone feel like their gift was the most important and perfect.
Yes, I felt pangs envy for families as I watched them creating thier treasured memories, but more often I found myself celebrating quietly for them. I kept reembering how blessed I am to have 23 years of magical moments to call up in my mind and heart.
David loved it when I was happy. He was at his best when the masses were having fun, celebrating, singing, and just "hanging out" together ... remembering is good.....when the time is right ....for me it was 6 years ....
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Small Journey with Mary - the Pieta
I don't tell this story often, and then usually only to fellow Catholics, but it is Christmas Eve and a rather sad one in some ways for my second son, so I feel the need to share with him just how very special he is.When I was a tiny girl living in Chicago IL USA, I heard about the Worlds Fair scheduled to be in New York in 1964-1965. They were actually going to let the beautiful Pieta of Michelangelo leave Italy to come! I prayed that I might have the chance to see it... and forgot about it.
...Until the day that I stood in front of the statue in 1965. Somehow, my father had been transferred by his company to New York. Just for that one year. And there I was. And there it was.
I cried, because I remembered my prayer. I remembered speaking with heaven and giving thanks, and promising that I would look very carefully and remember ever single line since I knew how special this was, and knew that I might never have that chance again. But still I did pray, that if it ever might be possible, that I might have the privilege some day to see that beautiful work again. And, having made the prayer, I forgot all about it.
Twenty-seven years later, these memories flooded back as I stood before the Pieta once again in Rome. I was there with my husband, a good man but not a Catholic, and the father of my son. We had wanted to take a trip together and everything was set to go to Jamaica, but we booked instead a package for the same cost for London and Rome. The trip was because our marriage was in a rough spot. The whole week before that moment, while we were not fighting we might as well have been apart since we acted like strangers.
And suddenly, there I was. And there it was. And I was so grateful that I had taken such care to remember every line, because now it was behind the Plexiglas to keep a second vandal from damaging it like the first one had. The tears really came this time, the pride in my own heart was softened. With the memories and the prayerful conversation, I begged that we might be granted a second child...and we were, that very evening.
But the story does not end there either. When the child was only six months old, my husband was diagnosed with a fatal cancer. Out of nowhere, a small Pieta came to my home that I still treasure. Our Mother's love not only sustained us during that time, she also deigned to teach me so that I could help his mother, a girl who had lost her own father young and now was losing her only son. At the same time, both Our Mother and our sister Faustina sent saints both from heaven and earth who helped my husband to accept Our Lord before he died.
Thank you again, sweet Virgin! Love you more than anything, little Spud!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Is EWTN a 'Catholic' television station?
"...This is once again another example of why you should not trust the 'news' stories on EWTN. It is not a good source of Catholic information..."
~Bishop William Murphy of Long Island,
from a letter to an EWTN viewer who called in to the Arroyo show (see below audio).
I'm active in supporting the pro-life movement here, but have become increasingly alarmed as I watch more of my fellow Catholics embracing extremist views of those allied with us in that cause. I watch good Catholics buying into 'Rapture' theologies, Bible literalism, and creationism pseudo-science, for example. A great many hold opinions contrary to the letter and spirit of Catholic social teachings. I've become especially concerned because more and more people embrace the authority of GOP politicians and evangelical leaders over their own bishops. What's really appalling is that those who do so are often extremely conservative Catholics who give a lot of lip service to the Magisterium of the Church and authoritative teaching.
Catholics take up a special collection today for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. I love the CCHD, as it's the social justice arm of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Council--I even put in my envelope early. They are very active and effective in fighting poverty in the U.S.
So, I was very surprised when our Bishops' annual meeting earlier this week mentioned allegations that they subsidized groups of questionable character. I was even more shocked and appalled when I heard that EWTN World Over Live show publicized this 'CCHD scandal' and actively encouraged people to boycott the collection:
AUDIO (CCHD story is introduced at about the 32-minute mark):
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/dload1.asp?audiofile=wo_11132009.mp3&source=file_index.asp&seriesID=-6892288&T1=2
I stopped watching EWTN about 7 years ago except for chaplet and coverage of special liturgies. This Ray Arroyo isn't very well-informed, is he? Nor is he a journalist. To his credit, he does expose this Bellarmine ministry for what it is: a self-appointed apostolate who put up a couple of websites for $50. Arroyo very obviously doesn't know who and what CCHD is, & he repeats serious charges ("great evils being promoted") on very flimsy evidence.
From a Facebook group of very conservative Catholics (the 'voting for Obama was a mortal sin' crowd) discussing the issue, I was referred to links on a major lay pro-life site, American Life League http://www.all.org/article.php?id=12307 , a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n_YseZ7Cog from another lay group called 'Real Catholic TV', the original accusations by Bellarmine 'ministry' at their site, and a boycott CCHD site they founded.
When I looked into it, every allegation is or has been investigated. Several accusations in the past were examined and dismissed as unfounded. CCHD funds over 250 projects and have investigated & defunded 3 or 1.2%. The vast majority of the issues critics raise are guilt-by-association. They've got a big list with lots of red ink and bold type...BUT. The first one says to damn one IL group we fund because someone we don't like also uses their services. (Shouldn't we be complimented that we're working with such a reputable organization that even our 'enemies' are comfortable referring people there?) Another huge list condemns anyone associated who takes money from 'Center for Community Change', your typical, large left-wing do-gooders coalition who hold a lot of repugnant opinions but also support many good causes.
The allegations are as credible as one of Glen Beck's conspiracy wet dreams.
Each and every program that the CCHD sponsors must be signed off by the bishop of the see in which they operate. I think that a bishop's staff, who are all people who live and worship in the diocese, would be in a better position to evaluate programs in his diocese than 'some guy' noodling on the Internet.
No doubt the continued noise machine will force termination of even more of these friend of my friend of my friend connections, as our bishops' work must be above reproach, but I pray that some sanity and basic justice may reign.
============
Bishop Morin calls claims against CCHD's work 'outrageous'
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0905104.htm
The coupon campaign described in the news article above is shameful and scandalous. Interesting that I'm not the only one who has noticed that these criticisms come mostly from those who are "simply are not in favor of the church's social teaching."
~Bishop William Murphy of Long Island,
from a letter to an EWTN viewer who called in to the Arroyo show (see below audio).
I'm active in supporting the pro-life movement here, but have become increasingly alarmed as I watch more of my fellow Catholics embracing extremist views of those allied with us in that cause. I watch good Catholics buying into 'Rapture' theologies, Bible literalism, and creationism pseudo-science, for example. A great many hold opinions contrary to the letter and spirit of Catholic social teachings. I've become especially concerned because more and more people embrace the authority of GOP politicians and evangelical leaders over their own bishops. What's really appalling is that those who do so are often extremely conservative Catholics who give a lot of lip service to the Magisterium of the Church and authoritative teaching.
Catholics take up a special collection today for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. I love the CCHD, as it's the social justice arm of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Council--I even put in my envelope early. They are very active and effective in fighting poverty in the U.S.
So, I was very surprised when our Bishops' annual meeting earlier this week mentioned allegations that they subsidized groups of questionable character. I was even more shocked and appalled when I heard that EWTN World Over Live show publicized this 'CCHD scandal' and actively encouraged people to boycott the collection:
AUDIO (CCHD story is introduced at about the 32-minute mark):
http://www.ewtn.com/vondem
I stopped watching EWTN about 7 years ago except for chaplet and coverage of special liturgies. This Ray Arroyo isn't very well-informed, is he? Nor is he a journalist. To his credit, he does expose this Bellarmine ministry for what it is: a self-appointed apostolate who put up a couple of websites for $50. Arroyo very obviously doesn't know who and what CCHD is, & he repeats serious charges ("great evils being promoted") on very flimsy evidence.
From a Facebook group of very conservative Catholics (the 'voting for Obama was a mortal sin' crowd) discussing the issue, I was referred to links on a major lay pro-life site, American Life League http://www.all.org/article
When I looked into it, every allegation is or has been investigated. Several accusations in the past were examined and dismissed as unfounded. CCHD funds over 250 projects and have investigated & defunded 3 or 1.2%. The vast majority of the issues critics raise are guilt-by-association. They've got a big list with lots of red ink and bold type...BUT. The first one says to damn one IL group we fund because someone we don't like also uses their services. (Shouldn't we be complimented that we're working with such a reputable organization that even our 'enemies' are comfortable referring people there?) Another huge list condemns anyone associated who takes money from 'Center for Community Change', your typical, large left-wing do-gooders coalition who hold a lot of repugnant opinions but also support many good causes.
The allegations are as credible as one of Glen Beck's conspiracy wet dreams.
Each and every program that the CCHD sponsors must be signed off by the bishop of the see in which they operate. I think that a bishop's staff, who are all people who live and worship in the diocese, would be in a better position to evaluate programs in his diocese than 'some guy' noodling on the Internet.
No doubt the continued noise machine will force termination of even more of these friend of my friend of my friend connections, as our bishops' work must be above reproach, but I pray that some sanity and basic justice may reign.
============
Bishop Morin calls claims against CCHD's work 'outrageous'
http://www.catholicnews.co
The coupon campaign described in the news article above is shameful and scandalous. Interesting that I'm not the only one who has noticed that these criticisms come mostly from those who are "simply are not in favor of the church's social teaching."
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)