Saturday, May 03, 2003

Countdown continuing..
22 days until St. Philip's Day....
Yikes !
According to this my systematizing quotient is 22, or close to the average for women. However, my empathizing quotient is only 17 ! Most women score about 47 .....
Another Internet quiz

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)High
Level 2 (Lustful)Very Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)Very Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test


How sweet ...
Chris from Rosa Mystica and Jenny from The Catholic Nerd Blog have begun an engagement blog...... Let's Just Elope Already .


For Saturday...

Prayer for the Intercession of Our Lady of the Oratory, the Madonna of Vallicella

Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, who does protect your faithful in difficult times and who showed yourself to be Mother of St. Philip Neri and his disciples, we who are gathered around your miraculous image ask you humbly to obtain for us from your Son the Spirit of Life; let us pass unharmed in the presence of the ancient tempter; protect us from material and spiritual evils; let us journey toward our heavely home with burning hearts, and following our father, Philip, may we always conserve within us a love for the Eucharist and filial trust in you.
We most especially entrust to you the Church in Rome, in order that is may be respendent with the light of the Risen Christ; protect the Pope, the bishops, the priests, religious men and women and all the holy people of God, and help us so that, following your example, we may respond swiftly and generously to the word of the Lord. Amen.


If you are wondering what the 'image' mentioned in the prayer is, click here.
The Feast of Sts. Philip and James, Apostles
is today. There is information on them here and here .

Friday, May 02, 2003

Getting there...
23 days until St. Philip's Day....
Interesting article...
on male-female relations as exemplified by Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, with the estrangement of the Ents and Entwives discussed as counterpoint, here.
As if we needed more proof
that Western society really is going to you-know-where in a handbasket. Link obtained from Kairos.



The Feast of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
is today. There is information on him here.

"And royal-hearted Athanase,
With Paul's own mantle blest."
- Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O. , The Greek Fathers

The Venerable had a great devotion to all the Fathers, but it seems that St. Athanasius was his favorite. He translated treatises by the saint, and also referred to him in other works. When one of the Venerable's nephews was born on a May 2nd, he was thrilled, and begged his sister and her husband to name the baby Athanasius.
They named him Herbert. At least Athanasius would have been interesting....
( Note: This was before the Venerable became Catholic-his sisters stopped speaking to him after his reception into the Church. One never reconciled with him, the other came around about twenty years later.)








Thursday, May 01, 2003

Continuing countdown...
24 days until St. Philip's Day....
Added two blogs to my links...
I should have added Fr. Bryce Sibley's A Saintly Salmagundi a while ago. And I was just sent notice of a new blog called The Southfarthing Soapbox. Now, how could I possibly resist a blog with that title ?



The Queen of Seasons
(A Song for an inclement May.)

by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

All is divine
which the Highest has made,
Through the days that He wrought,
till the day when He stay'd;
Above and below,
within and around,
From the centre of space,
to its uttermost bound.


In beauty surpassing
the Universe smiled,
On the morn of its birth,
like an innocent child,
Or like the rich bloom
of some delicate flower;
And the Father rejoiced
in the work of His power.

Yet worlds brighter still,
and a brighter than those,
And a brighter again,
He had made, had He chose;
And you never could name
that conceivable best,
To exhaust the resources
the Maker possess'd.

But I know of one work
of His Infinite Hand,
Which special and singular
ever must stand;
So perfect, so pure,
and of gifts such a store,
That even Omnipotence
ne'er shall do more.

The freshness of May,
and the sweetness of June,
And the fire of July
in its passionate noon,
Munificent August,
September serene,
Are together no match
for my glorious Queen.

O Mary, all months
and all days are thine own,
In thee lasts their joyousness,
when they are gone;
And we give to thee May,
not because it is best,
But because it comes first,
and is pledge of the rest.

The Oratory.
1850.
This hits a bit too close to home...
especially the 'short and stout' part !


You are a Pug! A brave little person who is always
willing to make new friends. Short and stout,
but that doesn't keep you from giving it your
all. Keep up the good work!


Which Breed Of Dog Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

UPDATE: I removed the picture part, since it wasn't working anyway.

Thanks to Gregg the Obscure for the link.



Lane Core
blogged about C.S. Lewis and the Professor.
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
is today. There is information on Our Lord's adoptive father here .
Prayer for all workers are appropriate today, and prayers for all those seeking employment (including your humble scribe) would be appreciated.

Wednesday, April 30, 2003

25 days
until St. Philip's Day....
Now this is just getting completely out of hand...
The mini-balrogs are multiplying. These are misspellings of Tolkienean words, found in fanfiction or other Tolkien-related articles posted on the web. The enterprising lady known as "Camilla Sandman" has taken to collecting these, and the list that I linked to above is hers.
Some are understandable as being simple typos. ("Esel", "Thédred", "Denthor"). However, I look at many of them, and simply shake my head. "Kazadoom" ? "Theodorin" ? "Periguin" ? "Marroiodiac" ? What are these people thinking ?

I do admit, one new one did crack me up- a possible home for all mini-balrogs- "Muddle-urth" !

Mr. William Cork
was kind enough to post about my little rant yesterday, and to add some links as well.

Chuckling away ...
at this picture I came across over at Tolkien Online .



Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Creeping up on it...
26 days until St. Philip's Day....
Am I becoming contagious ?
I hope so.
I noticed a quote from the Venerable on affliction at Summa Minutiae . I saw another at Nota Bene eariler this week. (No direct link available- See post for April 28, entitled " The relationship between the Resurrection and the Eucharist, as described by Cardinal Newman")

Now if this keeps spreading, maybe a critical mass of Venerable Newman awareness will be reached soon. Then millions of prayers for his canonization will soar heavenward, miracle reports will flood in, several will be confirmed, and he will be proclaimed a saint forthwith.

Just let me keep dreaming... sigh....



The Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
is today. There is information on her here. It is also the feast of St. Peter Martyr, O.P. . Congratulations to all the Dominicans out there on the feasts of these two great saints of their order.




Monday, April 28, 2003

Slowly getting there...
27 days until St. Philip's Day....
On relics and relic distribution
Over at Amy Welborn's blog, there a post about a disgrunltled ex-employee of an oncologist who alleges that her employer distributed slides with samples of the late Cardinal Cooke's blood to devotees of Cooke's canonization cause. ( No direct link available. Please check under "Thursday, April 24" . )

Does anyone know what happened in the case ? Does the American legal system have a position on the ancient Catholic practice of venerating relics ? I believe that giving out relics, third-class ones particularly, is often a part of a canonization cause. ( I once found a card with a third-class relic of "Blessed Martin de Porres" tucked into a volume I had purchased at a Catholic used-book store. ) Do any of the Catholic lawyers out there have the answers ?

Of course, living in Pittsburgh, home of St. Anthony's Chapel , I have a certain fondness for this practice many find so "P.O.D.", as Fr. Sibley would put it. The Pittsburgh Oratory has three first-class relics of St. Philip Neri, including one which is simultaneously a second-class relic of Pope St. Pius X . They also have a first-class relic of Venerable Newman (hair), and three second-class relics of him (two letters and one of his cassocks).

As for what the Venerable himself thought of relics, click here , and here .
.





Sunday, April 27, 2003

Continuing countdown...
28 days until St. Philip's Day......
The Sunday in the Octave of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
is today. There is information on the Feast, and on the Divine Mercy devotions, here.

Lane Core has links to sermons by the Venerable Newman for the continuing Easter season here.