Honorable Ads

Anheuser-Busch has been a strong advertiser during the Super Bowl. Their angles for their commercials range from stupid to cute to silly to humorous. On this day, however, these two are so appropriate. (And, in my very humble opinion, their best.)

It is reported this commercial only ran once during Super Bowl XXXVI. Judging by the snow on the ground, it had to had been made during the winter shortly after the atttacks:



There weren't a lot of worthwhile ads during Super Bowl XXXIX. This one struck the most appropriate timbre:

9/11 Plus Nine Years

New York, New York.

Washington, District of Columbia.

Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Three communities. One destiny.

Nine years ago today, the United States lost whatever innocence it had.

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and some unknown target (if others wish to speculate, let them) left this country visibly shaken.

One year short of a decade later, the physical, psychological, and emotional scars still remain.

We will never be the same. The question which still lingers is how will it change us, as individuals and a nation. The answer is still not within our grasp.

"Peace on earth" now really seems like a pipe dream. Humanity doesn't want it badly enough. Satan chortles with glee at this.

For those who believe in Jesus Christ, Who, as St. Paul said, has given us the victory over sin and death, Who is the true Prince of Peace as foretold by Isaiah, this incident strikes at the very root of our faith.

Do we trust that out of this act of evil a greater good will prevail?

All we can do is persevere. All we can do is hope. All we can say is, "My Lord and My God."

The prayer intentions I suggested in my 2007 post Remember Again are still valid.

Let us not forget. While I'm sure there will be more added this year, the following videos suggest we haven't:

A Great Deal Of None

It is a few minutes before midnight when I write this.

It is just to keep a streak in tact.

I have never failed to post something in every month which this 'blog has existed.

That is the only purpose for these words.

I also noticed it's been since my birthday since I have said anything.

The status quo is still status quo: job opportunities are few and far between, the high school sports season is under way, the first church choir rehearsal is Thursday.

I do have things I wish to say.

New posts are forthcoming.

I am still here.

Just to let you know.

Sixteen Candles Thrice

Yes, it is that time.

Thank you, God, for allowing me to see this day.

Despite the doubt and worry (and, sometimes, not a small measure of bitterness at times), I am truly grateful to be alive.

I really think that is why we celebrate birthdays. This day has a way of focusing one's attention on how benevolent and generous God is to you, because you focus on the very first gift He has bestowed: coming into being. It is a way to "share your Master's joy" just because you now exist. It is a way to remind yourself that despite "all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams," you are made in His image and likeness and are "very good".

I really only have one wish:

One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD'S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD'S beauty, to visit his temple.

Psalm 27:4

May the following days bring me abundant blessings.

Say a prayer for me.

Resurection Renevation

It is one of the most impressive religious statues in the world.

A $4 million restoration is a small price to pay.

The history of this work of art is found here.

Gone Chanting

I had a wonderful time during my working vacation at the Church Music Association of America's 2010 Winter Chant Intensive in Charleston, SC. It was what I expected and more; it has whetted my appetite for sacred music and chant even more.

Along with meeting in person Anastatia Crosswell, the 'blogmistress of Kyrie Eleison Me (while registered to be in attendance, had to withdraw for personal reasons), I also introduced myself to Mary Jane Ballou, whose 'blog Sacred Miscellany I have visited a few times. I found out later that Richard Chonak, one of the co-'bloggers at Catholic Light, was also there; I didn't get a chance to meet him. (And it was no one's fault but my own; we were sitting beside each other during the workshop.)

Self-study is a wonderful thing; I am proceeding along those lines. Continuing my education, I will be attending this. I am looking forward to it.

The plane leaves at 7:00 AM tomorrow.

Of Square Notes

I haven't added a new 'blog in a long time.

I found one which, as a church musician, makes me think.

I hope it will do the same for you.

A very charming name to a wonderful 'blog: The Chant Cafe.

Ancient Humor

Another e-mail forward from Catherine Garcia. Grin if you like it.

**********

A senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he floored it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left.

"Amazing," he thought as he flew down the interstate, pushing the pedal even more.

Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a state trooper behind him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110. Suddenly he thought, "What am I doing? I’m too old for this," and pulled over to await the trooper's arrival.

The trooper walked up to the Corvette, looked at his watch and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes and today is Friday. If you can give me a reason for speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."

The old gentleman paused. Then said, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a state trooper. I thought you were bringing her back."

"Have a good day, sir, " replied the trooper.

Bead Work

For a number of years, in a separate chat room on the website CatholicSingles.com, the rosary has been prayed on-line nearly every Wednesday at 9:00 PM Eastern Time. The person who leads uses a script to "cut and paste" the prayers while the rest read along and meditate on the mystery at hand. While the attendance is small (anywhere from 2-8 people), its impact is tremendous.

There have been three main people who lead the recitation, each with their own format. For about the last four years, I have been the third of that trio. My variation is simple--while Wednesdays are traditionally the Glorious Mysteries, I use the other Mysteries during the liturgical cycle: Joyful during Advent and Christmas, Luminous before Lent, and Sorrowful during Lent and Holy Week.

While I keep Wednesday nights open on my schedule, sometimes conflicts cause me not to be there. Right now, I am the only one who does this. There are times I would like to share this privilege, but no one seemingly is interested in sharing the role.

About a month ago, I received this e-mail from one of the regulars (edited for clarity). It is a reminder to me that what I do is not a burden:

I was speaking to a friend. I was a little depressed right now, with the second anniversary of my wife's death approaching. He sent me this. I read it a short time after the Rosary last night; it filled me with a happiness and a sense of awe. I hope you can pass it on to others if you ever see a time it is needed.

The Power of Prayer--ESPECIALLY THE ROSARY!

Another testimony to the grace this devotion bestows:

++++++++++

The Rosary: Simply Amazing

Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week long series of business meetings and seminars and now he sank gratefully into his seat ready for the flight home to Kansas City, Kansas. As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat.

Jim craned his head to see what was happening and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, and the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he'd seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa!

As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed. "The decades represented various areas of the world," Mother Teresa told him later and added, "I pray for the poor and dying on each continent."

The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude.

Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an "aura". As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze.

"Young man," she inquired, "do you say the rosary often?"

"No, not really," he admitted.

She took his hand, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. "Well, you will now." And she dropped her rosary into his palm.

An hour later, Jim entered the Kansas City airport where he was met by his wife, Ruth. "What in the world?" Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand.

They kissed and Jim described his encounter.

Driving home, he said. "I feel as if I met a true sister of God."

Nine months later, Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she'd been told she had ovarian cancer. "The doctor says it's a tough case," said Connie, "but I'm going to fight it. I won't give up."

Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa's rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, "Keep it with you, Connie. It may help."

Although Connie wasn't Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. "Thank you," she whispered. "I hope I can return it."

More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time her face was glowing. She hurried toward him and handed him the rosary. "I carried it with me all year," she said. "I've had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did a second-look surgery, and the tumor's gone. Completely!" Her eyes met Jim's. "I knew it was time to give the rosary back."

In the fall of 1987, Ruth's sister, Liz, fell into a deep depression after her divorce. She asked Jim if she could borrow the rosary; and when he sent it, she hung it over her bedpost in a small velvet bag. "At night I held on to it, just physically held on. I was so lonely and afraid," she says, "yet when I gripped that rosary, I felt as if I held a loving hand."

Gradually, Liz pulled her life together, and she mailed the rosary back. "Someone else may need it," she said.

Then one night in 1988, a stranger telephoned Ruth. She'd heard about the rosary from a neighbor and asked if she could borrow it to take to the hospital where her mother lay in a coma. The family hoped the rosary might help their mother die peacefully.

A few days later, the woman returned the beads. "The nurses told me a coma patient can still hear," she said, "so I explained to my mother that I had Mother Teresa's rosary and that when I gave it to her, she could let go; it would be all rosary in her hand. Right away, we saw her face relaxed. The lines smoothed out until she looked so peaceful, so young. A few minutes later, she was gone." Fervently, the woman gripped Ruth's hands. "Thank you."

Is there special power in those humble beads? Or is the power of the human spirit simply renewed in each person who borrows the rosary? Jim only knows that requests continue to come, often unexpectedly. He always responds though, whenever he lends the rosary, "When you're through needing it, send it back. Someone else may need it."

Jim's own life has changed, too, since his unexpected meeting on the airplane. When he realized Mother Teresa carries everything she owns in a small bag, he made an effort to simplify his own life. "I try to remember what really counts - not money or titles or possessions, but the way we love others," he says.

++++++++++

To Jesus through Mary.

2010 Easter Card

"Why do you search for the Living One among the dead? He is not here; he has been raised up."

Luke 24:5b-6a

May the Living One bring you abundant live, eternal love, and everlasting peace.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter!