Anyone who reads my blog has probably already figured out that I weigh in heavily on the conservative side of life. Although I would much prefer a more dignified daily Mass, I do know that Jesus IS in the tabernacle and I AM receiving his Body and Blood. I do, however, have a problem with extraordinary ministers pawing their way through the tabernacle and insisting Father cannot possibly distribute Communion to 30 attendees without the threat of a stroke.
I was talking to our relatively new pastor last Sunday and he said that he is working to stop the onslaught of EM's at daily Mass as their assistance when not really needed IS a liturgical abuse. Besides the sheer numbers of willing laity that love nothing more than clambering around the altar, it is their lack of regard and honor due our Lord at the Mass. They 'make it their own' and then the priests wonder at the lack of real belief. One EM has a good deal of her chest hanging out of her Sunday-best sleeveless, practically front-less tank top. Another one goes into a windmill patomaine as she feels a need to direct people to the altar when it is pretty evident WHERE the altar is located. Then there is the EM who likes to grin a greeting, and call you by name as she hands over the Eucharist. She is veering it from a solemn reception of a precious sacrament into a meet and greet with everyone but Jesus.
The Novus Ordo does lend itself to 'personal' interpretation. Our earlier Sunday Mass is relatively calm, however, the next Mass is often a free for all of Protestant hymns and greetings, greetings, and more greetings.
The aftermath of Vatican II brought us 'ministries'. One does not help out at church but joins a 'ministry'. Greeters evolved and you cannot quietly enter a church without at least two people glad handing you and distracting your pre-Mass preparations and thought. In fact, the entrance into the church greeting is followed by a beginning of Mass in the pews greeting, soon followed by the Sign of Peace greeting and then the after-Mass greeting. My husband tried holding a handerkerchief to his nose at stragetic times, claiming by action, a cold. After about six months, he kind of had to get 'over' the cold.
You have to ponder over the lack of wonderment found in the Mass these days. I think it has to do with the loss of dignity and the beauty of the altar that all added to the awe of coming into church. Not many of the 'servicable' churches, these days, carry the everlasting hint of incense that speaks of eternity.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Nanny State!
I know the vast majority of us have never had a nanny. It seems, however, that our government is trying to fill that void we had in our lives while growing up.
The government wants to dictate what we eat when we dine out. My family and I watch our calories at home but when we have the treat of a restaurant dinner at a nice place, we don't want to menu to cut back on prime ingredients or spell out to us that we are splurging. Nor should restaurants be chastised because they use rich ingredients. The restaurants do not lay in wait for us and then drag us in by the hair and force food down our throats. They expect us to be mature and grown up about paying our bills and taxes yet go nanny state on us about what we want to put on our dinner plates.
I heard about a school forbidding bake sales with those fatty cupcakes we all grew up and enjoyed. Nope, now they want granola bars and carrot sticks. Don't even mentione using pizza for fun raising.
We are all more than aware that the government is currently taking over how we receive our medical treatment and deciding for us whether we can or cannot have treatment. Don't want to waste taxpayer money on . . . tax payers?
The current light bulb situation is crazy. One hundred watt bulbs have been outlawed and we have to use those silly curly bulbs in order to save the environment. Two problems they don't seem to want to address:
The 'curly' bulbs have a flicker and I believe it is in England, they have found it can be a problem for children and people suseptible to seizures. These people now have to get a 'prescription' to buy the old-style bulbs! Also, if you break one of the new bulbs, you are exposed to high levels of mercury. Our brave, new world!
There are even medications that are deemed too expensive even though the use of them would cut back on medical treatment. Has anyone in the government ever taken a financial course or learned to use a checking account?
When I worked in the bank, it was back when the first debit cards came out. One of the bank officer's came storming in, one day, and was VERY upset to discover his wife thought the debit card meant she could use it for any and everything not realizing it tied into her checking account balance. Seems this woman's mindset has taken over the financial brains of our 'ruling class' as they like to borrow without a chance of paying back and then just 'charge' some more.
Makes me wonder how we are going to teach our children how to manage finances when the government will tax it away from them immediately and then our children will have to borrow against an empty bank accoutn.
The government wants to dictate what we eat when we dine out. My family and I watch our calories at home but when we have the treat of a restaurant dinner at a nice place, we don't want to menu to cut back on prime ingredients or spell out to us that we are splurging. Nor should restaurants be chastised because they use rich ingredients. The restaurants do not lay in wait for us and then drag us in by the hair and force food down our throats. They expect us to be mature and grown up about paying our bills and taxes yet go nanny state on us about what we want to put on our dinner plates.
I heard about a school forbidding bake sales with those fatty cupcakes we all grew up and enjoyed. Nope, now they want granola bars and carrot sticks. Don't even mentione using pizza for fun raising.
We are all more than aware that the government is currently taking over how we receive our medical treatment and deciding for us whether we can or cannot have treatment. Don't want to waste taxpayer money on . . . tax payers?
The current light bulb situation is crazy. One hundred watt bulbs have been outlawed and we have to use those silly curly bulbs in order to save the environment. Two problems they don't seem to want to address:
The 'curly' bulbs have a flicker and I believe it is in England, they have found it can be a problem for children and people suseptible to seizures. These people now have to get a 'prescription' to buy the old-style bulbs! Also, if you break one of the new bulbs, you are exposed to high levels of mercury. Our brave, new world!
There are even medications that are deemed too expensive even though the use of them would cut back on medical treatment. Has anyone in the government ever taken a financial course or learned to use a checking account?
When I worked in the bank, it was back when the first debit cards came out. One of the bank officer's came storming in, one day, and was VERY upset to discover his wife thought the debit card meant she could use it for any and everything not realizing it tied into her checking account balance. Seems this woman's mindset has taken over the financial brains of our 'ruling class' as they like to borrow without a chance of paying back and then just 'charge' some more.
Makes me wonder how we are going to teach our children how to manage finances when the government will tax it away from them immediately and then our children will have to borrow against an empty bank accoutn.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Back to the Trenches!
Although my son THINKS he had the break with no homeschooling lessons for the past month, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who really enjoyed the time off from lesson plans and papers to grade. Monday, it is back to work as I come up with his Spring Semester work. I am, however, feeling a little premature nostalgia as this will be his LAST semester of school at home. After summer break, my youngest son will be starting college. The thought of all that extra time doesn't seem quite as sweet as it did in the days of toddlers, diapers, and first grade readers.
I do hope and plan to get more projects done along with finishing both my books. One book is complete except for one chapter which needs revising. The second book has all the notes at hand but has been organized up to Chapter 15 so far. If all attempts at publication fail, I will, at least, have a lot of memories and information for my children to enjoy down the road.
Children are heading back to college this week and we have that revolving door swinging again as they go back and forth to various destinations. Even as I type, we are waiting to hear back from friends about one, last get together before the bags get packed and the planes start taking off, again.
Time to get my recipes in better order and, perhaps, start a blog on cooking successes, attempts, and interesting links. I'm one of the breed that actually enjoys talking about cooking/baking as a social pasttime!
We've found a way to spend the first day of the New Year . . . cleaning house. Okay, we have an appointment for the annual termite inspection on Monday and want to make sure our termites are dusted off properly. Also have a roof repair to face this summer but with a forecast of more rain to come, that will have to wait. I'm not even going to tell you how much it may cost for a dental visit when there were no cavities but the dentist found 35 year old fillings that needed replacing. He didn't seem to believe me when I said that 35 year old fillings were impossible as I was sure I wasn't a day over 30!
I do hope and plan to get more projects done along with finishing both my books. One book is complete except for one chapter which needs revising. The second book has all the notes at hand but has been organized up to Chapter 15 so far. If all attempts at publication fail, I will, at least, have a lot of memories and information for my children to enjoy down the road.
Children are heading back to college this week and we have that revolving door swinging again as they go back and forth to various destinations. Even as I type, we are waiting to hear back from friends about one, last get together before the bags get packed and the planes start taking off, again.
Time to get my recipes in better order and, perhaps, start a blog on cooking successes, attempts, and interesting links. I'm one of the breed that actually enjoys talking about cooking/baking as a social pasttime!
We've found a way to spend the first day of the New Year . . . cleaning house. Okay, we have an appointment for the annual termite inspection on Monday and want to make sure our termites are dusted off properly. Also have a roof repair to face this summer but with a forecast of more rain to come, that will have to wait. I'm not even going to tell you how much it may cost for a dental visit when there were no cavities but the dentist found 35 year old fillings that needed replacing. He didn't seem to believe me when I said that 35 year old fillings were impossible as I was sure I wasn't a day over 30!
Happy New Year!
My daughter was just remembering a time when she read the book 1984 and realized it was already past 1984 as she was born in 1987 . . . and the world hadn't gone quite THAT bad yet. The years do dash by.
In spite of the bishop's 'ruling' that January first, the Solemnity of Mary, is NOT a Holy Day in this diocese, I plan on attending Mass. You have to wonder about a religious leader who actually makes life too easy on us spiritually when we all know that attaining the grace of Heaven is NOT an easy proposition! I guess 2011's resolution is for more prayers that our Church takes matters of Faith more seriously than getting involved in secular politics.
Finally, we have a pastor who realizes that excessive use of Extraordinary Ministers at daily Mass is a liturgical abuse not to mention totally unnecessary! Last week, we had about 30 people at Mass so the priest and the EM got to distribute Communion to all of 15 people each. Have to admit, however, most people took some humor in the look on an EM's face when she sauntered up, uninvited, to help distribute Communion and Father kindly gestured for her to go back to her seat.
Yeah, women on the altar do annoy me. They come up wearing their stretch pants and low-cut shirts and want us to respect their 'ministry'. You have to wonder, too, about the men and boys who will never get involved in their church because they are afraid to face the entourage of females who have this presider-wannabe mentality and a sense of being MORE equal than any man present.
Oops! Guess I have to maintain MORE custody of the eyes this coming year to avoid the circus so many females make of the Mass with their self-righteous participation and in-your-face attitude.
On a happy note, God has granted us another year to work our way and stay in His Graces.
A funny flash back to my school days when Sister said that by the 1990's the US could be overtaken by the Communists. Wonder what she would think about the US that is overtaken by the sins of legal abortion and perversion?
My thought is to take just enough of the past to plan our future. We shouldn't dwell on the mistakes of yesterday to any more of a degree that is necessary to make today better.
In spite of the bishop's 'ruling' that January first, the Solemnity of Mary, is NOT a Holy Day in this diocese, I plan on attending Mass. You have to wonder about a religious leader who actually makes life too easy on us spiritually when we all know that attaining the grace of Heaven is NOT an easy proposition! I guess 2011's resolution is for more prayers that our Church takes matters of Faith more seriously than getting involved in secular politics.
Finally, we have a pastor who realizes that excessive use of Extraordinary Ministers at daily Mass is a liturgical abuse not to mention totally unnecessary! Last week, we had about 30 people at Mass so the priest and the EM got to distribute Communion to all of 15 people each. Have to admit, however, most people took some humor in the look on an EM's face when she sauntered up, uninvited, to help distribute Communion and Father kindly gestured for her to go back to her seat.
Yeah, women on the altar do annoy me. They come up wearing their stretch pants and low-cut shirts and want us to respect their 'ministry'. You have to wonder, too, about the men and boys who will never get involved in their church because they are afraid to face the entourage of females who have this presider-wannabe mentality and a sense of being MORE equal than any man present.
Oops! Guess I have to maintain MORE custody of the eyes this coming year to avoid the circus so many females make of the Mass with their self-righteous participation and in-your-face attitude.
On a happy note, God has granted us another year to work our way and stay in His Graces.
A funny flash back to my school days when Sister said that by the 1990's the US could be overtaken by the Communists. Wonder what she would think about the US that is overtaken by the sins of legal abortion and perversion?
My thought is to take just enough of the past to plan our future. We shouldn't dwell on the mistakes of yesterday to any more of a degree that is necessary to make today better.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Search Party or Not . . .?
I have always wondered what to do when people disappear from your life suddenly. Oh, I don't mean they move away or die but just stop checking in with you and sharing trials and tribulations. I also have to wonder about people who check in and out or our lives at will like there hasn't been an hiatus in contact. I know a couple of 'friends' like this. They are constantly on your Facebook/e-mail and suddenly, your last note to them go unanswered . . . for months so you put the friendship aside and set them free! Then, they show up, again, and are constant in contact . . . until they disappear . . . again!
Greed or Stupidity?
What is it about some people who take advantage of a good intention? I dated a guy once and a mutual friend invited us to dinner. The friend could afford dinner but it was definitely a little sacrifice on his part to offer the treat. My date, knowing this, STILL ordered the most expensvie item on the menu and we are talking over $30 for his entree. I have always wondered if he was exhibiting greed over the prospect of an expensive meal he wouldn't have to pay for or he was just, plain stupid in matter of social rubrics. We parted company soon after that and I think this meal out contributed greatly to my decision!
I keep running into this type of behavior, however, and from somewhat unexpected sources. One friend invited a lonely fellow parishioner to a simple breakfast. Again, the friend was not wealthy but she felt moved to offer this other person a little treat and companionship. Breakfast is usually an inexpensive prospect but her guest proceeded to order a complete breakfast PLUS several additional sides, coffee, cocoa, milk, and orange juice. She topped it all off by ordering pie to go. Again, was it greed or gross stupidity?
Some gentlemen I knew decided to have a man's morning out and have an early lunch before going on with their day. A female aquaintance overheard their plans and pushed her way into the outing by inviting herself. The man in the group who was treating was more than a bit shocked when not only did he have to pay for her meal, too, but she ordered a complete one to go . . . on his tab. Greed or social stupidity?
Thinking about it, I'm hoping these people were just stupid when it came to the nicities of accepting an invitation. It would be very sad to think they would plan on taking advantage of people. Whether it was greed or stupidity, this kind of person will eventually find themselves lonely as second invites will be long in coming. Knowing one of the 'players' in the restaurant game, I would be very quick to ask for separate checks if she invitied herself to my table. Sad world when there is more take than give in our behavior.
I keep running into this type of behavior, however, and from somewhat unexpected sources. One friend invited a lonely fellow parishioner to a simple breakfast. Again, the friend was not wealthy but she felt moved to offer this other person a little treat and companionship. Breakfast is usually an inexpensive prospect but her guest proceeded to order a complete breakfast PLUS several additional sides, coffee, cocoa, milk, and orange juice. She topped it all off by ordering pie to go. Again, was it greed or gross stupidity?
Some gentlemen I knew decided to have a man's morning out and have an early lunch before going on with their day. A female aquaintance overheard their plans and pushed her way into the outing by inviting herself. The man in the group who was treating was more than a bit shocked when not only did he have to pay for her meal, too, but she ordered a complete one to go . . . on his tab. Greed or social stupidity?
Thinking about it, I'm hoping these people were just stupid when it came to the nicities of accepting an invitation. It would be very sad to think they would plan on taking advantage of people. Whether it was greed or stupidity, this kind of person will eventually find themselves lonely as second invites will be long in coming. Knowing one of the 'players' in the restaurant game, I would be very quick to ask for separate checks if she invitied herself to my table. Sad world when there is more take than give in our behavior.
Friday, December 3, 2010
A Milestone . . .?
After years of THINKING about it, I finally put together my thoughts and have written a book! Although I would prefer to have it picked up by a publisher, I'm thinking that self-publishing might be the way to go in order to keep my rights to the material. Anyway, I am the proud owner of a rough copy of a 140 page manuscript. I don't know what that will result in as a book format but probably not a huge book. Just have to sell a few more quilts and such to start the publishing process. What are the chances?
Must be in the writing mode as I am already working on another book. My computer area is cluttered with pages of ideas, rough drafts, and stacks of paper. If messy is the sign of a great mind, I'm a genius!
Naturally, the upcoming holidays takes time away from what I WANT to do with what I HAVE to do. Sigh . . .
Christmas baking starts next week after the freezer gets defrosted and ready for cookie storage. Word of advice: Never purchase anything except a frost-free freezer no matter how much you save. I'm just saying . . .
Must be in the writing mode as I am already working on another book. My computer area is cluttered with pages of ideas, rough drafts, and stacks of paper. If messy is the sign of a great mind, I'm a genius!
Naturally, the upcoming holidays takes time away from what I WANT to do with what I HAVE to do. Sigh . . .
Christmas baking starts next week after the freezer gets defrosted and ready for cookie storage. Word of advice: Never purchase anything except a frost-free freezer no matter how much you save. I'm just saying . . .
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)