"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
-- Will Rogers
"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."
-- Senator Everett Dirksen
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Observations after Easter . . .
On Easter Sunday, there were four altar servers (male) lined up to serve the Mass. Three, little girls showed up and the pastor made the director either incorporate them into the already crowded group or drop some of the boys. The dignity of the Mass was compromised with too many servers literally standing around the altar.
I know that females are allowed to serve the Mass but it seems that when there are males to do it, the males should have priority. Our pastor is overworked yet his continued actions, in this regard, could make it even more difficult for pastors, in the future, to nurture their parishes. If the vocations aren't encouraged, churches will be crowded, people will wander off to other churches, ordinations will go down. It is really up to the women in the church to alleviate this situation.
Men have to stand up to be heard, too. At the various Easter readings, it was all women lectors. A lot of men in the congregation but no one willing to do the job.
I can't help thinking about how little we actually hear from the Blessed Mother in the Bible. The female gender might rediscover their femininity if they tried to emulate the Blessed Mother more and power less.
Just sharing some of my impressions during Holy Week!
I know that females are allowed to serve the Mass but it seems that when there are males to do it, the males should have priority. Our pastor is overworked yet his continued actions, in this regard, could make it even more difficult for pastors, in the future, to nurture their parishes. If the vocations aren't encouraged, churches will be crowded, people will wander off to other churches, ordinations will go down. It is really up to the women in the church to alleviate this situation.
Men have to stand up to be heard, too. At the various Easter readings, it was all women lectors. A lot of men in the congregation but no one willing to do the job.
I can't help thinking about how little we actually hear from the Blessed Mother in the Bible. The female gender might rediscover their femininity if they tried to emulate the Blessed Mother more and power less.
Just sharing some of my impressions during Holy Week!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Count down to Easter - Holy Thursday . . .
Our Holy Thursday Mass was bilingual and the second language wasn't Latin! Although the Mass and service were okay, I just wish everyone would get together on what is correct for various liturgies.
Holy Thursday is one of my favorite days of Holy Week. I love the brighness that is soon dimmed with Christ being taken away by the soldiers. Most years, I've attended a Holy Thursday where a lone voice in the choir intones, "My God, my God . . . Why have You forsaken Me . . ." while the altar is stripped, the lights extinguished and the tabernacle emptied and left open and bare. For some reason, the priest extinguished the Sanctuary light BEFORE Mass even began and had already stripped the tabernacle.
After the Gloria, with the ringing of the bells, the wooden clapper was used for the Consecration to indicate we were heading for a time of sorrow. The choir? It switched from using the organ to . . . a piano!
The procession to the Adoration Chapel, after Mass, was dignified (except for the continue use of instrumentals) but the majority of the congregation was more interested in bailing out and racing to the chapel rather than getting the full impact of the event as the altar was stripped.
In spite of the 'annoyances', I do feel sorry for anyone who only goes to Mass on Easter and misses out on Holy Week. It's like missing out on the whole story!
Holy Thursday is one of my favorite days of Holy Week. I love the brighness that is soon dimmed with Christ being taken away by the soldiers. Most years, I've attended a Holy Thursday where a lone voice in the choir intones, "My God, my God . . . Why have You forsaken Me . . ." while the altar is stripped, the lights extinguished and the tabernacle emptied and left open and bare. For some reason, the priest extinguished the Sanctuary light BEFORE Mass even began and had already stripped the tabernacle.
After the Gloria, with the ringing of the bells, the wooden clapper was used for the Consecration to indicate we were heading for a time of sorrow. The choir? It switched from using the organ to . . . a piano!
The procession to the Adoration Chapel, after Mass, was dignified (except for the continue use of instrumentals) but the majority of the congregation was more interested in bailing out and racing to the chapel rather than getting the full impact of the event as the altar was stripped.
In spite of the 'annoyances', I do feel sorry for anyone who only goes to Mass on Easter and misses out on Holy Week. It's like missing out on the whole story!
Success!
As a follow-up to my receipe posted yesterday . . .
I made it for dinner last night and it was a great success with my panel of resident gourmets - two of my children and my husband! I didn't have the refrigerated-type biscuits on hand so went with making my own from Bisquick. I think it probably turned out better that way.
I made it for dinner last night and it was a great success with my panel of resident gourmets - two of my children and my husband! I didn't have the refrigerated-type biscuits on hand so went with making my own from Bisquick. I think it probably turned out better that way.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Recipe Rescue . . .
A fun recipe that is easy on Mom, especially, after chasing down Easter eggs and children all weekend. A few minutes at the stove and it is in the oven - all in one dish. Serve with a big salad or lots of carrot and celery sticks.
BACON CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds ground beef
6 strips of bacon, crisply fried anad drained
1/4 cup onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and chopped
8 ounce can of tomato suace
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounce can refrigerated biscuits
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Combine ground beef and flour in skillet. Add onions, garlic, and brown. Pour out most of the drippings. Add tomato sauce, catsup, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper. Mix until heated through. Spread into a large casserole dish. Crumble and top with the prepared slices of bacon. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Top with cheese and biscuits and bake for 10-15 minutes longer or, until the biscuits are golden.
BACON CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds ground beef
6 strips of bacon, crisply fried anad drained
1/4 cup onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and chopped
8 ounce can of tomato suace
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounce can refrigerated biscuits
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Combine ground beef and flour in skillet. Add onions, garlic, and brown. Pour out most of the drippings. Add tomato sauce, catsup, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper. Mix until heated through. Spread into a large casserole dish. Crumble and top with the prepared slices of bacon. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Top with cheese and biscuits and bake for 10-15 minutes longer or, until the biscuits are golden.
Glad and Sad news . . .
The glad news is that over two million red envelopes were mailed to the White House in the campaign for Pro-Life. The sad news is that I have yet to find a major publication/newspaper carrying the information. A mail handler at the White House said that it was the largest mailing received on a particular topic in 35 years yet the news reporters do not find this news worthy. It used to be the news reporters reported ALL the news not just the news to promote pet agendas. We are certainly becoming a world of compromised values.
A friend told me she has prayed a Rosary a day for our current president and it has been a difficult task - not the prayer, itself, but the recipient! It does seem, sometimes, that our prayers are falling into a bottomless pit and nothing seems to 'stick'. We just have to keep on keeping on and know all is in God's Time not ours. Easier said than done in our human thinking!
A friend told me she has prayed a Rosary a day for our current president and it has been a difficult task - not the prayer, itself, but the recipient! It does seem, sometimes, that our prayers are falling into a bottomless pit and nothing seems to 'stick'. We just have to keep on keeping on and know all is in God's Time not ours. Easier said than done in our human thinking!
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