Sunday, October 29, 2023

The Saturday Morning Post: Requiem Eternam MMXXIII

 Welcome, God and All...

It's been some time since I allowed myself the opportunity to post a reflection. Enough has been going on, and it's getting harder to make postings quickly. 

Today, though, we once more approach the day of All Hallows; that time in the Church year when we reflect on our own mortality by recalling all who have died. It has become an annual tradition of mine to borrow from the Wikipedian almanac and offer a partial listing of the famous and infamous who were summoned into eternal life over the last twelve months. When I last checked, my name wasn't on the list...but you never know. 

October (25 – 31) 2022 

25 - Jules Bass, 87, animator and television producer (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Last Unicorn) (b. 1935) 

28 - Jerry Lee Lewis, 87, singer, ("Great Balls of Fire", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", "High School Confidential") (b. 1935) 

31 – Peter J. Rooney, 72, American Roman Catholic deacon, cancer (b. 1950) 


November 2022 

1 - Takeoff, 28, rapper (Migos) (b. 1994) 

5 - Aaron Carter, 34, singer ("Crush on You", "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)", "Leave It Up to Me") (b. 1987) 

9 - Fred Hickman, 66, broadcaster (CNN, ESPN, Black News Channel), Emmy winner (2004) (b. 1956) 

11 - Gallagher, 76, comedian (b. 1946) 

16 - Robert Clary, 96, French-born actor (Hogan's Heroes, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful) (b. 1926) 

25 - Irene Cara, 63, singer ("Flashdance... What a Feeling") and actress (Sparkle, Fame), Oscar winner (1983) (b. 1959) 

26 - Paul J. Swain, 79, Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Sioux Falls (2006–2019) (b. 1943) 


December 2022 

1 - Gaylord Perry, 84, Hall of Fame baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres) (b. 1938) 

4 - Bob McGrath, 90, actor (Sesame Street) (b. 1932) 

5 - Kirstie Alley, 71, actress (Cheers, Veronica's Closet, Look Who's Talking) (b. 1951) 

14 - John Hughes, 92, British-born journalist (The Christian Science Monitor, Deseret News), Pulitzer Prize winner (1967) (b. 1930) 

20 - Franco Harris, 72, Hall of Fame football player (Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks) (b. 1950) 

31 - Anita Pointer, 74, singer (The Pointer Sisters) (b. 1948) 


2023 

January 

7 - Adam Rich, 54, actor (Eight Is Enough, Dungeons & Dragons, The Devil and Max Devlin) (b. 1968) 

9 - Les Brown Jr., 82, musician, actor and producer (b. 1940) 

12 - Lisa Marie Presley, 54, singer-songwriter ("Lights Out"), and daughter of Elvis Presley (b. 1968) 

13 - Robbie Knievel, 60, daredevil and stuntman (b. 1962) 

15 - Ted Savage, 86, baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers) (b. 1936) 

16 - Frank Thomas, 93, baseball player (New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies) (b. 1929) 

18 - David Crosby, 81, Hall of Fame singer (The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) and songwriter ("Almost Cut My Hair") (b. 1941) 

25 - Cindy Williams, 75, actress (Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, American Graffiti) (b. 1947) 

31 - Lou Campanelli, 84, basketball coach (James Madison Dukes, California Golden Bears) (b. 1938) 


February 

8 - Burt Bacharach, 94, Hall of Fame composer ("Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", "Walk On By", "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"), six-time Grammy winner (b. 1928) 

13 - Huey "Piano" Smith, 89, R&B pianist and songwriter ("Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu") (b. 1934) 

15 - David Oreck, 99, entrepreneur (b. 1923) 

15 - Raquel Welch, 82, actress (One Million Years B.C., The Three Musketeers, Fantastic Voyage) (b. 1940) 

16 - Tim McCarver, 81, baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and broadcaster (Fox Sports) (b. 1941) 


March 

4 - Robert Haimer, 69, musician (Barnes & Barnes) and songwriter ("Fish Heads") (b. 1954) 

7 - Tom Love, 85, entrepreneur, founder of Love's (b. 1937) 

9 - Robert Blake, 89, actor (Baretta, In Cold Blood, Electra Glide in Blue, Lost Highway) (b. 1933) 

10 - Jesús Alou, 80, Dominican baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics) (b. 1942) 

10 - Napoleon XIV, 84, singer ("They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!") (b. 1938) 

11 - Bud Grant, 95, basketball player (Minneapolis Lakers), Hall of Fame football player (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and coach (Minnesota Vikings) (b. 1927) 

13 - Jim Gordon, 77, musician (Derek and the Dominos), songwriter ("Layla") and convicted murderer (b. 1945) 

13 - Eric Lloyd Wright, 93, architect (b. 1929) 

21 - Willis Reed, 80, Hall of Fame basketball player (New York Knicks) and coach (New Jersey Nets), NBA champion (1970, 1973) (b. 1942) 

22 - Len Goodman, 78, English ballroom dancer, television presenter, and coach (Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars), bone cancer (b. 1944) 

23 - Darcelle XV, 92, drag queen (b. 1930) 

30 - Mark Russell, 90, political satirist and comedian (b. 1932) 


April 

10 - Al Jaffee, 102, cartoonist (Mad, Trump, Humbug) (b. 1921) 

19 - Otis Redding III, 59, singer (The Reddings) (b. 1963) 

27 - Jerry Springer, 79, television host (The Jerry Springer Show) and politician, mayor of Cincinnati (1977–1978) (b. 1944) 


May 

6 - Vida Blue, 73, baseball player (Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals), three-time World Series champion (1972, 1973, 1974) (b. 1949) 

9 - Edward Cullen, 90, Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Allentown (1998–2009) and auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia (1994–1998) (b. 1933) 

11 - Joe A. Garcia, 70, indigenous political activist and musician, president of the National Congress of American Indians (2006–2009) (b. 1952) 

21 - Ed Ames, 95, singer (Ames Brothers) and actor (Daniel Boone) (b. 1927) 

22 - Peggy Lee Leather, 64, professional wrestler (WWF, NWA) (b. 1959) 

22 - James Lewis, 63, singer (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) (b. 1959) 

24 - George Maharis, 94, actor (Route 66, The Most Deadly Game, Fantasy Island) (b. 1928) 

24 - Tina Turner, 83, American-born Swiss singer ("River Deep – Mountain High", "A Fool in Love") and actress (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), eight-time Grammy winner (b. 1939) 


June 

3 - Michael Sheehan, 83, Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Lubbock (1983–1993) and archbishop of Santa Fe (1993–2015) (b. 1939) 

4 - George Winston, 73, pianist (December, Summer, Forest), Grammy winner (1996) (b. 1949) 

7 - The Iron Sheik, 81, Iranian-born Hall of Fame professional wrestler (AWA, WWF) (b. 1942) 

8 - Pat Robertson, 93, media mogul, religious broadcaster, chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network and presidential candidate (1988) (b. 1930) 

10 - Ted Kaczynski, 81, mathematician and domestic terrorist (Unabomber Manifesto) (b. 1942) 

12 - Treat Williams, 71, actor (Hair, Everwood, Once Upon a Time in America, Chicago Fire) (b. 1951) 

26 - Dick Biondi, 90, disc jockey (b. 1932) 

29 - Alan Arkin, 89, actor (The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Edward Scissorhands, Little Miss Sunshine), Oscar winner (2006) (b. 1934) 

29 - Don Kennedy, 93, radio broadcaster (WPIC, NBC Radio, WWPW), television personality (WSB-TV), and voice actor (Space Ghost Coast to Coast) (b. 1930) 


July 

2 - Joseph John Gerry, 94, Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Portland (1989–2004) and auxiliary bishop of Manchester (1986–1989) (b. 1928) 

3 - Vince Tobin, 79, football coach (Arizona Cardinals) (b. 1943) 

6 - Peter Nero, 89, pianist and conductor (Philly Pops), Grammy winner (1962, 1963) (b. 1934) 

15 - William O'Malley, 91, Roman Catholic priest and actor (The Exorcist) (b. 1931) 

21 - Tony Bennett, 96, jazz and traditional pop singer ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Rags to Riches", "Because of You") (b. 1926) 

25 - Rocky Wirtz, 70, businessman, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks (since 2007) and president of Wirtz Corporation (since 2007) (b. 1952) 

26 - Randy Meisner, 77, Hall of Fame musician (Eagles, Poco) and songwriter ("Take It to the Limit"), Grammy winner (1976, 1978) (b. 1946) 

30 - Paul Reubens, 70, actor (Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Pee-wee's Playhouse, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Blow) (b. 1952) 


August 

7 - DJ Casper, 58, DJ and songwriter ("Cha Cha Slide") (b. 1965) 

22 - Vaccine, 43, musician and record producer (b. 1979) 

23 - Terry Funk, 79, Hall of Fame professional wrestler (NWA, WWF) and actor (Paradise Alley, Over the Top, Road House) (b. 1944) 

24 - Bray Wyatt, 36, professional wrestler (WWE) (b. 1987) 

26 - Tony Roberts, 94, sportscaster (Notre Dame Fighting Irish football) (b. 1928) 

27 - Joe the Plumber, 49, conservative activist and commentator (b. 1973) 


September 

1 - Jimmy Buffett, 76, singer-songwriter ("Margaritaville", "Come Monday", "Cheeseburger in Paradise") and businessman, founder of Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville (b. 1946) 

4 - Gary Wright, 80, singer-songwriter ("Dream Weaver", "Love Is Alive") and musician (Spooky Tooth) (b. 1943) 

26 - Brooks Robinson, 86, Hall of Fame baseball player (Baltimore Orioles), World Series champion (1966, 1970) (b. 1937) 

29 - Dianne Feinstein, 90, politician, member of the U.S. Senate (since 1992), mayor of San Francisco (1978–1988) and president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1978) (b. 1933) 


October (through 10/28) 

5 - Dick Butkus, 80, Hall of Fame football player (Chicago Bears) and actor (Hang Time, Johnny Dangerously) (b. 1942) 

7 – The 14 Israeli nationals killed by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas 

14 - Piper Laurie, 91, American actress (Carrie, The Hustler, Children of a Lesser God), Emmy winner (1987) (b. 1932) 

14 - Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, American child, stabbed at his home in Plainfield Township, Illinois, in a retaliatory hate crime stemming from the Hamas attack on the 7th (b. 2017) 

15 - Suzanne Somers, 76, American actress (Three's Company, Step by Step, She's the Sheriff), breast cancer (b. 1946) 

23 - Harry Porterfield, 95, American newscaster (WBBM-TV, WLS-TV) (b. 1928) 

24 - Richard Roundtree, 81, American actor (Shaft, Se7en, Speed Racer), pancreatic cancer (b. 1942) 

26 - Richard Moll, 80, American actor (Night Court, House, Batman: The Animated Series) (b. 1943) 

28 - Matthew Perry, 54, American-Canadian actor (Friends, The Whole Nine Yards, Fallout: New Vegas) (b. 1969) 

28 – Steven Zeier, ~72, American high school educator, stroke 

...and all victims of violence throughout the world. 


Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through Your mercy, O God, rest in peace. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

The Saturday Morning Post: Requiem Eternam MMXXII

 Welcome, God and All...

It's been some time since I allowed myself the opportunity to post a reflection. Enough has been going on, and it's getting harder to make postings quickly. I promise more on that in the near future. 

Today, though, we once more approach the day of All Hallows; that time in the Church year when we reflect on our own mortality by recalling all who have died. It has become an annual tradition of mine to borrow from the Wikipedian almanac and offer a partial listing of the famous and infamous who were summoned into eternal life over the last twelve months. When I last checked, my name wasn't on the list...but you never know...

2021
November
November 7 – Dean Stockwell, American actor (b. 1936)
November 11 - F. W. de Klerk, 7th and last State President of South Africa and Nobel laureate (b. 1936)
November 26 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist (b. 1930)

December
December 10 – Michael Nesmith, American musician and television personality (b. 1942)
December 11 - Anne Rice, American author (b. 1941)
December 26 - Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican archbishop, activist and Nobel laureate (b. 1931)
December 31 – Betty White, American actress (b. 1922)

2022
January
January 2 - Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleoanthropologist and conservationist (b. 1944)
January 6 - Peter Bogdanovich, American film director (b. 1939)
January 6 - Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor, activist and ambassador (b. 1927)
January 20 - Meat Loaf, American singer and actor (b. 1947)

February
February 7 – Douglas Trumbull, American film director, special effects supervisor and inventor (b. 1942)
February 10 - Duvall Hecht, American rower, publisher and Olympic champion (b. 1930)
February 12 – Ivan Reitman, Czechoslovak-born Canadian film director and producer (b. 1946)

March
March 13 – William Hurt, American actor (b. 1950)
March 23 – Madeleine Albright, Czechoslovak-born American politician (b. 1937)
March 25 – Taylor Hawkins, American musician (b. 1972)

April
April 9 – Jack Higgins, English author (b. 1929)
April 18 – Sir Harrison Birtwistle, English composer (b. 1934)
April 26 – Klaus Schulze, German composer and musician (b. 1947)

May
May 17 – Vangelis, Greek composer and musician (b. 1943)
May 26 - Alan White, English drummer and songwriter (b. 1949)
May 27 – Angelo Sodano, 54th Secretary of State of the Holy See (b. 1927)

June
June 6 – Valery Ryumin, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1939)
June 14 – A. B. Yehoshua, Israeli novelist, essayist and playwright (b. 1936)
June 27 – Leonardo Del Vecchio, Italian businessman (b. 1935)

July
July 8 - Shinzo Abe, 57th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1954)
July 8 - Luis Echeverría, 57th President of Mexico (b. 1922)
July 29 – Juris Hartmanis, Latvian-born American computer scientist (b. 1928)

August
August 8 – Dame Olivia Newton-John, Australian singer and actress (b. 1948)
August 12 – Wolfgang Petersen, German film director and producer (b. 1941)
August 30 - Mikhail Gorbachev, 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union and Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b. 1931)

September
September 8 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms (b. 1926)
September 15 – Saul Kripke, American philosopher and logician (b. 1940)
September 28 – Coolio, American rapper and actor (b. 1963)

October
(through October 25)
October 4 – Loretta Lynn, American country singer and songwriter (b. 1932)
October 11 – Dame Angela Lansbury, Irish-British American actress and singer (b. 1925)
October 24 – Ash Carter, American politician (b. 1954)
October 28 - Jerry Lee Lewis, 87, American Hall of Fame singer ("Great Balls of Fire", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", "High School Confidential") (b.1935)


In addition, we remember the many unnamed who died from natural disasters and pandemic illness. We also remember all who died due to acts of violence all over the world, especially in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

May all the faithful departed now rest forever in the arms of our loving Savior; and. through your superabundant mercy, O God, rest in peace.

Until we meet again, may the same God be with you...
+the Phoenix

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

The "Post" - A Week That Changed the World; But NOT ‘THE’ Week

 updated from the archives of The Saturday Morning Post

April 20, 2022

Welcome, God and All...

Easter should be a time where joy abounds unabated. Nature is resplendent in color as winter’s icy grip is finally released. The inner peace we so long for is within our reach…right?

If only we could let go of what still anchors us! The beauty and message of this most sacred day should lift us skyward like helium-filled balloons, and we should rejoice in the brilliance of light that surrounds us!

But…we just can’t forget.

Remember back in December, when we were all reading or watching one version or another of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Jacob Marley’s ghost, laden down with chains? I remember reflecting that I myself had developed a set of ‘ponderous chains’ in a moment of self-deprecating humor. Lent provided the opportunity to look at the symbolic chains you and I bear. I discovered things I didn’t like to see; I’m taking a reasonable guess you probably did, too. We’ve had a chance to work on those these last six weeks. We should rejoice in any progress we might be making. And we should continue working to make ourselves better persons, and the world around us a better place.

However, King David, the writer of Psalm 51 (and others), acknowledged that we have a way of reminding ourselves of the nastier stuff we’ve done or failed to do, and that knowledge is a temptation that flaunts itself in the face of the unbounded joy we should be celebrating:

---Twenty-eight years ago, Easter came and went, and my colleagues in formation for the diaconate were thrown back unceremoniously into a type of Lent as a new bishop was named for my diocese, with the possibility that our ordination would be put off - or canceled altogether. Happily, that didn’t happen.

---The following year (1995), Easter came and went, and in that week, the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by a domestic terrorist. I had been offered the opportunity to preach the following weekend on the story of ‘Doubting’ Thomas the apostle. Instead, I felt I had to shift my focus on the reminder that events like this one call us to ask once again, why does an all-loving God allow these to happen?

---Four years later (1999), Easter had already passed at the end of March. I was living unhappily with the decision to forfeit active ministry after exhausting the futile attempt to find a solution to make everyone else happy, even if it meant I might not be. But I was slapped out of that on this very date twenty years ago, when the Columbine High School incident took place. And every year since then, we have been reminded - with alarming frequency - that there is no truly safe haven in this world.

---It was eight years ago today - in 2014 it was Easter Sunday - that was the last time I could speak with my beloved Diane. It’s like I had appeared at the threshold of the gates of Hell itself. I had already been out of work three weeks; Diane would leave this world eleven days later, and my mother followed her twenty-eight hours after that.

---And we got six-plus inches of snow on an April Sunday in 2019, enough to cancel a thousand flights at Chicago’s O’Hare airport - and I had a near miss or two driving in it because at first we were of the mindset that ‘the Lord giveth and (so) the Lord taketh away’. And He did, twenty-four hours later.

---And I wept the following Monday afternoon, as I watched in shock and horror, the fire that was consuming the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France. And I prayed that God would let me perish the thought that this might not have happened accidentally. I am angered that this tragedy, too, has become part of the arsenal of thoughtlessness that divides us. 

---And if that were not enough, there's the COVID pandemic that shut out public celebration of the Lord's Resurrection in 2020 and still had some limitations on it in 2021; and its specter still hangs over us in 2022 as any gathering in large numbers threatens a surge of the latest variant - as well as arguments to the point of violence regarding vaccines and the use of face masks. My son and I have also had health scares thus far in 2022. While not COVID related, they must be dealt with. I just can't keep living 'on the edge', as it were.

---On top of this, there's the current state of affairs in the geopolitical arena, marked by the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia, and the global economic chaos that this and the pandemic has brought on (and exacerbated by the present administration - but that's another story for another time). 

The devil is still surely at work in the world. Working harder than ever, to keep us anchored and mired in our waywardness, our false sense of privilege; that we would redefine just what human rights are and aren’t, in seemingly direct defiance of God’s plan.

But I still found the opportunity to dwell on THE Week that truly Changed the World. On it I have pinned my hopes, my ultimate dreams. From the events of that one week that secular timelords would rather I forget, in lieu of all the links of chain I bear from the history I list above - as well as that I haven’t listed - that’s where God continually invests in His creation - you, and me. Had it not happened, had Jesus not come to Earth to give of himself, I don’t know where I would be. Perhaps I would not be at all. Maybe God would have had enough, and this world destroyed by being sucked into the Sun, or blasted into pieces by a comet. Perhaps we would be annihilated by aliens who are better disciples than we are; being led to their ‘promised land.’ Or maybe he would have let us destroy ourselves…

But we were never meant to walk this road alone…

No, THIS is the Day that the Lord has made. And not only today, but every day of the past and every day that is yet to come. Think about that on Monday, when the routine will start over. Are we dreading another day of this, or that, or are we rejoicing that we’ve yet one more chance to give honor and glory to God in even the smallest of ways? Because those small acts have the potential to move mountains, and call upon the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. And it needs renewing, I think we can agree on that. The Savior of the World did not do everything he did - including the brutal and senseless suffering he endured - in vain. No way! Jesus broke the prison bars of spiritual death, and has opened Paradise to all who believe.

God my Father, please accept as the offering most pleasing to you, the sacrifice of Jesus, your Son. May the legacy he left here continue to shine brightly and dispel the darkness in our minds and hearts! And may we find our way through Him, the Morning Star that never sets, to rejoice and proclaim, now and forevermore that Christ is Risen; and sheds his peaceful light on all humanity.

Until we meet again, live in the knowledge that the Risen Lord is with you, loves you, and would do this for you even if you were the only person left on Earth. 

Peace and Blessings,

+the Phoenix

Saturday, January 29, 2022

The Saturday Morning Post: A Week at 'Club Med'

 January 29, 2022

Welcome, God and All...

We are 1/12th into 2022. If the rest of the year plays out anything like the last month has, I will be looking at having a direct line to Jesus intalled in my house and my car.

I had a minor fender-bender with an overhead garage door at a local car wash. I hadn't even had the car a month, and hadn't made the first payment yet. It's covered, and the repairs will be made - but not until March, because that's how backed up the body shop is. And no, nobody was hurt. I'm truly thanjkful for that.

In the meantime, at home my son was developing congestion in his chest. Figuring it was a cold, I went about treating it as such with over the counter medication. But it wasn't getting any better. Later that week, when we headed to a local indoor track to do several laps walking, he started to complain about having to do the walking. I told him that we were not out to set any records, just to finish the course. My son is special needs and has some trouble being accurate and truthful over situations. Finally, we cut the walking short and headed home. Almost immediately, his mood improved, leading me to think he was simply acting up; only the congestion was still there. I needed to observe more to determine what to do next.

At the beginning of the following week, still not seeing any improvement in the congestion or his breathing, I called his PCP. Maybe they could prescribe something stronger to knock out the congestion. Instead, I was told to take my son to the emergency room at the hospital. With the latest COVID-19 variant on the loose, nobody wanted to take any chances. And thus began the odyssey that still isn't quite over, but has definitely proven that I make a lousy medical professional.

My son was looked at and tested and diagnosed within the first three hours of our arrival at the hospital. He was tested for COVID (current protocls mandate it); that test was negative. Other tests indicated a cloudy lung; that and his labored breathing rendered a diagnosis of pneumonia. Because of the labored breathing, it was decided to admit him. He was put on oxygen and antibiotics...and, twelve hours after arriving at the ER, was put in a hospital room.

COVID protocols are prohibiting outside visitors. While I understood this, as being developmentally disabled it would be very difficult for my son to be left alone to deal with his illness. Other patients were having to share updates on their own illnesses with spouses or family over the phone. It seems miraculous in itself that I would be able to stay with my son while he was hospitalized. However, I would sacrifice my freedom to do nearly anything, I could not leave his room. Anything I might need or want from the outside - my razor, cell phone chargers, extra clothes - were delivered to the hospital's main door by my sister, where a nurse or an aide would retrieve it and bring it to our room. They were always kind about it; but I knew it was an imposition that with each passing day made me wonder how I was going to get bills paid and conduct what little business I might have. It was a sacrifice I had to make, an act of love and mercy I would offer to the Lord. I felt like Saint Paul and Saint Thomas More, who were imprisoned for doing what they had to do. While I was definitely treated better than the two saints, I wondered how long this would play out. 

While the nurses and hospital staff were as accommodating as they could be, I knew their work load was strained. The hospital was at 75% capacity. The ICU was completely full. In the days before we went in, the ER was triaging incoming patients in hallways, according to a patient who had come in the week before us. Nurses' assignments were shifted to alleviate bottlenecks elsewhere in the hospital. Doctors, on the other hand, gave the appearance of Pontius Pilate.In the six days my son was hospitalized, the amount of time there was actually a doctor in the room with us was less than thirty minutes. Yeah, being a respiratory case they want to minimize physical contact; and given the marvels of the electronic age, chart progress can be monitored remotely. I know the doctors were not without compassion, but it's hard to see it when you don't see them.

A moment of spontaneous humor came early, whiile in the ER. It's hard to draw blood from him; a trait he got from his mother's side of the family. At one point there were four nurses in the room; one was using a ultrasound in order to find a vein to tap. I made the comment that my son was going to extremes to meet girls. That drew laughter; relief at a time when we didn't know much.

I continued to reflect that I had voluntarily become a 'prisoner' for my son. It came to me that Jesus, the Son of God, by the will of His Heavenly Father, accepted confinement in a human body for thirty-three years; knowing the outcome was going to be...well, messy. Messy enough that He even petitioned his Father to stop what was coming. But He stopped short, saying "not My will, but Yours be done." Throughout his entire life, all He knew - all He did was out of compassion and love. Ultimately I hunkered down for the duration of the storm out of a fragment of that sense of compassion. 

I asked for prayers and received them. I sent updates every morning and would pray the Rosary. My son gifted me with watching morning Mass on EWTN (the channel is in the hospital's TV feed). I did some spiritual research and discovered that St. Bernardine of Siena is the patron saint of respiratory patients. I found an intercessory prayer and prayed it. I noted that his progress sped up after making that prayer.

We have been home nearly a week, and we will turn the page into the next phase of this odyssey. There will be follow-up visits with his PCP. He's still using the oxygen, so we will have to determine how long that will continue. He has sleep apnea, something I sort of knew but now I know must be dealt with. It's a miracle in itself that i'm managing all this. But by God's grace there is a pathway, and for as long a He wills it, we will walk it together, coupled with the prayers of the many with whom we interact.

Until we meet again, may God be with you - and may God have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

Saturday, December 18, 2021

The Saturday Morning Post: Quite Contrary, Virgin Mary

 Welcome, God and All...

In my most recent post, i pondered: If you'd told a peasant teenager 2000+ years ago that she would be more a source of misunderstanding and division to Christians, would she still say 'yes' to God?

Mary, if you knew that your baby boy would one day save the nation, would you still...?

Wait a minute.

There are some things that Mary absolutely knew ahead of their time. When the Archangel Gabriel announces that Mary is to be the mother of Jesus, he clearly states that "great will be his dignity, and he will be called Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:32ab). Further, when the infant Jesus is first brought to the Temple, Simeon prophecies that "this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34bc-35).

As also stated in my previous post, I've been watching the internet sensation The Chosen. Of great interest is how the character of Mother Mary (as opposed to Mary Magdalene) is portrayed. I am rediscovering something I set aside many years ago but is staring me (and many Catholics) in the face. You see, many of the doctrinal differences between Catholics and other Christian denominations is wrapped up in Mariology. The latter group looks at Mary being just another ordinary (and peasant) Jewish girl/woman who had an extraordinary part in salvation history; and that the birth of Jesus was not unlike any other birth in that era. Mary, already stressed out at the circumstances of having to deliver her child far from home and under far from ideal circumstances, would have experienced labor pains and would have had to clean the baby immediately after birth. And a significant number of Catholics would probably agree. But early Church fathers state that in order to preserve Mary's virginity, the holy infant miraculously emerged from her womb, with no labor pains or other discomforts of childbirth.

Trying to wrap my arms around this has not been easy. Simeon's prophecy indicated that she would know sorrow. She surely must have suffered emotional pain watching her Son dying an excruciatingly painful death. There is no reason to believe otherwise. Surely someone who suffered this kind of trauma could endure pain associated with childbirth.

Infallible teaching of the Catholic magisterium is rare. The top two are related to Mary. In 1870, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma surrounding Mary's immaculate Conception. She was spared the stain of original sin so that she would be a proper vessel to bear the Christ child. Pius IX wrote, “From the very beginning, and before time began, the eternal Father chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son a Mother in whom the Son of God would become incarnate and from whom, in the blessed fullness of time, he would be born into this world." The second infallible teaching came eighty years later, when Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, body and soul.

It's a good thing I'm not afraid to bring up this conundrum, especially among men who are taking steps to broaden their sense of spirituality. In the course of a few brief discussions, I came to understand a new (to me) phrase. I almost want to avoid using it, because it has negative implications in today's 'cancel' culture. (Indeed, statues of Mary have been vandalized; the most recent happening at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. It is now that I can truly understand "atrocities" committed against the Virgin Mary and Jesus.)

The Blessed Virgin Mary was singularly privileged by God. One should easily see this, for when the archangel Gabriel greets her, she is called "favored" (Luke 1:28). When she visits her cousin Elizabeth, she acknowledges that "all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (1:48b-49).

Saint Bonaventure (1221-74) listed seven privileges of the Virgin Mary which can be read here. It's an excellent summation of how we should view the woman who followed the Lord's calling for her life. Centuries removed from this kind of teaching, I'm willing to bet that many average Catholics don't know all these particulars; or if they do, they misinterpret Mary's place in salvation history and attribute 'goddess' status to her. The Catholic Church points out that she is not, but it's not too difficult to take all that she has been to a higher level. And thus lies the source of debate - often heated - over a very special yet, to all outside appearances, otherwise ordinary young woman.

Mary was truly filled with the Holy Spirit, and the effects of this continue to this day. Otherwise, she could not have appeared in Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, or any of the other places that have experienced Our Lady's presence. It's one of the deeper mysteries of Christianity, or so I've been told. Mary has received grace upon grace. Somehow, it's much easier for me to understand this complexity than to make sense of the intricate electronic systems and programming in my SUV.

Of course Mary knew. She pondered and treasured all of this and kept it - for all eternity - in her heart. Mary, Mary, how contrary we are. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God; that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Until we meet again, May the Lord bless you and keep you...

+the Phoenix

Saturday, December 11, 2021

The Saturday Morning Post: The Fine Line Between Evangelization and Marketing

December 11, 2021


Welcome, God and All...

About nine months ago - during Lent - I wrote that I had found something different that was occupying my time. A different look at the ministry of Jesus; how he found those who would follow him closely as his disciples and ultimately, as his apostles.

Get used to different, he said to Simon Peter. That was never explicitly recorded in the Gospels. It didn't have to be; it was certainly implied in every parable and miracle. And in the process, this different take begged us all to dig deeper and see what an authentic Jesus might look like and how he might interact, thus bringing clarity and a better understanding of those words first passed on orally, then through several linguistic translations and finally into our current (and evolving) style of speech and mannerism.

Such has been the impact of Dallas Jenkins' inspired magnum opus, or great work, thus far: The Chosen. From the moment I watched that first episode about Mary Magdalene's backstory and her emotional and spiritual healing by Jesus, I knew I was hooked. I have watched all sixteen episodes multiple times and desperately want more, even as I know the general outline and outcome which must happen in order for the series' continuity and portrayal of Jesus and his contemporaries to be, in Jenkins' own words (and he says many at every opportunity), authentic.

The Chosen has received a lot of 'thumbs up' references from people in Church circles. Bishop Robert Barron (auxiliary) of Los Angeles has taken part in discussion roundtables with Jenkins and other religious leaders representing a cross-section of Judeo-Christianity. They're all appreciative of what they've seen thus far and are eagerly yet patiently awaiting more.

For me, the show has led to co-hosting a local discussion group. We ran through the first season in September and October, and will do the same for season two in January and February. As a Catholic minister, there are some specific challenges that have to be considered.

While receiving good publicity from many Catholic leaders in the United States, The Chosen has not been officially endorsed by the Church. Nor can it be. While the backstories have done much to create what authentic 1st Century history might look like, those can't be authenticated by either native historical sources or in the Gospels. Thus, we must consider them, even as realistic as they might be, as works of fiction. It's not unusual; stories like Ben Hur and the storyline of the motion picture Risen have a basis in historical fact but are not true stories in themselves.

Another challenge is unique to modern times: commercialization. Licensing and Marketing. The Chosen is what it is. Jenkins and others involved with the show's development want to keep bringing it to wider and wider audiences, and that in itself takes a great deal of creativity. Advertising, if you will, through providing messaging and branding through apparel, books, accessories, and sales of the program on recorded home media. I get easily caught up in the concept of being an ambassador for Christ in the form of a walking billboard; but not so good at living out the Gospels in the humble manner Jesus did. This in turn reminds me of the one scene in the Gospels where Jesus appears to 'lose his cool' and proceeds to throw out the merchants and moneychangers doing business just inside the Temple walls. I am very curious over how the creative staff will deal with that should it make its way into the screenplay.

There's a third challenge, and it has already sparked discussion and debate - sometimes heated. The challenge reminds me that all viewpoints (including my own as a Catholic) are missing something big. It's so big that it will take another reflection to address it as I should. That means I'll have another post, in the very near future, to put what I know together with what I've learned so far and try to make authentic sense of it. If you'd told a peasant teenager 2000+ years ago that she would be more a source of misunderstanding and division to Christians, would she still say 'yes' to God?

I attended the theatrical release of The Chosen's Christmas special episode, The Messengers this past week. It was my first venture into a theater building in two years; since before the COVID pandemic. I was indeed impressed; but not initially. I do not doubt the faith and desire of those who professionally praise the Lord through their musical ability; after all, that is a lot of what I do. But it was hard to get through the first fifteen minutes of several songs by different artists that (to me, anyway) sounded very much the same. One group, apparently identifying with the 25-and-under set, showed up in designer ripped-up jeans. They seemed to have missed the part of the psalms that tell us to worship the Lord "in holy attire". Or they thought that the word 'holy' was misspelled. But the show definitely got better as it rolled along. And...no, I'm not going to tell you what happened. You must know? Go and see. It came in at #4 at the box office last weekend, and its nine-day run (so far) is the largest gross receipt of any event in Fathom Events' history. Is Jesus happy about this? I hope so. But for those who can't get to a theater, it's been promised to be available to watch - for free - beginning tomorrow evening (December 12). 

Until we meet again, may the God of peace be with you...

+the Phoenix

Thursday, December 9, 2021

The Saturday Morning Post: Nuttier Than A Fruitcake

 from the archives

December 8, 2018


Welcome, God and All...

In some ways this Advent season began by living up to its predecessors. The ghosts of Christmases Past were serving up the same pablum again with runs of TV movies that started before Halloween, reminders of “Black Friday” specials that ran from the beginning of November through last weekend, and the same old tunes on the radio that have little if anything to do with the anticipated coming of Christ. On the plus side, there had not much beyond the usual social debate over whether to greet others with ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’, and - so far - there have been no reports of vandalism or thefts at Nativity scenes being put up wherever the bold and the brave are doing so.

I wish I could tell you that this was good news…but this season’s war against Christmas (and by extension, each other) has moved into previously uncharted waters.

-- A contestant family from New Jersey in the 2017 season of ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight is being fined $3000 per day that the lights are on this season, because of the lack of crowd control. Neighbors insist that the family pay for such control, so any potential emergency might be handled in a proper and organized manner. The family can’t afford this, but rather than shut it down they’ve taken their light fight to court, on First Amendment grounds.

-- A Virginia school district has banned the singing of any holiday music mentioning the name of Jesus - which, if taken to the logical extreme, would ban any song with the word “Christmas” in it.

-- A radio station in Cleveland started the most recent nationwide social debate by banning from its holiday playlist the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” after receiving numerous complaints that the duet sang blissfully about sexual predators and date rape. This last one spawned an avalanche of additional comments about pulling Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer off TV because Mrs. Claus promotes obesity, Santa and other reindeer are bullies, and cries of discrimination because the ‘misfit’ elf Hermie can’t fulfill his dream of becoming a dentist.

--In my home state of Illinois, the holiday display at the state capitol includes a statue belonging to a satanic cult. Now that’s diversity for you!

It brings to mind other things that we should do away with, maybe just out of spite. Who would like to stop hearing Deck The Halls and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas because each has a ‘gay’ reference? Or Eartha Kitt's classic 1953 holiday hit Santa Baby, covered in 1987 by Madonna, where the venerable Mr. Claus is seen as a ‘sugar daddy’? Not to mention the growing list of seasonal music that I really dislike!

And what about that fruitcake? Seems it’s been taking criticism on the chin for a long time.

Yeah, I’m pretty much convinced that the war against Christmas picked its first battle and won its first victory in modern times by humiliating the fruitcake. My dear departed grandmother would buy one the size of a Bundt cake from Walgreen’s every year and made sure we got it. Now you’re lucky to find one the size of a stick of butter.

The strategy has changed. We’ve grown tired of ‘keeping Christ in Christmas’. The political winds aren’t blowing as strong in that direction this year. Advertisers seem to have backed off the gas pedal a bit; maybe the midterm elections and that we had a full week in November after Thanksgiving have something to do with it; possibly the failure of Sears/Kmart and ToysRUs, coupled with more online shopping is changing the playing field. But the strategy has definitely changed, as one by one, two by three, and 4 for $5, our traditions are being ripped apart.

Traditions (small t) are what we think of when it comes to major events like my concatenated “Hanulfestimazaa.” Should my Jewish friends stop celebrating Hanukkah because the lit menorah is a potential fire hazard? Or because spinning the dreidl is not unlike shooting craps? Should we abandon celebrating the Winter Solstice because it happens to be cloudy on December 21? Or give up on Santa Claus because he can’t give us the gifts we really want? Where’s that fruitcake when you need it???

I’ve barely touched on the Tradition (big and small T) associated with Jesus’ birth. These bear great importance. Lose these, and it’s as if Jesus never came to earth. But the distracting traditions I mention (and a bunch I don’t simply out of time/space consideration) should not be overlooked. They help set a mood…and maybe, if they’re approached with true love and devotion, and prayer, can help light the way toward understanding just one of the reasons “Christ’s Mass” is recognized as one of the biggest events of this or any year.

I know it’s not easy…but please try to overlook the social debate right now. It’s too emotional, and really does threaten to do the one thing the Grinch couldn’t do. Enjoy what you can, when you can, for as long as you can. The pent-up stress of holiday preparation disappears in the smile of a child’s face. Remember that when it’s all over that it’s here and beginning and thriving because “God loved the world so much, that he gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in him might have eternal life” (John 3:16). Otherwise, we may find ourselves with nothing left but an aluminum pole, a long list of grievances, and a closet filled with ugly sweaters.

Until we meet again, may God and God's peace be with you...

+the Phoenix