Snow Angel

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Snowbound today I watched a few of the neighborhood kids wrestle with their dawg in our lil' Winter wonderland, and the image reminded me of the pic here.

This puppy was how God answered to me that oh so common question
"but Lord, how can you love me?"

The first time I puppy-sat this adorable mutt, he piddled on my bed, took a dump on just about every rug in my house, and chewed up my cherished Thin Lizzy "Live and Dangerous" album (back then not yet released on CD). Each time I was more than a tad annoyed, even a lil' tempted towards muttricide, but did I hate him for what he did? . . .Nope, I just said "ugh, that's what pups do".

"Forgiven them Father for they know not what they do" popped into my head, as I realized that a human is far closer to a dog (some more than others), than man is related to God.

Is God annoyed at our sins, our selfish "me-first" attitudes, our callous hearts? you betcha!
has He ever, in all our dirty disgusting deeds, hated us? Nope, can't do it . . .and folks, He never will

He loves you,
He loves you,
He loves you!

and if ya doubt it, just remember He even loves me, and there ain't ever been a more worthless and truly unlovable piece of dung than this silly blogger, but the Creator of the Universe does in fact love me completely, and even hung beaten and bloodied on a cross to let me know how much.

Now back to the pup, he also brought me so much joy when we played together, or ran together, or when he just let me let him pet him as I read a book, just as we bring God joy when we play with Him, run with Him, or just rest in His presence.
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O'Reilly : Super Bowl Ad with Tim Tebow

Bauer channeling Sanger?

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"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that."
South Carolina's lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer

While I naturally find this kind of statement a tad sickening, especially as I might have said something similar in my atheist/libertarian days, I do wonder how many of the pro-abortion Democrats who are soap-boxing it up for the cameras realize that these words are tame when compared to their hero Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood).

Miss Sanger's goal had little to do with Choice, and much more to do with "weeding out the inferior"(Margaret Sanger in Pivot of Civilization), or "solving the Negro problem". At least Lt.Gov Bauer was only referring to the more shiftless of our lower rent extended family, while the abortion Queen wanted to see anyone beneath her to be eliminated . . .including yer friend D'art here, as she was hoping Eugenics would help rid the world of us "dirty Catholics".

I can't help but think if Mr. Bauer would have offered contraceptives and free abortions he might have been applauded.

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Who Paints Better Than God?

To Say Nothing . . .with Love

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Until two days before her death Therese wished to be alone at night; however, notwithstanding her entreaties, the infirmarian used to rise several times to visit her. On one occasion she found our little invalid with hands clasped and eyes raised to Heaven.

"But what are you doing?" she asked; "you should try to sleep."

"I cannot, dear Sister, I suffer too much! then I pray..."

"And what do you say to Jesus?"

"I say nothing, I love Him!"

St Therese - Story of A Soul, Chapter XII

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Gossip or Prayer

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Today from my neighborhood pier, I watched one of our country's hospital ships, the USNS Comfort, make it's way down the Chesapeake on it's way to help in Haiti. There were more than a few families on the deck with me, showing their kids something they can be proud of, and even get a lil' excited about.

"Yep, that ship is almost as big as the hospital you and yer sister were born in" I heard one young father tell his son.

Not to far off, some older curmudgeon'y type folks were armchair quaterbacking about how the government down there did this, or how Pat Robertson said that, yadda yadda yadda....

Passing them as they continued there ramblings, I blurted out

"I bet if we prayed, as much as we gossiped,
everybody might be better off"

Yep, the air got colder, but as I looked over, the young dad had heard my comment and gave me a thankful smile.

Sometimes my Bawlmer-ness ain't so bad (O;
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Zwan

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Live version of "Jesus, I / Mary Star Of The Sea" from Billy Corgan's (Smashing Pumpkins) Zwan cd "Mary Star of the Sea".


"Jesus, I've taken my cross
All to leave and follow thee
Jesus, I've taken my cross
All to leave and follow thee

I'm destitute, despised, forsaken
All to leave and follow thee
And follow thee"
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Recent Ponderings

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While We are just leaving the Christmas season, my daily rosaries have given me thoughts closer to Easter.

Thinking about the Last Supper, I just had to ponder what the heck it means to non-Catholics if it isn't about the Eucharist or Mass? Just a nice lil' goodbye dinner with some weird symbolism about body and blood, but that we don't have to think too much about?

Also had a revelation recently about Jesus' temptations in the desert, and how the devil used scripture. Protestants usually focus on how Jesus defeated the devil by His own knowledge of it,and that we are called to do the same; but I thought it was also a foreshadowing of how the evil one would use Sola Sciptura to divide Christ's people. That Jesus had the authority to use the Truth (being that He IS the Truth), but that without that authority the devil can use scripture to confuse us (haven't we all seen examples of folks saying they had a "word from God", as if they were suddenly prophets . . .and soon have their own church next to the WaWa down the street).

Anyhow, just pondering of a guy with frozen pipes and too much time on his hands, who is very aware of the fact he ain't the first to have such thoughts (O:
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Saved from . . .

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While it is more than a year from when we called off the wedding, the hurt and pain can still sneak up and surprise me with a few tears, even on a lovely day like today.

As all things work for the good of those that love God, listening to this song reminded me that while I hoped to be in a Reuben and Sue marriage (God first), the one God saved us from was more like the typical DC marriage of Rothchild and Evelyn ("stuff" first, with an occasional nod to God).

I know at my age, and with my current medical conditions, it is doubtful I will ever to get my "dream job", that of husband, but God used this song to remind me of something far worse than never being married, that of being separated from Him, which could possibly end in our being part of the Great Divorce.

Two Sets of Jones - Big Tent Revival

"This here's a song about two sets of Joneses
Just for discussion, through random selection
We've chosen two couples who haven't a clue

Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy
Evelyn bought him a house on the beach
Reuben and Sue had nothing but Jesus
And each night they would pray 
that He'd care for them each"

Channeling D'artagnan on Conversion and Truth

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I have never completely mentioned the Why or How, of my becoming Catholic, but reading this part of an interview with fellow convert Heather King, me thinks she has done it for me.

"I can say that when I began my quest I didn’t shop around for a church where I felt “comfortable” or where the people necessarily looked or dressed like me, or where I was going to hear things that were safe or familiar or politically correct. I was seeking the truth. I was looking for a church that would tell me the truth. I was concerned about the state of my soul, which I believed to be a matter of life and death.

Catholicism was the only church that addressed that, as a matter of life and death: addressed it directly, continually, truthfully, without stinting or flinching. The cross in a Catholic church has a body on it. Right up front, right above the altar, is the message that subconsciously haunts us: someday, we’re going to die. Right up front, loud and clear, is the human condition: suffering, torment, conflict.

As I say in Redeemed, the first time I went to Mass and really “saw” that body on the crucifix, I realized Christ isn’t saying that we need to suffer more; he’s acknowledging the suffering we’re already in. And I suppose on some level in that moment I “got” as much as I ever will, or as it’s possible to “get”—which is that God loves us so much he incarnated himself as man, he came down and pitched his tent among us to teach us how to come awake, to accompany us on the journey, to show what it looks like and what happens to you when you live in total integrity.

Eventually, one way or another, they’ll kill you—which is why hardly anyone ever dares to live in total integrity".
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Happy New Year, Happy New Thought

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Happy New Year blog addicts, D'art is back , and first wanted to relay a story on how truth trumps perception.

Yesterday, while picking up some paint and stuff at Lowes for my continuing renovation project (on the house and me), a woman stopped me in the aisle and blurted out "That's not very nice", to which I kinda went "huh?", until I remembered I was wearing my "Abortion is Mean" sweatshirt.

"Oh" I replied "but ripping apart a baby in it's mother's womb is nice?

Silence . . . and a silence that I pray came from this woman actually considering the true meaning of her trendy Pro-Choice view, . . . that a baby dies!

Did I change her mind? we can hope, we can pray
Did I stand for the unborn (you betcha!)
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