Abbey-Roads2

Do you notice the Paypal button on some blogs, as well as all the Amazon stuff and other sales links various bloggers utilize?  Some bloggers want additional income off their site.  One reason may be because some bloggers pay for their site, while others are simply supplementing their income.  I have no idea how much it pays.  I can’t imagine it is that much.

There are authors who have blogs of distinction and have their “poor boxes” as well as other ads.  Blogging takes time, and time is money - although if you’re good, and you’re a commercial writer - it’s free publicity.  Many blogs simply link to news articles, without much commentary.  Some use pieces from their writing.  (It’s a daily thing, and I’m here to tell you it takes a lot to keep a daily going.)

One blogger recently asked, ‘what widgets do you hate?’  I couldn’t comment, but I’d have to say, pretty much all the advertising ones.  I’m bombarded with advertising every place I look -it strikes me as rather avaricious when I encounter it on Catholic weblogs.  (I sometimes think there are religious people who feel others owe them a living.  “Donate here” - that kind of stuff.)

(Maybe I should put up an ad in my sidebar with a Paypal button: “I hate my job and want to quit work to paint and blog full time.  Donate for my Health Insurance Fund.”) 

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Someone dropped off a GQ at work, and as I paged through it, I viewed the provocative ads by Dolce and Gabbana, similar to the above ad banned in Italy.  (One ad has a model on the floor with a male model’s shoe-clad foot above her face as if to step upon it.)

I’ve often been suspicious of some gay-men designers, who put women in stiletto heels, clothing so tight a woman can’t be comfortable, along with all the other ridiculous things women have to wear and do to be fashionable.  Many have thought some gay men actually hate women on some level, others see fashion as another means to exploit and subjugate women.

Considering the decadence of Dolce and Gabbana - maybe they really are mysoginists.

If you don’t like what you see, let the Company know:

CONTACT
DOLCE & GABBANA USA Inc.
660, Madison Avenue 10021
New York
Tel.+1-212-750-0055
http://eng.dolcegabbana.it 

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Saint Vassily of Moscow, Fool for Christ.

16th Century ascetic who renounced everything, including all clothing, even in winter.

“I cannot promise you happiness in this world.” -words of Our Lady to St. Bernadette.

“Another point must be considered: in the disposition of providence the Son of God-become-human desired to suffer weakness and wanted his disciples, whom he established as the ministers of human salvation, to be despised in the world. This is the reason he did not choose educated and noble men, but unlettered and common men, namely, poor fishermen. When he sent them to work for the salvation of the world, Christ commanded them to observe poverty, to endure persecution and reproaches and even to undergo death for the sake of the truth, lest their preaching seem to be directed toward some earthly advantage. Thus the salvation of the world would be attributed only to the divine and not to any human wisdom or power. Accordingly, the divine power for accomplishing marvelous deeds was not lacking in these men, who appeared to be of no account in the eyes of the world.

All this was necessary for human redemption that we might learn not to rely proudly on ourselves, but rather on God. For the perfection of human justice requires that we totally subject ourselves to God. It is also from God that we hope to obtain all the good things for which we must strive and which have already been obtained for us.”  - St. Thomas Aquinas

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Nice.

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My Lectio for today was based upon the “Woman at the Well” - the Samaritan woman Jesus asked a drink of water from.  That Gospel was not used at the Mass I attended today, although the theme of conversion was certainly in focus.

What impresses me so much about the Samaritan woman’s conversion is her utter surprise, that Christ, a Jew would have anything to do with her.  When she expressed her astonishment Jesus said to her, “If only you recognized the gift of God, you would ask him for a drink.”  In their discussion, he told her everything she ever did.  She soon recognized Jesus because he clearly revealed himself to her query concerning the Messiah, “I am he, the one speaking to you.” I think I understand the joy the Samaritan woman felt.

Meeting Jesus in the Eucharist

My conversion experience in 1972 did not at first propel me into the Church.  I experienced the living Christ in an intimate, albeit private way, yet I remained hesitant about returning to the Catholic church.  I had issues.  Because my conversion was so intense, my experience so real, I had difficulty accepting the Eucharist - or so I said.  (Although I always wanted to be in it’s presence - I was dumb.)

One Sunday, together with two friends, who were also seeking, I attended a Mass at St. Agnes in St. Paul - I think it was either out of curiosity, or for the music.  Anyway, we sat about 3 or 4 rows from the front, oblivious of anyone else in attendance.  I’m sure we were a curiosity, hippie types amongst a straight laced crowd.  We stood and sat as everyone else did, but we were not going to kneel.

At one point I began to stare at the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - rather, I was drawn to gaze upon him; the gaze became fixed - it was as if we were in a sort of silent conversation.  (At that time the statue was up front, just inside the communion rail next to St. Joseph’s altar.)  It seemed to me he was smiling at me, inviting me to receive communion.  I knelt for the Eucharistic prayer, as did my friends.  When communion time came I whispered I had to go receive.  To my astonishment, my friends whispered they were compelled to receive as well.

After returning to our pew, I was absorbed in the most profound recollection, immediately I understood that I had just received the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ.  Recovering our senses after Mass, I discovered that both of my friends had the same experience, although they had not seen the statue smiling at us.

Our hearts burning within us.

Recognizing Jesus in the Eucharist that day later reminded me of the Samaritan woman and her encounter with the Lord.  Similar to her, none of us expected to experience the Lord that day, and none of us had been to confession as yet. In fact, I didn’t go back to confession for a couple of weeks, and several communions later.  (That’s another story however.)

Everything that happened was completely out of the ordinary that Sunday - just as it had been for the Samaritan woman.  I have no idea what the well-dressed, well-catechized people of St. Agnes thought about these strange, whispering young people that day.  As the disciples with the Samaritan, no one said anything to us, no one stopped us from going to Jesus.

I prayed with gratitude for that extraordinary grace this morning at Mass at St. Agnes.  Behind me I could hear some people whispering, surprised since hardly anyone makes a sound at St. Agnes.  Returning from communion I happened to notice the whisperers, two young guys and a girl.  It appeared they were just visiting, they didn’t seem to belong.  I smiled to myself as I knelt to make my thanksgiving, praying that the Lord would show himself to them as he had done with Mary Ann, Bob and myself so many years ago.

(Note: To receive Holy Communion worthily one must be free from mortal sin and kept the Eucharistic fast.  The soul must be in the state of grace.  One makes a bad or unworthy communion when one is conscious of being in mortal sin and still deliberately receives Holy Communion.)

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