FRIDAY POTPOURRI - AND THE WINNER IS . . .

This is another commonly seen Greek Cross known as the IC XC cross or the conqueror’s cross. IC is the first and last letter of the word for Jesus (Ihcuc) – the c and s being interchangeable letters when transcribing the word into English – and XC are the first and last letters for Christ (Xpictoc). NIKA is Greek for conqueror therefore, combined with the cross, the instrument through which Christ conquered death, we have Jesus Christ, Conqueror!

If you enjoyed at all last Wednesday's post (see here), do yourself a favor and give a visit to Sancte Pater! They are crazy over there!

SIR, WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR RECEIPT IN THE BAG OR SQUISHED DOWN BETWEEN THE SEATS IN YOUR CAR?

I was listening to something on the car radio yesterday and desperately wanted to write it down so that I would remember. I found a pen readily enough but nowhere (whilst I was driving – only try that at home kids) could I find a piece of paper. Reaching down between the seats I snatch up (among other things) an old receipt from a pizza parlor in New York that already had a bunch of things scribbled on it. Well, I might as well get some of those scribbling out of the way and so here are a few of them.

This was written by John Updike and was read on the show Prairie Home Companion. Scribbled on my note was “Updyke (sic) Why miss church?” After a little surfing I found what had piqued my interested that day. Here is “Going to Church.”

"There was a time when I wondered why more people did not go to church. Taken purely as a human recreation, what could be more delightful, more unexpected than to enter a
venerable and lavishly scaled building kept warm and clean for us one or two hours a week and to sit and stand in unison and sing and recite creeds and petitions that are like paths worn smooth in the raw terrain of our hearts? To listen, or not listen, as a poorly paid but resplendently robed man strives to console us with scraps of ancient epistles and halting accounts, hopelessly compromised by words, of those intimations of divine joy that are like pain in that, their instant gone, the mind cannot remember or believe them; to witness the windows donated by departed patrons and the altar flowers arranged by withdrawn hands and the whole considered spectacle lustrous beneath its patina of inheritance; to pay, for all this, no more than we are moved to give—surely in all democracy there is nothing like it. Indeed, it is the most available democratic experience. We vote less than once a year. Only in church and at the polls are we actually given our supposed value, the soul-unit of one, with its noumenal arithmetic of equality: one equals one equals one."

The second scribbled note was, “Trumpet – Taps!” I had left a graveyard (this was in Chicago) where we had just buried a relative. He served in the air force during WWII. As such he was afforded a military funeral. There was an honor guard, the folding and presenting of the flag, and the gun salute. Then a man picked up a trumpet to play taps.

Now, I’ve been at such events when all that was available was a boom box, a man would break from formation, bend over like one of those “Lady working in her garden” cut outs that were so popular in the 90s while trying to find the button that said, “PLAY.” Later they installed a big red button on the side of the chapel that a lady would go up and punch like the “Emergency Stop” button in a machine shop and a recorded trumpeter would sound.

Well, here we were again at a cemetery. The man went and picked up his trumpet. I remember thinking it an odd looking instrument – something between a flugelhorn and a bugle. He fiddled with the bell in a very military and professional manner for a moment and then put the instrument to his lips. It sounded a bit off to me but I marked it up to being a rather unique instrument . The man did not seem to be breathing very deeply for someone playing a trumpet-like instrument. In fact, he was breathing IN as sound was coming OUT. And what was that odd mute in the bell of his instrument? That was no mute! It was a speaker!

I know I’ve written about this before but when do we get to the point when we say, “You know what? We don’t have the talent to do this for real so we will skip this part of the ceremony? (Let’s not restrict this playing taps but apply it even to the Mass.) Many people would argue that no one can tell the difference between a real organ or fake one, real bells or fake bells, an actual organist or a prerecorded one, electric candles or real ones, real masonry or plastic, etc. But how far is too far? If we are going artificial should we be bold about it and not try to play as if it were real? Should we at least be genuine in our artificiality? Did man every have this problem before?

And why does it bother me so – and not others?

More receipt notes some other day! God bless.

QUICK - TO THE PRIESTMOBILE

You come across a car parked in front of your house and have no idea to whom it belongs. You start searching the car looking for clues. You soon come to suspect that it is a specially outfitted car - such as James Bond might have - or Batman - but this is no ordinary super car - it's a priestmobile.

Over the dash on the sun visor are the car's defenses. Mysterious and vigilant monitors only known as Christopher, Mary, and Guardian Angel monitor the car's progress, warns against impending danger, guards against thieves, and keeps the priest on his appointed rounds. In the GODS box (Glovecompartment Of the Destruction of Sin) is an emergency super stole. Nobody can tell when they come across sin that must be defeated! It is always best to fight it on your own territory of course but sometimes circumstances necessitate fighting it wherever it may be. With a simple push of a (lock to the glove compartment) button, the car will automatically transform into a confessional.
The forces of evil take many forms - sickness an death being just one aspect. Every priest car is supplied with a kit for the destruction of sickness and condemnation. Containing the healing balm of Oleum Infirmorum, prayers, stole, and a pyx, priests boldly fight sickness and death wherever it may be - in the hospital bed, in the middle of the street, in your very home.
Ready for any happenstance - Aunt Matilda who wants her house blessed, the neighbors who just found out they were pregnant, a friend's son who just got a new car - a bottle of emergency holy water and the abbreviated book of blessings are always on hand to ask for God's blessing and protection.

And all priest;s cars come with this handy-dandy rosary holder complete with mirror so that you can spot the Devil sneaking up on you. Not only does it remind him to pray on his missions, it is also there to be readily handed on should someone say, "I haven't prayed the Rosary in years. I'm not even sure if I have one anymore." "Here kid. Take mine. And aid the forces of good and unity wherever you go."

Yes, the car you spotted belongs to a priest. You have just encountered a priestmobile.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “’. . .[If] they kill us, what good did our resistance do?’

‘Well, it will have helped us to feel that we behaved decently till the end. And much more, it will have helped people everywhere, who will be saved for the righteous few among them, as it says in the Bible. Of course, Quangel, it would have been a hundred times better if we’d had someone who could have told us such and such is what you have to do; our plan is this and this. But if there had been such a man in Germany, then Hitler would never have come to power in 1933. As it was, we all acted alone, we were caught alone, and every one of us will have to die alone. But that doesn’t mean that we ARE alone, Quangel, or that our deaths will be in vain. Nothing in this world is done in vain, and since we are fighting for justice against brutality, we are bound to prevail in the end.’

‘And what good will that do us, down in our graves?’

‘Quangel, I ask you! Would you rather live for an unjust cause than die for a just one?’” from Hans Fallada's, "Every Man Dies Alone"

IN OTHER NEWS:

Speaking of such things, at our last meeting of the G. K. Chesterton Society we got on the topic of momento mori or "remember death." M found this from St. Mienrad's Abbey we you can preorder your casket. "It appears that you can order them ahead of time ("If the casket is not to be used immediately, the purchaser is responsible for its care,just as one would care for any fine wood furnishing.") Talk about memento mori: put one of these in the living room!"

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "The closing of St. Emeric parish in Cleveland on June 30th signaled the completion of one phase of the reconfiguration process involving 50 churches across the eight counties of the Diocese." It goes on to report that parish closings are only the beginning for the Vibrant Parish Life Initiative. Read more here.

Wayne sent in this cool site for Catholic T-shirts. Lots of quotes from Chesterton. They LOOK like the shirts younger, "hipper" people than me are wearing, but they the messages are far better. Thanks Wayne.

Ellen, who often pops by when we have a Chesterton event writes, "Dale Ahlquist told us at the Annual Conference last weekend that the next conferences will be in St. Louis, Reno, and San Antonio! He hasnt forgotten Cleveland, but it looks like it will be awhile before we can expect to be a venue." Looks like we have plenty of time to prepare. Thanks Ellen.

Someone wrote to ask if anyone can come to a Chesterton meeting. If you like Chesterton just go to the Chesterton picture to your right to see the readings and date of the next meeting.

Here is a 1:29 video of St. Peter's Square.

MONDAY DIARY - NECESSARY EVILS

Somebody sent me an Email concerning their child’s idea of what a priest is. It absolutely made me day. In part it read, “So I ask, ‘what does it mean to be a priest?’ and she says, ‘they are in charge of the whole church, they protect all the people’. Which I think is a fantastic answer from my 5 year old and then she follows it up with ‘in case the whole building falls down on us or something.’”

Is that sweet or what?

Along those lines I was able to out and meet a new pastor in the diocese. He has been at it for about half a year and, as readers of Adam’s Ale know, I have been either administrator or pastor of Saint Sebastian for about two years now. He was just finishing up a wedding and I had a cancelled appointment so we agreed to meet at a half way point between our parishes to talk.

I remember when we used to get together and talk about how to save world. Burning with all of the theological and philosophical learning we had endured in the seminary we could not wait to bring Christ into people’s lives and aid them in becoming saints! We are loyal sons of the Church, confident that in bringing the Eucharist, the sacraments, and remaining obedient to the Church souls could easily be won for the Kingdom.

“Somebody crashed into the church building,” my friend told me. (This is not a photo of his parish building) “Do you have any idea how expensive that is going to be?” We talked about roofs and parking lots and operating deficits and how we are going to get by during this time when there is a moratorium on capitol campaigns in the diocese. Two hours we talked about such things. It is funny how both serious and utterly unimportant the conversation was. On the one hand, we have to talk about such things. We have to keep people safe by making sure that “the whole building doesn’t fall down on them or something.” On the other hand, in a thousand years our buildings might very well be dust, but where a soul ends up will be played out in eternity.

So we cut ourselves a break and allow the conversation to flow – salaries, tuition, parish policies, hiring and firing, the best kind of floors to have in a school, how to get people to turn off lights and close doors when the air conditioning is on and so forth and so on.

But a pastor cannot live on such a diet. So I have some meetings in which such topics are absolutely forbidden.

Such as last night.

It was the 4th or 5th meeting of the Saint Sebastian Chesterton Society. We usually have it out in the loggia but it was just too hot and muggy. So we held it in the rectory. It is a small by mighty group who devote themselves to reading and discussion of the “Good things men need to hear,” to quite Scripture. Granted, the title of the essay this week was “On Lying in Bed,” (picked out by our parochial vicar) but it was fruitful none-the-less. And I realize that we were able to enjoy this meeting in the cool of the rectory because the pastors that came before me had meetings like the one above to ensure that a rectory was built, air conditioned, re-roofed, painted, furnished . . .

FRIDAY POTPOURRI - CROSSES ON CRUSADE

This cross is called the Jerusalem Cross or the Crusader’s Cross. From last week you will notice that it is constructed using Greek Crosses. It was given to the Crusader’s by Pope Urban II as they began their campaign to reestablish a Christian presence in the Holy Land. As the Jerusalem Cross it came to represent the Latin Kingdom that was established there.

There is no absolute agreement on what all of the Crosses mean. Most of the time the center, large cross represents Jesus. The four small crosses can represent the four Gospels, or the four directions that the Word of Christ was to spread out into the world from Latin Jerusalem. The number 5 is symbolic of the five wounds of Christ and so taken together some suggest that the crosses represent the wounds of Christ.

At other times this cross is used by travelers on pilgrimages. The center cross represents the pilgrim while the smaller crosses represent those praying for the pilgrim.

YOU SCREAM, I SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

You never know what will capture people’s interest.

I have family visiting from Slovenia and we tried to come up with some things that would interest them here during their visit to the United States. They have been very gracious and have expressed excitement at the things we had prepared for them – but it seems that their greatest enthusiasm has been for things that I would have never prepared for in a million years.

“O look!” one of them said excitedly, “a school bus – just like in the movies!” Or another time, “Take a picture! An ice cream truck just like in the movies!” Who would have guessed that there were no ice cream trucks in the Alps?

A priest from Barcelona who has been staying with us on and off for last few months is moving on. One of his best memories of his time with us was stopping at a yard sale while we walked Sebastian. “I have never seen anything like this,” he said this morning, “it was one of the great things of my stay here. Well, a small thing, but a great thing too.”

Most of the people that I have deep conversations concerning their possible conversion to Catholicism have been intellectual conversions. These would be the ones with which I can relate the best. Historically, theologically, substantively I understand the overwhelming attraction to the Church founded by Christ. But you can never tell what will bring people to swim the Tiber. An emotional reaction to something, an appreciation for a kindness, the respect of another person, a piece of art, a movie, a bad reaction somewhere else – any of these things may steer someone down the road to Rome. For my Dad is it was a piece of junk mail that had little to do with the Catholic Church at all. Why? Because there is not a human being in the world that ever converted a soul. It is the Holy Spirit moving inside the person that accomplishes this.

We are always called to provide the opportunity for the Spirit to work but not to make God jump through our hoop as to how a person is to be converted. That is why we can be the best armed person in the world with answers to everything and make so few converts. Now, we should have answers, but having all the answers does not make the faith attractive to all. The first rule of thumb is to love. The second is to live it yourself. The third is to pray for the person. If these do not come first, your list of converts will be small if there are any at all. The fourth is simply to provide the opportunity for the Spirit to work (and there are so many ways to do this!) and when it does – to be there for the person. It may be a question that you can answer – or it may be something so out of the blue that you could never – ever prepare for it. “Look! There’s a school bus! I think it’s time to find the Eucharist!”

ROME (SWEET ROME?)

What do you think of when you hear the word “Church?” There are many different ways you could go. You might call to mind all the people, lay and clergy, who make up the Church. Church might be the almost Plutonian ideal of what we are to be – the unblemished bride of Christ that in its ideal practice is all that we should be here on earth. Some people think of priests and nuns and buildings. Finally there is the idea of Church as institution, particularly Rome.

Well, in fact Church is in some way all of these things and more. It has diverse facets because it has a diverse job. It is to handle spiritual things in a material world. Like an amphibious car it has to handle two worlds. So there are parts that are mysterious and spiritual and parts that are very earthly. Therefore there are those aspects to the Church that are loving, nourishing, and familial, and parts that are institutional and business like. In the first part is where hopefully you find the love of God and neighbor, in the second part you will find a mechanism for assisting the Church to operate in the world to bring that love.

Too many people look for affection from the institutional Church. Institutions do not show love. People do. In this case, God’s people do. Institutions help institutions exist. They are necessary for organizing one billion people. At the heart of our institution is both a man and office: the papacy – the oldest continual governing office in the world.

So, on the one hand, institutional Church has been wildly successful. But on the other, as an aspect of the Church that is worldly, it will disappoint the individual at times but that is mostly because we are entirely impossible to please. If I want black from the Church, my best friend will inevitably want white. (That was meant to be an analogy but even that could be applied to the color of vestments worn at Masses for the dead!)

To that end I get a chuckle when paying attention to the secular news. One the one hand “Rome” is seem as having too much say in the day to day operation of the Church. Rome needs to stay in Rome and let the Americas take care of themselves. Who are we? Children? Do we need “Papa” watching over us? The power of the Church is far to centralized and our bishops are but pawns.

That might be on Monday, then on Tuesday it will be, “Rome must act! It needs to come in and override bishops in their day to day operation of the diocese to (you name the topic) save churches – discipline priests . . .” Then if Rome does not act it “doesn’t care.”

Yet if not the most, the office of the pope is among the most successful governing bodies that ever existed. And though parts of this office of the Vicar of Christ are mystical and holy, there are parts that are institutional and are bound to please some and bring the ire of others. Fr. Benedict Groeschel CFR likened the Church to a great hippopotamus. As gentle and benevolent as it might try to be, by simply being so grand its littlest gesture might squeeze someone terribly and gain their indignation.

So when tempted to blame Rome for something (and it may or may not deserve it) just bear in mind the tremendous and often impossible burden it must endure in running a worldwide Church of people with different sensibilities, customs, and needs, balanced with governments, and primarily the Will of Christ and give her at least that much credit before bristling at the way she has chosen to act.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXV

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Second, my dear chap, you ought to know that it doesn’t matter if there’s a handful of you against many of them. Once you’ve seen that a cause is right, you’re obligated to fight for it. Whether you ever live to see success, or the person who steps into your shoes does, it doesn’t matter. I can’t very well sit on my hands and say Well, they might be a bad lot, but what business is it of mine?” from Hans Fallada’s, “Every Man Dies Alone”

QUOTE II: “God does not ask us to be successful, only faithful.” Mother Theresa

IN OTHER NEWS:

Habemus sent this is: Six CFR Friars took their final vows and an online photobook was put together so that you could celebrate this great day with the community! Thanks HB! Here is the site.

P.C. sent this obituary in about a great priest that you might want to look at. Also, another parishioner is interested in helping the cause for Fr. Arcadius Smolinski. We are looking for a way to contact the person who is in charge of the cause. If you know it would be most helpful.

Here is a new music video by Josh Wilson called "Before the Morning" About 4 minutes.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter realizes that keeping up with all the changes in the Diocese of Cleveland is a chore. How do you track a priest with whom you wish to be in touch when we have been moving around so much? Well, here is an update listing for you.

This minute and a half video sent in by P.C. gives me the chills!
Embrace life! Thanks P.C.

Here is a virtual tour of a parish named St. George. I wonder if I can do this at St. Sebastian. Anybody know how?

MONDAY DIARY - FATHER SWAP

As you may know I am relatively new at being a pastor. I think it is a little bit like being married. You are the same person that you were before you were married but the world seems just a little bit different to you after. I was not really aware of this change too much until this past weekend.

From time to time priests are called upon to help out at other parishes and this past weekend I was asked to go to a parish in a neighboring city that was short of help. I had given my car to family visiting from Slovenia, the parish truck was in use, so I had to drive the ’46 Plymouth to St. Augustine in Barberton for the Sunday 5:15 Mass.

There is always a little bit of anxiety (at least for me) in saying Mass at a parish that is not your “home.” You would think with the way that Catholics structure the Mass that a Mass is a Mass is a Mass. But every place has their idiosyncrasies. For example, how do you get ready for communion? In flurry of activity before Mass it is attempted to be explained to you the briefest way possible. It is a like football playbook maneuver. “First, go the 2 people to your left and give them the Body of Christ. Then give them the Blood of Christ. Then give the Body of Christ to the people on your right. The people to whom you gave the chalices should cross over and offer the Blood of Christ for you If they don’t, you have to signal them. Then distribute the ciboria. The servers will be behind you, make sure that you get them. Then . . .”

People at Saint Sebastian know that once Mass starts it is all up in the air for me remembering things extra to the Mass. I have to put stick’m notes in the Sacramentary because once I get into the prayers of the Mass everything else seems to float away. Even if I see the stick’m note at the beginning of the prayer and think, “Don’t forget to excuse the children at the end of the this prayer,” by the time I get to the end I will have forgotten, sit down, and then receive an elbow from the deacon who stage whispers to me, “You forgot again!”

Anyway, I was delivering my homily at this parish with which I am very familiar and it struck me that, yes, we are one family as Catholics, yes, this is the Body of Christ, yes, I can pray with them and minister to them, but they are not my immediate parish family. It was an odd feeling. For example, my homily this weekend mentioned marriage a couple of times. There was a young man who I knew in my parish that was going to propose to the girl he was with after Mass and I could make that connection with him in my thoughts as I gave the homily. But at the parish I was visiting, which I enjoyed, I was defiantly not speaking with my community. The same type of connection was not there. I’m not sure that makes sense. I still enjoyed the experience and appreciated praying with a new group of people, but I think of those priests who have ministries that take them out of the parish and who help out here and there. There is always a strong sense of appreciation and welcome whenever a priest goes to a parish to which he is not regularly assigned, but how difficult it must be for them not to have that regular sense of family. And it is all the more strong once you become a pastor and you feel a personal responsibility for leading a certain group of people to God.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HAVING THIS CROSS IS A PLUS

The Greek Cross (as it appears on the Greek flag) also known as St. George’s cross is the basis for several other crosses. It does not so much represent the Passion of Christ as it does the Church. It is made of two lines of equal length dissected in the middle like a plus sign. (+)

It is used as a symbol on many nations’ flags. As with Greek flag, it denotes a connection with the Church, and as is the case with Greece, a very long association with the Church. The original floor plan of Saint Peter Basilica by Donato Bramante was to be an enormous Greek cross but it was changed to appear more like the common Latin cross.

OFF TODAY

Greetings!

I owe you one! I’m taking part of the day off to visit with family and don’t have enough time to do that, get things done around the parish AND do a post. See you tomorrow!

With apologies,

Fr. V

ARE YOU COOKING SAINTS IN YOUR KITCHEN?

There are exceptions to the rule of course but the primary place where the faith is handed on is not in Church or PSR/CCD or in the day school of your parish. The primary place where faith is passed on is the domestic church – in the home. It is modeled and nourished and directed at the parish, but it is passed on in the home. It is the same thing with math. If parents do not place some amount of importance on math and grades then there is nothing a teacher can do to force a kid to learn. If faith is not important in the place where they eat, sleep, and be family, it is rare that an outside influence will bring them to faith and God.

So how does your home stack up as a domestic church?

1. Could you be caught in prayer in your home?
2. Do those who live in your house ever pray together – even grace? Do the heads of the house offer blessings?
3. Are Christian/Catholic ideals in manner, speech, and action upheld, fostered and honored?
4. Is Mass and regular confession a priority in scheduling?
5. Do images, shows, stories, or any other manner of media invited into your living room through television, computers, and other electronic or print media noble or at least not scandalous?
6. Are the poor served in some fashion from your home? (For example donations to charitable organizations etc.)
7. Is the liturgical calendar celebrated in your home in anyway? (For example – does Christmas really seem Christ centered? Do you recognize your feast day?)
8. Is the faith ever discussed (even the weekend’s homily)?
9. Does your house show any sign of housing a people of faith? (For example – is there a crucifix well displayed and honored or do you have a holy water font?)
10. Has your house been blessed or given a patron?
11. Are there resources for learning or being inspired about the faith? Do you a book blessings and use it?
12. Is your home a place of love and joy?

Some of these in some places these are more easily achieved than others. What does one do in a home of mixed religion for example? This may not be a complete list but is a start. You will come up with more. There is an ideal atmosphere in which faith grows just like there are perfect conditions for plants to grow and we are called upon to do our best to achieve them.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXIV

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Craps is fast and exciting; it is like flying. But falling is like flying too . . . for a while.” Dale Ahlquest

QUOTE II: “The most effective way to hide from God is respectability. Respectability is hiding place for evil.” Fr. Gene Fulton

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reminds us that it is time for the FEST. Read more here.

Before you watch this 2:14 video, I want to say that I am in no way promoting or not promoting any political body - but, this fourth verse of the National Anthem is very interesting.

Belief Net has this Catholic quiz.

MONDAY DIARY: DOGGONE PROBLEMS

On Friday our facilities manager was going about the parish grounds making sure that everything was hunky-dory before he left on vacation – a week which was writing in my calendar as the “Week of Darkness.” Why? Because that is when everything goes wrong.

We were joking that Friday that nothing big ever – EVER – goes wrong on Monday at 10:00AM. It is always on Friday night at 11:00PM or Sunday morning. So we laughed about it and he left.

He just left.

And we were here like unprotected fledgling in the nest waiting for fate to rear its ugly head.

And it did.

During confessions on Monday morning the church felt a little warm. That was not so unusual. It was blistering hot outside. Perhaps the hottest Saturday of the year. Is it any wonder the AC was not quite keeping up in such a large space?

A couple of hours before Mass I headed over to the church to see how things were. To say the least they were hot. Not just warm. HOT. It was like Hades in the summer after years of global warming on Mars.

I wish I were kidding.

So I get on my cell phone and call our man who is on vacation. He calls back a little while longer. “I am SOOOOOO sorry to disturb you,” I say, “but the AC isn’t working and it is a gazillion degrees in church. If I go down into the basement can you talk me through what needs to be done to get it working again?” As I say this I am running back to the church basement with my cell phone cassock and all. I keep some small chit chat going until I make it there, unlock the door and turn on the lights.

“First, you have to find the control panel. As you walk into the door turn right . . .” I follow his directions and assume that I am at the right piece of equipment. “Now, look for the read button and push it.” I push the button. “After you push the button you will have to . . .”

Guess what. There is very poor reception in the basement. So now I have to leave my phone out in meeting room, talk to him, run into the boiler room and perform the next step or two and then run back out to report. Eventually the thing gets running. But to no avail. For one it is too late to really cool down the building as a few hundred people show up. And on top of that it starts kicking off again. I run upstairs to shake some hands and say some hellos, run down to try to start the beast up again all the time trying to look suave and having everything under control – which is against tenant one of the spiritual life – rarely is anything under your control.

That night, from his vacation, our facilities manager called a repair man to come in. So we were cool for the rest of the week. No more vacations.

Speaking of things out of your control – last night we took Sebastian for a walk. He took off after a skunk. I started screaming, “STOP! THAT’S A SKUNK!” as if in realizing the nature of the creature he wanted to chase up a tree he would think better of it and stop. He charged. The skunk calmly turned around and lifted its tail. Fr. Pf. and I braced for the inevitable. Within a couple of feet Sebastian just stopped. So did the world. He took a couple of steps back and then ran to us. He missed out on the fun.

Was it a particularly kind skunk?
Is Sebastian incredibly lucky?
Was God intervening?

I don’t know.

I do know that whatever it was I am VERY grateful that I do not have to go out and buy tomato juice today.