Other

30 Years

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

With all the attention on Elvis’ 30th anniversary of his death, to my mind a much more important memorial is forgotten. Today is the 30th anniversary of Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx. I was in boot camp when I saw the newspaper headline that Groucho had died and though he had a long life and died at 86 I certainly felt his passing.

As a life long Marx Brothers fan it was always Groucho I loved most (after that of course it is Zeppo or Gummo). In the days of three or four channel TV is was always an event for me when a Marx Brother film was being played or when a local theater was doing a Marx Brothers’ film festival. In high school I read every book on the Marx Brothers I could get my hands on and even once wrote an essay on them. Besides once dressing up as Groucho though I did once pull the Harpo handshake-to-leg-holding trick on my principal.

There are just so many stories about Groucho outside of his films that I truly love. One of my favorite being is that after the Marx Brothers’ had made the film "A Night in Casablanca", Warner Brothers sent a letter to them saying they were going to sue. Groucho wrote them back saying that the Marx Brothers were brothers before the Warner brothers and would counter-sue. That was the end of that lawsuit.

Night of the Opera is my favorite film of theirs, but I enjoy even their lesser films which compared to what passes for comedy in films today are masterpieces in comparison. To many film comedians have decided that to be funny you have to be vulgar and crass. The new comedians might have their funny moments in film, but it is only moments. The interplay of the Marx Brothers could have your rolling from the beginning of the film to the end. Instead of the onscreen wit and silliness of Groucho’s walk, songs, and painted on moustache we get Adam Sandler.

So thank you Groucho for the years of pleasure and may we one day meet in Heaven even if you would never join a club that would have you as a member.

"I once shot an elephant in my pajamas, how he got in my pajamas I’ll never know" — Animal Crackers

One of my first parodies was a Marx Brothers’ take on the Jesus Seminar called A Night at the Jesus Seminar.

13 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Liturgy

Playing fast and loose with the facts?

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Rich Leonadi has an update on what Fr. Daly said about a neighboring indult Mass from a reader.

I just spoke to the Pastor at St. Francis deSales regarding Father Daly’s Tridentine Mass column, and he is very upset. He says the article is full of lies, and he has spoken to the Auxiliary Bishop about it. First of all, as he told the Bishop, he is NOT exasperated and that this Mass is NOT a burden; he told the Bishop that if it were a burden, he would have let him know. He does not prepare two different homilies, and yes they no longer move the altar, but only because the microphone wires kept getting damaged during the process. He said that attendance is on the increase, and that it is not all elderly people and they do not attend because they want a short liturgy, because his Tridentine Mass is at least an hour long, longer than his other Masses. This priest is truly upset, and I hope Fr. Daly is called to task on this.

My original post on the subject is here.

7 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Pro-life

Deception

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Pro-life groups are protesting the new Planned Parenthood clinic that tried to disguise itself by getting building permits in the name of the Gemini Health Center. Though deception is just part of the territory when it comes to Planned Parenthood in the first place.

"The anti-choice extremists have started already with a fairly consistent presence [at the Aurora site] — not a big presence, but they started their 40-day vigil," she said by phone. "We’ve started getting phone calls from people asking, ‘Are you going to do something?’ The pro-choice side needs to be visible."

Planned Parenthood said in a statement that it offers a bulwark against sexually transmitted diseases and other health problems that are growing in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties. Steve Trombley, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area, said that more than 90 percent of its services have to do with reproductive health care, not abortion, and that the clinic is opening because of local demand.

So people praying for 40 days in front of an abortion clinic is the new extremism. Yes a 40 day vigil must be countered – maybe they will start an anti-vigil to Moloch.

Their second argument is even stranger. "Only ten percent of the food I serve contains cyanide" would not be an effective argument for a restaurant.

While people can differ on abortion, the place to debate is not in front of clinics, Trombley said.

"The place to have that argument is in the legislature and in the courts," he said. "And we think that holds true for both sides of that debate."

In that case how dare he debate in a newspaper article instead of the legislature and the courts. I wonder if he would have told Rosa Parks to take her case to the legislature instead?

15 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Liturgy

Consistency

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

L.A. Catholic asks a good question.

If, as the liberal Catholics say, Jesus is really and truly present in the congregation at Mass, and if, as the liberal Catholics also say, we need to put the really and truly present Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament off to the side and away from Mass…

…Then shouldn’t we also put the whole congregation off to the side, too?

And should we put the Gospel in a side chapel too, for the same reason?

I’m just looking for a little consistency from the liberal Catholics, here.

And shouldn’t we build giant walk in monstrance’s for the congregation to sit in? I guess genuflecting as you pass each person could get tiresome on the knees. Though with the direction of most songs being directed towards ourselves they should install mirrors for his to genuflect in front of.

14 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Liturgy

Two views?

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

The Tidings newspaper of the Diocese of Los Angeles has an article on the Motu Proprio called "The Tridentine Mass: The views of two priests."
At first I figured this would have the typical pro and con viewpoints. The two priests are both columnist of the USCCB’s Catholic News Service
and both viewpoints are pretty much unhappy with the permission and quite negative.

It seems like only yesterday that I was celebrating Mass in Latin with my back to the people.

Hardly the "full and active participation" that Vatican II called for.

Apart from the schismatic followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and a few young people who are nostalgic for a church they never knew, almost nobody is pressing for it.

If only we could tax Tridentine Rite related clich� we could put an end to the income tax.

The first viewpoint basically says only elderly people who don’t like shaking hands, don’t like three readings, and want a 45 minute Mass go to the indult Mass at a neighboring parish. Now I only have the data for my own parish and its indult Mass, but it is well attended and the average age certainly does not skew elderly. I guess there must be more nostalgia in the water here.

17 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Apologetics

Take the red pill

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

The Ark and the Dove links to an article where "Whacky theoretician seriously proposes that there is a 20% chance we are a computer simulation" that appeared in the New York Times.

It does remind me of an excellent article that appeared in This Rock magazine last year for a proof of the existence of God by James Kid. In the article he shows how we can prove the existence of God even if we are a "brain in a vat" or living in a Matrix universe.

7 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Other

Godmodding

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

Yesterday Fr. Chris Decker on the always excellent and geeky fun Catholic Underground podcast coined the germ Godmodding. Modding is a term of art normally used to describe personal modifications to computers, consumer electronics, equipment cases, game software, etc. He used Godmodding to describe how we modify software or use computers to help us in prayer, study of theology, apologetics, and other specific endeavors relating to our faith.

I make extensive use of Godmodding. I use a liturgical calendar in vcs/ics format developed by Fr. Simon on my iPod to view on its calendar. I keep a directory on my harddrive subdivided up in various categories for good articles I find on prayer, apologetics, liturgy, theology, canon law, etc for easy access. You never know when a site might disappear or an article disappear so it is always nice to have a good copy. I use a program called InfoAngel which is a information management tool that saves everything in a database that contains a lot of information that can be easily accessed and searched. InfoAngel is not religiously related itself, though I put it to that end. It stores everything in one file so even if you have hundreds of articles and other notes you can easily use it among multiple computers. Then of course there is all of the Catholic videos, articles, and podcasts that I use and are included in the broad category that Fr. Decker uses Godmodding.

Though I think Godmodding can be used in a non hardware/software case. In reality the process of sanctification is Godmodding. We are slowly, and in my case I mean slowly, modifying ourselves by responding to grace. Growing in the life of virtue we continue to do spiritual Godmodding, to become more like God and grow in perfection of some of his attributes. The saints are not a cookie cutter sanctity where they are all exactly alike. Their commonality is their reflection of Jesus, but they all reflect Jesus in their own personal way. Modding gives a unique and personal stamp on a some personal equipment, but Godmodding in this sense also gives a unique and personal stamp. Now of course deification would be the correct theological term to describe this, but I do think the idea of Godmodding is cool – at least to my geeky sense.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
News

The best in Catholic podcasting

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

The Star Quest Production Network is proud to announce that three SQPN shows have won in various categories of this year’s People’s Choice Podcast Awards!

The Daily Breakfast, a morning show hosted by Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, won the award for best religious podcast;

Praystation Portable, daily prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours formatted to be used on mobile phones or other mobile devices and hosted by Jeff Vista, won the award for best Mobile Phone Formatted podcast;

Catholic Rockers, a podcast higlighting new Catholic popular music, hosted by George Leite, won the award for Best Podsafe Music podcast.

It is the third consecutive year that SQPN shows win Podcast Awards. In 2005, the Catholic Insider won the award for best religious podcast; in 2006, the Daily Breakfast, Catholic Insider and the Rosary Army podcast won awards. This year, SQPN also stimulated people to vote for Steve Runner’s Phedippidations podcast. Steve is a longtime SQPN listener and friend of the network. Phedippidations is the winner of this year’s award in the Sports category.

The awards will be officially presented to the winners during the Podcast and New Media Expo from 28-30 September in Ontario, California.

Congratulations to the winners especially considering this is a highly secular podcast award. Though in my opinion all of the SQPN shows are worth nominations and awards as are many other fine Catholic podcasts.

Now if only Fr. Roderick can get a Daily Breakfast out this week. Though George Leite did release a fine show this week from the roud 2B Catholic music festival.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
News

I guess he wasn't trying to get there first for this Holy Day of Obligation

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Aug. 14 (UPI) — A Florida man allegedly took out his frustration with God by slamming his pickup truck into a St. Augustine church Tuesday.

The St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office said Thomas Kyle Nursey, 23, of St. Augustine told deputies he drove his truck into St. Anastasia Catholic Church because he was angry with God, WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., reported. It wasn’t known what was at the core of Nursey’s anger.

The 3 a.m. vehicular assault on the church resulted in damage to a door and wall but a dollar estimate wasn’t available, the TV station said.

If you are angry with God and attack a Church is this a hate crime? Though I guess God isn’t a protected minority. But he is certainly a minority since their is only one God, but a census would give you three persons.

Thinking about this it does make it easier to understand why God became man 2000 years ago. Could you imagine the difficulties he would have now? Just think of the paperwork when having to check off his minority status. "I don’t see a block here for God/Man, I guess other will do. But it should at least be wholly other." I do wonder if Jesus would always have his hand raised in class when the teacher asks a question. "Don’t be a know-it-all Jesus! Sorry ma’am, but I can’t help it."

29 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
News

"The church does not sacrifice trees"

by Jeffrey Miller
written by Jeffrey Miller

"The church does not sacrifice trees," Paul Wuthe, a spokesman for the papal visit, told the Catholic news agency Kathpress.

Well that is comforting to know, but definitely not a statement you hear a a spokesman for the papal visit make often. Here is the article that prompted it.

They were planted to honor one pope. Now they’re being purged for another.

Four stately lime trees ceremoniously planted near a popular Roman Catholic shrine in 1983 for a visit to Austria by the late Pope John Paul II are being uprooted to make way for a large grandstand for next month’s pilgrimage by Pope Benedict XVI.

Environmentalists have criticized the action, but church and municipal officials are playing down the trees’ significance.

"This shows the hypocrisy of the church," said Lambert Schoenleitner, a regional spokesman for the environmentalist Green Party in the southern province of Styria.

The hypocrisy of the church! I am shocked shocked I tell you! I am starting to loose my faith over this axing of papal trees makes me question my roots and I might leave to another branch. I might have to oPine on this further and this is no oak.

Schoenleitner believes nature should be revered as much as faith and doesn’t think trees should be sacrificed for an event that will last just a few hours.

I want mercy and not sacrifice of trees.

Organizers say the trees must go to make room for a 52 1/2-foot-high steel grandstand to accommodate some of the thousands of pilgrims who will flock to the shrine town of Mariazell, 60 miles southwest of Vienna.

During his Sept. 7-9 visit, the seventh foreign trip in his two-year papacy, Benedict will make a stop in Mariazell to mark the 850th anniversary of its founding.

Officials conceded that a few more trees might have to be felled for the pope’s stop in Mariazell, which the Archdiocese of Vienna considers the highlight of his visit. Up to 30,000 faithful are expected to converge on the shrine to the Virgin Mary.

8 comments
0 FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
Newer Posts
Older Posts