A worthy addition to the martyrs' relics trade? -

"Book bound in skin of executed Jesuit to be auctioned in England", Catholic News Service, 11/28/07:

The macabre, 17th-century book tells the story of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot and is covered in the hide of Father Henry Garnet.

The priest, at the time the head of the Jesuits in England, was executed May 3, 1606, outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London for his alleged role in a Catholic plot to detonate 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the British Parliament, an act that would have killed the Protestant King James I and other government leaders.

"It may not even sell. It is quite macabre and not to everyone's taste."

The book was made by Robert Barker, the king's printer, just months after Father Garnet's execution for his alleged involvement in a plot instigated after the king reneged on his promises to end the persecution of Catholics.

Father Garnet had been acquainted with the plotters and had heard their confessions but he always insisted he strongly opposed their designs and tried to stop them. He was convicted of treason and was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

Father Garnet is not among the English martyrs of the Protestant Reformation who have been canonized or beatified.

That last fact is most interesting.

You anointed Jesus Christ, your only Son, with the oil of gladness,
as the eternal priest and universal king.

As priest he offered his life on the altar of the cross and redeemed the human race by this one perfect sacrifice of peace.

As king he claims dominion over all creation, that he may present to you, his almighty Father,
an eternal and universal kingdom:

a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.

Preface, Christ the King

It might have seemed to him as if I had ants in my pants. Whatever it was about me that caught his attention, he openly invited impressions of John's christology and then immediately zeroed in on me: Teresa, do you have something?!

He had no idea what I would say because, well, I've never said it before, to him, to anyone, except to myself ... and to God.

"I had a strange thought on 2.22," I began too confidently, really proud of myself for finding unique evidence for a famous Johannine theme.

I read 2.22 aloud to everyone from the NAB:

Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

I explained, "There's a vague identification going on here between the living words spoken by Jesus and the written word in the scripture. And the disciples catch that correspondence - they come to believe in both, Jesus' spoken word as much as the written word."

So, the implication for the christology is Jesus' words are en par with the Hebrew scripture. And the implication for us is that Jesus' words are trustworthy.

Frankly, I thought I took it a little too far, overstating matters somewhat. So, I really wanted him to correct me, tell me to drop it back a little. But he didn't and he went into his usual Logos presentation, including my favorite Isaiah 55:10-11 and many, many verses from Wisdom and Sirach about God's word at creation.

In conclusion, we considered the I AM declarations so special to John.

And Jim said the statements are structured as invitations, as if to say, "I AM the resurrection and the life ... for you; I AM the true vine ... for you." He read an excerpt from Barrett's commentary which I wasn't able to follow because he didn't hand out a copy. So I just ordered the commentary right now and ought to have it by Tuesday. Something on chapter 14, Christ's reply to Philip's request, "Show us the Father," the inter-relationship and the invitation to partake of that. I hope to get a handle on it when I go over the material myself.

He had me read 1:12-13 because I had shared that with him during the week, from Wills's book on the rosary. It's really a great verse.

The couple next to me had their Bible open to John's first epistle. A remarkably common mistake.

I could tell immediately when she read a few words from her text: we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you ... That first person plural pronoun "we" tipped me off and, as discreetly as possible, I helped them flip back to the Fourth Gospel.

He ended by confessing that he loves John's gospel, really loves John's gospel.

That's no secret, really. I mean he did his school work on it.

Yet, every time he teaches it .. and I've seen him teach it several times ... his entire attitude changes ... he's less uptight, more confident ... he knows this text ... Still, he looked downright happy tonight ... and it was humbling to hear him say how much he loves it - to know it so well and to love it.

All of Hebrews for next week!

Waiting to pick up Kenny, then, outside the rel. ed. trailer, I was intrigued to hear a stronger signal than usual from 89.7 FM.
Drive time just hasn't been the same since WAWZ went mostly praise muzak, 'though the new car's CD changer eased the pain a bit. My friend says satellite radio has a myriad of orthodox Bible teachers, but I haven't a prayer of hooking up...
So, in flipping, the first words I heard from Pastor Chris McCarrick were regarding weekly communion at the mid-week service. I approved the frequency but questioned the day. Wednesday is the new Sunday?!

Then I checked myself, remembering Catholic daily communion. And the biblical advice to partake of it whenever the faithful gather, in 1 Cor. 11?¹

McCarrick was preaching somewhat loosely from the Sermon on the Mount.

So, he came 'round to speaking on communion while commenting on Matt. 5:23-24. Then he condemned "practicing righteousness."² And then the almost obligatory apostate Catholic remarks in passing reference to Matthew 6:7-8: "Couldn't wait to get through the rosary as a kid." The ultimate in self-absorption - doesn't move me, so must be something wrong with it³. How happily he must have found a verse to use against it!

What really concerned me about his demeanor, and I know he's a local guy so he might not be particularly polished in his presentation and making allowances for whatever "grow'd up Catholic" daemons he may be dealing with, he displayed a remarkable lack of reverence for scripture.

Sure, he worked forward from a point of entry without jumping back and forth but he didn't treat each verse, simply picked out the "highlights." I guess I have to grant more allowances for being on the radio ... but if at the mid-week service, the pastor doesn't get in-depth into the word with his people, when is it happening? In Sunday School? In home bible studies?

Sometimes I hear on the radio from a church I become interested in visiting. Rev. McCarrick's preaching didn't generate that interest in me. Still, I'll try to talk myself into becoming interested.

---

¹ I haven't read this entirely, but it seems to approximate my point, if not exactly and not from a wholly Catholic perspective ... it seems close enough.

² But, "practice makes perfect." Lewis on the cardinal virtues.

³ the catch-22 of total depravity.

According to the parish bulletin, the diocese is set to begin its annual evangelization training again in January. Fr. Mike has offered to pay the program's expense for anyone who wants to participate and serve in the parish on an evangelization team.

I completed that training in 2006. I was on a parish evangelization team more than ten years ago for a couple of years. Most of the parishes in the diocese have abandoned their evangelization teams. The one I was on never did anything except attend training sessions and conduct a parish census. We never went door-to-door. In fact, I've only ever done that once, in Philadelphia. I liked it.

I wonder what Fr. Mike sees the evangelization team doing.

It'd be nice if he saw them actually evangelizing, instead of welcoming, visiting, serving. I guess "evangelizing" is too nebulous a concept for many, especially Catholics. It's much easier for Catholics to welcome, visit and serve ... than to turn somebody on to Jesus.

tags technorati : catholic evangelization

Still not comfortable in a swing ...
I have pictures here and Jeff has pictures here.
Tenth avenue freeze out! Again!

A young, large family arrived late and either littered the dryer sheet or merely kicked it up in passing. However it happened, it caught my eye, the dryer sheet resting on the rug in the side aisle, and someone littered it there. Unintentionally, of course.

But I was pleased to see it, to think my husband isn't the only one losing dryer sheets out the legs of his pants. 'Though those days are over. And you'd think he was the only one in the world whose wife failed to account always for each sheet per dryer load. Most often I found them in the bedclothes ... while stripping the bed!

As I say, those days are over.

I've reverted to using liquid fabric softener. I stopped because the young kids seemed allergic - they broke out in itchy rashes all over - and it tended to streak blue in the clothes. But the LG dryer doesn't allow fabric softener sheets and the washer does a good job of diluting the blue so it doesn't stain.