Translating a World on the Edge

Photo by jclk8888, 2014, MorgueFile.Com

When I was a young child, the Catholic Mass was celebrated only in Latin. The language of the church.

Few knew the literal meaning of each word in the prayers unless they followed along in their missal with Latin on one page and English on the opposite page. But it didn’t matter, at least to me. There was something in the Latin Mass that spoke to my soul in the same way as beautiful music without words. I loved the Latin Mass.

Music itself, has been called the language of the soul. There is no question that it connects us, not only by lyrics sung but by the intangible yearning, joy, and even the pain that we hear in a melody.

These emotions were absorbed by many upon hearing the Traditional Latin Mass, the essentials of which had remained constant since the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604). Today, it is still around and commonly known as the Tridentine Mass.

The Tridentine Mass is a name often applied to the Mass promulgated by Pope St. Pius V, on July 14, 1570, through the apostolic constitution Quo Primum, which standardized the traditional Latin Rite Mass. Then in 1969, it was replaced by the Mass of Pope Paul VI in 1969, called the Novus Ordo.

The Novus Ordo is the new Mass that Pope Paul VI introduced in 1969 after Vatican II, but it was already being revised before and during Vatican II. The desire of both the Council Fathers and Paul VI was to simplify the liturgy in order to make it more accessible to the average layman. While the Novus Ordo retains the basic structure of the Traditional Latin Mass, it removes a number of repetitions and simplifies the language of the liturgy.

This simplification is, of course, very good, but sometimes we appreciate more the ‘not so simple’ things. Those things we have to put additional effort into, those things we have to really think about and meditate upon to understand the awesome mystery in them.

For it is within the quiet depth of our hearts that we come to know the greatest of mysteries –God’s love for us, shown by the sacrifice of His son.
All there for us in the gift of The Mass.

http://catholicism.about.com/od/worship/tp/Comparing_the_Masses.htm

https://youtu.be/xQbqo020Axc

My husband sent me this article after he received it in his email.  See what you think.

Are men happier people?

What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don’t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you’re talking to them. New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Two pairs of shoes are more than enough.. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color.. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes — one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.. You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives On December 24 in 25 minutes. No wonder men are happier.

NICKNAMES
* If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
* If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman.

EATING OUT
* When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
* When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY
* A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
* A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need but it’s on sale.

BATHROOMS
* A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.
* The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS
* A woman has the last word in any argument.
* Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE
* A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
* A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

MARRIAGE
* A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.
* A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.

DRESSING UP
* A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
* A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL
* Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
* Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING
* Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
* A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing!

In my house, there are things I won’t let go of–no matter that they’re old, no matter that they often clutter my cabinets and tables and wouldn’t be called wonderful interior decoration. From the old 19th century portrait of my Grandmother as a little girl, to the Love Seats my parents bought for their first home, to the old rosary that hung over the bed of my husband’s grandparents, and many, many more beloved and old “treasures.”

These are things I have to keep–and keep them within my view.

Memory comes from such as those. The idea that a small part of important people in my life are remembered in those things is comforting.

In my life today, there are also people and things I won’t let go of. No matter that they sometimes disappoint–as I sometimes disappoint them.

This is a disposable society. Something gets worn or doesn’t work, we tend to throw it out rather than fix it. And often, we do that with people–acting as if people are things.

Not everyone can be ‘fixed’ by us. But we can stand by them in their trials. We can keep them in our view, and help, or console, them when we can.

Shouldn’t we be the kind of people who realize that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement – however beneficial it may be – such as science, technology, and art–or in any person, unless we see God’s image in them?

And shouldn’t we hold on to that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EYTuKBQdWc

Photo by JulesInKy, 2006, MorgueFile.com

Remember your first time jumping into water as a child? . You were afraid, but  you let go and jumped because your father was waiting to catch you.

As adults, we still have our fears  But when we let go, and trust in our heavenly father, God will not only catch us, he will surprise us.

God’s surprises come in a myriad of ways, and at unexpected times.

Sometimes He surprises us through people—especially in our narrow-mindedness when we judge a person.

Oh, we have our own ways of judging people. Often it’s a first impressions: how they’re dressed, how attractive they are, how they speak, smell, or walk. We don’t see a child of God, made in His image. We see someone who is different from our own image of what a person should be. And sometimes, we pompously see someone who’s ‘in our way.’ And so, we circumvent them, and never get to know what they may have had to offer–the surprises God has in mind.

Jesus, Himself, tells us that there’s not much sense in this sort of response by people stuck in their own ideas.

He asks: “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”-Luke 7:31-35

True wisdom is to TRUST in God. Trust is always the answer.

If Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, turned five loaves and two fishes into enough to feed five thousand, with leftovers; then we can trust him to surprise us again? Trust Him to surprise us personally? Trust Him to do much more than we can imagine?

Because we can only imagine the ways God will surprise us with His love. So, love Him. Trust Him. Let Him do His work in you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlv62wB4VNs

Photo by BBoomerindenial, 2015, MorgueFile.com

There are a few people who I believe are meant to be in my life. From our beginnings, our lives were meant to cross. Our shared, and even unshared, experiences are meant to accent each other, to pull from each other the best of ourselves.

I don’t mean that these certain people are easy–far from it. They are difficult. They are demanding, self-centered, and in many ways self-destructive.

But so am I. So how do we “save/help” each other?

The “how” comes through recognizing the similarity in the flaws that make us difficult. The same flaws that cause us to ignore good and get in bed with evil. The same flaws that cause us to lie, cheat, steal, even murder.

The means of exhibiting those flaws may be different for each, but the root causes of an evil action are the same for all.  It is one of these:

Lust (excessive sexual appetites) in opposition to Chastity (purity)
Gluttony (over-indulgence) in opposition to Temperance (self-restraint)
Greed (avarice) in opposition to Charity (giving)
Sloth (laziness/idleness) in opposition to Diligence (zeal/integrity/Labor)
Wrath (anger) in opposition to Forgiveness (composure)
Envy (jealousy) in opposition to Kindness (admiration)
Pride (vanity) in opposition to Humility (humbleness)

And why should we care? Why should we even try to “help/save” each other? The reason ‘why’ is that the image of God is mirrored in each of us. We must love each other because of that, even if it is not an emotional love.

Loving each other will always be difficult. And sometimes we’ll actually hate the effort. We may even give up, throw it all to the wind. I’ve done that, too.

When that happens, I eventually, and humbly, remember my own words:

Love isn’t a symbol. It’s an irritant, and it will cost you some skin….Sarah Neal Bridgeman, A Hunger in the Heart.

So, what can I do? What can any of us do? Only one thing. Keep trying, for ourselves, and for each other. We simply can not give up.

https://youtu.be/UDrN1FYe3rM

Photo by Tabaluga, 2014, MorgueFile.com

Am I doing it right? In  Life, I mean.

Most of us wonder about that. We don’t set out to do things wrong. But we often do.

We want to do the best for our families and ourselves.  But what is Best?

There’s really no certainty about what’s best for us.  We do know though, we’re to follow God’s Commandments. But exactly how to follow them in particular situations is sometimes hazy.

For example, in parenting children. What is the best way? What’s good for one child may not be good for another child.

And in marriage. We have two separate personalities involved, so we often have two very different ways of approaching problems.

In our job, or with friends, or with aging family members–is one way better than another?

What are we doing? Are we coming anywhere close to doing it right?

I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as we pray, try to  listen in our prayer to what God is telling us, and have a true desire to please Him–to do things right–then we shouldn’t worry.  We are doing our best.  And this is what is desired of us. That we sincerely, without excuses, TRY.

The really beautiful thing about trying is that even when we stumble, even when we fall, even when we fail, most of us get back up! This is due to the amazing human spirit given us by God.

I’ve posted this prayer of Thomas Merton before.  I love it.

It’s something I pray often.

Especially, when I’m not sure of the path I’m on.

Especially, when I’ve made mistakes and want to start over.

Especially, when I feel lost and need to be led.

Especially when I feel as if no one is able to advise me what to do.

For many years, it’s been a solace for my  own worries–indeed an answer TO my worrying.

Maybe you’ll become fond of it, too.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Photo by dylanbonnerxti, 2008, MorgeFile.com

We all have people in our lives who’ve put us down, made us feel bad about ourselves, even made us feel worthless.

And we also have people in our lives who do exactly the opposite, build us up, make us feel we are worth a lot, make us feel loved.

No one loves us more than God loves us. He is madly in love with us, and we should never forget that.

God never bullies us though. He never makes us His puppet. He does not make us love Him back. We choose to do that, or not.

But always, in the eyes of God, we are His children. His beloved.

When we are maligned by others, God is there to comfort us.

When we are hurt by others, physically or mentally, we can turn to God, not only for solace, but for instruction through His word.

When we put ourselves on the wrong path, and hurt other people, we can be certain that if we ask Him, he will forgive us–and expect us to do something about our behavior.

Comfort, loving instruction, and forgiveness. How can we NOT run to Him?

Aren’t these the qualities we’d like to see in the earthly eyes of those who love us?

And aren’t they the same qualities the ones who love us would like to see in our eyes, too?

Photo from Texas Congressman Steve Stockman

How low can we go as human beings? Apparently to the very core of evil, and then present it as good!

I had another post planned for today, but this one needs to be posted.

First, I encourage you take note of the photo from Congressman Stockman. The baby was born at just 24 weeks gestation, the age of many babies who are aborted. Isn’t he beautiful?

Second, please take the time to listen to the Yellowhammer Radio link below, and then watch the video.

I became interested in the Pro Life movement many years ago as a young mother, just after Roe v. Wade was tragically made law. No one was talking much about actual abortions then, either. No one wanted to see pictures of an aborted child–fetus, they called it, not a baby. I was working in Pro Life in Birmingham under Bishop Joseph Vath–a wonderfully courageous man of foresight, and also with a friend of mine whose child was dying of Leukemia. The one thing that had made me so certain that abortion was evil was when my pregnant sister was diagnosed as having German Measles. Because of what that disease would do to her unborn child, her doctor recommended an abortion. Many people were pushing my sister in that direction, but she would not do it. When her baby (Hi Kelley!) was born, she was perfect. My sister did not know whether Kelley would be perfect, or not. Yet she could not take an innocent life. Today, Kelley is a lovely young woman.

As we speak, many (especially Planned Parenthood Clinics) have no problem with killing a baby in the womb–and apparently many have no problem with planning ahead to sell the severed parts of the baby that partial-birth abortion produces. Of course, the abortionist is careful not to cut up or crush the more valuable parts. After all, no one will buy damaged goods!

Severed parts. Crushed parts. Burned-by-saline parts. But no one wants to hear about it?
No one wants to see it? Here’s an example of a person calling into a radio show to say he cannot enjoy his lunch listening to the breaking news of selling aborted baby parts! Listen to how the host responds.
http://yellowhammernews.com/faithandculture/hear-alabama-radio-hosts-epic-response-to-planned-parenthood-selling-body-parts-of-aborted-babies/

We should all be as outraged as Cliff Sims. Yes, finally outraged. After fifty million abortions–outraged.

And the following video says exactly why. Watch it, even if it upsets your lunch. And believe me, it will upset. See how the proud abortionist is and how proud Planned Parenthood is of her!

Photo by Pippalou, 2014, MorgueFile.com

There are times in our lives when we stop and look around. Times when realization sets in. Times when we might say, “I’m not who I wanted to be.”

This realization may be based on past beliefs we’ve let go of, and miss. Or it may come from a sudden encounter with danger, or a bout with debilitating disease.

It may come from the unselfish love of another toward us when we have been selfish toward him/her. Or it may come from someone we’ve always admired, and want to emulate, someone who’s run the race of life courageously.

Or it may come when everything we’ve known seems to crash around us.

Surprisingly, these are the points in our lives when we are literally bathed in the grace of God. These are times when we reach out of our physical selves and into the  spiritual component that we were created with. This is when God’s grace is above, behind, and all around us.

Do we stop and take notice of that?

Because if we do, if we let go of ourselves and turn to Him, our lives will be transformed.