Sunday, August 31, 2008

Fading and Increasingly Incoherent Reflection on Mercy

A priest reminded me, after hearing my confession, that this life is a vale of tears.

I have always thought of God's mercy being distributed over this continuum of suffering, here and there, providing relief at crucial junctures, keeping us from completely losing hope: A job found just when the bank is about to foreclose, a sick child recovering after a long illness, a couple reunited with just enough love left to keep going into the unknown future. I never thought of it as an overflowing cup. I never thought of it as a horn of plenty. God's mercy, while always welcome, seemed like stale bread rationed meagerly amongst starving prisoners.

I realized, praying at mass last night, that someday I would see this cornucopia of mercy. Someday I will sit at a full table of salvation. Someday the last tear will be wiped away. My scars will no longer ache. I will never fear for my children again. I will be able to hear with both ears again. I will see with both eyes.

Someday, after I die, the greatest mercy will be revealed to me and given to me. At that point, the horizon will stretch out to eternity and there will be no suffering along the rest of my path. And my path will be everyone's path and the presence of so many people on this one narrow path will result in no jostling, no maneuvering for position, but only inexplicable harmony. And we will be ever filled with wonder that a greater joy, a greater harmony, waits always before us and all suffering is left behind for ever.

What a mystery this life is: seeming so momentous, so significant. Yet the greatest moment is always ahead. And the significance of our eternity is infinitely greater than even those moments of greatest inportance in life: birth, marriage, sex, victory, defeat, death.

Mercy, which seems to have been apportioned with such miserliness, will be revealed as infinite when all our sins of the past and all our fears for the future are erased and the present becomes an unceasing surfeit of joy and love.

Friday, August 29, 2008

I'm Lovin' This Race!

I was thinking about sitting this one out, or voting for Bob Barr. But this revived interest in John McCain for me. The thing I like most about it; he gambled. The man is seventy-two years old and he is still surprising us. I imagined he would go with the flow and pick Romney.

At first, I thought, what the Hell is McCain doing? This is his last shot and he goes for such a long shot? Then, as I became impressed with his choice and his willingness to reach WAY out and go against the grain (and get a pro-lifer and authentic conservative), I realized he wasn't going for disgruntled, pro-Hilary soccer Moms so much as he was rescuing those of us who were thnking about going for a third-party and draining support.

I am 100% for McCain now. I look forward to his leadership. Risky but brilliant.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Monday, August 4, 2008

New Catholic Church!

The picture shows a bishop of the new Reformed Catholic Church in Venezuela giving communion to his wife, a delicate young thing of 24.

I don't have to say a thing, do I?

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Typical Post

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah whine blah blah blah blah blah blah blah grumble blah blah blah blah blah Latin blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah weak attempt at philosophy blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Novus Ordo blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Catholic blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah liberal priest blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah angst blah blah blah blah blah blah whine blah blah blah blah prayer request blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah wandering ramble blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Vatican II blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah more whining blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah half-hearted attempt at significant statement blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah !