Journeys of a Catholic Poster Girl

All right, let’s get down to the nitty gritty…

I love my church. Love it a lot. I love my parish a lot, too, given that it’s the church I grew up in. But lately there have been some things that are, well….irritating…..

We have a visitng priest that comes in sometimes to fill in Mass slots when our (one) priest/pastor can’t do them. That’s fine, I’m cool with that. But could we please have a priest who is going to, um, “go with the flow”?

For example:

–He still doesn’t seem to have come to terms with the whole “God the Father” idea. In the Doxology, he says, “Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit (notice all those “Him”s?), all glory and honor is your, Almighty God , forever and ever.” Hmmm. So “Him” is OK in the Gloria, the first part of the Doxology, and everywhere else, but not here? Are we uncertain that God is a man? I think that was settled about, oh, 4,000 with the Jews on Mt. Sinai…or with Joseph…or Abraham….hmmm….I’m sorry, but this just irritates me. Stick to what’s in the book, please! It’s there for a reason. The Vatican’s approved this version, not the version you have in your head. Grrr.

–And it continues with the part after the Lord’s Prayer, when the priest says “and protect us from all anxiety.” Well, Fr. Visiting Priest adds “ undue anxiety.” One of these days I would love to ask him just what constitutes “due” anxiety, since I seem to remember Jesus saying something about not to worry about the future because tomorrow has enough problems of its own, and that worrying didn’t do any good because God will take care of us. But according to this priest, um, that’s not the way it is and we should have some “due” anxiety. Whatever that means….

As for the rest of it? Some of the folk groups take the music much too slowly and change the keys (which irritates me, but probably no one else) –otherwise it’s good. And my parish really does quite a nice job with Masses and our pastor is excellent at giving a good Mass and preaching well and he always has the right amount of reverence. But I just get irritated when people change things on me to be “politically correct.” Does this bother anybody else? Feel free to share stories….

(OK, a lot of minis today)

Snapshots of what I’ve been reading lately (and it’s a lot):

The Constant Princess by Pihlippa Gregory: Very good novel about the life of Catherine of Aragon and her marriages to both Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Henry VIII after Arthur’s death. Thrillingly paced and elegantly written, the novel takes us from Catalina’s childhood in Spain to her ‘trial’ before the peers as Henry VIII attempts to overthrown his marriage to her and take up with Anne Boleyn. If you like historical fiction, especially British historical fiction, snap this up. Gregory’s books are always meticulously researched, and the ‘fiction’ is really in the character’s thoughts and deeds, but most of it is corroborated with solid scholarship (she always lists her sources at the end). Good stuff.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: This novel won the 1921 Pultizer Prize and was made into a 1995 movie (I think) starring Winona Ryder, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Tells the story of Newland Archer, a lawyer in 1870s upper-crust NYC society who marries May Welland, a nice but rather intellectually dull girl, whom he is happy with until he is captivated by her divorcee cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Wonderfully written with luminous prose, this book is a great exploration of desires, social manners, and societal constraints, as well as a desire to do one’s duty. Excellent.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: Explores how we deal with grief and suffering as she recounts 2003, a harrowing year where she lost her husband and almost lost her daughter twice to strange illnesses and medical mishaps. Good psychological exploration of death and loss and how we deal with it. Also religious undertones–she’s Episcopalian, her husband was Catholic…so that plays into it a bit.

Now for a Catholic book…. The New Anti-Catholicism by Philip Jenkins: Discusses the idea that Catholic prejudice is so ingrained in American culture and media that if you mention it to anyone, you’re seen as oversensitive and a little nutty. Gives numerous examples of anti-Catholic bias in the culture as well as a history of Catholicism and anti-Catholicism in America. I didn’t agree with all his points, but I agreed with most of them. A fairly good representation of the problem we face (and I especially enjoyed the political parts).

The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith: Great fiction series, book 5 in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. If you haven’t read this series already, go out and buy them. They’re mystery books, but they’re so much more than that, with explorations into morality and societal norms, as well as great African settings. Precious Ramotswe is a private detective in Botswana who takes on many varied cases with the help of her assistant, Grace Matuski, and her fiance Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Great books, quick reads, and very enjoyable. The sixth book, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies is out in hardback, but I haven’t read it yet.

I think that’s it for now…I’ll let you know when I’ve got more, and of course I’ll give you fuller reviews on the Catholic theology/ apologetics/ etc. that I’m reading (still working on The Confessions …sigh)

Saw The Family Stone on New Year’s Day, and I have to say it was one of the more enjoyable films I’ve seen. It’s a nice blend of comedy and drama that keeps you laughing one minute and induces melancholy the next. The film revolves around Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney of My Best Friend’s Wedding fame) bringing home his workaholic, uptight girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) to meet the rest of his rather…eh…”special” family for Christmas. His family includes matriarch Sybil (Diane Keaton, in other great role), his father (Craig T. Nelson…remember Coach ?), his brother the “documentary filmmaker” turned pot-addict (Luke Wilson), sister Anne (Rachel McAdams…that girl is awesome in whatever, I’m telling you) whose NPR tote bag tells you everything you need to know, and another brother whose deaf and gay who comes along with his partner, who is black. It’s a real fun mix, and it gets better as worlds collide and Meredith has to call in her sister, Julie (a great Claire Danes) for reinforcement. Not something that’s going to win Oscars, but it’s a well done film that I found really enjoyable.