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Showing posts with the label culture

We are Many, We are One

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One my favorite bits from the Bible is in this morning's readings: " ...We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, " Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, " both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.' " ( Acts 2:9 - 11 ) That was about two thousand years ago. Some things have changed. Phrygia 's land became part of Rome's holdings about a century after the " tongues as of fire " appeared.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Remembering 9/11, Living in a Big World

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About 3,000 folks died in attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon on this date, 13 years ago. The death toll would almost certainly have been higher, if passengers and surviving crew of United Airlines Flight 93 had not attacked their hijackers. They died, probably because the Al Qaeda pilot deliberately flew into the ground. Depending on their views, folks have commemorated the 9/11 attacks in many ways. Some have declared that the attacks were justified, because America is a big meany. They usually express the idea in more sophisticated terms, of course. Others say that Muslims are to blame: all Muslims. Still others take the more sweeping view that all religion is to blame. I think there is a tiny element of truth in 'all of the above.' Al Qaeda's leader at the time, Osama bin Laden, almost certainly had sincerely-held religious beliefs: and chose American targets in response to this country's profound lack of fidelity to his

Joining the Universal Banquet

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One of the stained glass windows in my parents' church included a beautifully-done image of Jesus knocking at a door: an illustration of Revelation 3:20 . Today, I recognize it as very similar to Warner Sallman 's " Christ at Heart’s Door ." Most of that window's glass was replaced during a major building renovation. The new glass was brighter, but I missed the old window: and still do. It's possible that someone thought the unsubtle colors and simpler shapes would make worship seem more "relevant." "Relevance," real or imagined, was all the rage around that time. Protestant churches, like the ones my family attended, went through liturgical ricochets in the '60s. Some rewrites of the Apostles and Nicene creeds were — odd. Meanwhile, screwball gimmicks committed 'in the spirit of Vatican II' were upsetting some Catholics. I get nostalgic now and then: but I don't yearn for the 'good old days.' My memory'

Easter Eggs, Art, and All That

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Decorated eggs aren't a Christian invention: folks were trimming ostrich eggs 60,000 years back. I gather that folks in Mesopotamia started the Easter Egg custom: using real eggs. From 1885 to 1917, Peter Carl Fabergé supervised the design and crafting of several dozen very fancy 'eggs.' Fabergé eggs are still famous, one stayed in Russia, and that's another topic. In today's America, stores sell plastic eggs and egg-dying kits. The Easter Bunny is a hare, not a rabbit, emigrated from Germany in the 18th century, and that's yet another topic.... ...I like the matter-of-fact look of Francesca's " The Resurrection of Jesus Christ ." Quite a few artists took a more flamboyant approach.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .