My Mind is Green?

OK. I have a new color on my blog page. So I went to Blogthings and take this test. "What color is your mind?" Whoa!! My interest is piqued. So I answer a few questions and...voila. My mind is GREEN. Algore would be proud.
There are five other color categories. And so being an incorrigible "Romantic" (not!!), I choose, "What is the color of your heart?" I answer a few questions, press enter...whirrrrr, bang, clank, ding, ding ding!!! My heart is (drum roll, please) PINK! ( If you knew me better, you would realize how specious this all is.) At any rate, one of the characteristics of a pink hearted guy is that his lover is "cuddly and dominant.... HMMMMM. Well, I guess it was half right....

Joy, Joy Joy. Tears of Joy

So wrote the great philosopher, Blaise Pascal, in the testimony of his conversion in 1654. Pascal met the person of Jesus and he was never the same. He could only recount the experience as being overwhelmed with "light and fire." So impactful was this encounter, when he died at the young age of 39, a copy of his "Memorial," describing this experience, was found sewn in the lining of his vest.

I am reading Pascal again. The book is called The Mind on Fire, a summary of his Penses. And what a perfect time to read of joy and tears. They are both contained in the mystery of Easter..the tears of Good Friday..the joy of Easter.

This Easter was particularly joyful for me in light of the experience we had just undergone with the cancer surgery of my baby granddaughter, Little Eva. We have had tears and we have had joy. And in the center of this great mystery of suffering and trial, is Jesus.

Chesterton once wrote that to truly "see" something, you have to stare at it for some time until it becomes unfamiliar. How true that is. Catholics who are privileged to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, sometimes approach the altar as if they are consuming a Frito. Nothing special there.
Think about the promise of resurrection, which we celebrated last Sunday. " Ah yes, the tomb was empty and if I accept Christ, I will rise on the last day...Ho Hum!"
Apply the Chestertonian principle. Examine that statement as if you were a pagan and you are hearing the Gospel and the promise for the very first time!! What a difference.

I read somewhere that instead of women wearing a veil when they go to Mass, they should wear CRASH HELMETS!! We are in the presence of so much majesty..so much power..in the presence of the very Godhead..singing Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus with the very angels and saints in heaven. Oh Joy, Joy, Joy...Tears of Joy!!

"I See His Blood Upon The Rose"

I see His blood upon the rose,
and in the stars the glory of His eyes.
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.

I see His face in every flower;
the thunder and the singing of the birds are but His voice---
and carven by His power, rocks are His written words.
All pathways by His feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever beating sea.
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.

Joseph Plunkett

Little Eva-- AMDG

Little Eva got a great report from the oncologist. The surgeon was able to remove 98% of the tumor and the markers indicate that she does not need chemo or radiation. Just a CT every three months for two years. Needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled at the great miracle God has wrought...thanks to the prayers of so many people and, of course, the skill of the surgeons, doctors and nurses at Medical City Hospital in Dallas. "AMDG" is the motto of the Benedictine order of monks: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam---To (for) the greater glory of God. May it be our motto as well, so that in all things, He may be honored and glorified.

10,000 BC-a review

I did it again. Two movies in one month. And during Lent, mind you. ( Well, Sunday is not considered Lent.. but still..) My daughter Mary B was in town and with Ben and some of his Buds, I went to see 10,000 BC. Save your money, folks. BC stands for "Be Careful" or "Beware, Chump." Even if you can get a cheap, old person, reduced price ticket like I get, it's too painful to watch. Great computer graphics, I admit, but that can't sustain you for 1:45 minutes. The acting is so bad that it is laughable. Well, let's just say I would have probably felt better watching an afternoon episode of Oprah. Why do I think that a movie of this genre is going to be any less wretched than all of the rest I have seen that totally rely on graphics? OK. I've really learned this time. From now on it is just me, Turner Classic Movie Channel and a micro waveable 3.5 oz bag of Orville Reddenbacher.

People, who need people

Yes, it was a sappy Streisand song. But I want to rise above that fact to cite the obvious: Yes. We are people...who need other people. This has become so clear to me over the last few days as we dealt with the cancer surgery of my granddaughter, Little Eva. (You can read about Little Eva at my daughter's blog: www.goodnightmom.blogspot.com )
If you have read any of my blogs, I tend to be a loner of sorts. Self-sufficient. Ever eager to help...but most reluctant to admit I need any. I have needed plenty over this last week. And it has come. From so many places: family members, bloggers, ticket clerks at airline counters, the Dallas police, physicians and nursing staff, even a restaurant chef in full regalia at Magiano's. The details of the encounters would be too much to write. Suffice it to say, that God has used this situation to break down some of the barriers I have put up within myself..some of the biases I have nursed unknowingly.

Much fruit will come from this situation with Little Eva. Miracles have, are and will continue to happen. Perhaps one of the small ones was unexpected and happened in me: Yes I knew I needed Jesus. But He does not come alone. He brings a retinue of His friends to help in His work. For by God's design, we are People...who need People.