"Without God we are nothing"

An interesting debate between Cardinal Pell and a fellow called Dan Barker, who was an evangelical preacher and is now an atheist activist.
I'm putting this up here, partly so that I can find it again myself ( my bookmarks are now so bloated that putting anything away in there is like tucking the needle into the haystack)
Here's the blurb:

"Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, and atheist Dan Barker debated the topic: Without God We Are Nothing, at Macquarie University. A vigorous and lively debate was had, with over 300 people in attendance. The debate was structured so that each speaker received ten minutes to present their case, then had a chance at rebuttal, and finishing off with a few minutes to directly cross examine the other. There was then time for questions from the audience.  Part 1 of this audio presents the main arguments and rebuttal, with part 2 presenting the (very lively) cross examination, and some hard hitting questions from the audience."

I found the opening introductions a little long winded, and  the topic of the debate was somewhat unclear which I think led the two opponents to argue to slightly different themes at times.
Nonetheless it was interesting. I tried really hard to suspend my own bias and give both men a fair hearing, but I came away feeling that Cardinal Pell had presented the stronger case, and presented it more clearly.
If you're interested you can download it here.

Clutter

I've just returned from the parents where I decamped with the 3 littles while we were having a new reclaimed oak  floor laid to most of the downstairs.
In order to "encourage" me not to return too hastily,  husband dear sent me these photos taken from his phone:

He knows me so well.
These photos of domestic  flotsam and jetsam, dislocated and uprooted and apparently tossed hither and thither, are the visual equivalent of nails on a blackboard.
Add to that a thick coat of oak dust from the floor sanding and I need to blow into a paper bag.
It was as though the Cat in the Hat had brought Thing 1 and Thing 2 round to play and they'd left without using the tidy up gadget.

Being very butch, the mayhem didn't seem to bother the big boys one bit, and they were quite happy with their diet of cereal and pizza.

Now that I'm back, I'm getting stuck into returning things to their rightful place, and I'm seeing how much stuff we have.  I feel an urge to purge . I'm considering doing something like this "40 trashbag challenge" but I'm not sure I'll have the discipline required to log and blog my efforts.
I think instead I'll keep a bag on each floor of the house and make a conscious effort to notice anything that we no longer need or use and put it in there, daily.
With that decision made, I feel better already. Little steps!

As Ireland sits in sackcloth and ashes...

The Pope urges her to "remember the rock from which (she) was hewn" .

His pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland is here.
It is full of wisdom, humility, gentleness, counsel, instruction,  and HOPE.
No doubt it will be parodied, misquoted and misrepresented, so I hope that it will be disseminated as widely as possible so that everyone can read it for themselves. Let everyone form their own opinion, but let it at least be based upon the words of the Holy father himself and not a paraphrased media rendering of his words.

I very much like Fr Finigans precis of the main points as follows:

Pope Benedict urges:

• "acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children"
• "concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future"
• "establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected, and above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes"

Pope Benedict criticises:

• "the tendency during this period, also on the part of priests and religious, to adopt ways of thinking and assessing secular realities without sufficient reference to the Gospel"
• "well-intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to canonically irregular situations"
• "a misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal"
• "failure to apply existing canonical penalties and to safeguard the dignity of every person"

Pope Benedict tells priest abusers:

"You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders ..."

Pope Benedict tells Irish Bishops:

"It cannot be denied that some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allegations. [...] it must be admitted that grave errors of judgement were made and failures of leadership occurred. All this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness [...] continue to cooperate with the civil authorities in their area of competence"

I love this:

As you take up the challenges of this hour, I ask you to remember “the rock from which you were hewn” (Is 51:1). Reflect upon the generous, often heroic, contributions made by past generations of Irish men and women to the Church and to humanity as a whole, and let this provide the impetus for honest self-examination and a committed programme of ecclesial and individual renewal. It is my prayer that, assisted by the intercession of her many saints and purified through penance, the Church in Ireland will overcome the present crisis and become once more a convincing witness to the truth and the goodness of Almighty God, made manifest in his Son Jesus Christ.

3. Historically, the Catholics of Ireland have proved an enormous force for good at home and abroad. Celtic monks like Saint Columbanus spread the Gospel in Western Europe and laid the foundations of medieval monastic culture. The ideals of holiness, charity and transcendent wisdom born of the Christian faith found expression in the building of churches and monasteries and the establishment of schools, libraries and hospitals, all of which helped to consolidate the spiritual identity of Europe. Those Irish missionaries drew their strength and inspiration from the firm faith, strong leadership and upright morals of the Church in their native land.

From the sixteenth century on, Catholics in Ireland endured a long period of persecution, during which they struggled to keep the flame of faith alive in dangerous and difficult circumstances. Saint Oliver Plunkett, the martyred Archbishop of Armagh, is the most famous example of a host of courageous sons and daughters of Ireland who were willing to lay down their lives out of fidelity to the Gospel. After Catholic Emancipation, the Church was free to grow once more. Families and countless individuals who had preserved the faith in times of trial became the catalyst for the great resurgence of Irish Catholicism in the nineteenth century. The Church provided education, especially for the poor, and this was to make a major contribution to Irish society. Among the fruits of the new Catholic schools was a rise in vocations: generations of missionary priests, sisters and brothers left their homeland to serve in every continent, especially in the English-speaking world. They were remarkable not only for their great numbers, but for the strength of their faith and the steadfastness of their pastoral commitment. Many dioceses, especially in Africa, America and Australia, benefited from the presence of Irish clergy and religious who preached the Gospel and established parishes, schools and universities, clinics and hospitals that served both Catholics and the community at large, with particular attention to the needs of the poor.

In almost every family in Ireland, there has been someone – a son or a daughter, an aunt or an uncle – who has given his or her life to the Church. Irish families rightly esteem and cherish their loved ones who have dedicated their lives to Christ, sharing the gift of faith with others, and putting that faith into action in loving service of God and neighbour.

Hail Glorious St Patrick!

Hail, glorious St. Patrick, dear saint of our isle,

On us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile;

And now thou art high in the mansions above,

On Erin’s green valleys look down in thy love.

On Erin’s green valleys, on Erin’s green valleys,

On Erin’s green valleys look down in thy love.

Hail, glorious St. Patrick, thy words were once strong

Against Satan’s wiles and a heretic throng;

Not less is thy might where in Heaven thou art;

Oh, come to our aid, in our battle take part!

In a war against sin, in the fight for the faith,

Dear Saint, may thy children resist to the death;

May their strength be in meekness, in penance, and prayer,

Their banner the Cross, which they glory to bear.

Thy people, now exiles on many a shore,

Shall love and revere thee till time be no more;

And the fire thou hast kindled shall ever burn bright,

Its warmth undiminished, undying its light.

Ever bless and defend the sweet land of our birth,

Where the shamrock still blooms as when thou wert on earth,

And our hearts shall yet burn, wherever we roam,

For God and St. Patrick, and our native home.

And a bonus feast day video, "Give up yer aul sins"  the story of Saint Patrick.

The fort is betrayed even of them that should have defended it.

The local Catholic primary school that my two older sons attended showed this video to the year five children ( 10 year olds)
If you click on that link you will find that in order to view said video you will have to confirm that you are 18 years or older. But if you are a 10 year old in primary school, then your teachers can make porn part of "SRE" and it's all good.
When I was a child, if an adult showed children material like this it would have been a criminal offence. Where will this end? I fear we are already reaping the whirlwind.

It is abusive to deliberately break down the natural sense of inhibition children have around the body and it's functions by making them view and discuss this sort of material in a classroom setting. The people the child needs to guide him  through all the processes of growing, physical and emotional, are those same people who also changed the childs nappies, potty trained the child, wiped the childs bottom and then helped him to learn to wipe his bottom for himself.

Despite all the mountains of evidence that it's doing a terrible job, the State still wants to insinuate itself  even deeper into any remaining nook and cranny of private life that hasn't already been assessed and found wanting by an expert who has been on a course.
Undaunted by it's miserable failure, the government seeks to usurp the family still  further and, realising that some children are falling through it's dysfunctional net, is now determined to ensure that all schools are made to toe the line and teach children it's own hallowed condom-centric credo.
There's something uniquely scary about idiots with high self esteem.

I don't know whether the silence of the bishops is owing to some behind the scenes, softly softly catchee monkey, or whether no one has any stomach these days for the bloodless martyrdom of the media's rack and rope.

This on line petition to the Bishops of England and Wales imploring them to refuse to accept compulsory sex education in Catholic schools is closing on the Feast of St Joseph, 19th March ( Update! Deadline is now extended until 25th March, owing to an upcoming interview with the originator of the petition, Mrs Amanda Lewin,  in the Catholic Times. This is likely to generate more publicity.) Please go read it and consider signing.

The fort is betrayed even of them that should have defended it. And therefore seeing the matter is thus begun, and so faintly resisted on our parts, I fear that we be not the men that shall see the end of the misery. 
St John Fisher.

*Edited to add. This video is apparently being shown to 7 and 8 year olds currently. 

Psst...husband dear...pls read this post!

Well it's worth a try.
In fact my husband hardly ever reads my blog. Alas and alack because it could be a pretty useful way of dropping some heavy hints. Like, for example, oh, y'know..maybe, gift ideas? Just a thought. I mean we all need a little inspiration in the 'unique and meaningful gift' department from time to time right?.
And it strikes me that this blog could be a handy vehicle for a little *ahem* helpful "product placement".


Shh.
Moving on...
A while back, I was looking for some little keepsake for Marie-Aibhlinn.
Her middle name is Teresa Benedicta, for the two Carmelite saints. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and St Therese of Liseux whose intercession we were seeking during my pregnancy (  and before my pregnancy).
I found this terrific Etsy site which sells the most beautiful creations. Mostly jewellery, but also other knick knacks like fridge magnets. They are truely unique and unusual and if I could I'd buy all her stock.

So when I saw this sweet little ornament I knew it was just right for our little flower.

Through emailing back and forth with Nicole, the lady who makes the ornaments, I got to know her a bit.
She shared a lovely website about St Therese ( which I tucked away in my bookmarks and can't seem to find right now) and I told her a little bit about our family and sent her a link to my blog.
I liked her straight away. I'm a sucker for anyone with an artistic talent. But it was clear that she pours so much of her heart into creating the things that she sells. so I was thrilled that I'd found the perfect little gift for Marie-Aibhlinn. A thing of beauty, made with love.

But I was completely blown away when Nicole sent me an email saying " Look what St Olivia inspired me to make for her mummy" and included these photos:
Isn't it just perfect? I can't imagine a more apt memento for our own little family saint . It brings a lump to my throat thinking about it. It's so precious. Whenever I look at it I'm reminded not only of Olivia but of the kindness of strangers. And I'm reminded to ask Olivia to recommend the needs of Nicole and her family to Our Lord.

Blog tinkering

I've changed the header picture here to include our newest addition. I was a bit torn between the one I've put up, which shows all of us, and this one of just the children, which I also like

Maybe I'll change the header from time to time. I've seen a blog which has a photo header which changes every time the page is refreshed. I wonder if Blogger allows for something like that. Anyone know?

(Edited to add: Here's the old header which was taken just after Honor was born. And another one taken then of all the children together. What a difference two years makes!)

Overheard in the kitchen

Dominic; " I can speak a bit of Italian"
Brendan: "Dominic. You cannot speak Italian"
Dominic: " Yes I can, I said I can say a bit"
Brendan: " Go on then. Say something in Italian.
Dominic; "yhcehvehf eie eoifefri hirf i  h gi fifhvwj ehf;g"
Brendan: What does that mean?
Dominic: " It means, Do you want to play hide and seek?"
Silence.
Brendan: " Well you'll be ordering our steaks in the restaurant then"

The feast of the Chair of Peter

Get this. I've been to Rome, but didn't bother with the Vatican. We drove past and it looked busy so we didn't go in.
 Sometimes I find myself fascinating, but in a "huh?" way rather than a "wow!" way.
Next time I won't be so silly.
Anyway, because of this gap in my cultural education, I've never seen the Vatican and it's treasures up close, so I Googled images of the Chair of Peter and this one seems to come up quite alot.

















Um, pardon my ignorance, but is that a  chair?

Then there's this one:

Which does look more chair like, but not especially majestic.So which one is it?
I don't suppose it matters since after all, the feast day isn't  celebrating a chair as such, but rather the authority that the chair represents. Rather like the seat of Moses.
Which I also Googled:

Clearly comfort wasn't high on the agenda. 
I went on another Google wander and fell down Alice in Wonderlands rabbit hole, as I am wont to do when I go Googling late at night. But I did find some interesting articles, such as this one by Steve Ray, who quotes St Cyrian of Carthage:

“The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ He
says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my Church, and the gates
of hell will not overcome it. And to you I
will give the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatever things you bind on
earth shall be bound also in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth, they shall be
loosed also in heaven.’ And again He says
to him after His resurrection: ‘Feed my
sheep.’ On him He builds the Church, and
to him He gives the command to feed the
sheep; and although He assigns a like
power to all the Apostles, yet He founded
a single chair, and He established by His
own authority a source and an intrinsic
reason for that unity. Indeed, the others
were that also which Peter was; but a
primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is
made clear that there is but one Church
and one chair. So too, all are shepherds,
and the flock is shown to be one, fed by
all the Apostles in single-minded accord.
If someone does not hold fast to this unity
of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds
the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter
upon whom the Church was built, can he
still be confident that he is in the
Church?” (Cyprian of Carthage, 251)

Steve Ray also explains that highly ornate "chair" at the top of this post.

The chair of St Peter stands in St Peters Basilica in Rome, which I most certainly will visit next time I'm in the area!



Matthew 16:18

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Carnival of Meatless meals

I've been meaning to post my delicious broccoli ancovy pasta recipe for a while now, but when Milehimama announced that she was hosting this years meatless meals carnival for lent I decided I could delay sharing it with you no longer!
Having the word "delicious" and "anchovy" in the same sentence would ordinarily be oxymoronic, because I hate anchovies, both the look of them and the taste of them . Or at least I thought I did. I hate whitebait too. I think its the wholeness of the fish that gets me. The idea of eating the little fishy head complete with the little fishy eyeballs makes me beg for a cheese sandwich. I'm a little sensitive like that. If my food was once a living, breathing, reproducing creature, then I'm happier if it comes to me in completely unrecognisable form. This is why, back in the day when I didn't know about the mercury contaminant issues, I preferred tinned tuna to tinned salmon. Why does the former come in nice clean lumps of tuna flesh and the latter always come complete with bones and black scaly skin?

However, when I was introduced to the dish I share with you now, the taste was so, um, indefinably "something", not especially fishy, but richly er "yum".  Sorry, that's the best I can do with culinary adjectives. But trust me. This is one of the simplest, most delicious dishes you can prepare, . And it's frugal too. And there's not an eyeball in sight.
Oh, and if that's not enough to persuade you to give them a try, did you know that anchovies are really very good for you? Rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and omegas. Also they are ( because of their short life span apparently)  low in mercury, PCBs and other contaminants.
A Jolly good all round little fish.

Persuaded?
Alrighty. Here's what you need:

A head of broccoli
A jar of anchovies in oil
A packet of spaghetti
Olive oil.

Optional extras:
Garlic
Dried chili flakes.

Here's what you do:

Dump the jar of anchovies in their oil into a fairly capacious cooking receptacle. I use a large flat bottomed wok type pan that has sufficient room for me to add the pasta later. I like to be able to serve straight from the pan and I detest using more dishes than is strictly necessary.

Heat the anchovies, giving them an occasional stir. At this point  you may want to add some garlic and chili. When I  watched my Italian cheffy friend cooking this she just had the simple anchovies on their own, but I quite like the addition of garlic and chili and it's hardly any more effort.

While this is on the heat, prep the broccoli. I use the whole broccoli, stem and all and just cut the whole lot fairly small ( it all breaks down and becomes a bit 'saucy' with the addition of extra oil ) so although broccoli florets might work well too if you want them like that, that's not the way I've cooked them for this dish.

Give the anchovies the odd stir while you're chopping the broccoli. Add some olive oil if you need it. By the time the broccoli is all chopped, the anchovies will have been broken down in the hot oil and rendered reassuringly unrecognisable as having been anything that was once a living thing happily besporting itself in it's briny home.
It's now just a lumpy oily sauce.

Throw in the bits of broccoli and stir. Add oil if it looks like it needs it.

Cook the pack of spaghetti.

When the spaghetti is cooked, dump the whole lot into the sizzly broccoli/anchovy sauce . Mix it all up well.

Bon appetit!

On the basis of the following very rough pricing:
Anchovies £2.00
Spaghetti £1.00
Broccoli £2.00
I estimate that this recipe feeds my entire family for a fiver, although we'd usually have a salad of some sort on the side too, but it's still a pretty frugal meatless meal.

Check out other meatless meals over at Milehimamas.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.)

Last week I started to write a post about Haiti and then deleted it. I had heard a "good news" story on the radio about a two year old called Mia Charlotte who had been rescued and reunited with her mother. It just made me feel more anguished.  All I could think about was the many other little ones, presently alive who were dying alone and uncomforted, no one to cuddle them  or even give them a drink of water. Alive now and scared, but hidden, unreachable and dying alone. I thought of my own little two year old, and  how scared and panicked she had been last week when she caught her foot in her little dolls buggy and found herself momentarily trapped and unable to free herself.
(  Oh dear God,  send those babies a ministering angel!  )                                                                                                                                                                  When I re read what I had half written, my pained musings sounded self indulgent and mawkish to me. Besides, thinking about it just plain hurt and I couldn't stand it. I can't be a rescue worker making a difference on the ground, and my tears here in London aren't going to help the trapped and the terrified and the grief stricken. I avoided reading the news about it because it tears at my heart to know about so much suffering and not be able to do anything but send money or pray. Dammit I want to lift rocks  and get the babies out and into their mamas arms, and if I can't do that then let me send my money, look at God with blank incomprehension...and then turn away.                                                                                                 

2.)

   I've been thinking lately about how the abortion issue seems to have become pigeonholed as a niche religious concern. Did that happen with the anti slavery campaigners? I suppose back then more people identified themselves as Christians anyway so perhaps not. But it bugs me that the human rights issue of abortion hasn't, it seems to me, made a dent in the secular consciousness. It's just a non issue, something that some 'religious folk', mostly elderly catholics are 'against'. It's made me think that perhaps pro life Christians ought to more careful about how they frame the argument. Bringing God into it makes perfect sense to us, but not  to a non believer for whom appeals to God are irrelevant and alienating.

With these thoughts bouncing around in my head I was really pleased to stumble across this blog.

Nate is not a Christian, he is a gay man and he is pro life. He writes about the experience of being pro life but outside the mainstream pro life world of evangelical Christians and Catholics. Personally it gives me a lot to think about, and I'm really happy to know that there are people like him who turn up to rallys to champion the cause of the most defenseless little human beings. Abortion, like slavery and bride burning, is unambiguously wrong.  You don't need to be a signed up churchnik to be clear about that.
Here's a snip of Nate:

First of all, I love the people who put on the Portland Roe vs. Wade rally, and so I have nothing against them. They simply organize the event. I was grumpy well before I got there.

I was first-and-foremost annoyed that I did not take my beloved sign to the rally–the one that said, “It Doesn’t Require Christianity or Heterosexuality to be Pro-Life”. While the reasons for not doing so are somewhat personal, let’s just say that it was enough to make me not want to go there at all. I show up, and it’s rainy (Oregon, right?) and they are singing “praise” music, which doesn’t annoy me but, of course, at the same time annoyed me. I said hi to a bunch of friends.

One of the things that is always powerful is the pro-choice protesters’ reaction to our memorial. We ring a low, loud bell for each million kids aborted–that was 51 tolls this year. The pro-choicers decided to cheer after each toll of the bell…

Read the rest here.

3.)

I'm confused and on the fence about vaccines. I acknowledge the world changing, epic contribution that they have made in eradicating some of the most feared, lethal and devastating communicable diseases. But do we really need to be vaccinated against the panoply of bogies that are in the ever growing line up of the bloated vaccine programmes?
Instinctively it feels wrong to challenge a small babies immune system with such an overwhelming cocktail. I'm also cynical about the powerful hand of big pharma. And the latest brouhaha about the HPV vaccine and it's aggressive marketing campaign has moved me further into the cynic camp. Ditto the swine flu "crisis" and the vaccine panic buying. Some men in suits must be looking forward to big bonuses this year.
Here's Dr Mercola on "Why we need a fearless conversation on vaccines"

4.)

Gabriels Godmother Kate writes poetry. Last week she sent this one for Marie-Aibhlinn. It feels quite a privilege to have a bespoke poem, rather like the Queen having an appointed Poet Laureate to write for special royal occasions. This one is lovely:

For Marie Aibhlinn

Longed for child, a garden of blessing

Born beloved, prized so tight

your breath is fashioned for the light

finger tips like pearly beads

are counting Aves in your sleep

The clock upon the nursery wall

The angels stationed for your call

Are watching too, are nursing close

Your budding heart into a rose

Kate blogs here.

5.)

Speaking earlier of Haiti, I subscribe to an organic 'box scheme' called Farmaround.
On their homepage recently they have had this announcement:

NEW CUSTOMERS
Sign up today and we will donate
4 organic cotton 'T' shirts to the people of Haiti

Organic cotton t shirts? Am I wrong in finding this bizarre? Am I missing something? How is that an incentive to sign up? I realise that perhaps, once they have been  dug out of their ghastly tombs the traumatised Haitians will need clothing among other things, but won't packages of "organic cotton tee shirts" just be another thing to manage? I imagine packages from concerned groups might just clog up the works.

Shortly after the disaster I heard someone from a charity explaining how they were sending colouring pencils to Haiti for the children. Colouring pencils.
I totally get the need to feel like you are sending something personal to those that need help and money is, well, impersonal and feels detatched and a bit like a cop out. But since most of us can't get over there and dig with our bare hands, much as we long to, surely we need to send first money. and then money  and then more money. Let the charities on the ground buy the t shirts.

6.)

Confession. The wondrousness of the sacrament of reconciliation was totally lost on me until I returned to the Catholic church. I look on my old self with fascinated befuddlement that I just didn't get it. The past is indeed another country, they do things differently there.

Here are some posts that I wanted to save to read again, so I'll share them with you dear reader.
Saint Francis de Sales on the sacrament of penance. And some tips from Fr Z on making a good confession.

7.)

Ending on a frivolous note, I have a weakness for really good bed linen.
I have a couple of really lovely old French linen sheets that I bought on eBay. One has lovely delicate ladderwork and the other a  very grand, deep red, hand embroidered monogramme. The one with the delicate ladderwork is starting to get a bit holey and fragile so I've been casting around for an alternative that will be up to the wear and tear of umpteen in a bed and the slash and burn stain removal tactics required to zap dear little miss babys mustard coloured nightime nappy leakages.( I do wonder if breast fed baby poo ever served as a fabric dye in the ancient world? Surely it must have, that stuff doesn't wash off!)

Anyway, I found this fabulous website  that sells Frette sheets at a great price. And even though it's a UK site, shipping is free worldwide. My sheet arrived very quickly and it is worth alot more than I paid for it. So if you want a little hotel lux when you hit the sack without breaking the bank, I can really recommend them.

(For more quick takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.)