tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31732033060088957302024-03-12T22:21:18.533-04:00Sun Dial MomentsThomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-74234676879270977142012-01-03T00:28:00.002-05:002012-01-03T00:35:38.863-05:00Janus the Roman God of New Beginnings<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POw0PwlSw2I/TwKSe8sfNiI/AAAAAAAAAKo/j9chuoqghZM/s1600/CubaPanAm.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 203px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693273939336181282" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POw0PwlSw2I/TwKSe8sfNiI/AAAAAAAAAKo/j9chuoqghZM/s400/CubaPanAm.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">January is named after the Roman God Janus, the God of new beginnings. A two faced statue looking backward and forward, Janus builds a future while still respecting the past. Will this be the year Cuba respects but leaves its past and starts a new beginning?</span></strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-52173163684267520162011-12-27T09:27:00.002-05:002011-12-27T09:30:35.719-05:00CUBA..the reality<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EC6s2hB2T9E/TvnWhVTNyII/AAAAAAAAAKc/ptIoVYny6CQ/s1600/el-sagrado-corazon-1995-lazaro-saavedra-gonzalez1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 319px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690815472301099138" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EC6s2hB2T9E/TvnWhVTNyII/AAAAAAAAAKc/ptIoVYny6CQ/s400/el-sagrado-corazon-1995-lazaro-saavedra-gonzalez1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-2730421233836921952011-12-27T09:23:00.002-05:002011-12-27T09:27:03.242-05:00CUBA: the damage<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXZdcHTvqFc/TvnVOszt-jI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/QxGn7Aws63o/s1600/Havana%2BCatholic%2BSchool%2B3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690814052682299954" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXZdcHTvqFc/TvnVOszt-jI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/QxGn7Aws63o/s400/Havana%2BCatholic%2BSchool%2B3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>A Catholic school built before the communist revolution</strong></span>.</div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-43480820059318570302011-12-27T09:01:00.003-05:002011-12-27T09:22:49.160-05:00CUBA...has the change begun?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTFZSoL5emw/TvnT7AFXQtI/AAAAAAAAAKE/l6TW_-JPaa4/s1600/baboon14.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690812614747570898" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTFZSoL5emw/TvnT7AFXQtI/AAAAAAAAAKE/l6TW_-JPaa4/s400/baboon14.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>After 50 years of a failed system communism seems to be slowly compromising with the world reality. The war against Catholicism has ended. This year you may say and celebrate "Merry Christmas". A vibrant faith is emerging from the wreckage of crumbling church buildings. Soon, someone, who somehow has any money might be able to buy a house. A few are now allowed to work for themselves even though they must pay a massive tax for that privilege. 2,900 of the thousands of prisoners will be released from prison, even though very few of the 10 million imprisoned island population are allowed to leave the nation. A trickle of servants are returning to work in the old mansions of Havana which were confiscated by the state after their rightful owners fled to America. The servants now work for government or communist squatters. Like a tree growing from a concrete wall, glimpses of freedom are sprouting. History has proven that the masses demand change not when they are destitute but after they have a taste of a better life, and once that taste is savored there is no force that can stop the appetite. </strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-24093577882200005662011-04-01T16:57:00.001-04:002011-04-01T17:01:15.547-04:00Hey England, We're Back!<div align="center"><strong></strong><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hK_PRB_sb2Q/TZY8loozR1I/AAAAAAAAAJw/Ox90XvkV3Yk/s1600/Pope%2Bin%2BEngland.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590722604688426834" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hK_PRB_sb2Q/TZY8loozR1I/AAAAAAAAAJw/Ox90XvkV3Yk/s400/Pope%2Bin%2BEngland.jpg" /></a> <strong>Pope Benedict XVI and some English priests and seminarians.</strong> </div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-8260107911653039822011-03-31T21:44:00.003-04:002011-03-31T22:03:58.374-04:00Catholicism Returns to the Cathedral of York<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jcjlotIrTpk/TZUuSl52kWI/AAAAAAAAAJo/OC5LfSRCW5Q/s1600/398px-York_Minster_main_entrance_door_St_Peter.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590425409397625186" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jcjlotIrTpk/TZUuSl52kWI/AAAAAAAAAJo/OC5LfSRCW5Q/s320/398px-York_Minster_main_entrance_door_St_Peter.jpg" /></a> <strong>For the first since Henry VIII stole the cathedral of York from the Catholic church, a Catholic Mass was celebrated this week in the ancient church. When he took the church Henry stripped much of its wealth for his mistress, Anne <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Boleyn</span>, who processed through it at her wedding, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">pregnant</span> with the pretender of the throne, the future Elizabeth I. Once queen, Elizabeth vandalized the massive shrine by removing any semblances of Catholicism including defacing the graves of the dead. Now 500 years later, a Roman Catholic High Latin Mass was allowed by the Anglican occupiers in this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">formerly</span></span> Catholic cathedral dedicated to St. Peter, the first Pope. 900 attended. Slowly, slowly England drifts back to her mother faith. </strong>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-65128177796240308122011-03-30T18:11:00.005-04:002011-03-31T22:05:27.224-04:00New English Priests<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7LBu6ni_-r0/TZOs9M_zbmI/AAAAAAAAAJg/_cUWyG9Q74o/s1600/StThomasMore.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 155px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590001729957752418" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7LBu6ni_-r0/TZOs9M_zbmI/AAAAAAAAAJg/_cUWyG9Q74o/s200/StThomasMore.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><br /><div><strong>About 500 years ago St. Thomas More was executed for remaining loyal to the Pope. The Church of England bishops urged him to spare his life and join them in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">apostasy</span>. His monies and home were confiscated. He was imprisoned. He died remaining loyal to the King but also the Pope. "I am the King's loyal servant, but God's first" were some of his last words. Today, 50 Church of England priests have left their church to become Roman Catholic priests and are studying for the priesthood on the former site of Thomas More's home. </strong><strong>He who laughs last laughs best indeed.</strong></div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-43566211939835313242011-03-18T09:42:00.004-04:002011-03-18T09:59:36.038-04:00Cuba 2011<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRJCOK4xb7k/TYNkyE6Gg9I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/eDt7A8nmzL8/s1600/Cuba%2B2011.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585418774343222226" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRJCOK4xb7k/TYNkyE6Gg9I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/eDt7A8nmzL8/s200/Cuba%2B2011.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>When does "The Revolution" need a revolution? Answer: When the new ruling class becomes as entrenched and self serving as the ruling class it destroyed to achieve power. Today, Cuba needs a new Fidel Castro, only this one must <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">truly</span> love the people and return basic human rights...freedom to assemble, travel, politically choose, worship God, and pursue an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">economic</span> dream. This new Castro must destroy the aging Communist <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">privileged</span> class that strangles the island nation for their own welfare. The blueprint is given by history. A nation waits. A people so destroyed have little time or energy for a revolution without a leader. This is not middle class Egypt 2011, France 1789, America 1776, or Tunisia 2011. This is China 1949, Russia 1917, Cuba 1959. Cuba needs a new and better Fidel Castro if its torture <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">heroic</span> people are to be <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">rescued</span>. Teddy Roosevelt did it in 1898. We thought Fidel 1 did it in 1959. we were wrong. Cuba waits... </strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-30684191036547144032011-03-10T09:54:00.003-05:002011-03-10T10:19:52.460-05:00The Wreckage<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfOAF-0TcxY/TXjmVIy38nI/AAAAAAAAAJA/8zVYjrVdFt8/s1600/Havana%2BCatholic%2BSchool%2B9.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 269px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582464988938236530" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfOAF-0TcxY/TXjmVIy38nI/AAAAAAAAAJA/8zVYjrVdFt8/s400/Havana%2BCatholic%2BSchool%2B9.jpg" /></a> <strong>How do you begin... what went wrong? How could an institution so strong, so organized, so historic, so moral, so wealthy, so powerful...just collapse? The picture shows all that remains of a Catholic school in modern Cuba. Destruction from outside...Fidel and his communists. Yes the altar boy, Jesuit trained Fidel Castro grew up to all but erase his church from his nation.</strong><br /><strong>Today, another generation of altar boys are erasing Catholicism. This time it is in America. This time it is not a famous dictator, a Catholic kid who turned bad. This time it is the innocent. Holy boys presented to the church by loving <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">trusting</span> parents only to be sexually molested by sick men ordained as priests. Small in number but devastating beyond anticipation these <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">pedophiles</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">those</span> bishops who protected them are bankrupting the church financially and morally. Once again they reprove the historic fact that real destruction of the church does not come from persecutors but from its own priests. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Probably</span> every <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">heresy</span> was begun by a priest. Today, Holy Mother Church bleeds in America but is being reborn in Cuba. </strong>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-47064928335506563212011-01-30T10:48:00.003-05:002011-01-30T11:05:33.568-05:00Silent Soldiers in The Snow<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TUWImwx_JUI/AAAAAAAAAIs/0CIMQ9GFz1U/s1600/DSC08727.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568006713824453954" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TUWImwx_JUI/AAAAAAAAAIs/0CIMQ9GFz1U/s320/DSC08727.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The sun sets at the monastery on a cold brief Winter day. The bells wait. Like soldiers in the snow they wait to remind us of the glory of the Creator Who is present at all times and in many ways. Soon it will be time for vespers. The bells will call everyone to thank the Creator for another day of life. After vespers the chapel will again be empty. Only the dancing shadows of the vigil light flickering before the icon of the Blessed Virgin remain. Outside, the snow slowly turns from white to blue under the rising moon. The bells stand at attention. So much of the secular world holds no attraction from this peace. </div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-70818820422431759582010-09-30T14:48:00.004-04:002010-09-30T15:41:17.132-04:00United We Stand<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TKThW58uqxI/AAAAAAAAAIg/_UEPTGyQt4Y/s1600/Stuarts.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 289px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522786826691980050" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TKThW58uqxI/AAAAAAAAAIg/_UEPTGyQt4Y/s320/Stuarts.png" /></a> <div><strong>Torn over issues of female clergy, the practice of homosexuality, declining Sunday services attendance, and some of its former churches turning into mosques, the Anglican Churches of England and Scotland were required by the Queen to welcome Pope Benedict XVI at former Catholic institutions lost when stolen by Henry VIII in the 16<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> century. Indeed, the current Queen Elizabeth is probably named after Elizabeth I who was excommunicated by the Pope also in the 16<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> century. Again, history surprises us in our lifetime. Many thought the Soviet Union, the "Iron Curtain" and the Berlin Wall would out last us and our children, but in an historical instant they were all gone. </strong></div><br /><div><strong>Now we have the Pope welcomed by Queen Elizabeth to visit the former Benedictine monastery of Westminster Abbey, and the actual courtroom where Thomas Moore was sentenced to death because of his loyalty to the Vicar of Christ, the Roman Pontiff. Four hundred years ago Catholic priests were hung, disemboweled and quartered for the "crime" of being a priest. Henry VIII stole, looted and destroyed 600 Catholic churches and monasteries. Now the Roman church returns to declare blessed, John Cardinal <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Neuman</span> who left the Anglican priesthood, converted to Roman Catholicism and became a cardinal. A Pope honoring an Anglican who converted to Roman Catholicism in England under the witness of the schismatic Archbishop of Canterbury... historically unthinkable but now a reality.</strong></div><br /><div><strong>One senses that the Christians of Europe are possibly finally reuniting. Devastated by Nazism, Communism, Secularism and now a growing Islam, Christians are seeing an urgency and duty to save Europe's Christian soul and identity. Perhaps our lifetime will witness the spectacular once again...a reuniting of Protestantism, Anglicanism, the Roman and Orthodox churches.</strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-12584058039836294322010-07-27T18:07:00.006-04:002010-07-27T18:27:17.220-04:00Saint Edward the Confessor<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TE9dMAwlmII/AAAAAAAAAIQ/p2Yn-njPrMQ/s1600/St+Edward+the+Confessor.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 178px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498716130986268802" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TE9dMAwlmII/AAAAAAAAAIQ/p2Yn-njPrMQ/s320/St+Edward+the+Confessor.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It was a sad Mass. So sad even the priest cried. We were not burying a person but rather a building…the church of Saint Edward the Confessor still standing amidst the urban prairie of the north Philadelphia badlands. Over a century old it had watched its community built, beautified, abandoned and finally destroyed. All that was left were occasional defiant row homes without rows that gasped on acres of broken bricks and dead trees. The aftermath of another great urban battlefield, one of many that chanted the sorrow of American cities at the end of the twentieth century. And now the little congregation of ten gathered in a church which had once greeted a thousand for spectacular Christmas Masses. We came to bury this glorious monument of English Gothic architecture. Towering stained glass windows from France reflected for one last time the story of our faith. Altar bells echoed in the great void. The Virgin Queen gave her final loving gaze. “Ita Missa Est” whispered the broken priest. He had tried so valiantly to save this lighthouse of love in a violent sea of drugs and cruelty. It was over. He had lost.<br /><br />They entered before the incense had even drifted up to the interior heaven. Protected by security guards they began to take as much of the art that they could move this day. The twenty foot crucifix was lowered carefully onto a padded vehicle for transport to the archdiocesan warehouse. Each man carried a massive candlestick from the home they had known for a century. In one corner a group wrestled the Virgin from her pedestal with the help of a small crane. Yes it was really over. Outside nervous young guards stood by as the loot was taken. Across the street a Black man was yelling, “Thieves! This is God’s house. His glory belongs to His people who have nothing!” Some dismissed him as a drunk, a street person from the rubble. The guards would briefly give him quick stares, always avoiding prolonged eye contact. “Thieves! God’s vengeance on you!” He was a prophet of the street. He had nothing but the truth.</span> </strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-70931452839385667922010-06-16T14:01:00.003-04:002010-06-16T14:55:19.593-04:00The Six Thousand<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TBkTXqCK6zI/AAAAAAAAAH4/CP324Lb912I/s1600/West+2005+003.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483435318441601842" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/TBkTXqCK6zI/AAAAAAAAAH4/CP324Lb912I/s320/West+2005+003.jpg" /></a><br />This week Cardinal <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dougherty</span> High School in Philadelphia will officially close...a thought considered impossible in 1958 when it opened as the largest Catholic high school in the world. Those were the glory days for American Catholicism. Seminaries and convents were struggling to find room for their unending floods of candidates. Priests sat down to rectory dinners at crowded dinning room tables. It was unusual to see an elderly priest. It was equally unusual to have a teacher who was not <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">either</span> a priest or a nun. Parishes and schools were well into a building frenzy. The issue of individual conscience and disagreeing with Church doctrine seemed to be non existent. There were the rules, and those who disobeyed them confessed their sins, or just left. No energy was waisted on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">accommodation</span> and strained compromises. The Church was "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic" in word and actuality. Each year Cardinal <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dougherty</span> would graduate well over 1,000 students. Its halls were built extra wide to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">accommodate</span> the vast crowds during the change of classes. Tuition was $25.00, books were rented, field trips and movies were unheard of. Silence permeated the school during instruction time. All of the 6,000 students prayed as a mass 8 times a day. Female students wore modest uniforms. Male students sported a suit, white shirt and tie. Sneaks appeared in gym and jeans at home. Ours was a European style education with emphasis on lecture and memorization devoid of any current <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">educational</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">fix all </span>program. Manners, respect, patriotism and God were the constant themes of the school.<br /><br />Today, the building houses 500 students within its endless halls and 2,000 seat auditorium. Nuns disappeared first, then the priests. Catholicism probably has a bare majority as the faith of the student body. Enduring a withering storm of Great Recession, clerical scandals, and a pagan culture, the building somehow remained open until now. It closes this week. The marvel is that it lasted this long. In many ways it represents the Church in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">America</span> today. Standing, empty and beloved by those who are blessed with memories of a better America. We are promised by Christ that Holy Mother Church will survive to the end of times. He never mentioned, however, our numbers.Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-19979650070039175602010-05-16T10:53:00.001-04:002010-05-16T11:04:12.641-04:00Spring Diet<strong></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S_AJBMxiZdI/AAAAAAAAAHw/HBCUbvl-e_k/s1600/FLOWERS+062.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471883463468672466" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S_AJBMxiZdI/AAAAAAAAAHw/HBCUbvl-e_k/s320/FLOWERS+062.jpg" /></a> Not everyone is slimming down for the summer.<br /><div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-70173499107199048642010-04-29T21:54:00.004-04:002010-04-30T16:45:58.258-04:00Joey<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S9tBSzW9qTI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ayOohGfuxzc/s1600/DSC03314.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466034364024203570" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S9tBSzW9qTI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ayOohGfuxzc/s320/DSC03314.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div>Waiting in my car at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walmart</span>, I saw him approach from the side mirror. Instant decision...roll up the window or see what happens. It was a brilliantly beautiful day and the store was brand new so I felt safe. Not sure why. A voice said take a chance and talk to him if he talks to you. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tattooed</span> and a little drunk he told me his story. He lived in a tent in the woods just beyond the parking lot, and had just survived one of our worst winters in history. It was his third tent. One had blown away and another had been destroyed by a mutually panicked deer. His name was Joey and he was 47 years old. He had lived in the woods for 2 years now. He was forbidden to beg from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walmart</span> shoppers on the parking lot. So we agreed if he was stopped we were just friends <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">having</span> a conversation. His mother lived in senior housing high rise nearby but he was not allowed to visit her after being found sleeping in the lobby. He hadn't seen his father for decades and doubted he would even recognize him. His father had died in in his heart. Before they closed the nearby Catholic church Fr. Bob had let him sleep and shower in the abandoned convent, and even made dinner for him now and then. But that was all over now. Joey loved God, would read his bible in his tent until it got dark. He was currently into Corinthians. Once he went to a nearby Baptist church for bible study but forgot it wasn't Sunday. The church was closed. Proud that he was drug free for 4 months Joey admitted he still needed vodka in the morning to control the shakes. Frustrated he lamented he just couldn't take life much longer. The spider bites, the rain, the despair...it was all too much. On April 5 he had remembered it was his birthday and cried bitterly. There was no cards, no cake, no recognition by anyone that he was alive. We talked about AA and places for help, but he admitted he still loved alcohol too much to give it up. I told him unless he controlled it in the end it would win. Briefly, slightly wistfully he acknowledged the demon but then changed the subject. Although I was 10 minutes passed giving him a few bucks, I was drawn to give more even though he didn't ask for it. I told him that God didn't forget his birthday and gave him 20 dollars. He was someone and he got a birthday present no matter what he did with it. His joy was intense.</div><br /><div>So there we were on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walmart</span> parking lot surrounded by people buying more stuff. It was strange to find a man with nothing at a place that boasts it has everything. I wondered who was richer Joey or the shoppers. I reminded Joey that Jesus had little of this world just like him. They were friends, Jesus and him, travelling the cruel way of the cross. But now and then He uses someone to remind the crucified that are not forgotten and are so loved in their passion and suffering. Joey and I parted as friends and he went off to Burger King for dinner. The sun was setting over all of the franchises and the cars continued their endless suburban parade. America 2010.</div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-56941339648501417812010-03-20T11:41:00.004-04:002010-03-20T11:56:31.633-04:00A Prayer For Now<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S6TtsqXtJ3I/AAAAAAAAAHI/md4DY6vX0qY/s1600-h/Mystery+Pictures+233.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450742800568887154" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S6TtsqXtJ3I/AAAAAAAAAHI/md4DY6vX0qY/s320/Mystery+Pictures+233.jpg" /></a> A winter's night awaits the Spring. Blue sky...black trees...a guardian moon, God's universal plan continues despite the noises of humanity and its wasted energies. We are less than ants in the grand scheme and yet mysteriously loved by the Creator. What was important is not important, what should be important is too often ignored. To be alone with creation is to be in the presence of the Creator. Pause and ascend above <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walmarts</span>, car troubles, and American Idol. Discover you are loved and your return home is always waiting if you find the way. Be careful of the detours and realize when you are in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dead end</span>.<br /><br /><div align="left"></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-2349928888657128462010-02-15T21:52:00.001-05:002010-02-15T21:55:00.673-05:00Industrial Winter<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S3oIjCp_-SI/AAAAAAAAAHA/eHySEk-ue6E/s1600-h/Winter+Snows+2010+142.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438668898104768802" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S3oIjCp_-SI/AAAAAAAAAHA/eHySEk-ue6E/s320/Winter+Snows+2010+142.jpg" /></a>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-9033637805963542602010-01-26T09:08:00.003-05:002010-01-26T09:46:30.785-05:00Waiting to be Buried<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S174oPtkZ0I/AAAAAAAAAG4/ztFc1H8yM54/s1600-h/Italy.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431051570951513922" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S174oPtkZ0I/AAAAAAAAAG4/ztFc1H8yM54/s320/Italy.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/S1739OWwWRI/AAAAAAAAAGw/lDRPO3-A9e0/s1600-h/fountains_2.JPG"></a>It is a strange morning for winter, the temperature has reached 60 degrees. Although it is approaching noon the sky is dark. Winds are powerful and the rain is tropical. It is my job to make a delivery. The majestic church stands as a mighty reminder of a past. The thousands are gone. Their school is closed. Their convent is empty of nuns. A rectory built for many priests has but one. Crumbled sidewalks betray a maintenance abandoned. Surviving trees mix with their long dead brothers. Rain drips from rotten gutters. I have breached the barbed wire fence through the hidden entrance and made my delivery. A gentle soul has quieted the old dog long exhausted from his guardian duties. The task is done. I wonder where did all my people go. In suburbs perhaps where they harvest wonderful memories of another time...reciting creative names of celebrity nuns long buried? Memories...crowds of worshippers bustling home for a Sunday breakfast...altar boys extinguishing candles...ushers closing doors. Sunshine always paints memories. But today is not such a day. I know I am really looking at many Catholic churches in many American cities. The tribe has moved, and left behind their monuments. Their new churches are pitiful imitations of a majestic disciplined past. Perhaps they reflect the depth of their new century faith. I hope not. But now, here in the city it is raining. This wondrous church stands alone looking down on the collapsing houses of its ghostly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">congregation</span>. Across the street a new African American Baptist church glares with the arrogance of victory. My church stares back waiting to be buried. <br /><br /><div></div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-12603526457745179352009-11-02T15:21:00.005-05:002009-11-02T21:12:25.434-05:00Anglicans Coming Home?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/Su8_zacW0AI/AAAAAAAAAGo/kP7iXqq-oLk/s1600-h/tabecket.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 122px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399604630744649730" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/Su8_zacW0AI/AAAAAAAAAGo/kP7iXqq-oLk/s320/tabecket.jpg" /></a><strong> After almost 600 years the Anglicans are on the verge of a massive return to the Church of Rome. In the 16th century King Henry VIII declared himself head of the church in England. Some of his official acts included granting himself a divorce, confiscating all church wealth and closing the monasteries. Suddenly, he was the richest man in England. Church lands were given to his supporters. Church bells were melted down into cannons and church lead roofs were melted into bullets. Those who supported him were rewarded. Those who defied him were killed. Their number included Thomas More who was later declared a saint by the Roman Church. All priests and bishops were ordered to renounce their allegiance to the Pope, and slowly began the evolution of a schismatic faith, the Anglican church. But Catholicism was hard to destroy, and now the church of Rome has officially welcomed them back. Allowing them to keep their married priests, create new married priests, and retain their Anglican traditions and rituals. Many are said to wish a return since the Anglican church is increasingly ordaining women , practicing homosexuals and flirting with the concept of homosexual marriages. These are historic times for both the Roman and Anglican churches. Rome numbers 1 billion souls, the Anglicans 77 million. The numbers returning should be interesting. If it is a flood it could be common to see married priests in the church of Rome who are Anglican. Where is Henry VIII and what must he be thinking?<br /></strong><br /><br /><div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-36407605389073258192009-09-29T08:56:00.004-04:002009-09-29T09:19:00.420-04:00St. Michael the Archangel be Our Protector...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SsIIJjE-nyI/AAAAAAAAAGA/hI7So_7hTU8/s1600-h/St.+Michael.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 255px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386877064416501538" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SsIIJjE-nyI/AAAAAAAAAGA/hI7So_7hTU8/s320/St.+Michael.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>Today, September 29, is the Roman Catholic day to honor Saint Michael the Archangel. He is portrayed as a warrior saint slaying Lucifer shown in the form of a deadly dragon. Lucifer whose beauty was once so stunning that he challenged God, and was thus caste into Hell by Michael whose name is really a question he shouted across the heavens as he prepared to slay the dragon, "Who is like God?" . As Lucifer and his angels fell into their kingdom of fire they transformed from beauty to ugliness, thus beginning the strange bait of evil which often appears so beautiful but becomes so ugly. Defeated by God and His angels, Lucifer then set his target on God's wonderful creation, man. </strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>With this as a background it is interesting to see the church on the coast of France (see picture) dedicated to Saint Michael who was proclaimed by the church as the protector of Europe. The 21st century finds Europe spiritually adrift after a brutal century of warfare. Its churches are empty. Some are turning into mosques. In Glasgow, Scotland there are now 33,000 Muslims. This week the Pope visited the Czech Republic the first atheist majority nation in Europe. The last century was a tough one for Europe: imperialism, fascism, Communism, materialism have taken their toll on its soul. Saint Michael the Archangel still stands on the coast of France, and the church, freed from its oppressors and pedophiles, begins the task of again converting Europe. We will not live to see the results, but I believe Michael will again prevail over evil. </strong></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SsIEQwDd6uI/AAAAAAAAAF4/7KLX4_DPlqs/s1600-h/St.+Michael.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-23998587206363903112009-09-19T14:45:00.003-04:002009-09-19T15:07:22.509-04:00Christ in Christmas<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SrUrAqKyH0I/AAAAAAAAAFw/6xsRyM8rNdI/s1600-h/Cathedral+Phila..jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383256219910807362" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SrUrAqKyH0I/AAAAAAAAAFw/6xsRyM8rNdI/s320/Cathedral+Phila..jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>Well its the last days of summer and the bees are still visiting tired flowers. Nevertheless, today's mail produced another supply of Christmas cards from competing Catholic religious orders eager to beat the other for your money. Sometimes it seems the orders should just be done with it and just change their names to Sisters of Hallmark or Gibson Brothers of the Holy Post. What started as a unique oddity has mushroomed into a card industry: Christmas, Easter, birthday, death, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">illness keep</span> a steady flow of cards to our homes. Sometimes they include medals, rosaries, and holy cards. Some even send coins and postage to stir your conscious. Today's mail came from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Maryknoll</span> Order, once the great American missionaries of China now reduced to a trickle of vocations after <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">truly</span> embracing a liberal approach to Catholicism. It contained the usual manger scene cards. The envelope said, "Keep Christ in Christmas". Surely a nifty reminder in the hustle and bustle of summer Cristmas season. How many shopping days to Christmas, Father ? Perhaps we can begin to keep Our Lord in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Christmas</span> by having His Church get out of the card business and stop competing with malls decorating for His <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">birth</span> in September in the hope to make the most bucks. Fathers, Sisters and Brothers consider remembering what Chaucer said in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Canterbury</span> Tales, "If the gold rusts what will the iron do"?</strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-52235636680969778672009-09-07T20:23:00.003-04:002009-09-07T20:31:38.949-04:00Chesepeake Bay in Late Summer<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SqWkC7KDG9I/AAAAAAAAAFo/m-CXwUcWXB8/s1600-h/St.+Michaels+2009+001.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378885700110457810" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SqWkC7KDG9I/AAAAAAAAAFo/m-CXwUcWXB8/s320/St.+Michaels+2009+001.jpg" /></a> ...<strong>a morning I recently captured at the harbor of Saint Michael's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Chesapeake</span> Bay, Maryland.</strong><br /><div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-85914067955821696062009-09-01T10:09:00.001-04:002009-09-01T10:18:38.621-04:00Hibernation<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/Sp0sutmEiMI/AAAAAAAAAFg/N_MlUk2ffYo/s1600-h/Welcome+to+the+Poconos.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376502711175121090" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/Sp0sutmEiMI/AAAAAAAAAFg/N_MlUk2ffYo/s320/Welcome+to+the+Poconos.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>Time for our brother bears to sleep for the winter. Is it necessary to say "Do Not Disturb"?</strong></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-51990953989642963352009-08-26T08:24:00.004-04:002009-08-26T08:46:10.532-04:00Moon at Dusk<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpUtsOi7wTI/AAAAAAAAAFY/XHqgde4xJLU/s1600-h/Arizona+November+2007+042.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374251968178667826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpUtsOi7wTI/AAAAAAAAAFY/XHqgde4xJLU/s320/Arizona+November+2007+042.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><strong>I discovered the beauty and calm of the desert while in Arizona last year, and captured the early moon from the driveway of Frank Loyd Wright's home, Tailsman. Religions speak of spiritual encounters with God, angels, Satan and demons in the desert. The peaceful void, lack of distractions, and absence of man's presence there makes it possible to hear and perhaps even see the spiritual world about us which is so clouded by noise and visual pollutions of the mind. In the desert we discover ourselves. </strong><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpUqHGVyBFI/AAAAAAAAAFA/jdFJSZHZCVI/s1600-h/Arizona+November+2007+012.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3173203306008895730.post-80694892578058081502009-08-23T08:19:00.010-04:002009-08-23T09:04:56.515-04:00Tolerance?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpE139CTeKI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dQqxvvQA3KE/s1600-h/Jesu+Charte.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 153px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373135065823017122" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpE139CTeKI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dQqxvvQA3KE/s320/Jesu+Charte.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div><div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>In the 15th century when the Muslim Turks conquered Constantinople they entered its most sacred church, the great Hagia Sophia, Church of the Holy Wisdom, women were violated, men killed, holy objects looted, and the sacred altar desecrated as the conqueror stood on it and faced Mecca with a prayer of thanksgiving. Hagia Sophia was not just another church. It was the seat of the entire Orthodox church rivaling the Vatican in size, age and beauty. The Muslims covered its great mosaics with plaster, removed its cross, and declared it a mosque. Later, they made it a museum. Recently, it was announced that a church in Tarsus, Turkey, birthplace of Saint Paul, would no longer be recognized as a church and was now also a museum. People wishing to pray there were to make an application weeks in advance, secure tickets, and wait for final governmental approval. </strong><strong>When Hitler was certain he would win World War II and all of Europe's Jews would be killed, he decided to build a museum dedicated to Judaism. Prior to that Stalin, after destroying 35,000 of Russia's 45,000 churches decided to make surviving buildings (not needed as warehouses or trash dumps) museums as well. Apparently, placing a faith considered an enemy of the state in a museum is an official government declaration that a people and their faith are dead.</strong></div><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Today, apologists for Islam and proponents of Turkish membership in the European Union speak often of the peaceful tolerance of Islam. I find such evidence rare. Islam in total power erases all it opposes one way or another. Western liberal atheists, unceasing in their attacks on Christianity and the state of Israel, would be wise to read history. Surely, after the Christian and Jewish believers are erased they would be next. </strong></div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_93viYcDKuD8/SpE0UD1XseI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/_lDHRwolUCY/s1600-h/Jesu+Charte.jpg"></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Thomas of Canterburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15391938506217586830noreply@blogger.com0