Entwined

The Korean Martyrs

Read more about SS Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and their Companions - and the inspiring story of the Church in Korea - at Catholic Culture as well as the homily of Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of the Korean Martyrs. Collect: O God, you have created all nations and you are their salvation. In the land of Korea your call to Catholic faith formed a people of adoption, whose growth you nurtured by the blood of Andrew, Paul, and their companions. Through their martyrdom and their intercession grant us strength that we too may remain faithful to your commandments even until death. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

UIOGD

Note to self ... UIOGD = Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus

Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

As depicted at The Grotto (The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother) in Portland OR. (Thanks to Confessions of a Young Catholic for pointing me to this.)

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

O Cross of Christ, immortal tree On which our Saviour died, The world is sheltered by your arms That bore the Crucified. From bitter death and barren wood The tree of life is made; Its branches bear unfailing fruit And leaves that never fade. O faithful Cross, you stand unmoved While ages run their course; Foundation of the universe, Creation's binding force. Give glory to the risen Christ And to his Cross give praise, The sign of God's unfathomed love, The hope of all our days. - Divine Office: Hymn for 14 September

Dying Lily

9-11 - belatedly and reluctantly

So many more profound and moving memorials have been posted about that sad day five years ago (see, for example, Matthew's My Blog entry "As Buildings Burn" or Michael Reichmann's photo and comment on Luminous Landscape or a summary of Remembrances at Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam) that I didn't dare add anything. Except... Most people mention that 9-11-01 started as a "day like any other". Actually, no, for me, it didn't. By the time I'd finished my then 25 km commute to work, I already had a troubling, deep-down sense of something malignant and evil being in the air...and arrived in the office, just before 9:00 am, to find a few people gathered around a computer monitor displaying a news item about a plane hitting the World Trade Center... For all who've gone through the passion of losing loved ones or family or friends, or have had to bear the heavy cross of doubt and questioning unbelief...all I can offer is to join my heart to the words of the closing prayer of the Angelus that they "...may be brought, by His Passion and Cross, to the glory of His Resurrection."

Talk to the Hand

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From Abbot Gueranger's The Liturgical Year: "'Let us celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary; let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord.' Such is the invitation addressed to us today by the Church. Let us hearken to her call; let us enter into her ever-flowing joy. The Bridegroom is at hand, for His throne is now set up on earth... "Andrew of Crete calls this day a solemnity of entrance, a feast of beginning, whose end is the union of the Word with our flesh; a virginal feast, full of joy and confidence for all. 'All ye nations, come hither,' cries St John Damascene; 'come every race and tongue, every age and dignity, let us joyfully celebrate the birthday of the world's gladness.' 'It is the beginning of salvation, the origin of every feast,' says St Peter Damian; 'for behold! the Mother of the Bridegroom is born. With good reason does the whole world rejoice today; and the Church, beside herself, bids her choirs sing wedding songs.' "Not only do the Doctors of the east and west use similar language in praise of Mary's birth, but moreover the Latin and Greek Churches sing, each in its own tongue, the same beautiful formula, to close the office of the feast: "'Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God, brought joy to the whole world: for out of thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God: who, taking off the curse, hath bestowed blessing; and defeating death, hath given us life everlasting.'"

Green Bud with Violet

Blessed Sara Salkahazi

From A Catholic Life, an inspirational story ... and one that I'd never heard before:

Blessed Sara Salkahazi is scheduled to be beatified on September 17, 2006, at Budapest's St. Stephen Basilica. Salkahazi was a Hungarian nun that saved the lives of dozens of Jews during World War II ...

Original source (Sisters of Social Service).

Yellow and Green with Vase

Ubuntu Christian Edition

Interesting concept. "The goal of Ubuntu Christian Edition is not to bring Christianity to Linux but to bring Linux to Christians."

The Best Anti-Virus Software?

See: CyberNet News report on testing by virus.gr. After using AVG for a number of years on my Windows machines, I got annoyed when it started bugging me about needing to buy a commercial network (i.e. multi-licence!) version - probably because of my Open Text login? - so ... bang, I blew it away. I've since switched to NOD32 - heard that the one & only Leo Laporte uses it (when he uses an anti-virus, that is!) - and am very happy with it. These results - especially the heuristic testing - only reconfirm my happiness. :-)

iPod Wall

Photoblog Fever

Yep. Caught the fever ... I think I'm going to set up a separate site (and domain even?) for my photos - hopefully a daily photographic journal = photoblog - or maybe a more trad gallery? - and keep in the noonday sun for my verbal musings - with maybe a photo or two thrown in just for good measure... Hmm. And was that really one sentence?! Mrs Forbes would have rapped my knuckles. Rapped them real good.