Coincidence . . .

I've spent a little time recently exploring a few blogs that I haven't come across before.

They've probably been out there for a long time but I'm beginning to notice how many young Catholics there are 'out there' blogging about their faith - and how well they do it too - it puts me to shame to see how articulate they are when writing about their experiences. I struggle to put my thoughts into words and I'm sure I would certainly have not have been anyway near as 'clued up' as these young people are when I was 'just a girl'.

By a strange coincidence, I've come across two blogs written by young women in America and both have written about their preference for wearing a mantilla. See here and here.

Is this something that is to be found more in the US, I wonder? Is it only in 'traditional' parishes or when attending Mass in the Extraordinary Form? I don't think I've ever come across anyone under the age of about 45-50 in our parish wearing a mantilla. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with this. I think it's great that young people feel so strongly about their faith that they have decided to adopt this outward sign of their humility before God.

I personally don't feel the need to cover my head but I can understand and respect the feelings of those who do. Maybe, it's because, as a convert, I wasn't brought up with the practice. Talking to friends of my age who were at Catholic schools, they seem to look back fondly at wearing a mantilla at Mass when they were schoolgirls.

I just can't see it happening in our parish. These young women must be very strong characters to be prepared to stand out amongst their peers as I can't imagine it is the norm, even in the US.

What do you think?

Wasting time - again!

Saturday afternoons can go either way for me - either I am very industrious and spend hours in front of the ironing board listening to the football on Five Live until my ironing basket is empty . . . or . . . as was the case today, I spend ages messing about doing nothing in particular until I suddenly realise it's time I thought about preparing a meal for 'the troops' - oops!

I came across this fun quiz on Molly's blog 'Faith of a Convert' - a new one for me. I find it very encouraging that there are so many young Catholic bloggers out there. Anyway, I haven't posted a quiz for a while so I thought I'd do this one.

I hope you have a go yourself. I'm not sure what the men are supposed to do - maybe there's a 'Which Jane Austen Hero are You?' out there somewhere.

Take the Quiz here!

What all the best shoppers are wearing . . .

Are you wondering why the beautiful blonde on the left is sitting on a tree-trunk in the middle of a field in her PJs?

Or maybe why the other equally attractive young woman is wearing what looks like boots with her pyjamas?

You're obviously not 'on trend' as they say! It's obvious, isn't it? Girl number one has just stopped for a moment to think about her shopping list en route to Tesco's and the other young woman is just getting ready to go out and tackle the weekly shop! It's what all the best dressed shoppers are wearing this season, didn't you know?

I can't say I was terribly surprised to see this fun news item on BBC's web site today. Apparently a Tesco Store in Cardiff has had to put up a sign asking customers not to come into the store in their nightwear. What I find depressing though is that one of the women interviewed seemed unable to understand why this might be inappropriate. D'oh!

Go forth and blog . . . .

Many Catholic bloggers have commented on the Holy Father's recent comments about the 'new media' and his encouragement to priests to embrace these new forms of communication (including blogs) and to use them in their ministry to spread the Word and to uphold the teaching of the Church. Fr Tim Finigan, as to be expected, has an excellent post on the subject.

In fact, most of the blogs that I follow have commented in some way. I won't link to all of them here but you can see what I mean by a glance at my Blog List.

I just wanted to add a few words from a different perspective. As a lay person, since I discovered the 'blogosphere', I have gained so much from reading blogs, both those of 'blogging clergy' and laity.

I have been introduced to aspects of my faith and the teaching of the Church that I doubt if I would ever have come across otherwise. I'm sure I'm not the only person who would say this, so I would like to record my thanks to all those who take the time in what is usually a very busy life to write a blog. The Holy Father, as usual, is spot-on!

If ever you feel, it's not worthwhile, your time could be better used doing something else; who reads it anyway? or any other discouraging thoughts, I assure you that there will always be someone who has gained a lot by your posting.

Finally, as well as the many excellent, learned blogs by priests, religious and laity, I also think there is a place for blogs from what I call 'simple, ordinary Catholics' like myself. Just by seeing that other people have the same struggles and difficulties, the same joys and hopes, and that they are trying to live their faith in their every day life, is also beneficial. It's good to know you're not alone.

OK, enough rambling now.

The end of an era . . .

Just so long as they don't get rid of these, that's all I can say, or woe betide them!

It's just inconceivable . . . How can you have Easter without a Cadbury's Creme Egg? It would be like Shrove Tuesday without pancakes; a Christmas stocking without a bag of foil-wrapped chocolate coins or a birthday without a cake and candles.

To me, Kraft is synonymous with anaemic-looking triangles of 'a strange substance' masquerading as cheese. (This was a great treat in our house when I was a child!) Maybe creme eggs will 'morph' into triangular-shaped chocolate treats, a cross between a Dairylea cheese triangle and a piece of Toblerone!

One of the plus-es of being a convert . . .

Something I read today on Dominic Mary's blog 'Libera Me' really struck a chord with me and made so much sense.

He, like me, is a convert and also a former Anglican. He refers to a comment made my Ann Widdecombe in her foreword to 'The Path to Rome' about the statement of faith made by converts at their reception into the Church.

As an adult convert, when I was received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church, I had to make a profession of faith, not only by reciting the Creed as we all do every Sunday but also by stating my belief that what the Church teaches is revealed truth.

That is quite different to those who have always been Catholics, the so-called 'Cradle Catholics', and may explain in part why some Catholics don't seem to have a problem with disregarding or not accepting certain parts of Catholic teaching. They may not have looked at their faith in this way and have never had to confirm their acceptance of the truth of the Church's teaching.

I've never thought of it in this way before, but of course they have never had to actually stand up and state their belief in the Church's teaching in the same way as I had to as an adult.

We probably all find certain aspects of the Church's teaching difficult at times and there are things that we don't like or even disagree with BUT I am reminded of that Easter Vigil more than 20 years ago when I had to stand up in front of everyone and make my profession of faith including my assent to the teachings of the Church and I personally find that very helpful.

Sorry!

Oh dear, it's all my fault! Looking back on my blog for something I wrote before Christmas, I also noticed what I'd written on 15th December here.

So you see, this awful weather is all my fault! If only I hadn't opened my big mouth . . . fancy actually wishing to get 'snowed in' can you imagine anything so foolhardy?

I'm very sorry everyone. I've been doing my penance . . . I've cleared the drive of snow 4 times this week already!

That was Christmas . . .

Proof, if proof were needed, that the Christmas Season is definitely over. A forlorn-looking Christmas tree at the kerbside along with other detritus of the season (we were unlucky in that our usual day for the emptying of wheelie bins coincided with the onset of the snowy weather).

I was going to post a photo of 'the gap left by our crib' which has also just been dismantled ready to go back in the loft until next year but decided that was a bit too 'obtuse' as a visible representation of the end of the Christmas season!

Time for a light-hearted video . . .

I thought this video was rather appropriate as we've just celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. 'Water, water, everywhere' . . .

I especially like the 'out-takes' at the end of the video.

Wot, no Catholics? !

Has anyone else spotted this?

Thanks to a comment on Twitter by @digitalnun I followed her link to this blog and finally to here to read about the appointment a few days ago by Communities Secretary, John Denham, of 13 'Faith Advisers' to 'encourage a deeper and broader relationship between Government and faith communities'

Yes, they're all represented - Church of England, Baptist, Evangelical/Pentecostal, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu . . . all right and proper too. I'm all in favour of the Government encouraging good relations between themselves and the faith communities but it does seem to have some noticeable omissions.

I suppose the Catholic Church doesn't qualify as a 'faith community' for some reason? Maybe we're all lumped together under the the umbrella of Christianity?

Maybe, if you have several Christians of other denominations among their number, it's not necessary to have any Catholics to put forward their point of view?

I'm really not trying to be negative, just curious.

The Baptism of the Lord . . .

Today's feast, The Baptism of the Lord, at first seems very strange to me in my still-very-ignorant state regarding my knowledge and understanding of the faith. Why did Our Lord need to be baptised in the first place? This used to puzzle me, when I actually stopped to think about it, that is.

Surely Jesus was without sin and therefore had no need of this act to cleanse him of non-existent sins?

There are many reasons for this, I have discovered.

It is another manifestation or epiphany of Our Lord and the whole of the Trinity is involved - God the Father in his words, 'This is my beloved . . .' ; the Holy Spirit in the form of the dove; and of course the second person of the Trinity, Jesus himself.

Jesus descended into the River Jordan to sanctify its waters and give them the power to baptise others less perfect than himself; the power of true baptism which would remove all the sins of the world.

What happened at the Baptism of the Lord is symbolic of what happens when we ourselves were baptised.

We too receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism; we too become 'beloved' of God the Father as his adopted children. Just as the heavens opened on that day on the banks of the River Jordan, so the heavens are opened to us though the sacrament of Baptism.

After his baptism, Jesus prayed just as we too need to pray, often and regularly, to avoid falling into sin.

I still have an awful lot to learn, but I'm getting there, I hope. Thinking about my faith and looking into it for posts on this blog is proving very beneficial for me.

Another thing worth mentioning is that today marks the end of the season of Christmas and the beginning of Ordinary Time . . . though quite what's Ordinary about it, I have yet to find out!

According to the note in our Diocesan Directory, Ordinary Time refers to the 33 or 34 weeks which celebrate no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ. Instead, we celebrate the mystery of Christ in all its fullness . . . . It doesn't sound very 'Ordinary' to me!

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening . . .

'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening' . . . One of those poems that you learn at school and are stuck in your mind for ever . It felt just like that going for a walk this afternoon.

The poor old birds on our local pond were struggling find a bit of unfrozen water.

Lovely Christmas card shots for next year!

The entrance to our road on the way home. I don't think I'll be driving to work tomorrow, somehow.

No, dear reader, you're quite right . . . my hibernation didn't last long after all. I suppose we humans are not really cut out for it. It sounded like a good idea but I couldn't resist wrapping up and going out for a walk in all that beautiful unspoilt snow I could see from the window.

I'm sure it won't be so much fun tomorrow when the reality of not being able to get from A to B really sinks in.

I expect everyone is writing 'snow posts' today but the scenery is so beautiful it demands it.

I'm hibernating!

Looking at the weather forecast and the freezing temperatures which apparently are with us for the rest of the week, I've decided the best option is to hibernate.

Well, if it's good enough for Yogi Bear and Boo Boo (showing my age again!) it's certainly good enough for me.

Tomorrow is my day off and luckily I don't need to leave the house unless I want to. I thought I'd better do a bit of research and find out what preparation is needed as it's not something that we humans are used to doing . . .

'Some animals hibernate over the winter, going into a very deep sleep.'

OK, that sounds easy enough.

'Hibernating animals usually retreat to a den, a burrow, or a hollow log for protection and shelter.'

Do you think snuggling under a duvet counts?

'During "true hibernation," the animal's body temperature drops, and its rate of breathing slows down. These hibernating animals are very difficult to awaken.'

Oh-oh! I do have to go to work on Thursday. Is there something else I could try?

'Most animals will eat large amounts of food before hibernating, adding body fat that will nourish them during the winter.'

Oh, I think I could manage that if I tried really hard! I've still got loads of Christmas choccies to get through before Lent begins.

'Occasionally, hibernating animals will awaken periodically during the winter to eat. When most hibernating animals awaken in the spring, they are very hungry.'

No problem. I'll just keep a few Lindt treats by my bedside, just in case.

'Some animals are not "true hibernators," but they do become dormant over winter or go into diapause. For example, during cold winter months, some bears go into a dormant state in which their heart rate is extremely low, their body temperature is relatively high, . . . . and they can be roused.'

Perfect! That's it! I'll go into 'diapause'. It sounds just the job. See y'all on Thursday!

Information courtesy of Enchanted Learning.

Some chores are fun . . .

As in many households, I imagine, we seem to have amassed quite a collection of empty bottles over the Christmas period, not that we've had any parties as such and there were just 6 of us at home for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Nevertheless, we were running out of worktop space so something had to be done to remedy the situation.

I always find there's not much point in rushing to the bottle bank on 27th December as you can almost guarantee you'll find it overflowing and surrounded by boxes, bags and other containers full of empties.

So today was the day selected. A beautiful crisp winter's day; ideal for a little 'stroll with a purpose'!

The Pater Familias was off doing something energetic in the sporting line involving a racquet and shuttlecock so Number One Son and I set off with a large carrier bag in each hand and had a very enjoyable walk. As soon as we had offloaded the bottles, just about 5 minutes' walk away, we backtracked and made our way to the nearest coffee shop which is open on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy our reward.

The chap in the photo above was very curious about these two strangers walking past his field. He obligingly posed for his photo though I felt rather mean as we had no treats between us that we could give him.

Now, the big decision this evening is, as remarked upon by Victor in his comment on my post yesterday . . . Do we begin to take down the decorations now as we've celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany at Mass today, or do we wait until 6th January?

As I've mentioned before, we'll be leaving the crib up until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord but maybe we'll just begin to tidy a few of the other things away.

Feast of The Epiphany - SatNav playing up again! . . .

It doesn't matter to me what reasons are given for celebrating the Solemnity of the Epiphany on the nearest Sunday to 6th January, it just doesn't feel right.

As for the poor Kings in our Nativity set, they are thoroughly confused.

There they are, making their usual gradual, slow progress 'from the East' towards the crib and the infant Jesus, nicely timed to arrived on 6th January when someone decided to change the date of the celebration! Do they carry on as normal and arrive 'late' or put a spurt on to arrive in time to join the Shepherds in their adoration of the Saviour on Sunday 3rd January?

I don't think they've got over the shock of last year's change to their schedule . . . I mean to say, their SatNav (AKA the Star in the East) indicated an ETA of 6th January!

Bank Holidays . . .

Today had all the ingredients for a very enjoyable Bank Holiday . . . Does anyone else find it hard not to say 'Bank Holiday Monday'? I've been confused all week as to what day of the week it is. Because of Christmas and New Year falling they way they have done this year, I've actually ended up working alternate days which is very disorientating.

The day started in the best possible way with a little lie-in as Mass was not until midday today - a real luxury. The Pater Familias had dropped Number One Son at the station to catch the train to Victoria and then on to St James', Spanish Place for the LMS Mass so we were on our own most of the day.

After a lovely Mass in the parish which was very well attended we went for a walk across The Downs stopping for coffee and cakes before making the return trip home.

A very relaxed late afternoon; a spot of ironing so now the basket is empty for a while (hooray!) and time for a spot of blogging before settling down in front of the TV for Agatha Christie - an ideal way to wind down after a lovely day.

The photo above shows how how cold it was - the greens on the golf course we passed were still frozen.

Happy New Year and Happy Feast Day . . .

Happy New Year to one and all and every blessing in 2010 and thereafter!

Reading up on the Solemnity, I've only just discovered that today's Feast Day is a relatively new one, Portugal being the first place that the Feast was officially celebrated on 11th October in 1914 and extending to the entire Latin Church in 1931. The rearrangement of the date to 1st January only dates from the Second Vatican Council. (Ah, well, I suppose they can't tell you everything when you're receiving instruction to be received into the Church!) Relatively new, the date of the Solemnity may be, but as long as I've been a Catholic it's always been celebrated on New Year's Day.

Here is what Pope Paul VI had to say about the feast when explaining his decision to change the feast of Jesus' Circumcision to the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God:

"In the revised arrangement of the Christmas season, we should all turn with one mind to the restored solemnity of the Mother of God. This feast was entered into the calendar in the liturgy of the city of Rome for the first day of January. The purpose of the celebration is to honour the role of Mary in the mystery of salvation and at the same time to sing the praises of the unique dignity thus coming to "the Holy Mother...through whom we have been given the gift of the Author of life." This same solemnity also offers an excellent opportunity to renew the adoration rightfully to be shown to the newborn Prince of Peace, as we once again hear the good tidings of great joy and pray to God, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, for the priceless gift of peace. Because of these considerations and the fact that the octave of Christmas coincides with a day of hope, New Year's Day, we have assigned to it the observance of the World Day of Peace" (Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, Feb. 2, 1974, no.5).

So, you see, it makes a lot of sense - naturally! Linking the Feast of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, just one week later at the end of the Christmas Octave when we honour His mother - The Queen of Peace.

It's also World Day for Peace - Clever, eh?