My time here at GITMO is paying some dividends. First, the heat seems to be helping my shoulder and foot, which were injured during the winter. Also, today I got some writing done for the paper ahead of time.
Some of my time, however, was sucked up by a nasty-ram from amazon, saying that I used their logo somewhere I shouldn’t have. They threatened my affiliate program. So, I dealt with that.
Friends… your use of my links provides important income, with which I pay for health insurance and which I put away because I don’t have a diocesan pension. You know, frivolous stuff. When I ask you to use my links when you shop on amazon, I ask in earnest. It makes a big difference at the end of the month when you remember.
Speaking of improving health, I had the opportunity to make a hospital visit. During the visit I blessed the patient and invoked our angels to help: the person was facing surgical interventions in the morning. The next day I called for a status report and learned that the patient had been discharged! Following up with a couple of calls, I found that, during the night, there was a change of condition and the interventions were not thought necessary. Very cool. Yay God!
Blessings. Ask for blessings, friends. Talk to your angels.
And speaking of very cool, here’s something scacchic.
Alekhine v. Popvich
From a simultaneous clock exhibition at Osijek, Yugoslavia on December 23, 1931.
The last move was Black Bishop to G6… check.
White to move.
This doesn’t happen too often. Can you get it? Are you scacchically inclined?
And speaking of set ups, I was queried by a reader about how my Mass vestments were set up on a vestment press the other day.
QUAERITUR:
Is there a prescribed way that vestments have to be laid out?
No, there isn’t. Each sacristan and/or priests will have his own thoughts about it. You have I am sure seen the wonderful things that the Sisters in Santa Rosa do with amice ties.
In any event, I lay out my vestments usually in the reverse order that I handle things before Mass. Do I vary a little? Sure. But not much.
Applying common sense, since the chasuble is last to go on, it is the first to lie down, facing down, with the back drawn up Then on top of that the stole, and, on top of the stole, the maniple. Before that the cincture. I put them down so that they can simply be picked up and put on, so the part of the maniple that goes on the wrist is closest and the part of the stole that goes over the neck is closest. The stole is lain down almost like an M to conserve space.
Note that this maniple has a pin. Since this maniple has a perfectly shipshape tie, I assume that the pin is intended for fishing spiders and flying critters out of the chalice. I have a whole post on that point… if you get it. Otherwise, some maniples are held onto the sleeve of the alb with a pin.
Speaking of albs, it goes down, face down, next with the amice on top of it, the stings coiled up so that they fall free.
Next, since before I put on vestments I dress the chalice, here is the burse and corporal, since they go on top of the chalice after it is charged with purificator, and paten with Host, pall, and the veil is draped.
The veil goes on after the purificator and the pall on the paten.
Obvious, it is a good idea to check the book before anything else so that it can be carried out or it can be placed on the altar before Mass.
I put the biretta on there even though it is the very last thing to you put on because it looks cool, as Semper Gumby admitted.
The other day I showed a photo of the tabernacle. Today, during Mass, I noticed a curiosity. Can you spot it before I give a close up?
That little figure, facing out from the corners, is definitely canine.
Significance? I am not sure. Except for the idea that sheep dogs guard the lambs, and that this is a tabernacle. And dogs are sometimes found in religious art to denote fidelity (and cats, the opposite).
Meanwhile, the other day I lamented that the flowers which had been presented to Mary had seen better days. I mentioned this to one of the ladies here and look what happened!
There is depth in the details, friends. Details help.
Moving on, today a priest friend texted and mentioned that a young man in Colorado, at the school where the coward gunmen attacked, had charged the attackers to stop them and was killed. This young man was a Catholic Knight of Columbus and a USMC recruit.
My priest friend wondered if manliness is starting to return. I think manliness has been horrifically twisted – as it has been from the beginning – by the enemy of the soul.
I have learned of C.S. Lewis Doodles. Speaking of knights and details and laying everything out, here’s the one on chivalry. Perhaps he can shed some light upon the question.
Lastly, today has been a good day for ZedNet, which some fellow hams using DMR or WiresX have used to chime it. I have my hotspot tethered to my android phone, using its data stream, and it works just fine! Raspberry pi by rasberry pi, folks. Today I’ve heard 5 different call signs. And, with my remote station activated, last night on 20m we had a great open band. I made contacts in New Zealand and Asiatic Russia. Very cool.
One of the hams on ZedNet asked for prayers for the young man in Colorado who died trying to save lives.
Surely, that’s an honor.