Body: Happy 2000th Birthday, Saint Paul!

Things are way different here from how they were when you were around.

Then again, maybe not so much.

Body: The Litany of Mary

When praying the Litany of Mary, I've always been puzzled by the abundance of titles attributed to Mary. Many are evocative, but some seem almost inexplicable: "tower of ivory" and "seat of wisdom" and so forth. This week I was lucky enough to come across this website on the Litany, which was evidently composed during the Middle Ages at the Holy House of Loreto.

The site is interesting because it links to a separate page on each of the Marian metaphors, usually in the form of a prayer, which helps to put these fascinating titles into context.

I'll have to watch out. It could become a time vacuum.

Body: Today is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.

According to Wikitravel:

The Basilica of the Annunciation is built above the sunken grotto which according to the Roman Catholic faith was the home of the Virgin Mary and the place where she received the Annunciation (the announcement of the imminent birth of Jesus). The large and impressive modern-day church is built above the remains of churches dating back to Crusader and Byzantine times, still visible on the lower level. The church boasts dozens of pictures donated by Christian communities around the world. The Largest Church in the Middle East and one of Christianity’s Holiest shrines, its imposing dome dominates the Nazareth skyline and is an ideal landmark and starting point for visiting Other churches. It marks the spot where the Archangel Gabriel Informed the Virgin Mary that God had chosen her to bear his son; there is also a tradition that Mary lived in a house on this site. The complex of the modern Basilica is built on two levels. The lower one,Making the traditional Roman Catholic site of the Annunciation, contains ancient remains of churches from the Byzantiane and Crusader eras. During archaeological excavations, relics were found dating back to the Canaanite settlement of Nazareth, Though the most interesting find was of a typical Nazarene house, hewn out of the rock, from the Roman Period. The upper level, built between 1959 and 1969 on the site of an 18th-century church, is in strikingly modern architectural style. With its stained- glass windows highlighted against bare stone.A garden and courtyard connect the Basilica to St. Joseph’s Church and Workshop. Admission to the Basilica is free.

"It marks the spot where the Archangel Gabriel Informed the Virgin Mary that God had chosen her to bear his son" reminds me of one of the most famous episodes in the life of Muhammad, where the Angel Gabriel transported him to Jerusalem before escorting the prophet to heaven. This event is celebrated by the Dome of the Rock.

Body: A Few Thoughts on Abortion for Voting Catholics Like Me.

I'm going to write about this at length, but not today.
This is truly an issue where I believe both major party lines are seriously flawed, although Democrats have made more headway recently then Republicans.

The Democrats often decry the practice of abortion while refusing to legislate on the subject. Since these declarations are often offered without a solution proposed, they amount to platitudes, though there are signs of improvement. Some Democrats (the Presidential ticket among them) are encouraging reductions in the number of abortions through social levers. Some may say that this is an ineffective compromise; from the standpoint that life is sacred prebirth, it is certainly a compromise. However it is not ineffective; the nations with the lowest abortion rates have, in fact, legalized abortion in the context of a health care system that provides medical and financial assistance to new mothers.

The Republican Party takes a stand on the legality of the subject, but it is a sanctimonious, self-righteous stand that offers nothing, not even crumbs, to those they would bar from abortion. This is borne out, as the role of poverty is often the decisive factor in whether or not to have an abortion, while Republicans tend to slash welfare programs that respond to these problems, regardless of the program's effectiveness, and even while other spending proliferates under their watch. This is worse than a platitude; it is a sort of open-book hypocrisy. If conservatives really value the lives of the unborn, they'll be willing to make real sacrifices in other policy positions to advance this issue: universal health care, provisions for the poor and disenfranchised, and comprehensive sex education to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

From the point of view of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, abortion is a non-negotiable issue. That is fine, and is in agreement with the Catechism:

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.
This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.
Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law... (2771)

What can and must remain negotiable is the way in which this issue is addressed. Solutions which pass the buck, which demand compliance on the part of others without asking us to scrutinize our own lives and obligations are the easy way out, and have more to do with keeping our own conscience clean according to some minimum standard than leading a true life of faith. But solutions which spread out the sacrifice, where we "do unto others" and take on a portion of the burden as a sign of our commitment are not only more effective; they speak for themselves as a more genuine living out of God's vision. For "if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing," (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Body: Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Actually, this feast was imported late by the Latin church from the Byzantines. Its origins are supposedly in the 400s, when a man heard angels singing happy birthday to the Virgin Mary. It is a day of veneration, but this story is considered apocryphal. I also know that the immaculate conception of Mary is one of the two infallible statements that the pope has ever made (the other concerning the assumption of Mary). Notinally, papal infallibility is a more credible concept when it is sparingly exercised, and only with regards to faith.

When I think about feasts such as this, I always wonder what the house looked like. Was the roof leaking, was it day or night, and were they drinking their water from clay cups?