Furthermore…

Lady pushing baby in stroller studies CUSTOM CATHOLIC CRADLES store with sign in window:

“All work done by cradle Catholics”

I’m an old bachelor of 72.  I figured that since I’m unexpectedly going to be teaching the Catholic faith to 5th graders after Mass on Sundays, it might be good to watch the kid’s TV on EWTN every weekday at 4 PM and get a feeling for ‘the minds of kids’.  Previously in that segment of time I either listened to the radio or just concentrated on computer activities or reading.

It’s funny, because some of the TV seems, as expected, appropriate for kids below the 5th grade while other material strikes me as pretty grown up.  Only a portion is just right for the 5th grade.  I’m charmed by one juvenile program set in a school classroom which has a young teaching nun talking to a bright, eager little puppet-student named Lucy.  Another program seems intriguingly close to regular TV programming, The Knights of St. Michael, which features a contingent of young men and ladies enlisted in a league to further the good and expose the evil in the world.  They mount some faux TV segments which mimic such regular TV fare as news shows and celebrity interviews. 

I kind of suspect that the public school 5th graders I teach don’t watch any of the afternoon EWTN TV I’ve been sampling.  I’m planning to ask if any of them are also charmed by little student Lucy, but I imagine they are too grown up to find her interesting.  They might identify to a degree with the Knights of St. Michael gang, but I imagine their heads are elsewhere.

What have I learned?  I can see that subject matter is best presented in digestible bits in an upbeat and clear manner without a lot of subtlety.  I see that the TV kids pick up what they are taught very efficiently, which I also have noticed during my experience with the kids in my class.

Cop arguing with motorist he has pulled over:

“I know a lot of people are displaying a fish on their bumpers, but they don’t use a smelly, real fish like you!”

Yesterday evening I went, as usual, to our charismatic prayer group.  We always open with a Rosary, saying the Luminous Mysteries (even though it is Monday, when the Joyful Mysteries are in order).  As we prayed the Rosary I was startled to note that a gentleman who always attends with his wife, we’ll call him” Mr. Sunday,” but seldom speaks up or says a word, took a turn at leading one of the decades in a strong clear voice.

At the opening of the meeting the lady who is our leader gave a little talk about how our group is expecting to have a miracle every week.  Sometime in the past, before I joined the group, she said a devoted person had told her this.  I can’t remember the circumstances she recounted that led to this prophesy, but at the time it made a kind of sense based on faith.

Hey, I thought, to me it is a miracle that “Mr. Sunday” was so moved by the spirit as to lead the Rosary for us in such a fine fashion, right there at the same table with me.  Up to now I haven’t witnessed any miracles that I can think of,  besides this one which so impressed me, unremarked by the rest of the group, which I’m considering the real thing, maybe the only one I’ll ever witness!

One kid to other:

“Our church prays for the souls in Purgatory.  We even pray for the heels!”

Anthony my teaching partner (”Mr. Anthony”) and I (”Mr. Bill”) had a great time today teaching the Rosary to our class of 5th graders from public schools.  Only a few of them were familiar with it.  He and his wife are involved in making rosaries, and he generously  brought in one for every student, some red, some yellow.  I told the kids that one of those colors is special, and that I’d tell them which color it is and the reason why toward the end of the class.  They seemed to think the special color was red.

Anthony brought in a magnificent Italian wall-sized rosary, which drew ooh’s and aah’s, as they had never seen such a thing.  I brought in a CD of a broadcast quality recitation of the Rosary I had obtained from nearby WBVM-fm (www.spiritfm905.com).

Today being Sunday, I set up the CD to play the Glorious Mysteries for the class.  Coincidentally, at the Mass just proceeding the class there had been a ceremony of dedication of the new Confirmation class for 2010, and part of the ceremony had been renewal of the truths of the Creed, so I explained to the kids how this was significant,  because they for their part would be hearing at the start of the Rosary the Apostles Creed, which contains a lot of the truths we are trying to teach them.  The WBVM Spirit FM production is done as a Scriptural Rosary, with a verse of scripture voiced before each Hail Mary.  I am sure this was new to them, even those who already had some experience with the Rosary.

We prayed and listened to only one decade, and then shut of the player so that we could teach and elaborate on what had just transpired.  I was surprised that even in awhole hour we were not able to bring out everyting we should have liked.

At the last minute I told them how when Our Lady appeared at Lourdes she had a yellow Rosary in her hands.  I expected that on this basis the kids who had selected the red ones would want to turn them back for yellow ones, but nothing like this developed.  I suppose they were just glad that the class had ended and they could go home.

Romantic butcher to his wife:

“God made the first woman for Adam from one of his ribs, and you will always be my best Prime Rib!”

At our men’s prayer breakfast this morning we talked about the coming Sunday’s Readings.  We found some of Jesus’ words in the gospel enigmatic.

Gospel
Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

On one level, it is about astronomy and horticulture - sun, moon, stars, fig trees, leaves, sprouts.  But surely they are only examples
Jesus uses to set us to thinking about the 'last days.' Yet even if we shift our focus to the end time, there is little that is clear,
more questions than answers.  What are "the powers in the heavens"?  Gravity and inertia?  Angels and devils?  Isn't Heaven eternal - how
can it pass away?
Since "of that day and hour, no one knows" we needn't feel obtuse for not grasping much of the meaning however.

Announcer broadcasting on radio station* that features traditional Christian music:

“The only rock we play is ‘Rock of Ages’!”

*WSEB, Englewood, Florida.

At the time of my retirement I decided to move to Florida.  My small apartment was packed with personal effects along with a copious accumulated clutter.   Luckily I mentioned my plans to the gang at the Tiki Lounge.  One morning as I was busy sorting and packing, my doorbell rang, an unusual occurrence in my loner life.  It was Charlie, one of the guys from the Tiki.  He wanted to see how I was doing with my preparations for the move.  I admitted him and led him up to my apartment.  With what seemed to be a practiced eye he surveyed my situation and declared with certainty that it was more than I could handle.

In the weeks following, every few days he came by and delivered empty beer cases and other boxes for me to use in my packing.  I came to find out that Charlie was the manager of the rummage sale operations at a good-sized local church and, yes, a Godsend.  Besides helping me with the formidable packing challenge he set me up with tables at the church’s big rummage sales so that I could dispose of a fair amount of clutter and put some money in my pocket.

Amazingly,  I could detect no hint of him expecting a quid pro quo for all his gracious and unstinting real life help.  I hadn’t seen many examples of freely offered selfless assistance without strings, but this was certainly one instance (I can say in retrospect).  I didn’t even have to listen to any prayer or witness!