Furthermore…

Feminist airline passengers have big smiles as flight attendant announces:

“We are going to have to abort the landing.”

Little girl arguing with little brother;

“Our Father’s name is NOT hollow!!”

Our Wednesday Bible study group covers a lot of ground, and I usually come away with a notion or two on my mind that I didn’t get to ventilate.

 Today I was bemoaning the disappearance of attention to The Holy Family, which was so prominent in Catholic education years ago. To my great surprise, as I was leaving Clarice, the hostess, handed me a children’s book — The Holy Family  - Jesus, Mary and Joseph, copyright 1963 by “The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”. It is full of classic religious art reproduced in color, on Holy Family themes. An added bonus is a group of hand scribbled notes by some child, a reaching out to me from the past, a nostalgic wafting of innocence over the years in the form of hastily copied classroom instructions and dictations.

The group discussion turned to the paucity of thankfulness to Our Lord in most of our prayers. I never got to deliver my filibuster on the wide applicability of the familiar Grace After Meals prayer, ‘We give thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty god…’ Furthermore, it even  includes a helpful nod to the Poor Souls, ‘and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in Peace.’ It’s not just for concluding meals!

So many my age stop at the cemetary every day, thinking and whispering words of love to the lost dear one who can’t and doesn’t answer forevermore.

Wait, what’s that rustling in the trees…

One of my neighbors carves wooden statues and figures –  fish, Uncle Sams, Indian maidens, mailbox posts. I have a devotion to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks. Perhaps it traces in part to my growing up in upper New York State, and learning of her from the School Sisters of Notre Dame who taught me. From time to time I consider asking the neighbor whether a statue of Blessed Kateri might be possible. But then, where would I put her? I have a small house, and the place of honor out front is already given over to a statue of Our Lady.  Furthermore…  I kind of suspect that a statue from the neighbor wouldn’t do justice to that inspiring early Native American believer in Lord Jesus whose cause is under study for canonization .

The “Furthermore…” title comes from comedian Professor Irwin Corey, who would walk onto stage, look from side to side, then start his act with “…furthermore.”

Welcome to our blog.