Furthermore…

Teacher to slob student delivering paper to class:

“I’ve glad you researched Evolution, lad. If it’s true, there’s still hope for you!”

One way of looking at the division of the sexes is in terms of virtues. Some virtues are considered more typical of women, others of men. But actually both sexes should participate and cultivate all virtues, perhaps to varying degrees. It probably is not healthy to structure lives which exclude competence in certain virtues because such things are the realm of the other sex
I remember back in the 50s a friend told me of an article entitled “The Feminization of America.” I’m not sure I even read it, but we, two young men, were well aware of a trend in society to design products and shape the culture so as to cater to women, as it was understood that they had the spending power.
They also ended up with most of the parenting power. They knew how to bring up girls, of course, but maybe not so much about bringing up boys. So adult men have emerged who are girls once removed. They are not happy with themselves, and their wives aren’t happy with them either.
I did a blog one time on how children are reared along two tracks in families, raising the likelihood that the sexes will have trouble understanding and relating to one another later. Society reinforces the split, cultivating disparate ways of thinking and adversarial ways of approaching issues.Thus, marriages based on ‘chemistry’ and unrealistic expectations flounder at an alarming rate as soon as the demands of ordinary life make themselves felt in an atmosphere where understanding and mutuality are rather foreign to the mentalities.

Student giving report in class:

“Ignatius suffered a cannon shot wound during a battle, the first step toward his cannonization!”

This week the Gospel we discussed came from John, Chapter 1 (verses 35-42). In my previous ‘Leftover’ based on the same readings, I drew on the First Reading, from 1 Samuel 3.
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
I get a sense of incompleteness reading these verses, as though they meant something originally which doesn’t come across in translation, perhaps something tied to the ancient customs of Jesus’ time. I have heard from time to time that hospitality carried great weight among the ancient Jewish people (cf. the visit of three angels to Abraham). Are the men going to visit Jesus’ abode and make a judgment about whether his hospitality and living quarters are acceptable or of outstanding quality?
Or is it based on an understanding that by visiting a person’s abode one can form a trustworthy impression of the type of person he might be? -or similarly, by visiting and conversing for a while with the person?
Or is “where are you staying” equivalent to “where do you stand on important issues?”
Or is it just an initial expression of a desire to get better acquainted with Jesus, not stated directly, but rather more or less veiled as a conversation opener?
It seems there must be some extra levels to be grasped to do justice to the passage.

Teen girl asking teacher in religion class:

“About that story of the ten virgins, what was wrong with them that they were virgins?”

Today we talked about the readings of Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The reading from 1 Samuel 3, wherein God calls to young Samuel but the boy thinks he is hearing the voice of Eli (Heli in my Douay-Rheims version) in the Temple at Shiloh, led to a question about what kind of punishment came to Eli and his family. God said: “I swear it to the house of Eli — neither sacrifice nor offering shall ever expiate the guilt of the House of Eli. None of us could shed much light on the matter, but now in glancing at my Bible I see it is well answered in the very next chapter.

Group of employes delegation to boss’s office:

“Mr. Phillips, we know Christmas is over, but is it time to stop saying Happy Holidays too?”

I got to musing that the letters spelling Catholic, c-a-t-h-o-l-i-c, could each stand for an important practice or belief of the Faith. So:
C – Confession
A – anti-abortion position
T – Transubstantiation
H – Holy Father
O – Original Sin
L – leadership
I – Incarnation
C- Communion

Then I imagined going over to the cafeteria where so many Catholics hang out, and telling one of them about my schema, and getting his reaction.

“Confession? I don’t go. I tell my sins to Jesus.” That made him an Atholic.
“Anti-abortion? Not me. A woman should have that choice.” Hmm, I guess he’s a Tholic.
“Transubstantiation? I don’t think so. It’s just a pious symbol.” Has to be a Holic.
“Holy Father. I’m not sure he’s holy, and I know he’s not my father.” Behold: an Olic.
“Original sin? C’mon. Babies are pure and good.” My friend, the Lic.
“Leadership? Don’t need any. I consider it intrusive.” His religion: Roman Ic.
“Incarnation? I had a professor who explained that away in 10 minutes” He a C.
“Communion?” Oh yeah, me and Taylor, my live-in chic, take Communion a lot.” All gone!

Little boy to Mom, about his sister:

“Becky said we’re different. That’s hate speech!”

An online friend wrote a blog about her journey of faith, and I was saddened to learn that she had felt that her life had been mostly unpleasant and her practice of the Faith had not been providing her with the desired feelings of satisfaction and presence of the Lord. She, like many others, has turned to more intensive prayer and reading of the Scriptures for her uplift, and abandoned Mass, Reconciliation and the Eucharist because it pains her to see so many people receiving Communion every Sunday who surely must be doing so casually and blasphemously.