Good Friday

While searching YouTube for something appropriate for Good Friday, I found this lovely antiphon from the Byzantine tradition translated into English and sung by Vassilis Hadjinicolaou.




The lyrics in English:

Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree,
The King of the angels is decked with a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped on the face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the Cross with nails.
The Son of the virgin is pierced by a spear.
We worship Thy passion, O Christ.
We worship Thy passion, O Christ.
We worship Thy passion, O Christ.
Show us also Thy glorious resurrection.

Itz Teh Soopah Frenz!

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Holy Thursday

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend tonight's Holy Thursday liturgy due to illness. For all those in a similar situation, whether due to illness or some other reason, I offer this, the beautiful Eucharistic hymn "Tantum ergo sacramentum," traditionally sung as the Eucharist is removed from the Tabernacle to a place of repose. The lyrics in Latin and in English are as follows:

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et iubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who Reigns on high
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor blessing,
Might and endless Majesty.
Amen.

A Blessed and Holy Easter Season to all my readers!

"Lament of the Three Marys"

I've found another YouTube treasure appropriate for Lenten prayer and meditation. This is Caoineadh na dTri Mhuire, or "The Lament of the Three Marys," an ancient Gaelic lament for the crucified Christ sung by Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and John. This version is performed by the Irish traditional singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. The original video came from the "Highland Sessions" program produced by BBC Wales, but the uploader of this video added additional material including a partial translation of the lyrics. I hope you find this video as moving as I did.

Exsultet!

Here's another little musical treat for you that I found via Facebook friend Marnie Falcon. It's a sneak peek at the new translation of the Exsultet, the solemn, joyful proclamation of Christ's Resurrection that's chanted on Holy Saturday night as part of the Easter Vigil Mass. I love the Exsultet to begin with, and in my opinion the new translation just makes it even better! The fine folks at Corpus Christi Watershed have done their usual bang up job.



Exsultet Practice Recording, Holy Saturday Night, (Roman Missal, 3rd Edition) from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

"O Mother of the Graces"

Hello again everyone! I just had to share this remarkable You Tube find with you, a performance by Irish vocalist Roisin Elsafty. The daughter of an Irish mother and an Egyptian father, Roisin Elsafty is rapidly making a name for herself as an outstanding interpreter of traditional Irish song, especially in the sean nós ("old style") tradition. Here she is performing a beautiful hymn in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, A Mhuire na nGrást ("O Mother of the Graces").




About the song, she writes:

"A beautiful prayer from my mother's schooldays. The prayer is to the Virgin Mary, that she look after us and keep us safe on land and sea. It also mentions the Guardian Angel, that God is before us and that God is with us. My mother first composed music for this prayer for the funeral of my new born cousin Fionnuala Ní Cheannabháin."

(An English translation of the Gaelic lyrics is provided below):

 O Mother of the Graces, O Mother of the Son of God,
May you put me on the right road,
May you save me from every single evil,
May you save me both soul and body.
The Guard of the Angels above my head,
God before me and God with me.
O Mother of the Graces, O Mother of the Son of God,
May you put me on the right road,
May you save me on sea and on land,
May you save me on the slab of the pains.
O Mother of the Graces, O Mother of the Son of God,
May you put me on the right road,
May you save me on sea and on land,
May you save me on the slab of the pains.

The Guard of the Angels above my head,
God before me and God with me.
O Mother of the Graces, O Mother of the Son of God,
May you put me on the right road,
May you save me from every single evil,
May you save me both soul and body.

Another Year, Another Shamrock

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! To help you get in the mood, here's a clip from a 2009 St. Patrick's Day special broadcast by Irish television's Gaelic language channel TG4. This clip features the women's vocal group Liadán performing a traditional song in Irish, (listen for the really neat harmonies on the chorus) and Irish-American Chicago-based fiddler Liz Carroll performing original and traditional tunes. Unfortunately the clip ends before the music does, but there's plenty to enjoy.

Cheezburger of teh Day

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Who could be mad at a face like that?

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

I found this short film via Facebook friend Deborah Schaben. It's the story of how a little known British morale-building poster from World War II with the simple slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On," was rediscovered and has rapidly become a contemporary cultural icon. (The film uses the word "propaganda," to describe the poster but I dislike that word because to me it always implies manipulation and deceit).

The narrator of the film remarks, "It is hard to say exactly why such a phrase from a bygone decade would have so much appeal and resonance now." Actually, it isn't hard to discover why at all. The narrator goes on to say, "Like a voice out of history, it offers a very simple warmhearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times, and it's something that should never fade from fashion." In other words, times are hard once again, and the courage and resolution needed to face those hard times never go out of style.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have tremendous respect and affection for my parents' generation--the generation that came through The Great Depression and World War II--the generation that Tom Brokaw called "the greatest generation in American history." The British, of course, suffered even more than the Americans during World War II, facing constant air raids and the very real threat of invasion by their enemies. That generation of British and Americans possessed a courage that I fear my generation lacks. They did not have access to the tremendous number of luxuries and comforts that I do. They did not expect life to be easy. Unlike the vacuous pop idols and celebrities of today, they did not go on chat or "reality" TV shows whining and whimpering about the terrible sufferings they endured. Yet they did not fail to meet their challenges. They did what they had to do. They kept calm and carried on. I pray for the courage to follow their example.

Cheezburger of Teh Day

This LOL completely sums up my state of mind. I've been feeling rotten all day for medical reasons, and I just wanted a little sympathy. Thank you. This concludes this self-pitying whine. We now return you to your regularly scheduled internet browsing.

Because I can't get this song out of my head . . .

I'm going to drive you crazy with it too share it with you. Because I heard it in a car commercial. And because I can. Ladies and gentlemen, the late great Bo Diddley:



The man knew how to rock. You're welcome.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

(Let the good times roll!)

Bonjour, tout le monde! Today I have two reasons to celebrate. First, after weeks of technological nightmares and exile from internet land, I am back in cyberspace using a borrowed computer. Huge thank yous to Tommy and Preston! You guys are the best.

Second of all, today is Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," the last chance to celebrate and indulge before Lent begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. To help you get in the mood, here is a traditional Mardi Gras song performed by Dewey Balfa and Nathan Abshire. In the rural communities of southwest Louisiana, masked and costumed revelers (also known as "Mardi Gras") would ride from house to house singing this song and asking residents for ingredients to make a gumbo that would feed the whole community.



 I think the tone of the song is supposed to be jaunty and festive, but to me, the accordion and the wooden blocks used to simulate the clip-clop of the horse's hooves give the tune a somewhat melancholy and even slightly creepy feeling, Here's a translation posted by a commenter on a different version of the song:


The Mardi Gras come from all around, all around the center of town.
They come by once per year, asking for charity.
Sometimes it's a sweet potato, a sweet potato or pork rinds.
The Mardi Gras are on a great journey, all around the center of town.
They come by once per year, asking for charity.

For more information about real Cajun Mardi Gras customs, watch Dance for a Chicken, Louisiana filmmaker Pat Mire's fascinating documentary about the origins of Mardi Gras and the survival of ancient traditions in rural communities. In particular, watch for some perceptive and thought provoking comments from the parish priest in Eunice, La., about how the Incarnation of Christ, the entry of God into our ordinary world, sanctifies and makes holy every aspect of everyday life. Have a happy Mardi Gras and a holy Lent!

Christmas Crisis

Well, a small one anyway. I decided it was time to break out the Christmas decorations today: Wreath for front door, check. Christmas tree, check. Manger scene, check and double check. Then, in the midst of this full-on Yuletide mode, while I was looking for some background music to accompany the decorating frenzy, disaster struck. I could not find my favorite CD of Christmas music! I looked on the shelves near the stereo. I asked my attendant and helper to look behind and under said shelves. I looked through my large CD case. I moved and relocated boxes of other stuff. I rooted through boxes of old cassette tapes. No CD.

Mind you, this is not just any CD. This is Christmas Eve with Burl Ives originally released in 1957, briefly re-released on CD in 1998, and now apparently, inexplicably, unavailable once again, except through a specialty retailer for a minimum of $24.99. My copy was a gift from my brother several years ago. This is not just an old record, it is an indelible memory of my childhood. If I hear Burl Ives's rendition of "The Indian Christmas Carol," (also known as "Jesous Ahatonia," or "The Huron Carol," I am instantly six years old again, transported back in time to the house where I grew up, sitting on the living room floor, in front of the ancient and gigantic record player my parents had, transfixed by the music. My mother could remember the Christmas that she and Dad gave me a tom-tom (a drum, not a GPS) so that I could pound out the rhythm as we sat around the tree and sang the song. I missed hearing the song for years, and once I had it back, it just wouldn't quite seem like Christmas without it.

The afternoon wore on. I searched again. Still no CD. I checked and rechecked Amazon.com, reluctant to order another copy until I was sure mine was gone for good. I checked iTunes finding nearly every album by Burl Ives except that one. Finally I thought of one last place to check—a CD wallet on my desk, holding miscellaneous items and odds and ends. Success! One CD found. Burl's dulcet tones rang out once again through my newly festive apartment. I copied the tracks to my little mp3 player so that now I can have a pocket full of Burl and take him wherever I go.

This experience got me to thinking, readers. Is there something in your memories—a special song or story, a piece of music, some food, or some ritual or custom—without which it just doesn't seem quite like Christmas to you? Or, to put it another way, once you hear that song, observe that custom, or taste that food, you think, "All right, NOW it's Christmas!" I'd like to hear about it. Please share your thoughts in the comboxes below. Merry Christmas!

The Sound of Silence

Well, you may have noticed that blog posts have been a wee bit sparse of late. A lot of that has to do with technical difficulties we've been experiencing. Around the end of August, the sound on my computer just . . . died. As in one minute I had sound and could hear podcasts and YouTube videos, and the next minute I couldn't. Of course, I immediately called in my brother Bill, whose geek skills far exceed my own, to work his geek magic and fix the problem. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work. He tried a couple of sessions of remote access, long distance geekery, followed by an intensive in person session of geekery over the Thanksgiving weekend, all to no avail. At first he believed the problem was a software issue which could be resolved by reinstalling audio device driver files, or, if worst came to worst, completely reinstalling the operating system software. Unfortunately, neither of those solutions worked, and now he's concerned that the root of the problem may be a hardware failure that it would cost serious money to fix. He's still researching the problem in hopes of finding a solution. In the meantime I bought a small inexpensive mp3 player so that I can keep up with my favorite podcasts, but I'm still not able to listen to YouTube clips or other web videos. (Grumble grumble, Bill Gates, mutter mutter HP, curse curse, Windows 7, grumble, mutter, curse).

Maybe this explains why I can't get any writing done

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The Great Escape: The Early Years

I saw a video over on Matt and Pat Archbold's Creative Minority Report blog and could not stop laughing, but for some weird reason I'm having trouble posting it here. If you don't see an image of two babies in a crib, hit the refresh button on your browser or go watch the video over there. I'll wait.



Hilarious, right? If that scene had included dialogue, I imagine it would have gone something like this:

BABY IN BLACK: That first dry run went OK. Everything ready for the big break?

BABY IN YELLOW: Yeah, man. The coast is clear. I'll distract 'em while you make a break for it.

BABY IN BLACK: OK, here I go! No wait. I gotta say goodbye to Blankie. So long, Blankie. I'm goin' over the wall. OK. Now I'm ready. Here goes! OOOF!

BABY IN YELLOW: (to parents off camera) What? I didn't see anything. I swear. Nothin' to see here. Move along.

BABY IN BLACK: Cripes! We're on tape! They saw everything, man! Wait! I can fix this. I'll just go over here, push on this, and . . . (Camera falls over)

BABY IN BLACK: Oh crud.

My First Kitchen Disaster

not actual footage
So I'm in the kitchen yesterday, making a meat and potatoes dish in the crock pot. The recipe calls for a dash of pepper. I tip up the pepper shaker and the top comes COMPLETELY OFF, dumping nearly the entire contents of the pepper shaker into the pot. What to do? I can't just throw it all away uneaten. Anybody care for some meat and potatoes extra, extra, extra spicy? :)

Yo ho, Yo ho!

Ahoy there, Mateys! Once again, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day, it be! So order up an extra ration of grog for all hands, break out your copy of Treasure Island, and slip a copy of Captain Blood or Pirates of the Caribbean into the DVD player. Arrr!

A New Home For Hawkeye

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I got this picture and story from the LOLDogs website, but this isn't an LOL. This is a picture of Hawkeye, the faithful canine companion of Petty Officer Jon Tumlinson, a U. S. Navy SEAL who was killed in action in Afghanistan earlier this summer. Hawkeye waited patiently and loyally at his master's feet throughout Tumlinson's funeral service in Rockford, Iowa. Tumlinson's cousin, Lisa Pembleton, snapped this picture capturing Hawkeye's devotion and heartbreak, and the story was picked up and reported by ABC News.

Fortunately this tragic story has a happy ending, at least for Hawkeye. Tumlinson's longtime friend Scott Nichols and his family have adopted the dog. They know Hawkeye well, having cared for him during Tumlinson's previous tours of duty. I hope that Hawkeye's new family will take good care of him for many years to come, because they love both the dog and his master, their fallen friend. Petty Officer Tumlinson, the Nichols family, and Hawkeye can teach us all something about love and loyalty, service and sacrifice.

Prayers for Coach Summitt

I was dismayed to learn last week that Pat Summitt, the head coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team has been diagnosed with early onset dementia of a type similar to Alzheimer's Disease. She chose to make the announcement herself, with the support of her family, assistant coaches, players, and university administration. She has announced her intention to continue as head coach as long as she is able, doing mental and physical exercises to keep her mind and body as fit as possible for as long as possible, but she will be delegating more responsibilities to her assistants.

Her accomplishments on the basketball court have been almost legendary, and when I say legendary, I mean legendary. She has been the head coach of the Lady Volunteers for 37 seasons, winning eight national championships for Tennessee. She's the most successful coach in either men's or women's college basketball, winning an astonishing 84% of her games overall. In an era when many college and professional coaches seem to be willing to do anything to achieve success, Coach Summitt has achieved hers honestly, and by all accounts is as interested in building the character and integrity of the young women who play for her as she is in producing winning teams. She is the only person to have two basketball courts used by Division I basketball teams (and two streets on two different University of Tennessee campuses) named in her honor. I'd say that's legendary.

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a huge University of South Carolina fan. South Carolina and Tennessee are in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, so quite often I tend to think of Tennessee as a rival to and a competitor with my beloved Gamecocks. I'd love to see the men's or women's basketball programs at USC achieve even a fraction of the success that Coach Summitt and the Lady Vols have achieved. In this instance, however, I'd like to put partisanship aside and wish Coach Summitt, her family, her players, and staff, the very best as she battles this illness. You are in my thoughts and prayers, Coach. This season, This Gamecock will be cheering for Coach Summitt and her family and friends all the way.

I suppose one reason this news disturbs me so much is that Coach Summitt is only about ten years older than I am. If Alzheimer's Disease can happen to the most successful coach in college basketball at the height of her career, it can happen to anyone. I already have a physical disability and some associated health problems, so I've been able to adjust fairly well to the idea of a body that doesn't always work properly. I've always been able to compensate, at least to some extent, with a fairly sharp intellect. If my cognitive and mental functions were to begin declining, however, I'd really be in a mess. It's the one thing that truly scares me about growing older.

Coach Summitt has said that she began wondering about her mental and intellectual health when tasks that had always been routine, such as planning her daily schedule and the strategy for her team suddenly became noticeably more difficult for her. Her son Tyler has said that he noticed something didn't seem right when his mother would mislay her car keys three times in one day or forget when she was supposed to go to her office or meet the team for practice. For the most successful coach in college basketball to forget the scheduled time for practice would indeed be a red flag. It's made me think twice about my own forgetfulness and absentmindedness and wonder what I can do to keep my mind sharp. I would urge anyone reading this who might be wondering about the state of their cognitive abilities to see their doctor, get tested, and find out what they can do to stay mentally alert. In the words of a famous slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."