End of British Summertime

Clocks go back one hour tonight, marking the end of British Summertime. Enjoy your extra hour in bed.

Non Abbiate Paura

I found this video clip searching through YouTube this week, for the clips I have recently posted. This is a clip from 22nd October, 1978, John Paul II. Don't Be Afraid... Let Christ Speak to the Man.

La Livella

Toto is one of the greatest comedic actors in all Italian cinema history. This clip, though, is not one of his comedy classics. Here, Toto talks about "La Livella". In death, we are all equal.

La Smorfia - San Gennaro

Another favourite of mine from La Smorfia. I know people who talk like this to San Gennaro, as with most comedy clips this is even funnier because it is so true!

L'Annunciazione!

After two clips featuring Massimo Troisi from the film "Non Ci Resta Che Piangere" here is one of the most famous comedy clips of all, from his time with the group "La Smorfia". Here is their take on the Annunciation:

Leonardo

Another clip from "Non Ci Resta Che Piangere", Massimo Troisi tries to explain an elementary rule of the card game "Scopa" to Leonardo Da Vinci:

Alt! Chi Siete? Un Fiorino!

One of my favourite Italian films is "Non Ci Resta Che Piangere" with Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni. This clip is a classic from that film. Still brings me to tears with laughter, every time.

Bless You!

A bit of light hearted fun:

A Duty to Die

This is so outrageous that it defies words, but is worrying because deep down, you just know that there are people out there who will agree with this argument.

Some woman who I have never heard of, Baroness Warnock, has said that people suffering from dementia should be allowed to die because they are a burden to those who care for them, and as they are suffering they obviously cannot be enjoying their life. She said people suffering mental decline have a "duty to die". They are wasting people's lives because they have to care for them, and should be allowed to die. Not only are they 'wasting people's lives' they are also a drain on the resources of the NHS.

Very disturbing, especially the last part there. With the way economies around the world are crumbling, I can see that people will accept such an absurd argument, and people with debilitating mental illnesses will be encouraged to die, as a duty to the next generation. They will be encouraged to relieve the financial burden on their families, do the 'right thing' and kill themselves. Once that has been accepted you can look at any person who is handicapped, because they will be a financial burden too, and also impact on the lives of those who have to care for them. Then we can look at people who smoke. They are a financial burden on health resources, too. If finance is a reason to kill someone off, then why stop there? Why not kill anyone who becomes ill. No ill people, no need for carers, so they can toddle off and enjoy their quality of life, no need for a health service, the country will save billions!

The idea is totally crazy, and the fact that someone can even suggest it as a valid argument shocks me to the core. We're walking the slippery slope, folks. I just hope we realise, before it is too late.

The Miracle of San Gennaro

Today is the feast day of San Gennaro. San Gennaro is a Bishop and Martyr, and the Patron of Naples.

There isn't a great deal known about the life of San Gennaro, he is certainly more famous now for the blood miracle that is celebrated three times during the year. On the 16th December it celebrates his patronage of Naples, and the Saturday before the first Sunday in May is for the unification of his relics. The 19th September is in celebration of his feast day.

It is said that if the blood miracle does not happen then the City of Naples will be left without the protection of San Gennaro. For example, in 1980 the blood did not liquefy before the earthquake that took 2,000 lives. One of the earliest recordings of the blood miracle comes from as far back as 1389, with the records officially starting in 1649.

From what we know about the life of San Gennaro, he was from a rich family, and at 15 became a local parish Priest. He became Bishop of Naples at 20 years old, and of his acquaintances was Juliana of Nicomedia and St Sossius. During the persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian, he hid his fellow Christians and prevented them from being caught. Unfortunately, while visiting Sossius in jail, he too was arrested.

He was placed in a furnace to be cooked alive, he came out unscathed. He was pushed into the Flavian Amphitheater at Pozzuoli to be eaten by wild bears, who had not eaten in days. Yet the animals refused to eat them, instead licking their toes. Januarius was beheaded along with Sossius and his companions at Solfatara.

The Feast of San Gennaro is a major occasion in Italy, and thousands of Neopolitans will be packing into the Cathedral today to witness the miracle. In defence of the blood miracle of San Gennaro, St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote:

"The Neapolitans honour this saint as the principal patron of their city and nation, and the Lord himself has continued to honour him, by allowing many miracles to be wrought through his intercession, particularly when the frightful eruptions of Mount Vesuvius have threatened the city of Naples with utter destruction. While the relics of San Gennaro were being brought in procession towards this terrific volcano, the torrents of lava and liquid fire which it emitted have ceased, or turned their course from the city. But the most stupendous miracle, and that which is greatly celebrated in the church, is the liquefying and boiling up of this blessed martyr's blood whenever the vials are brought in sight of his head. This miracle is renewed many times in the year, in presence of all who desire to witness it; yet some heretics have endeavored to throw a doubt upon its genuineness, by frivolous and incoherent explanations; but on one can deny the effect to be miraculous, unless he be prepared to question the evidence of his senses.

John Henry Cardinal Newman also attested to the veracity of the miracle of liquefaction:

I think it impossible to withstand the evidence which is brought for the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro at Naples.

Nothing Going On

There's nothing much happening these days. I'm getting into Bible study, the deeper I dig the more I find and the more fascinating it becomes. Apart from that there is little to say, life is just ticking over, day by day. To brighten an otherwise dreary blog post, here's a relaxing picture.

Pope Benedict's Rosary CD

I saw this posted on Fr Z's blog here and Mark's blog here. I ordered the CD's and they arrived today. Surprisingly quick service, past experience with Posta Italiana hasn't always been so good!

There are four CD's, each with the Pope reciting the Rosary in Latin for the Luminous, Sorrowful, Joyful and Glorious mysteries. There is also a booklet listing the prayers and mysteries in Latin. At the back of the booklet there is a paragraph taken from the Apostolic Letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae":

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, as at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depths of the Gospel ,essage in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of His love.

Bible Translations and Interpretations

I have a few different Bible versions now, and from that has grown a curiosity about the many different Bible translations there are available. I understand that there is not a 'perfect' translation of the Bible, but I was surprised to find that some verses that are in the Douay Rheims, for example, that are not in other Catholic translations I have.

The main Bible I use is the Douay Rheims. I recall once reading the best version of the Bible to have is the one you will read, pointing to the fact that many Catholics are not as familiar with Scripture as other Christian groups. The Bible fascinates me, I am strongly drawn to not just reading Scripture but understanding it, too. That might seem like an obvious statement to make, after all it would be silly to read the Bible and NOT understand it!! But I love digging through Scripture, and getting into the deeper meaning. That is what I mean when I say I want to understand. It is an immense joy when I read a particular Scripture passage, and then I find it connected to something else, something from the Old Testament. Or when new light is shone upon Scripture, after reading an interpretation from the early Church fathers. When I read the Douay Rheims, for all the unusual way with words, it just sings to my heart, like the most glorious poetry, the words create three dimensional images and I can truly appreciate the beauty of the Word of God.

Apart from the Douay Rheims, the Bible translations I have are the RSV CE, the new CTS Bible which is the translation we use in Mass, and a recently purchased Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral edition. Each has it's own benefits, the RSV I use to help me understand the more difficult English you come across on the Douay Rheims, the CTS Bible is good for the fact it is the version used in Mass, and has good chapter introductions and some on page annotation, and some links to other verses in other books of the Bible that relate to that particular passage. The Community Christian edition has more informative notes on each page, it reads almost like a Bible commentary.

I recently noticed that there is a verse in the Douay Rheims version of the first letter of John that is not in the other Bibles. Only one verse, maybe, but it does make me wonder if there are others that are different. I can understand versions being different, in style of English used and if verses are literally translated or paraphrased, but for a verse to be missing, it did surprise me.

In the Douay Rheims, 1 Jn 5:7 it reads:

And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.

The RSV reads:

And the spirit is the witness, because the spirit is the truth.

The CTS Bible reads:

so that there are three witnesses,

And the Christian Community Bible says:

There are then three testimonies:

It will help to expand these out a bit, so here is each version, in the same order as above, but this time 1 Jn 5:6-7-8
Douay Rheims:

6 This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which testifieth, that Christ is the truth.
7 And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.
8 And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water and the blood: and these three are one.

RSV

6 This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only but with the water and the blood.
7 And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
8 There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.

CTS Bible:

Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness - since the Spirit is the truth -
7 so that there are three witnesses,
8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and all of them agree.

Finally, the Christian Community Bible:

6 Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood. Not only water, but water and blood. And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him for the Spirit is truth.
7 There are then three testimonies:
8 the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three witnesses agree.

It is also fascinating that in verse 6 the Douay Rheims says that it is the Spirit that testifies that Christ is truth, but in all three other versions it is the Spirit who is truth. It may make a difference, it may not, I don't understand, yet, but it is fascinating that the differences are there at all.

Out of curiosity, I thought I would look through the KJV Bible I own. This Bible is a study version, it usefully links verse readings throughout the whole Bible, very helpful. I truly wish for an authoritative Catholic Bible that has similar links. The KJV was a gift, from some dear friends. I find that in discussion with other Christians it is useful to have to hand the version of the Bible they will invariably quote from and to compare with Catholic Bibles. It helps to see where Protestant Bibles have been altered to reflect Protestant teaching and conflict with Catholic teaching*. In fact, the very reason I was initially looking through this particular letter of John was to show where in the Bible you could find evidence of the Trinity. V7, with the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one, seems quite clear to me. The KJV Bible says:

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit and the water and the blood: and these three agree in one

(The italics exist also in the KJV)

Almost identical to the Douay Rheims, but also in verse 6 the KJV translates the Spirit is truth, where the Douay Rheims translates it as Christ is the truth.

It truly is fascinating to get into Scripture in such detail, and it has inspired me to look for courses in my local area where I can join with others to learn more about Scripture, to learn more about the major languages and why translations are presented as they are, and why there is such variation even amongst Catholic Bibles.

*An example of this can be seen in Acts, 19:35 or Romans 11:4. The word image in italics is used in the KJV, intending to imply that Catholics worship images. Frequently the words Idols and Idolators are changed to images and image-worshippers.

Another New Bible

I have a good selection of Bibles now. I recently purchased a Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition and a while ago I purchased the New CTS Catholic Bible. This has the translations we use in Mass. I also have a Douay Rheims Bible and an RSV CE Bible, too. But just recently I have bought a Bible that is just that bit special.

I like to see a Bible that looks special. And the new Bible I have purchased is just beautiful. The cover is ornately designed, reflecting the design of the original version of this Bible that had an engraved cover. I like to see an ornate cover on a Bible, it gives a sense of the beauty that is contained within. This Bible is a Douay Rheims version, and comes complete with notes by Father George Leo Haydock; there are many notes, from around 210 sources, including many of the early Church Fathers. It is really going to help with my Bible study, complimenting the St Jerome Bible commentary and Holy Scripture commentary I bought recently. There is also a Catholic Bible dictionary and a history of the books of the Holy Catholic Bible. The book is huge. It's going to be a great resource for Bible study, but I doubt I will be carrying it around much! I order this from Ebay, $124.99, a special gift that I was able to buy after selling a few old items I had on Ebay. This Bible is printed and distributed through the Catholic Treasures website, the page for this Bible is here.

Here are a few pictures:

A Quirky Meme

I got tagged for a Meme, from the UkOk blog. I did something similar before. Then it was to list some totally unimportant things, quirks or habits. It has evolved a bit now, I need to list just 6 quirky habits. Before, I mainly listed some unimportant things about me, but quirky habits? Do I have any, I ask myself? First, the rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

Ok, so one and two are done. Now, 6 quirky habits....

1. I always eat my meals in a particular order. The food on my plate always gets eaten in the same order, I can't stand the idea of eating food in a different way.

2. In a similar vein, I always get dressed in the same way, including always putting on the left sock before the right. It just feels so unnatural to put the right one one first! I guess these habits suggest I am an ordered person who likes things 'just so' but nothing could be further from the truth. These really are quirks, because it is nothing to the way I usually am, where everything is messed and disordered.

3. I never pack for holiday until the night before I travel. If I'm traveling in the afternoon or evening, then I will pack that morning. It does bother me, expecially when I'm running round at the last minute. I regularly forget things and always promise the next time I will be better organised. But it never happens.
Not only that, I never get travel money in advance, either.

4. Another 'in the same order' quirk. I always read blogs in a particular order, starting from the bottom of my blogroll and working my way up. Some blogs I read daily, others weekly, but whichever I read it is always in the same manner.

5. I never throw away envelopes. Not because I re-use them, I just store them. The box where I keep my bills and invoices is as half full with envelopes as anything else. I don't particularly have a fetish for envelopes or anything, I think it is more related to the fact I am too lazy to sort through it all.

6. I always sit in the same place in Church. I'm not sure this is so quirky, as just convenience. I like the position, it is well situated, and most importantly I get to control the kneeler! I can't stand the kneeler being down when I stand up, and have become quite adept at lifting and lowering the kneeler with my foot. As I usually get to Mass quite early it has never happened that someone else is sitting where I normally sit. I'm not sure what I would do if that were the case...

And that's it. It took me *ages* to write this post, I most be the most boring person around, if those are the only quirky habits I have! To be fair, I'm sure there are a lot more, I'm just not aware of them, as I probably see them as quite normal behaviour patterns.

Now, I am supposed to 'tag' 6 people, but completely against the spirit of the Meme I'm going to leave it open. If you read this and you have some quirks you want to share with the blogging world, feel free. Just link back and let me know so I can come take a look :-)

(Edit - I've decided to 'enforce' the Meme onto just one person, Mr ED from ellasdevil.blogpsot.com - Consider yourself 'tagged!')

St Augustine and Me.

On my journey to the Catholic Church, I needed to choose a Saint who I admired, who maybe had a story that I identified with, or had lived a live I admired or maybe was patron of something important to me. I would then honour this Saint by choosing their name as my confirmation name. As we came closer to the Easter vigil, nothing had been decided, but I thought I would possibly choose St Joseph as my confirmation Saint. I love St Joseph immensely, from the little that is written about him in Scripture you can already know the type of man he is, his qualities of honesty, integrity and bravery, his justness, his righteousness, were all qualities to be admired. Also, I sometimes feel he is marginalised a little in the Church, and I just feel very close to St Joseph.

During Lent, in our Parish as in many others I presume, we organise some Lent study groups. The Diocese provides some literature in small booklets as a basis to work from, and for a couple of hours every week the group will get together and discuss various related issues. The first Lent group I went to last year had such a profound effect on the way I approach my Faith that I was eagerly anticipating this one.

It was during this year's Lent group that I came to choose St Augustine as my confirmation Saint.

Our group this year was a good spread of older and younger, seasoned Catholic and newbies. During our first session, amongst the discussion, one member of our group made a comment about 'that wretched man Augustine'. I was quite shocked and asked "Do you mean St Augustine?" He clearly did, but I just questioned to clarify as I was surprised to hear someone who admittedly I didn't know a great deal about, but knew was an important figure in Church history, a Doctor of the Church, being described as a 'wretched man'. That was the spark. I went home, looked up St Augustine on the web, read biographies, learnt a few quotes, ordered a copy of the Confessions of St Augustine from Amazon, and we were set.

The Gospel readings during Lent were some of the beautiful readings from the Gospel of St John, including the blind man given sight, Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, and the raising of Lazarus. I was also still in RCIA during this time, so I was studying the Gospel readings for that as well as the Lent groups. Everywhere I looked, I was bombarded with quotes from St Augustine. I discovered the excellent Catena Aurea, which is loaded with quotes from St Augustine as well as many other Church Fathers, I was reading the Augustine tracts on the Gospel of John, even on podcasts I downloaded I was hearing quotes from St Augustine. For the whole of Lent, and since then, I just made a really strong connection, and when my friend pointed out the obvious, that with such a strong connection St Augustine should be my confirmation Saint, that's what happened. The whole Easter Vigil service was special for so many reasons, first time taking communion, being fully received into the Church, but I won't ever forget when the Priest, anointing me with the oil, called me Augustine. That was indeed a special moment.

I saw Peter shortly after Easter, the man who had called St Augustine "That wretched man" at our Lent group. I told him that thanks to him, I had been inspired to take Augustine as my confirmation name. He just chuckled, it was a good moment.

And all of that, I write today, because today is the feast day for St Augustine. The first time I can celebrate today as an Onomastico (That word is what we use in Italian for our name day, when it's the feast day of the saint we share a name with. It's almost as important as a birthday.)
It seems the only way to finish is with this beautiful writing from St Augustine:

Late have I loved You,
Beauty ever old yet ever new!
Late have I loved You!
You were within me, but I was outside.
There I sought You, as I rushed about
among the beautiful things you had made.
You were with me,
but I was not with You.
The beautiful things of this world
kept me far from You.
You called. You cried.
You burst through my deafness.
You scattered my blindness.
I breathed Your fragrance
and now I pine for You.
I tasted You,
and I hunger and thirst for You.
You touched me,
and I burn with desire
for Your peace.

Saint Monica

Today is the feast day of Saint Monica, the mother of St Augustine. It is always interesting to read about the lives of the saints, and what I've read of St Monica is certainly an inspiration. Apparently she was married to a man who was not Christian, and who was abusive. She lived with her abusive husband and not so nice mother-in-law, yet through patience, prayers and penance she converted them both to the Catholic Faith.

More famously, it is through her prayers and acts of penance that she brought to conversion her son, Augustine. To me this example of perseverance is something we should all keep in mind when we pray. Not only was St Monica praying for others, she was persistent, without losing faith when her prayers were not answered immediately. Living the way we do today with access to instant information on the internet, instant on-demand access to films and tv programs and the 'fast food' style of service, it is easy to lose perspective and expect an instant on-demand reply to our prayers.

Next to the Blessed Virgin, St Monica is one of the best examples of a Christian mother.

St Monica is patron of patience, married women, homemakers and housewives, mothers, wives, widows, alcoholics, difficult marriages, disappointing children, victims of adultery or unfaithfulness, and victims of (verbal) abuse

Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine,
you perseveringly pursued your wayward son
not with wild threats
but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day
so that they may learn to draw their children to God.
Teach them how to remain close to their children,
even the prodigal sons and daughters
who have sadly gone astray.

To The Greatest Cheese in the World

Yeah, I know, it's only cheese. But Parmigiano Reggiano is the BEST cheese in the world! (Although Mozzarella di Bufala runs it close!) Thanks to Mark for pointing these adverts out on YouTube:

Parmesan Flavoured Ice Cream

I like Ice Cream, I also like parmesan cheese, but the idea of the two mixed together does not appeal, at all! However, there are plenty of people in China who do like it, it seems. Italo-Chinese company La Perla says people are snapping it up. The ice cream is hand-made, in the traditional manner, with real parmesan cheese.

The taste was immediately excellent, but the biggest problem was getting the consistency right,

said La Perla director Roberto Longoni.

We found that the secret was to choose an 18-month-old cheese, which is sweeter and more elastic,

he said.

In total, La Perla offer over 400 flavours of ice cream; I wonder whether there is another as bad as parmesan flavour?

Source

Laurel and Hardy Again

Here's another clip, this is one of my favourite's. The audio is not English, but there isn't much and it's not really necessary either. Enjoy: