Happy New Year, everyone!
The responsorial Psalm for today is one I have always liked, Psalm 67. "It starts out, May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us." A good thought for 2021.
Though January 1st is usually a holy day of obligation, the Solemnity of Mary, the mother of God; most people just think of it as New Year's Day. And the "day of obligation" is not always taken very seriously; the Masses are often sparsely attended. So I was surprised when I attended the Mass last evening to find a full house, at least as defined by Covid restrictions. You know you're getting too used to distancing when you feel a little claustrophobic and freaked out by a building less than half full, where everyone is wearing masks. It was more people than had attended any of the Christmas Masses, indeed more than I had seen at any time since the pandemic restrictions. If I hadn't been blocked by a pillar on one side of the pew, and someone to crawl over on the other side, I would have left. We are still under a dispensation from obligation. The crowd was additionally surprising given that there were still seven inches of snow on the ground from Tuesday, and the roads were slick. Most people weren't dressed as though they were headed to a party afterwards. I think we all just felt a need to be there, and pray that 2021 would be a better year in all ways.
I think you are right. This pandemic is driving more people to turn to prayer, whether in church or outside of it. (the Foxhole phenomenon)
ReplyDeleteI am worried about Tom B. So, more prayers for him that he will have a healthier New Year - starting very soon.
Yes, I am concerned for Tom too, and continuing to pray for him.
DeleteI am reading that some states aren't making use of the monoclonal antibody infusions that are available to them, because their medical systems are so overwhelmed with treating the hospitalized patients that they don't have the personnel to administer outpatient infusions. Nebraska is one of the states which is making good use of the bamlanivamab treatment. My sister is convinced that it saved her husband from a hospital stay and a more serious illness since he has multiple comorbidities.
We are well into vaccinating the first tier people, which would include health care workers and nursing home patients. Looks like our age group will probably be in the third tier.
How are things going in CA with vaccine roll out?
Unrelated, From this article it sounds like the streets of DC are going to be a scary place on Jan 6.
ReplyDeleteThe Proud Boys and their ilk, that they gather from dark places on the internet, are going to be there carrying heat to confront the "leftists" (aka anybody that's not them). I've got an idea, hippy era slogan, "what if they gave a war and nobody came?" They can't hurt you if you're not there. People who aren't crazy should just stay home. It's not as though they haven't had lots of practice this past year. Would the Proud Bunch then be like the gingham dog and the calico cat, and just eat each other up?
Get ready for the American equivalent of Kristallnacht.
DeleteSome WaPo observers speculate that Trump supporters' goal will be to create enough disruption to prevent senators and reps from getting to the Capitol to convene to certify electoral college votes, and to terrorize the population of DC by vandalizing BLM Plaza.
Since DC is not a state, there is no local authority that can call out the National Guard outside of the feds. You can bet Trump won't. He's dying to tell the story about how America was left an ash heap because he wasn't re-elected.
Or he could use a disturbance as leverage to declare martial law and delay the certification proceedings and inauguration indefinutely.
The Proud Boys and their ilk could also freak out when Hawley et al's vote protest move fails and go "wild," as Trump hints.
I'm praying for a bad snow storm, frankly. It's fun to stomp around in jackboots in good weather, but they don't make quite true same threatening ring on pavement covered in snow, ice, and slush. It was literally cold feet that stopped the Nazis in the Russian winter.
The country will not be safe from Trump until Van Lines loads up the last box of golden curtains, straps Barron, Ivanka, and Jared into their booster seats for the last ride away from 1600 Pennsylvania, and Melania and Himself are choppered off the premises.
I hope news of the failure of Louie Gohmert's spectacularly weird lawsuit against Pence perks up our friend Tom.
I'll join you in praying for a foot of wet sloppy snow to fall on the DC area. Anne is in California now so she won't have to deal with it.
DeleteI thought of Tom, too, when I read of Louie Gohmert's latest stunt. Louie still holds the place of dumbest member of the House.
This country remains in peril. Paramilitary dingbats like the proudboys are one thing but molly coddling of them by our fascist police is another. If the cops don't do their jobs, then abolish them. I'll take my chances with criminals that want to take my stuff but brownshirts who want to abolish my democracy are a greater threat.
DeleteIn case you haven't heard:
ReplyDeleteFrom: Thomas Blackburn
Sent: Saturday, January 2, 2021 10:36 AM
To: jmccrea@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Tom Blackburn, 1934 - 2021 R.I.P Re: Richard Rohr Reorders the Universe
Our apologies if this is the first you are hearing of Tom's passing. He expired shortly after midnight on Saturday, January 2, 2021 due to complications from Covid-19. We are told he died peacefully and without pain. We cannot guarantee a response to email to this address. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Oh, that makes me so sad! Rest in peace, Tom.
DeleteThanks for the update, Jim.
I am so sorry to hear this. I am glad his passing was easy.
DeleteI am so saddened by this news. He was so careful for so long. It just makes me so angry that this can happen even when people try to protect themselves.
DeleteI will really miss him. I loved his wit, and his passion.
Rest In Peace, Tom.
And if saints really can intercede for us, please use your influence to help rid our country of trumpism.
Rest In Peace, Tom.
Oh no. I valued Tom's knowledge and wit, faith, true patriotism and humanity, all the things that made Tom Tom. Though I never physically met him or heard his voice, I will miss his presence on this forum terribly. May Perpetual Light shine upon him.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear this. It would be good if someone who knew Tom better than I would create a post for our website.
ReplyDeleteThe Cleveland Commonweal Local Community lost one of its founding members at the end of its first year. I created the following post
https://clcnetcleveland.blogspot.com/2018/09/wayne-lobue-july-16-1939-august-28-2018.html
by combining the elements of the obituary available on the internet with our personal knowledge.
I don't think any of us knew Tom better than anyone else. Someone with posting privileges might want to start a thread (I no longer initiate threads). I don't see an obituary on line at this point, but if I see one, I will be happy to add it so people can leave a note for his family.
DeleteI always liked Tom's newspaper stories, his gentle irascibility, and his willingness to accept other Catholics as they were.
Katherine, we observed here what you observed in your parish: the New Years Eve and New Years Day masses (aka the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) were as packed as the church permits. And then the following Saturday and Sunday, attendance was down.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened with Christmas and the following weekend - although, for Christmas, we worked so hard at warning people they wouldn't be admitted if they walked in without registering, that we didn't get much walk-up traffic, while some who did register didn't show up, so we ended up at a bit less than full capacity.
I can understand that many people who go to church for Christmas on a Friday aren't going to turn around and do it again on Sunday. But I'm a little surprised that the same line of thought applies for New Year's Day / Mary Mother of God.
I don't think the Mary Mother of God feast day has sunk into the consciousnesses yet of many Catholics - I don't think they feel the same obligation/guilt they might feel for, say, going to church on the Immaculate Conception. But I've observed in the past that New Year's Day masses and Thanksgiving Day masses (the latter not an obligation for anyone except the priest) are well-attended every year.
Even as a secular holiday, I'm not sure why New Year's Day resonates with people. I'm grateful for the day off from work every year, but it's not as though it's a huge family holiday. If they dispensed with the day off from work, I wouldn't even care very much. For some companies (e.g. health insurance companies dealing with the open enrollment season), the end of the calendar year is a busy time, but where I work now, activity slows to almost nothing during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day - everyone is seeking to consume their vacation days before they expire. I didn't work that week, so I was pretty well-rested by New Year's Day. In my younger adult years, I confess to having been hung over most New Year's Days, so maybe granting the day off from work is a bow to the practical. But working while hung over is a skill that many, many young adults have acquired.
Anyway, it's interesting. Maybe underlying the prominence of New Year's Day is: I made it through another year, still alive?