On the theory that nice, round numbers are significant, today's Independence Day anniversary would seem to be a big one. The American experiment has been underway for 250 years.
I know all of us are old enough to recall the 200th anniversary, in 1976. I was a teenager at that time, so I don't claim to have had a long, mature perspective then; but that anniversary felt bigger - it felt as though the country as a whole was celebrating it more than what I'm feeling today on the 250th.
I visited my folks yesterday. They were children during WWII. They are as patriotic as they come, although not usually in an overt, loud, annoying way. I don't think the 250th anniversary came up once during our visit. People aren't really going out of their way to mark the occasion. Or so it seems to me.
We've had a typical Fourth of July celebration today: we went to our town's parade in the morning. I'm writing this after spending the last 90 or so minutes doing food preparation: boiling potatoes and eggs for potato salad, preparing and baking a baked bean casserole in the oven, and assembling a raspberry pie which will go into the oven while we eat our dinner (bbq ribs, prepared by my wife). We'll have three of the kids over. This is pretty much what we do every year.
I told my wife that I'd endeavor to say positive things about our country today - a pledge I intend to keep in this post. So from time to time today, I've been trying to appreciate good things about our country. There is a lot to appreciate.
Are you marking this anniversary in any particular way?
We listened to NPR reading the Declaration like we do every year. I enjoyed teaching it in American lit. It's still worth reading as a caution against the tyrannies that the colonists found unbearable.
ReplyDeleteI put out the flag. Raber is proud of his service in the Navy, which was largely a series of NATO exercises in which there were on-ship exchange programs. The Brit sailors hosted a vicars-and-tarts party for the Americans. The German sing-along was popular because there was beer. Those days of international cooperation seem about to end.
The Boy texted photos from Portland of him and his GF in the downtown park where they are meeting up with friends.
I continued reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. Big sweeping historical novel in the vein of John Dos Passos and EL Doctorow. I appreciate American literature more now than I used to.
Took a nap, an increasingly frequent occurrence.
Raber is off to get some ice cream at the party store.
Will watch an American classic movie. Maybe Elmer Gantry starring Burt Lancaster and his big teeth.
Well, we are definitely not going downtown. Let the MAGAs have it. I’m guessing relatively few locals will go. It’s normally a fun family thing. But this year people have to negotiate an armed gauntlet. Plus everything has been trashed by their Dear Leader and they will be miserable again in the 102 f heat. There are seven people from the “ Great American State Fair” ( it’s been a total bust basically ) in intensive care at a local hospital after suffering heat stroke . 44 people were taken to local hospitals). It’s cooled off a bit now (95F.) Feels like 103. Some reading about the misery trump has brought to our city. in the next comment if I can get the links to work. Two articles from The Atlantic.
ReplyDelete.We are celebrating only one thing today - a grandson’s 7th birthday. Happily for him and our son and his wife and children they are in Kazimierz Dolby Poland, far, far away from the horror show in DC. The following is a Letter to the Editor that pretty well expresses our feelings this sad 4 th of July.
“ Even before being sworn into office, President Trump was given a golden opportunity to rally the country, and indeed the world, around the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth.
This should have been a gimme. It was already on the calendar, a singularly and naturally unifying moment to showcase American achievement, recommit to mending our flaws and reaffirm our belief in the aspirations and ideals of the founders’ dreams.
How, though, does a president lead a celebration of what he’s worked so hard to destroy? A president who mocks the conviction that all are created equal, systematically ending the careers of devoted military officers who happen to be Black or female. A president who assaults our unalienable rights to free speech, assembly and a free press. A president who betrays the foundation of government by the consent of the governed by trying to deny millions of Americans a vote.
And so, instead of a collective tribute to all we cherish and strive for, we get a human cage fight on the South Lawn of the White House. A vanity rally on the National Mall. The East Wing in rubble, the Kennedy Center in a tarp and algae creeping across the face of a Reflecting Pool that mirrors only the corruption and ineptitude of a failed and fraudulent presidency rent by reckless and useless war.
Two hundred and fifty years later, the Declaration of Independence doesn’t cry out to be celebrated so much as it demands to be defended. That’s our call, as patriots. That’s our charge, as American people. On this Fourth of July, and always.”
Trump has transformed D.C. into a dirty construction site, @MViser reports. He explores what awaits those who come to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
DeleteThis year’s July 4 fireworks show on the National Mall will have the kind of security usually reserved for presidential inaugurations and Super Bowls, Nick Miroff, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and Shane Harris report.
I used to know how to delete my comments but now I can’t figure it out. The links didn’t work. as expected. Trying again.
Deletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/07/national-mall-construction-trump/687761/?gift=kkpyZo6Iz9qinVq1FSu1hqbLSeH08StqVuFbhz10yfA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/washington-security-america-250-trump-fireworks/687780/?gift=kkpyZo6Iz9qinVq1FSu1hgN5MLpz5C-pou1ujyYWB6U&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
We may watch 1776 again. A serious but lighthearted musical.we have the DVD.
ReplyDeleteI had to go to the grocery store today, about 3 miles each way. Driving there tthrough our own neighborhood and through others I was struck by the absence of flags. We didn’t pit ours out as we once did (my husband was 6 years in Marine Reserves) but we are not the only ones. Our neighbors used to also, most of them. I saw 4 flags total - including one neighbor who is in the Air Force ( transferred to the Pentagon two years ago), a diehard Republican couple we’ve known for 53 years, and two others on houses with people we don’t know. O e more neighbor up the street - they are immigrants. They came here as kids, both sets of parents worked at the World Bank, they met in high school and bonded over both being World Bank kids. I didn’t see even one in the other neighborhoods I drove through and nothing decorated at the local shops.
This used to be the day when my dad's side of the family had a big family reunion. Everyone brought food. That was when we all lived in the same county, and the great-aunts and uncles put it on. Now all those people are gone. Most of their children are gone too. I'm just about the oldest one left. Everyone has scattered to the four winds. Our younger son's family are doing a trip in the Black Hills. Older son and daughter in law are at the in-laws.:
ReplyDeleteWe are hanging out at home (well mostly, Kelly is assisting at the 5:00 Mass as we speak). I practiced my accompaniment for America the Beautiful, exit hymn for tomorrow's 11:00 am Mass.
I think o the family members who are gone. But I am fine with not cooking a big meal today. We are doing a family thing in Omaha in a couple of weeks, the guys are planning to go to a Storm-Chaser's game, along with the 12 year old granddaughter, who is a baseball player and a fan.
Not that many flags out, but the fireworks stands did a thriving business. Everyone was blowing up heavy ordnance until late last night. I went for a walk this morning while it was still cool, and the remains were all over. The dogs and cats will be happier tonight!
ReplyDeleteI remember from the 200th celebration, seeing the "tall ships" on tv. That was cool. I guess they are doing that again, I'll have to see if I can find that on tv.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, we went with our son and his family to Baltimore for Sail250 last weekend. It reminded me of the good old days of celebrating America (pre- trump) The Great American State Fair on the Mall was deserted but Sail250 was jam packed. It was a lot of fun. Besides the Tall Ships there were the usual attractions including live music. The Tall Ships were there and there were Blue Angels flyovers that made all the kids put their fingers in their ears. Very loud but always amazing to watch. The Tall Ships were there but had very long lines to be able to board and look around. It was a very enjoyable festival. Now they are in New York.
Deletehttps://www.sail250md.org/
For the bicentennial, I saw the Tall Ships when they went to Toronto. They had a race from Toronto to Rochester.
DeleteI had planned to watch them leave the harbor from Toronto's island. However, one of the large yachts that gives tours of Toronto Harber was doing the filming of the event for Canadian TV. For just $30 I got to get on board and follow the tall ships as they left the harbor. They came right up to each one alerting the crews that they were filming and telling them to maintain course. Much better seat that even Prince Charles who I think reviewed the ships as they left harbor, or Vance this time!
Truely the opportunity of a lifetime.
Jack, that was an amazing opportunity. Lucky you!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot much going on around here. There is a fireworks display at Fairport Harbor this evening. It may have competition from rain and thunderstorms. We will tune into the Lake County Metroparks cameras that monitor that area just as we do every evening for sunsets.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, my family had always celebrated Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day as family holidays by staying home on the Monongahela River rather than going to our cabin at Pymatuning Lake with all the traffic. We would just take lawn chairs down to the riverbank and watch all the yachts that went up and down the river.
During the summers there was always a parade day for our town with firetrucks from around the county and some high school bands as highlight of a carnival week to raise money for our volunteer fire department. It was the main organization for the town. Had a very large hall that did bingos, weddings, and high school dances. My uncle was fire chief for a long while, and when he was still working my dad drove the fire truck. Mom however was a very stay-at-home person, so we did not spend much time at the firehall. Once dad retired most of our life centered around the cabin.
We have gone to our parade for most of the 40+ years we've been here. We went yesterday because one of the kids is in a local theatre production and was marching. But somehow circumstances so contrived themselves that we didn't see her. Oh, well. The parade is largely the same every year, which I suppose is the essence of public ritual, but sometimes one longs for newness, too. Which is to say: had she not been in the parade, we might have skipped it.
DeleteBtw, the local Democrats and local Republicans were in the parade. The size and energy among the Democrats was noticeably bigger than those of the Republicans.
DeleteI could be wrong about this, but: I think the GOP is closer to the brink of extinction than most people do. Its Great Leader has shorn it of all its larger principles save immigration control - and even that is more of a miss than a hit. When Donald Trump passes from the scene, which could be pretty soon, I think he's going to leave a shriveled husk of a party behind. Maybe, in places where Evangelicals are more numerous, it will stick around a while longer. But I think the door is opening for new party identities: possibly a center-right party (especially if the Democrats keep tacking ever leftward), and a Trump successor party: a MAGA Party or Alternative For America or some such.
Jim-“Maybe, in places where Evangelicals are more numerous, it will stick around a while longer.”
DeleteWill the American Catholic bishops and the 60% of white Catholics who support trump abandon MAGA? The evangelicals are the biggest part of his base, but he would have lost without all those white Catholics voting for him. Trump may leave the scene but I fear his poison will continue to infect millions of “Christians”
A new center party would be great but very hard to pull off.
Tucker Carlson is talking about starting a third party. He might run for president. The one good point he has is his anti-zionism. Given the fact that we’re presently in this Iran mess only due to zionist/genocide domination of our politics, and the rest of the world is suffering, I’d consider Tucker Carlson a lesser evil than Trump and the Shumer/Jeffries/Booker party. And by the way, the biggest crowd in July 4 was for the funeral of murdered Ayatollah Sayed Khameni and his family victims including his granddaughter.
DeleteIs a demagogue who doesn't have dementia better that the current demagogue who does? I'm going to say, none of the above, we need to do better. I am sorry for the non-combatants who have been killed in Trump's war of choice, including the family members of Khameni. But we need to be careful that in rejecting Netanyahu and Trump, and all their works and pomps, that we don't slide back into antisemitism, which has been a sin of Christians for a very long time. And apparently the SSPX is still blaming Jews for killing Jesus. They don't understand the part about his death "...for the sins of all".
DeleteKatherine, you make the case well. It wasn’t until 1959 that “perfidious Jews” was dropped from the Good Friday liturgy, and it was another ten years before the references to blindness and darkness and prayers for the conversion of Jews were dropped. When Benedict foolishly began allowing the Latin mass again in 2008 , at least he changed the Latin prayers to reflect the changes made by Paul VI after Vatican II.
DeleteCarlson has been even more openly racist than trump, including during trump’s first term, when he was still trying to pretend he’s not racist, He’s just as adept at lying without blinking an eye as trump is. This time trump has pretty much dropped his “ I am not racist” act and the war against DEI has been an excuse to fire blacks in greatly disproportionate numbers in the federal government workforce, and in the military by Hegseth, including bona fide war heroes —just because they are black.. Carlson never tried to hide his extreme racism. Carlson would be no better than trump. I worry about American minorities, especially African Americans. The administration has been told by trump to drop all discrimination cases. They’re gutting all civil rights protections, and doubling down on voter suppression efforts that primarily impact blacks and other minorities. But especially African Americans. The war against minorities also includes Muslims.
Catholic anti-semitism had been too much a part of Catholic history, and that history may have resulted indirectly in Israel's evil policies today - determined to protect their people by killing anyone they see as out to annihilate them again. So, tragically, they’ve adopted much of the same mindset of those who persecuted them throughout the centuries. Several times a week I drive past an Iranian school near our home that is about 1/2 mile from a major Orthodox synagogue that I also pass goi g to the grocery store. I think about this mess every time I pass those two places. In the close ( to the school, the synagogue and my home) shopping center you see the Jewish shoppers alongside the hijab wearing Muslims. Unfortunately this normal, everyday scene seems unlikely to be scaled up in the Middle East.
Trump is purely transactional. He went along with Netanyahu on Iran because he thought it would be an easy win and he could grab control of Iran’s oil. He supported Israel’s incessant bombing/genocidal, campaign against Gaza because he really does want to have his family develop the beach areas into multi- million $ luxury resorts. Plus he needs the votes of the evangelical Christian zionists.
Anti-semitism is a real danger. But, to be real, Jews are not being purposefully displaced, bombed, shot, starved, dehydrated and tortured. Asian people who have never been Christian are coming to despise Israelis and , with that, there’s a danger of a whole new age of anti-semitism independent if Christianity. It helps me to remember the many anti Zionist Jews like Einstein, Naomi Klein, Jeffrey Sachs, Norman Finkelstein, and others ranging from ultra orthodox to atheist. The Israeli Jews are possessed by an evil spirit called Zionism. I hope it can be driven into some suicidal swine so as to free them.
Delete"... we need to do better."
DeleteYes.
Parties need to get smart, pragmatic people under 70 interested in running. But we also need to encourage an electorate that will listen to them.
Last election cycle we had a great candidate for Legislature out here in the cornfield: family farmer, well-liked, understood local issues, articulated good ideas. But he was beaten by the imbecile former sheriff who ran on introducing legislation to establish an official Michigan state firearm.
Lots of people thought running on the state gun was stupid and said so publicly. But apparently that move signaled a whole raft of positives for the rightwing--pro 2nd Amendment, pro-sportsman, anti-DNR regulations, pro-deer and bear baiting, etc.
Jean, that story is a perfect example of a major poison in the electorate - love of guns. That’s something else trump just fiddled with - he ordered a raft of bun regulations dropped. I didn’t know there were any left, but apparently a few. Bear baiting, cage fights on the White House lawn. I see no real hope.
DeleteGuns are a problem, but I think the real poison is militant stupidity. Call me elitist, but if our candidates talked about real issues and solutions, a lot of people who now dominate the political scene would wise up or get bored and crawl back under their rocks. Win for good government either way.
DeleteEx: On July 1 on our community page there was a very mild plea from citizens with nervous dogs, autistic kids, and vets with PTSD asking folks to please follow fireworks ordinances. Typical (real) response:
"It's America! Were [sic] founded on being ungovernable. Tea goes in the harbor, screw the queen, and may your powder kegs never run out!"
Dimwit unable to grasp the difference between fighting tyranny and being asked to stop letting off a string of M80s after 11 pm just for the fun of hearing the neighbor dogs howl or their kid cry.
I dunno how you fix that except to run candidates who refuse troll for that guy's vote.
According to the local news, the dogs and others were traumatized, and some were choking on smoke, because some dimwit shot off 860,000 fireworks at midnight.
DeleteStanley, I recalled your comment about the biggest July 4 crowd being the funeral for the Ayatollah killed by our attacks. . I thought about it when I drove past the Iranian school today. When the original Ayatollah died years ago ( the one who overthrew the Shah) that school hung an enormous photo of him at the entrance to the school, and the flag was at half- mast. That display lasted about a month I think. Today I realized there were no giant photos or flag at half- mast this week. I wonder why not.
DeleteMaybe it’s the Nazi regime we have in place here now, Anne. Maybe the school is run by diaspora Iranians who don’t like the Iranian government. I’m of the opinion that whatever the merits or faults of foreign nations’ governments, they can’t be punished or bombed to a better one. It’s only ever been an excuse for the US to pursue financial and political domination. I’m no longer having any of it.
Delete"I’m of the opinion that whatever the merits or faults of foreign nations’ governments, they can’t be punished or bombed to a better one."
DeleteI think there is a lot of wisdom in that observation.
Btw, I suppose I'm the last person here to figure this out, but I didn't understand until this morning that the unwieldy phrase that is being tossed about by nobody except figures in the media - "Semiquincentennial", if I have that correct - is a latinate term that doesn't mean "200+50", but rather "half of 500". That strikes me a curiously indirect way of stating the number, but it may be an instance of my being a "reading left to right" person, and the Romans may have been a bit more, er, bidirectional.
ReplyDeleteJim mentioned the Bicentennial: If you go to the Gerald R Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., you'll see some bicentennial items sent to the president in 1976. One is a Declaration of Independence spelled out in alphabet macaroni and glued on a varnished plywood board. Tall ships notwithstanding, that macaroni deal pretty much summed up the Bicentennial to me at the time--cheesy, sentimental, and a bit pointless.
ReplyDeleteThe real celebration of the Spirit of 1776/Down with Tyranny was two years earlier, when the GOP sent Barry Goldwater to tell Nixon thanks for the EPA, going to China, Title IX, volunteer armed forces and all that. But the skullduggery, crazy talk about executive privilege, and (yeeps!) G Gordon Liddy is just a bridge too far. Time to go.
Times change ...
Now that you all are mentioning the tall ships, I do remember those being a thing 50 years ago, but I didn't live in a port at the time so they never really made much of an impression on me.
DeleteThe thing I recall the most is the 200 Years Ago Today mini-segments that one of the major networks ran each night. Little glimpses of history. I don't think networks would undertake that now; or if they did, the content would be much more contested now - it would become an ideological football.
Yes. Networks are not going to risk FCC harassment right now for presenting the "wrong" kind of history.
DeleteI gather that the Freedom Trucks presentations are catching a lot of flak because they offer a highly sanitized and simplified (no slaves, no Native Americans, no women, no Loyalist pov) look at the American Revolution and include a video welcome from the president urging national pride.
My celebration of the holiday has been greatly enhanced by completely ignoring him and the dopey events his team has cooked up.
DeleteToday the WH 160 page report about everything they don’t like about the history presented in the Smithsonians is available on the WH website. . The WaPo has a good article. In fact the author of the article has written several good articles. He’s been there for years and his review of the 250th events and his review of the Smithsonian report may get him fired. I’ve been thinking of accepting the $20 for a year offer simply because of him. But I fear he’ll be gone soon. Maybe I’ll re- up for $20 and if they fire him or force his resignation I will cancel again.
DeleteAnyone who cancels is apparently getting the $20 offer for the first year offer after they submit the cancellation.
Ignoring Trump at times is a matter of sanity preservation. Glad, however, that Philip Kennicott is paying attention. He has so far survived the Wash Post's purges and editorial policy changes. The story Anne references above is here, but you may be paywalled out: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/07/06/only-bias-uncovered-white-house-smithsonian-report-is-its-own/
DeleteWell, I have to come clean. Although I’ve lived in the DC area since 1968, I have never gone downtown on July 4. We had friends who never missed it and pushed us to go to the Mall for the annual event. and meet them there. But I hate. big crowds. A local, hometown 4th like you all have would be more my speed. When our sons were growing up we often went to small towns nearby on the Chesapeake Bay. . All within an hour or hour and a half drive. Sometimes we met friends there. Sometimes we stayed close to watch the DC fireworks but across the river from DC, on the Virginia side. Just as good a view, but not crowded and an easy escape when the fireworks were done. But the small town festivities were the best. When they got older they met their friends on the Mall for the big show. For the Bicentennial in 1976 we wanted as far away as was practical. So we sailed across the Bay and anchored in a small, beautiful cove, “far from the madding crowds.”. We took the sons to one presidential inauguration parade ( I forget which). It’s not as bad because it’s usually freezing cold on Inauguration Day. Not nearly as big of crowds. The weather problems for this 4 th seemed like a version of a plague of locusts— sent by an angry god. But, they should have planned for it . Extremely heat and afternoon and evening thunderstorms are very common events around here in the summer. The incompetence of this administration never ends.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to go to the big downtown Chicago 4th of July celebration, either. I'm not that into fireworks.
DeleteIn my observation, there are two kinds of men: those who think home fireworks are awesome - and if they are illegal, even more so; and people like me who get nothing out of them and wish to keep all the digits on his hands.
An interesting article that may be of special interest to Stanley.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/07/06/rahm-emanuel-israel-palestine-iran-democrat-strategy-00987525
That article about Rahm Emanuel is pretty sensible. It's back to the 1990s.
DeleteIsreal doesn't have to tie its fate to Netanyahu. It's up to Israeli voters to figure that out.
DeleteThat was an interesting article about Rahm Emanuel. There used to be a saying about "speaking to someone like a Dutch uncle". Sounds like Israel is going to get a well needed Dutch uncle talk.
DeleteThe article mentioned possible aspirations of Emanuel running for president. I don't necessarily think that's a good idea. He's 66 now. He'd be in his 70s as president.
Hey - every year, the 70's seem a little less old! Our experience with the two most recent presidents suggests there really is a palpable difference between 70 and 80.
DeleteI'm in my mid-60's, and most evenings I can barely drag myself from the dinner table to the La-Z-Boy.
"Dutch uncle" - I've head that phrase before, but never really knew what it meant. It's a useful concept!
DeleteThere should be age limits on the president. Nobody can be over age 65 on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. Lots of people have the energy and bandwidth to do strenuous jobs in their 70s, but they're at much higher risk for health to go haywire.
DeleteI had a lively chat about aging with an 88-year-old lady in a waiting room yesterday. Completely with-it and great sense of humor. She said she could do all the things she did at age 30 ... for about an hour a day.
I think that's a pretty good summation of how we age. I can still do what I did at 30 for about four hours, so I came away feeling pretty good!
If 65 on Jan 20 is the cutoff, does that include incumbents who are older than 65 at the end of their first term? Most people I have known in their 70s are fine. But the risk of heart attacks or stroke increases, as does the risk of cancers that require sometimes extensive treatment that can be physically debilitating for a while. Maybe 65 for a first term and 69 or 70 as an absolute limit? Unlikely to happen though. Trump lives an extremely unhealthy lifestyle and is lying about his health (colluding with his doctors) but he’s still going strong.
DeleteIf it were up to me, you couldn't run for a second term if you'd be 70 on Inauguration Day. From Prez on down to dog catcher. Anybody in office now over 70 can serve out their term, then they're out. That boots Bernie and Grassley, my two favorite senators, but both these guys haven't had any new ideas since 1978. They've just been in there long enough to look new, like bell bottom jeans coming back in style.
DeleteMaybe also some provisions to trigger a special election if you miss more than x votes per term regardless of age. We've got Fetterman, Kean, McConnell, and Feinstein, Granger before them, all too incapacitated to carry out duties for months on end. I'm not sure Fetterman isn't still incapacitated ...
Then there is the Pope who is CEO of the largest international organization in the world. Leo is 69. Francis was 76 when he became pope, and Benedict was 78.
Delete" Leo is 69. Francis was 76 when he became pope, and Benedict was 78."
DeleteRight. For lifetime-appointment positions, maybe we go with the inverse of Jean's proposed rule: nobody younger than 70 may be considered.
Supposedly the Holy Spirit guides Pope selection, and holiness trumps age. I don't think the Spirit guides our elections in quite the same way ...
DeleteWe've seen how both parties will pretend that an elderly Prez is still sharp as a tack as long as it's their guy in power. And the elderly are often the last ones to see themselves slipping. Statistically, most of us start flirting with strokes, heart disease, dementia, or cancer by age 60.
Anyhow, it's not like my big ideas for national improvement are going anywhere outside this comment box.
Looking at the history of the Catholic Church’s popes, it seems that either the Holy Spirit didn’t guide many of the selections or the electors weren’t paying attention. The first is the more likely. It’s a human institution that tries to guide people towards God, but it’s human—therefore it’s fallible.
DeleteI think we are all guided by the Holy Spirit in that we understand what God wants us to do in most situations. Church teaching reinforces our understanding. But, yes, everybody ignores that guidance at times, including clergy. It's why there's Confession, Last Rites, penance, and forgiveness.
DeleteWell, as you know, I don’t believe that confession to a priest is necessary. . Confession to God is. The examination of conscience is essential. Guidance from a wise spiritual person is useful. But that person is seldom a priest for most Catholics. God forgives without the need for a human being’s help. I never once encountered a wise, spiritual priest in the confessional. Certainly none who seemed inspired by the Holy Spirit. But an honest examination of conscience before confession to God does seem to bring the HS around. That’s why clearing the monkey mind in meditation ( especially CP) can be so helpful - it makes hearing the whispers of the HS come through more clearly.
DeleteI am not aware that any of the more disreputable popes who were elected ever bothered with confession to another priest. Apparently conclaves are just as political as secular nominating conventions and the factions just as willing to use backhanded methods to get their candidate elected as their secular political counterparts are. If the Holy Spirit guides the Conclaves, it seems that very often the electors aren’t paying attention.
Sorry, I'm not saying I personally believe the sacraments are necessary nor pushing you to accept that they are. Just saying that I understand why the sacraments were instituted. I am glad that CP works for you.
DeleteOne can do various forms of prayer, including CP, and the sacraments. For me it's both/and.
DeleteMany historians feel that one on one confession (which didn’t become standard for several hundred years) was adopted as a mechanism of control of the laity as much as to serve as an actual “sacrament”. Prior to that only people who committed egregious crimes that hurt the whole community were made to do penance - a very severe one
DeleteJust a couple if asides on penances:
DeleteMargery Kemp, my favorite medieval gadfly, went on multiple pilgrimages, in hopes of expiating some unknown sin she could not bring herself to confess or did not feel that she had truly been forgiven. Her life has comic aspects, but there's certainly a thread of pathos there, too, in that scrupulosity and fear prevented her from ever accepting that she'd done enough penance.
And I see that the Archbishop of Oslo wants to open a case for canonizing Sigrid Undset, Nobel prize winner and writer of the Kristin Lavransdattir saga set in medieval Norway. There's a scene in which Kristin is set a stiff penance for conceiving a child out of wedlock, though she willingly accepts it.
I read the first book of the Kristin Lavransdattir triology. Enjoyed the description of life in medieval Norway. But not so much Kristin herself. Could have been a movie (I don't know, maybe it was?) Plot was basically, Kristin had a fiance who really loved her, but she cheated on him with a sexy rich bad boy and got pregnant. Married him and spent the rest of her life paying for it.
DeleteI don't know very much about Sigrid Undset. She wrote some other really grim books. I'm getting some "famous convert" vibes.
Scandinavian writers tend to be uniformly grim. My friend in Iceland is talks a lot about the ironies of Scandinavia. The literature/art is generally tragic and there's a high use of anti-depressants (and alcoholism in Iceland). Yet Scandinavians show up at the top of those "happiest countries in the world" lists every year.
DeleteI didn't see Kristin as endlessly paying for her sins so much as looking for ways to work out her salvation despite her own missteps, imperfections, and the rather unforgiving conditions of life in the mid 1300s. The books were helpful to me in my 20s as I thought thru my own call to contrition and Baptism.
But different people see things in different ways.
I should probably read the other two books of the trilogy and see how things played out later.
DeleteI liked the description of the "stave kirk" that was the parish church (unfortunately it burned in the story). We have seen the stave Kirk in Rapid City, SD, which is a replica of a surviving one in Norway.
And a description of the wooden gothic cathedral in Nidaros (which is now Oslo), which didn't survive the medieval period.
The Husaby estate which was Kristin's home after her marriage is preserved as a museum in the present day. Sigrid Undset really did do a lot of research to accurately portray the time and place.
My mistake, Nidaros is Trondheim now, not Oslo.
DeleteJean - “Scandinavian writers tend to be uniformly grim.” That’s for sure. I’ve never read any actual literature from Scandinavian writers, but after reading a couple of contemporary crime novels I decided I would stick with cozy mysteries. Scandinavian noir is not something I enjoy.
DeleteThe growing opposition to Israel among common Democrats has made even establishment centrist (for me, ‘centrist’ is a bad word) politicians like Emmanuel to have to adapt. I’m sure that his ‘change’ is a tactical retreat of sorts. Politicians are adept at telling people what they want to hear, and supporting the opposite. The sadistic treatment of Palestinians by Israel and its support or tolerance by the Israeli populace has made me see Israel and Zionism as an out-of-control madness, a deeply embedded madness like southern American bigotry. I don’t know how you fix this. You can only stop supporting it. I don’t expect that anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteMight help to start by getting rid of Fetterman ...
Delete