Where's God #2

Check out Busted Halo's new YouTube video, the second in its "Where's God?" series:

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Andrew Bacevich, himself a Vietnam veteran, offers a poignant and moving account of his grief at the death of his son in a war he opposed in today's Washington Post:

I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.

By Andrew J. Bacevich

Parents who lose children, whether through accident or illness, inevitably wonder what they could have done to prevent their loss. When my son was killed in Iraq earlier this month at age 27, I found myself pondering my responsibility for his death.

Among the hundreds of messages that my wife and I have received, two bore directly on this question. Both held me personally culpable, insisting that my public opposition to the war had provided aid and comfort to the enemy. Each said that my son's death came as a direct result of my antiwar writings.

This may seem a vile accusation to lay against a grieving father. But in fact, it has become a staple of American political discourse, repeated endlessly by those keen to allow President Bush a free hand in waging his war. By encouraging "the terrorists," opponents of the Iraq conflict increase the risk to U.S. troops. Although the First Amendment protects antiwar critics from being tried for treason, it provides no protection for the hardly less serious charge of failing to support the troops -- today's civic equivalent of dereliction of duty.

What exactly is a father's duty when his son is sent into harm's way?

Among the many ways to answer that question, mine was this one: As my son was doing his utmost to be a good soldier, I strove to be a good citizen. . .

Read the whole thing.

"Silence" Not About the War in Iraq!

OK folks, give me a break! First "300," a movie about an ancient military battle was said to be about George Bush. Now, we are to believe that "Silence," the movie Scorcese is finally making about Christian missionaries in 17th century Japan is about the war in Iraq! According to IMDB:

Scorsese Reveals Controversial Film Set in Japan

Martin Scorsese has disclosed that he is planning to direct a movie, set in 17th-century Japan, that may have implications related to the war in Iraq. In an interview with the Associated Press at the Cannes film festival, Scorsese said that his film, Silence, presumably based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo and William Johnston about Portuguese Christian missionaries who arrived in Japan in feudal times, has parallels to America's role in Iraq. The Oscar-winning director (The Departed) said that he hopes to shoot the film in Japan, at least partially, beginning next summer. "It raises a lot of questions about foreign cultures coming in and imposing their way of thinking on another culture they know nothing about," Scorsese told the A.P.

Hello people! The 17th century was long before the 21st, and the novel Silence was written long before the Iraq war. So please don't ruin a great story by politicizing it! Please!!!

And that goes for you too, Marty!

George Costanza, Where Are You Now?

Can you guess the context for this photo?

I must admit, my first thought was that it was a Yankees fan making a desperate plea in the face of the Yankees' losing season.

But, in reality--and this of course makes much more sense!--this was a fellow in Sacramento, California aiding in the search for two lost humpback whales!

A Life Beyond the Sound Bytes

No doubt many are rejoicing at the death of Jerry Falwell. And, for what many of us knew about him, such a reaction is perhaps not surprising. Yet, Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia offers us a different point of view on Busted Halo, and it's worth having a look:

"It doesn’t say much for modern discourse that friendship, kindness and respect are often only given when we’ve vetted others enough to see how their worldviews mesh with our own. If we’re really going to preach a Gospel of Life, however, we’ve got to be prepared to live it, and not only when it’s easy or convenient.

I haven’t always seen eye to eye with Jerry Falwell—or, for that matter, with my relatives who have been part of his flock. But while ideas and teachings are one thing, their practice is entirely another. Catholic, Mainline or Evangelical, conservative, liberal, libertarian, or anywhere in between, those of us who call ourselves Christian all come from a tradition where we’re charged to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The living witness of my family’s faith and love was inspired by the example of the pastor who taught them more than all the acres of newsprint and airtime he ever garnered could ever hope to cover."

read the whole thing.

Tunage

This seems a popular form of self-disclosure these days. Shuffle your music, and see what ten songs come up. Here's today's version:

Eurotrash Girl by Cracker
Munich by the Editors
Stolen Car by Beth Orton
Finding Me by Vertical Horizon
The Eternal Vow by Tan Dun & Yo-Yo Ma
Fe by Julieta Venegas
Never is a Promise by Fiona Apple
Innocence Maintained by Jewel
The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Garbage
The Guide by Borne

Eclectic

Happy News

I thought some of you might be interested in the latest news from the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus:

I am happy to inform you that

Mark Mossa, S.J.

has been approved for ordination to the diaconate and priesthood. He will be ordained to the diaconate in the fall of 2007 and to the priesthood in June, 2008.

Your prayers are appreciated as the big days approach.

If you're wondering about dates, it'll be October 6, 2007 in Boston, and tentatively June14, 2008 in New Orleans. Y'all come!

Me Me Me Me

Karen tagged me with this meme. So here goes:

1. Male or Female: Male

2. Married or Single (or religious): Single Religious

3. Dream vacation: In the footsteps of Saint Ignatius

4. Birthplace: Worcester, MA

5. Area I live in currently: Cambridge, MA

6. Someone you wish you could meet: Cormac McCarthy

7.Biggest "pet-peeve": Jewelry store commercials, especially around Christmas time. Message: If your significant other doesn’t buy you a huge diamond, he or she doesn’t really love you.

8.Favorite Religious devotion: Pilgrimage

9. Favorite Saint (besides the Blessed Mother): St. Ignatius of Loyola

10. Favorite sport that you play: Racquetball
That you watch: Football

11. Favorite food: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies or fresh South Carolina peaches, soft and dripping all over the front of me.

12. Tridentine or Novus Ordo: Novus Ordo

13. Would you (or are you) home school or public school: Catholic school

14. How many kids do you have: Hundreds from my youth ministry and teaching days and six in my current third-grade CCD class whom I affectionately refer to as “my kids.”

15.Ever been in an auto accident: Yes. Though never anything serious.

16.Ever seen a pope in person: Yes. John Paul II.

17.Languages that you know fluently: English, Spanish.

18.Last movie you saw in theatres: Spiderman 3

19. Next one you are planning on seeing: Away From Her (Based on a story by one of my favorite writers, Alice Munro)

20.Favorite Blog: This is like “Who’s your best friend?” I don’t answer that one either.

21.Your thoughts on Barney, the Easter bunny, and Santa Clause: Barney: Dinosaurs are supposed to be cool, not annoying and purple. The Easter Bunny: Bunnies don’t lay eggs, do they? Santa Clause (this is how Karen spelled it): Pretty funny and entertaining Tim Allen movie, but still my favorite is Galaxy Quest.

Climbing My Way To Friday

Well, there was major hiccup along the way this week that has put me behind. These means whereas I once thought I'd be all done on Wednesday, I now will probably be scratching my way to the bitter end on Friday, and I'm now getting nervous about whether I'll make it. So, prayers would be appreciated!

And if someone could teach me how to disable a leafblower (I'm probably not the only who would like to wring the neck of the inventor of the maddening noisemaker) . . . Get a rake!!

Prayers would also be appreciated for the Jesuit volunteers I'll be on retreat with this weekend.

And a little wisdom from the film Moonlight Mile, which I'm using for my pastoral care paper:

The truth is hard. Sometimes it looks so wrong, y'know. The color's off, the style's wrong, but I guess... I guess it's where the good ones live.

OK, Sopranos Fans . . .

Did you see this week's episode?

I couldn't help but notice some serious time discrepancies in it. Tony was betting on NFL football and on NBA Basketball (the seasons don't coincide). The weather was much better than it would probably be during football season. In fact, AJ's girlfriend was riding in a convertible when she met him at the Puerto Rican Day parade, which takes place in June, when neither basketball nor football is being played. So, either the episode took place over the period of several months, or something fishy is going on . . . Thoughts?