Love & Harry Potter

Love love? Love Harry Potter? And British accents? Then you gotta listen to Br. Giles' SQPN podcast "The Secrets of Harry Potter". I was blown away by the episode #18 Valentine's Love (mp3) where Brother Giles Alban (of the Hospitaler? Order) talks about love. All kinds. Eros, agape, whathaveyou and ties it in wonderfully to the HP series. It's not the first time I've heard Br. Giles (I guess I really should credit the SoHP writers) talk about love as a powerful magic. This reminds me of what is said in CS Lewis' The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe about love being the most powerful kind of magic that saves Aslan (if I've misinterpreted it tell me).

Mass. THE MUSICAL!

Today I attended the Our Lady of Purpetual Suffering regular Sunday mass. I have mainly attended the Saturday masses so that's what I have to compare with. On Saturday Fr. Whatshisname (I do know his name but before I just kept forgetting) would do most of the singing, as it is his job, without musical accompanment. Understandable, it is Saturday, not regular Sunday mass, but I couldn't help but notice he takes great, great joy in singing. Good for him. For Martin Luther King weekend he had the congregants sing with him a patriotic hymn. I was confused a bit by the choice of music, but whatever. And once again a great obvious joy with a tinge of showiness.
Okay, Sunday and the number of congregants, very small, no more than the Saturday evening bunch. There is music, as expected. The vocals were done by one operetic soloist, singing the music as spirituals. She was amazing, we clapped (and in church you don't clap), she was great. And as it is his job, Fr. Whatshisname, sang, but there seemed to be a bit more to it today. I'm going to call him Fr. LEV (Lift Every Voice), as whatshisname is not a good descriptor. One optional song he sang in honor of the congregation was just plain theatrical. Imagine a guy on Broadway, on stage singing the big hit, with all his might and all his joy... now throw on clerical robes. BOOM! Sunday at Our Lady.
It is Mass, The Musical! Fr. LEV will break out in song, for any reason (and maybe bug you to sing along. Come on everyone, you know how it goes, okay now just the left side...). The leading lady St. Mary, our lady and holy mother of our lord and saviour, she really doesn't do much, but the supporting female singer is a knock out with her delivery. It's Catholic so there is no breaking out in dance.
Our Lady of Purpetual Suffering is becoming dearer to my heart. I like music. Fr. LEV loves music. I guess I need to attend another Sunday to see if it wasn't a fluke. Mass. The Musical! I loved it, and will want to see it again and again until the 2nd coming.

Calling me names

I play around with my name so maybe I have myself to blame. So far this week I have been called:
Mahri, Marie, Marlyn, M****** (my birthname), and Maria. Mostly Maria.