Rabbis Rawk!

Today's Adult Education, well worth the price of Admission, featured Rabbi Barry Freundel. He totally rocked the house. I don't remember the applause lasting so long, even for Fr. Connor, who ya know has his own unofficial fan club. His topic, Rabbinic Interpretations, or explaining the 5 books of Moses to Episky-people.
If St. P's is the church of the gay lawyer, CC is the church of the odd over 60 lawyer, and the group just lapped up the rabbinic law bits and how you get from a law on agricultural harvesting to determining if a child produced by a Gentile donor egg in a Jewish mother is Jewish or not.
Theologically the day went downhill from there. But from such heights it is so easy to fall.

Jesus, Social Butterfly

I'm semi-reflecting on the Gospels and readings of late and coming to think that Jesus, Our Lord & Saviour was a social butterfly. He's at the Wedding at Cana, and bringing the good wine:
John 2:10 ..."Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."
He's at gatherings with Pharisees, tax collectors, everywhere where people come together to eat. And he encourages us to mix it up, bring in people outside our usual circle. It is as if the Word made Flesh discovered on a certain level (a level that could not be appreciated as a plain old deity in Heaven) that parties were the coolest thing ever and decided that everyone should experience this, ok party at my father's house.
G-d, it seems to really like, no make that love, people, despite all that Old Testament smiting and smoting. He as G-d the Son, was in the middle of humanity, mingling with humanity, and breaking bread (or several thousand loaves) with them.

This is America

Morning in America
Originally uploaded by cjdavis

The terrorists have won.
3 oz of liquid, and no more.
You gotta take off your shoes.
Security lines.
No nail clippers or knitting needles.
And now....
nuns getting frisked by TSA agents.
I hate plane travel.
Give me a train anytime.
Just jump on and go.
Take a whole frigging water jug and a Bowie knife.
Smoke to your hearts content on the club car.
Or sit quitely in the quiet car.

Harry Potter and Mutants

Really, I'm reading several of the Harry Potter books in he last few weeks and I am aware of the opposition from fellow Christians but the powers of the Hogwarts kids are no different than Xavier's mutant kids. They do not call upon Satan, do their powers are not demonic. Like Mutants they are born with abilities that must be honed and trained, less they do something stupid. And like Mutants they have to remain separate from the general populace that does not understand them and fears them.

A bit more comfortable with some ideas

My movement towards Catholicism seems to be based a bit more on some theological concepts, than being annoyed with the Episcopal Church. The idea is to run to something and not away from something else.
I can say that today, Monday, Labor Day, I'm now comfortable with the Assumption of Mary. Let's just say last year I wasn't convinced. I was open to being convinced, but I wasn't buying it. Now, this bit is in the okay pile. Now I gotta tackle the known 'eh' pile and deal with the unknown to protestant me pile.