Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord

Catholic
Most days the readings all tie together somehow, most Sundays anyway. But I love on feast days when they really go all out to tie the anticipation of the OT with a Gospel reading and then throw in the yummy goodness of a Pauline epistle that strikes home as well. Today was just such a home run.

The first reading is from good old reliable Isaiah.

[A]ll from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

A great reading for Epiphany, what with Matthew for the Gospel.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But I especially like the tying it all up with Paul from Ephesians.

It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Luke and the shepherds notwithstanding, the first to recognize the Messiah are foreigners. The Magi are from Persia or wherever. They of course stand in for us nowadays. We are all foreigners bringing our gifts to Him.

(Also fun to note is that, in his homily, Cardinal McCarrick explained that he liked to think that, despite the popular image of the wise men with the holy family in the stable, Joseph likely had found some better accomodations for himself and the wife and kid by the time the Magi arrived. He likes to think Joseph was a good manager.

And, heck, Matthew does say that they saw Mary and the child on entering the house. No stable by then. A house.)

Christmas at Mom’s

Family

Finally celebrated Christmas with Mom and family.

What with the fractured family of divorces, we’ve always had multiple celebrations at Christmastime. Mostly it stems from the divorces where children were involved, specifically my parents and my sister. My sister Marianne’s daughter, and my niece, Erin has historically spent Christmas day with her dad and her half-sisters. Then she and Main would come down from New Jersey to stay with Mom and we’d celebrate Christmas usually on the Saturday following Christmas. Then we’d have Christmas with Dad on Sunday.

So most years on actual Christmas Day I’d be at a wife’s or girlfriend’s parents. But this year Dawn decided to spend Thanksgiving with her folks instead of Christmas. This was partly to offset the multiple Christmases, that come with being married to me, that are admittedly a little exhausting. Plus this year my brother and his wife didn’t really have the time off and Erin I think had New Year’s Eve plans.

So anyway, we ended up celebrating Epiphany this year. And it was fun.

It’s likely the last Christmas in my Mom’s house in Springfield, as she’s trying to sell it and move to Florida. It was a little odd because her doberman Rolfie died, gosh, before last Christmas even. Plus, since she’s trying to sell it, she’s not smoking inside, and she broke up with Bill so he’s not there smoking and Rob & Carol both quit smoking. So there was nobody smoking, which was good because it bothers Dawn so much. And I’ve been quit so long now that I’m starting really not like it.

Something was wrong with the upstairs toilet. It was knocking weirdly after flushing, like the inlet pipe was banging against the wall or something. John apparently fiddled with it later and fixed it. And Mom said that the washing machine’s hot water inlet hose was blocked with calcium deposits, but Rob couldn’t unscrew the hose from the bibb to fix it. I should have brought my basin wrench.

Mom made these ginormous stuffed pork chops. Normally I’m veggie with Dawn, but I had one, partly out of a When-in-Rome kinda attitude and mostly because they were delicious. Mom didn’t have one. She doesn’t eat much. I’m worried about her.

The Saw

Woodworking

This is what saw I was using on Monday, the one I used to cut my hand. It’s a Spear & Jackson hardpoint saw, twenty-two inches long and 10 pts (meaning 9 points-per-inch), further described thusly:

For the fastest cutting across the grain on both the forward and return strokes with a coarse finish.

Note that it was my understanding at the time that it was a rip saw. That’s what it said on the tag from the store where I bought it and that’s what I was doing with it. Ripping.

Not that it matters that much, really, but the other saw I had bought that morning was the one I should have been using. Although it was designated by the store tag as a crosscut saw, in actuality, according to Spear & Jackson, it’s a universal saw, for both ripping and crosscutting. More importantly, it doesn’t cut on the return stroke. And it produces a standard, not coarse, finish.

Let’s just go ahead and stipulate that I would have cut my hand anyway. Likely, though, the cut wouldn’t have been so severe, is maybe the point here.

But if we’re looking to assign any blame, it’d still have to be all mine mine all mine. Although the store tag said “rip,” the cardboard cover, on the saw I was using for ripping, clearly says “fleam” on it. And of course, rip saws have no fleam. Crosscut saws do.

Duh.

So, while technically true that neither saw I had that day was a rip saw, the universal saw would have been a smarter choice over the fleam saw.

Sudoku

Life

Took two tries today. As in, I had to clear it out and start over again after a disastrous first attempt. The thirty-four minutes noted above represents the second attempt only.

The first try was before work. This one now took half my lunch hour.

Sudoku is evil that way.

The Miners

News

Oh, how awful. How wrenchingly sad.

I cried in wonder and joy and disbelief at the headline of USA Today in the box on L Street, just up out of Farragut North Metro. They’ve been miraculously rescued.

Then I get to work and fire up Washington Post and see the news that the announcement was wrong. Twelve of the miners are dead.

We pray for their souls and hope they are now with St. Piran and John L. Lewis. Amen.

Sad News

Catholic

Maureen sent an email to say that Barbara Kuhn passed away last night, Monday, January 2, 2006, around 6:30 p.m.

We had been praying for Barbara during petitions at Mass the last couple of weeks, so we knew that she was near the end. She had been so very private during her illness, seeing hardly anyone, not even long-time friends.

She and Michael Winters traded weeks with Will and Bridget during inquiry in the summer of 2002. She as much as anyone is responsible for the formation of my faith. I’ll always remember her, how she preferred to think of the Lord’s Prayer as ending with “Leave us not in temptation,” rather than “lead.”

Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

The Accident

Woodworking

With a brand spankin’ new Spears & Jackson saw, ripping a (too small) piece of pine, I very severely sliced my left hand, cutting completely through the hypothenar muscle group.

My wonderfully understanding and kind sister-in-law Carol took me to the emergency room and waited for several hours with great and stoic patience.

The grandly confident Dr. Phillip J. Chang, a hand plastic surgeon, stitched me up.

Solemnity of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Catholic

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

And happy (solemn) feast day of the Blessed Virgin.

I have to admit, to my great shame, that I’ve always thought the statue of her in Our Lady’s Chapel at St. Matt’s was kind of silly. She’s in such an odd, stretched pose. Sort of like she’s bowling. “Our Lady of the Ten Pins,” I’ve called it.

Well, for such a day, after Mass, Dawn and I knelt at the altar in the chapel to say a special Hail Mary to her on her day. And how powerful and beautiful she is from that spot! Clearly I had never properly knelt in that chapel, beneath her there, with her reaching down to us. How better to venerate her and beg for her prayers below her, as she stretches down to receive and help and comfort.

What a special treat of a discovery.