Lenten Song

To be sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things”

Sack cloths and ashes and days without eating
Mortification and wailing and weeping
A hair shirt that scratches, a nettle that stings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Penitence flagellants memento more
Spending nights sleeping on rocks in a quarry
The sound of the cloak’d solemn cantor who sings
These are still more of my favorite things

Tossing and turning and yearning I’m spurning
Passions aflame like an Ember Day burning
Corpus and carnis and wild drunken flings
Forsaken are these for my favorite things

When its Christmas
And the tree’s lit
And the cards are sent
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I can’t wait
Till
Lent!

(with thanks to Susy+)

Sorry....

This whole grad student, working, being in a show thing is really eating into my blogging time.
I should have more time after Diocesan Convention this weekend.

Presidential Promise

With thanks to Elizabeth Kaeton+

Communion, etc

This was posted in response to a series of emails on HOB/D regarding, basically who "should" be allowed to receive communion and how it should be handled

My parish has the same message as Tobias Haller's: some form of "All baptized persons of any age or denomination may receive
Communion. If you are not baptized, or do not wish to receive, you are encouraged to come forward for a blessing. Indicate this by
folding your arms across your chest."
If it isn't printed in the bulletin, it is at least spoken on major feast days, weddings, etc.

I walked into an Episcopal Church for the first time when I was about 10. My (Jewish) mother had started attending services occasionally and since for a number of reasons we weren't attending a temple at the time, I decided to see what mom was doing.
Mom told me that when everyone went up for communion to put my arms across my chest and that we would get a special prayer because we were Jewish. For a while that satisfied me. I didn't feel left out, but I also wasn't taking something that wasn't mine to have.
My mother was eventually baptized and it was in some part a desire for the Eucharist that lead her to that decision, and me as well.
The time of preparation before I was baptized helped me to better understand (as much as a preteen can) what the Eucharist was supposed to be.
Not being able to receive before I was baptized made me desire further to become initiated into this group.
To have been able to receive having just walked in would have taken away a lot of the mystery, beauty, and significance of this statement as well as the sacrament of baptism.
I guess to me my baptism was something big. Every year on the day of my baptism "anniversary" I quietly thank God. It was something special and it was a decision that God and I made. When I made the leap to be baptized and embrace Christ, I was then able to receive communion.

I think COMMUNICATING with parishioners and visitors, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN is important.
YES. XXXXX, you should have told her Sunday School teachers. We have had a lot of tweens come in unbaptized and none have felt left out.
I was let know that I wasn't being excluded, I was being differently included, and when (if) I became a member I would change my method of inclusion.

Turning people away, no, but although this might not be a theologically "correct" argument (I really have no idea), I believe that not being able to receive helped me make the leap to becoming a Christian and is an important part of the church.

Recruiting Free Zone

City of Berkley to Marine Corps: You're Not Welcome
Yes this really is from Fox News
(and yes its about two weeks old)

BERKELEY, Calif. — Local officials in this liberal city say it's time for the U.S. Marines to move out.

The City Council has voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and "if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests."

The measure passed this week by a vote of 8-1.

The council also voted to explore enforcing a city anti-discrimination law, focusing on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
(read the rest of the article here)

COMMENT: Wahoo. We can make a difference. Education is so important. A number of high schools and colleges have had counter-recruitment or and Truth in Recruitment campaigns when recruiters show up. If we can keep informing potential recruits that they are enlisting in a body that is taking part in illegal and unjust activities, and letting kids realise that the government doesn't always come true on the money promised for school and signing bonuses, there won't be a military to fight this bogus war - or at least less of one. Then we can pull our troops out and get back to the business of defending our country... which we don't have enough troops left to do if we needed to.

Fun in the ER

So I was having trouble sleeping last night from being rather sick.
Around 2:30 I started having awful chest pains that wouldn't go away.
Ended up waking up mom to go to the ER. Turns out they were from acute bronchitis that the ER doc said had the potential to turn into pneumonia. He put me on crazy strength Tylenol and antibiotics (which need to be strong with my immune system). I'm glad that is all that it is, but now maybe I can go to sleep?

Oh yes rehearsal last night ran until about 11. I'm calling out of work today (edit:after an explanation my boss doesn't particularly want me to come in) but will be at rehearsal tonight. I do have my priorities straight, yes?

Shamless Plug

My Favorite Year at Kelsey Theater
February 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24th.

In the early days of television, broadcasts were live - with potential results ranging from brilliant to embarrassing or worse. Join the Pennington Players as they recreate that pioneering era in the musical comedy, "My Favorite Year," at MCCC's Kelsey Theatre Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m., and Sundays, Feb. 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. An opening night reception will be held Feb. 15 to give audience an opportunity to meet the cast and crew.

It's 1954 and junior writer Benjy Stone is hard at work on TV's hit variety show, King Kaiser's Comedy Cavalcade. Stone's job takes an unexpected turn when he volunteers to spend the week playing nursemaid to his childhood Hollywood hero, Alan Swann, who is scheduled to make a live appearance on the show. Swann is more than a washed up, swashbuckling movie star; he's a womanizer with a major drinking problem. As Benjy does his best to keep Swann out of trouble, the two find common ground, sharing adventures and life lessons.

Starring in "My Favorite Year" are Bill Kamps as Benjy Stone and Mike Schiumo as Alan Swann. The supporting cast includes Ken Ambs as King Kaiser, Tess Ammerman as Tess, Melissa Angelo as Alice/Belle, Kristina Mancini as K.C. Downing, Keith Neilsen as Leo Silver, Kevin Palardy as Sy/Uncle Morty, Kyrus Westcott as Herb/Rookie, and Stephanie Zimmerman as Aunt Sadie/Secretary. Ensemble members include Kelly Allen, Allie Graham, Tom Hausher, Kim Konczos, Paul Lasky, Dennis McGuire, Nikki Paulino, Shannon Rackow, John Russell, Wendy Watt, Eric Wishnie, James Zimmerman and Jessica Zimmerman. The crew includes director and choreographer John Zimmerman, producers Maryellen Birdsey and Dottie Farina, vocal director Chris Madison, and musical director Lou Woodruff.

Its going to be a great, fun show! Come check it out!