(no subject)

I was raised without any sort of real religious background. Partly in rebellion, partly for a boy and partly for myself, I converted to Catholicism several years ago. If I was going to believe in a God, it was going to be the old school God, the church full of ritual and a couple thousand years of history. Truthfully Catholicism was accessible because of the certain physicality of the Mass and prayers. It was something I could grasp as I had no real vocabulary for things like faith and no childhood or memory of its practice.

Perhaps I am a bad Catholic. It has been some time since I went to Confession or Mass. But I should make it clear that it is not because I do not love the Church. It is because I have severe problems with the Church on Earth. One of the things that drew me along when I joined the Catholic Church was Pope John Paul II. There were things I disagreed with, but the Pope was an expressive man who made a tremendous effort to speak and draw others into conversation. He spoke more languages and went more places than any other Pope. I have the feeling John Paul II understood better than a lot of others how to make the Catholic Church a part of the modern world.

When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, I will admit I felt a lot of disappointment. Yes, I do understand there are more conservative elements of the Church who didn't agree with the previous Pope, yes I understand there are papal politics and mysteries that I don't know all of - but still. I felt a sinking because I knew it would lead to things like this.

Quote:
Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

He explained that defending God's creation was not limited to saving the environment, but also about protecting man from self-destruction.

The Pope was delivering his end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff.

His words, later released to the media, emphasised his rejection of gender theory.

Speaking on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI warned that gender theory blurred the distinction between male and female and could thus lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

It makes me so livid to hear people of speak of variations of sexuality as some kind of disease or babble like fools about the supposed 'destruction' of the human race. As if allowing people to be honest and happy would mean suddenly everyone would become gay, stop having babies, or cause the universe to implode! As if this would suddenly cause people to become barbarians or somehow devalue the marriages of other people. These arguments are so unutterably idiotic, hateful, vile, ignorant and repulsive. I find that any time I hear someone express them I am no longer able to summon any respect for that person or to take anything else they say seriously.

So I find myself in the awkward, terrible position of being deeply ashamed of the man supposed to fill the role of the Voice of the Church. I don't know how to reconcile myself to that fact. I know the Church as an insitution is made my people and people are so often frail and flawed. But one sort of hopes the person chosen to lead is a bit better...

While I am disappointed in the Pope, I am heartened by hundreds of people participating in the Please Don't Divorce Me/MyFriends/MyFamily/Anyone campaign over on Flickr. The photo of the couple of veterans from Korea/Vietnam just broke my heart.

home again

We made it home around 11pm last night. The flights were not as turbulent, but we were delayed about an hour in Memphis, first at the gate and then sitting on the runway in the rain. Non of that was really as bad as the flights we took to South Carolina. The first plane had the tiniest seats I have ever seen. They couldn't have been more than 14 inches wide. Instead of the normal armrest bars, then had solid metal dividers. I couldn't actually sit in the aisle seat - my hips were too big. I managed in the window seat since there was not a metal wall against the window. We mistakenly thought an exit row would be good, since Mike would have more leg room. But the seat bottoms were quite narrow as well. It felt like were were perched on railings instead of actually sitting on something. I haven't hated my body shape and size quite so much ever. The second flight was marginally more comfortable in terms of seats, but the turbulence was terrible. Not only was the plane bouncing up and down, we could feel ourselves rolling and rocking from side to side. Ugh.

There was a lot of family. At his parents' place we saw their workshop where his father makes things on a lathe. He has several bowls and various other things. At thanksgiving he brought up two lovely wooden cookie cutters out of black walnut. At Christmas he gave everyone pens he made - Mike and I snagged a pair that I think are mahogany and look almost alike. We stayed with Mike's paternal grandparents, who have a house way out in the woods. It reminds me a lot of my grandmother's house in Amarillo. There was a large family Christmas gathering on Sunday, with lots of food and gifts. On Monday we visited with his mother's side of the family. Everyone seems to live exactly forty five minutes away from everyone else, so there was a lot of driving back and forth. We saw everyone's homes and pets - the cats were naturally drawn to Mike's lap. Before we left, we visited the chunk of land his parents are buying. They have decided to stay in South Carolina. Now they just need to sell their home in Atlanta. (It has been for sale more than eighteen months now.) So if you need a nice family home in Atlanta...

Now we are home, which is so relaxing. We can be lazy and sleep super late, pet our kitties that brienze so generously fed and checked on for us. Tonight we are going to her house for a Christmas Eve dinner of deliciousness, then home to drink wine and enjoy our first Christmas in our own home.

christmas eve dinner

We had a lovely Christmas Eve meal at brienze's place - kielbasa, sauerkraut, pierogi, applesauce and a fish stew with scallops and shrimp. For dessert we had pizzelles and poppy seed loaf and a mousse with Gran Marnier. It was heaven, pure food bliss. Now we are home, drinking sangria and playing video games. Happy Christmas Eve.

Oh! and we were given adorable fuzzy catnip mice which the kitties are going nuts over.