Consider the Holy Family. At first the whole marriage is called into question when Joseph finds out the Mary is pregnant. He decides to divorce her. But then when he receives inspiration in a dream he relents. So Jesus being born into a single parent family is averted (although as Mother Teresa once pointed out to Father Benedict Groeschel all children have God as their father--so there really is no such thing as a "single parent" family for the believer).
Next we have the family setting out for the census taking. They haven't made reservations though, and so they end up living a nightmare that I have had the chance to experience myself a few times--no vacancy at any of the hotels. So Our Lord is born in a cave.
Then when Herod seeks the life of the child the family flees into Egypt as political refugees.
Really, the holy card image of the Holy Family, lacks any of the struggles and hardships that in reality were the lot of the Holy Family. Evidently Joseph died before Jesus was thirty since he is never mentioned later in the Gospels. Of course Mary will endure the death of her son three years later at thirty-three. The joy of the resurrection will be tempered by His absence forty days later at the Ascension. The Holy Family experienced almost any tragedy that we can place in our experience of family life. When we call on Jesus, Mary and Joseph we should be mindful of that...the struggles of life are not ours alone to bear. Heaven lowered itself not into a plush life but into the very sorrowful existence that is ours.
It is important to focus on the reality of the Holy Family so that we can capture the meaning of the prophecy that is made by Simeon. It is one that sees God's promise fulfilled in the infant Jesus but at the same time predicts hard times. God's blessing is not always what we might expect. It is not the Gospel of wealth and prosperity that is sometime proclaimed by the televangelist--it is one of being misunderstood, contradictions and the piercing of the mother's heart as she witnesses the death of her Son--the Son of God.
May the Holy Family bless us with the sense to find meaning in the events of our daily lives, no matter what they may bring.
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Saturday, December 27, 2003
David Pedruska Dies, Better Known as Dave Dudley
From CMT.com: News:
Dave Dudley, best known for the truck driving anthem "Six Days on the Road," is dead at the age of 75. Dudley died Monday (Dec. 22) of an apparent heart attack suffered at his home in Danbury, Wis.
Born David Darwin Pedruska on May 3, 1928, in Spencer, Wis., Dudley was raised in Stevens Point, Wis., and played on semi-pro baseball teams until an arm injury forced an end to his athletic career in 1950. Moving toward a career in country music, he became a radio disc jockey, working at stations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Idaho and Minnesota and formed the Dave Dudley Trio in 1953. Dudley was sidelined for several months in 1960 after being struck by a car while loading equipment following a performance in Minneapolis.
Dudley first hit the Billboard country singles chart in 1961 with "Maybe I Do" on Vee Records. Charting again a year later with "Under Cover of the Night" on the Jubilee label, he spent two weeks at No. 2 on the country charts with his 1963 recording of "Six Days on the Road" on the independent Golden Wing label. Written by Earl Greene and Earl Montgomery, the song was passed along to Dudley by Jimmy C. Newman. Although Dudley was initially reluctant to record the up-tempo song, "Six Days on the Road" helped him land a recording contract with Mercury Records.
Building his career on truck driving songs, Dudley charted 41 singles on the Billboard country chart, including "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun," "There Ain't No Easy Run," "One More Mile," "Trucker's Prayer" and "Truck Driver's Waltz." He scored his only No. 1 hit with "The Pool Shark," a 1970 duet with Mercury labelmate Tom T. Hall. Dudley and Hall also charted a follow-up single, "Day Drinking." Dudley's chart success continued through the '70s on a variety of labels including Mercury, Rice and United Artists. His last charted single, "Rolaids, Doan's Pills and Preparation H," was released in 1980.
Dave Dudley, best known for the truck driving anthem "Six Days on the Road," is dead at the age of 75. Dudley died Monday (Dec. 22) of an apparent heart attack suffered at his home in Danbury, Wis.
Born David Darwin Pedruska on May 3, 1928, in Spencer, Wis., Dudley was raised in Stevens Point, Wis., and played on semi-pro baseball teams until an arm injury forced an end to his athletic career in 1950. Moving toward a career in country music, he became a radio disc jockey, working at stations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Idaho and Minnesota and formed the Dave Dudley Trio in 1953. Dudley was sidelined for several months in 1960 after being struck by a car while loading equipment following a performance in Minneapolis.
Dudley first hit the Billboard country singles chart in 1961 with "Maybe I Do" on Vee Records. Charting again a year later with "Under Cover of the Night" on the Jubilee label, he spent two weeks at No. 2 on the country charts with his 1963 recording of "Six Days on the Road" on the independent Golden Wing label. Written by Earl Greene and Earl Montgomery, the song was passed along to Dudley by Jimmy C. Newman. Although Dudley was initially reluctant to record the up-tempo song, "Six Days on the Road" helped him land a recording contract with Mercury Records.
Building his career on truck driving songs, Dudley charted 41 singles on the Billboard country chart, including "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun," "There Ain't No Easy Run," "One More Mile," "Trucker's Prayer" and "Truck Driver's Waltz." He scored his only No. 1 hit with "The Pool Shark," a 1970 duet with Mercury labelmate Tom T. Hall. Dudley and Hall also charted a follow-up single, "Day Drinking." Dudley's chart success continued through the '70s on a variety of labels including Mercury, Rice and United Artists. His last charted single, "Rolaids, Doan's Pills and Preparation H," was released in 1980.
The "Other" Terror Attack of 2001
From Inside the Ring - The Washington Times: Inside the Ring:
"The CIA has been quietly building a case that the anthrax attacks of 2001 were in fact the result of an international terrorist plot.
U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports tell us the information showing a terrorist link to the anthrax-filled letters sent by mail in the weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks is not conclusive. But it is persuasive. "
"The CIA has been quietly building a case that the anthrax attacks of 2001 were in fact the result of an international terrorist plot.
U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports tell us the information showing a terrorist link to the anthrax-filled letters sent by mail in the weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks is not conclusive. But it is persuasive. "
Vatican Terror Target says Berlusconi
From RTÉ News: Vatican terror target says Berlusconi:
"The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has said he was given precise details before Christmas of a planned terrorist attack on Rome and the Vatican.
The attack, which involved hi-jacking a plane, was supposed to have taken place on Christmas Day. Mr Berlusconi gave no further details.
Christmas celebrations at the Vatican led by Pope John Paul passed without incident, and there were no reports of any foiled attack. "
"The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has said he was given precise details before Christmas of a planned terrorist attack on Rome and the Vatican.
The attack, which involved hi-jacking a plane, was supposed to have taken place on Christmas Day. Mr Berlusconi gave no further details.
Christmas celebrations at the Vatican led by Pope John Paul passed without incident, and there were no reports of any foiled attack. "
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Tappahanock, VA a Target?
From MSNBC:
The officials said al-Qaida seems particularly interested in Tappahannock, Va., a town of 2,016 people with no military base or major infrastructure. Such an attack would be intended to generate widespread fear that no one was safe, even in small rural towns, they said.
“Just remember that al-Qaida is not just looking to kill as many Americans as possible. They’re looking to seriously hurt our nation’s economy,” terrorism specialist Roger Cressey, former chief of staff of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, said in an interview.
The officials said al-Qaida seems particularly interested in Tappahannock, Va., a town of 2,016 people with no military base or major infrastructure. Such an attack would be intended to generate widespread fear that no one was safe, even in small rural towns, they said.
“Just remember that al-Qaida is not just looking to kill as many Americans as possible. They’re looking to seriously hurt our nation’s economy,” terrorism specialist Roger Cressey, former chief of staff of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, said in an interview.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)