Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Woke up to another gorgeous fall day. It makes me a little nervous about our show October 4. I hope we have good weather for that. Anna worked on mixes last night and I worked on stockings. We've been getting some hits from Country Sampler, but no more orders yet. The hard copy hasn't hit the newsstands yet, though. And for some reason, most people just will not order Christmas stockings until the middle of October. It's been that way for 6 years on Ebay. The problem is, though, that we can only physically do so many stockings in October and November so each year we have had to turn people away. Such is human nature. I am the same way - Every year on October 15 I start Christmas preparations. We are such creatures of habit.

My Wendy Chant book came last night. I read some of it last night and some while on the treadmill this morning. Very interesting! I am in the first chapter where she talks about how the body works. How it assesses calorie needs on a 72 hours cycle, and expenditures on a 48 hour cycle. I need to go back and read it with a highlighter in hand.

Our house is suffering from a split personality today. I am testing a Christmas Tree scented candle in the kitchen, and a Harvest Home candle here in my computer room. Yummm!!!!

My stats for today:
Type: Treadmill
Route: manual settings plus weights
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 109
Maximum heart rate: 130
Up .8 from last Wednesday: (Shouldn't have had the 0 point soup before bed. too much sodium)
Activity points earned: 2

I did the treadmill this morning while watching what I missed of the Biggest Loser last night. I lifted some weights periodically - gotta protect those bones. I set the treadmill at a pretty steep incline.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 9:1-6

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.

Thoughts from the cornfield:
One of the criticisms of the Catholic Church is that we are accused of not being biblical. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

The structure of our Mass can be found in Revelation. The prayers we use come from the New Testament. Our Communion rite is rooted in the Last Supper. Our sacraments were laid out by Jesus himself. Our priests are supported by the diocese - as the apostles were supported by the early Church.

Our church stands on 2 legs. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It is for the Sacred Tradition that we are called to task. But our Sacred Tradition is apostolic - meaning that it was handed down by the apostles. That is what makes it sacred. Every Roman Catholic priest, through his bishop, can trace his lineage in a direct line back to the apostles. An oral tradition is no less valid because it is oral. Our Bible would not exist today but for oral tradition and the handing down from one generation to another the Word of God. Our Sacred Tradition is guided by the Holy Spirit (also grounded in Scripture from the Gospel of John )

At Mass each Sunday we profess this creed:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born the virgin Mary, and became man.; for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; on the third day He rose again, in fulfillment Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead; and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; with the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified; and who spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

And yet for all that divides us from our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ we can all agree on the above profession of faith. From it flows our mission as Christians. When Mass used to be celebrated in Latin, it ended with these words. "Ite Missa Est." "It is the mission."
Today Mass ends with these words: "The Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord and each other." To which we reply, "Thanks be to God!"

Words to live by, those are.



God bless the troops!