Ransom x Adidas

Another look at the Ransom x Adidas collaboration. Supposedly there's four pairs to choose from. Stolen from Smell The Rich.

Look Who's a Believer Now....

I have just received a News article pointing me to this very good article:

By TIMOTHY LARSEN
Have you ever heard the one about the Christian who started to study calculus and ended up losing his faith? Of course you have. Such "conversion" to atheism is supposed to be the story of all modern, thinking people. But imagine it happening the other way around. Moreover, imagine the convert being a well-informed, public intellectual who had long made it his business to argue that faith is irrational?
Just such a conversion has happened to A.N. Wilson, the 58-year-old British biographer, novelist and man of letters. He was once an observant Anglican and, later, a Roman Catholic, but in the 1980s he lost his faith and began skewering the supposed delusions of the faithful.....


read the rest of this article from the "Wall Street Journal" here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355313058264477.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

REMINDER: SHPE-NYC: Entrepreneurship Panel Discussion - Thursday June 4th 2009

You are Invited!

SHPE-NYC 2^nd Entrepreneurship Series Event

Join us for a panel discussion of successful founders and experts in small businesses speak about how they started their businesses, their educational and professional backgrounds and discuss many of the common challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs. 

Panelists include:

Fernando Erissman – Infra-Otica - Owner
 Oscar Guerrero – Orders In Seconds, Inc - Owner
Sham Mustafa – NYC Business Solutions Upper Manhattan Center – Director
Judith Katz – SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” - Senior Executive
Catalina Castano - Small Business Development Center at Baruch College – Director

Thursday, June 4^th 2009

6:30pm – 9:00pm

Cisco Systems, Inc
One Penn Plaza, 9^th Floor
New York City

(Official ID, such as driver’s license is required)

 

Please RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

 

 

WWW.SHPE-NYC.ORG

Recent communications on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho....

In view of the previous post I thought I would relay to those who follow the blogosphere two communications received here in the wilds of North Bucks.

The first was a 'phone call from "Steve" of the Labour Party. I am fairly certain that he didn't say "New Labour". He wanted to know if I recent events had altered the way I would be voting in the forthcoming elections. I think he was rather taken aback when I said that recent events had only confirmed my view of the present administration. He asked what I meant - poor soul - he should not have lit that touch-paper!

I am afraid that years of frustration burst forth. He heard that I believed that New Labour had betrayed the working classes; that folk in the UPA area in my parishes had told me that they were treated as "white trash" by those in power; and that they were driving people into the arms of the BNP which was an appalling situation. I went on to say that they had continued to perpetuate the myth that an economy could be built on financial services and retailing and had signally failed to create few real jobs where people were making things. I also pointed out that we had the highly stupid situation of having had people taking out mortgages at 8 times their salary and at the same time the present administration had not reversed the stupid policy of not building more council housing.

Having started, I then let rip about how appalling it was that Catholic adoption agencies were having to close because they did not fit in the the new sexual agenda, at how immoral it was that they were planning to rob children of their childhood by teaching them a whole range of sexual matters at primary school; and of how they were committing one of the worst forms of child abuse in placing children for adoption and fostering with same sex couples. I furthermore said that worst of all was the fact that people when raising their concerns about these issues were treated as criminals and that this Government seemed determined to break the culture of this land and refashion it in their own warped image.

Apparently, he made a note of my comments, so perhaps I can now expect a visit from the "Thought Police."

The second communication was received today. I have no doubt that many other Parish Priest's have received it as well. It comprises a glossy A3 poster with Gordon Brown's photo imposed on a background of some impressionistic, but in no sense overtly Christian stained glass - so it will no doubt not offend any other faith community member. The poster urges church members to vote Labour on June 4th. Mr Brown has taken the time to provide a quote in which he thanks

"Britain's churches for all the work you do in helping the young and the old, the homeless, those in debt or poverty and most of all those who otherwise would shoulder heavy burdens in isolation and despair. In tough times we need to pull together and when people are suffering this Government will not pass by on the other side."

I am sure that many of you out there would wish to thank him for the police knocking on the door of the Bishop of Chester after his interview on a local Radio Station. I am sure that we would all want to thank him for the closure of so many Christian pieces of real community work which have been legislated out of existence, of the work of Sure Start in drawing all things to do with children to itself so much that work with families in poverty by Christian Charities is severely curtailed.

I am sure that there is so much that we could thank this Government for as it has truly not just passed by the "man who fell among robbers", but tried to persuade us that his wounds do not really exist, that the robber was non-existent and that the real criminal is the Samaritan himself for helping someone else without having the relevant qualification and for not having undertaken a risk assessment. Who, we might wonder, is the real robber?

Steve, when he rang wanted to know whether I would be voting for Labour on June 4th. That is between me and the ballot box.

As for the poster and the leaflets that came with it - it is not my job as a Parish Priest, to tell anyone how to vote and I am certainly not going to have my churches used for such blatant propaganda.

Of Cromwell, King Charles II and Parliament....

I am grateful to Fr Douglas Bond for sending me this interesting piece by Oliver Cromwell - who admittedly is not my favourite figure from history! His dismissal of Parliament will, no doubt, find it's sympathisers today:

Dissolution of the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell given to the House of Commons, 20 April 1653

It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

In the name of God, go!

However, I much prefer the brevity of King Charles II who had, I am led to understand, the good sense not to go in for invective with Parliament and simply said:

"Gentlemen, go home."

This Week's Homily....

7th Sunday of Easter Yr B AD 2009

"consecrate them in the truth..."

In this morning’s Gospel reading we hear Jesus pray for the unity of all those who believe in him and for unity between those who will believe after the witness of the apostles down the ages. Unity is incredibly important and yet we live in times when the legacy of five hundred years ago means that we struggle with the fragmentation and disunity that we see today. The few denominations that many of us knew in our childhood were small in comparison to what we see today – then it was bad enough, but now we see a plethora of independent churches with little, if any, reference to a ruling body with increasingly exotic names. Very often these groups spring up because of what a wise Pentecostal Minister I knew described as “a hankering after leadership.” However, there is still the much older issue of much of the disunity we experience being to do with matters of belief: of doctrine – of the matter of Truth. Truth and unity very much go together and, despite the best wishes of some, cannot be separated.

Picture the scene: an Assistant Curate has been running an interregnum in his parish as his former Incumbent has moved to another parish. He has been holding the fort, celebrating the Sacraments and teaching the Faith to God’s people and serving them in preparation for a new Parish Priest to arrive. The patron’s are dilatory in finding a new Incumbent and just before their right to present a new one expires there is a flurry of activity. However, they have worked out that the Churchwardens are suspicious of their intentions and so send the most outrageous candidate first. When the Churchwardens say “no” to him they do not bat an eyelid. However, the patron’s preferred choice is sent next as the Churchwardens suspected. He is utterly charming, he says all the right things, but the Churchwardens are deeply unsure and yet can’t find a reason to say “no”. He is brought to the Curate’s house to spend half an hour with him on his own. By convention this is just a meeting of potential colleagues, the Assistant Curate has no say in the matter of the appointment. While alone with the Assistant Curate the candidate reveals his true colours as he sits on the settee talking about the unity of the church and declares: “Well, Father, some people believe that Jesus didn’t have a body. It doesn’t matter does it?” to which the Assistant Curate replied, “Yes it does, Father.” The Curate was in a quandary, he didn’t have a say in who was appointed, but he knew that this man would be a disaster as he was not an orthodox believer. If the parish was to be kept united it needed a man who would continue to teach the Faith not someone who would regard it as all being up for negotiation.

Since the 1960’s "Freedom of choice" has been a mantra, a rallying cry that rings from one corner of our earth to the other. This freedom to choose whatever we want has brought millions of aborted babies, the deaths of many women on abortion tables, millions of broken marriages and homes, partial-birth infanticide, disregard for the marriage, and many other evils. But matters are getting worse, because there are those determined to use the force of law to say that anyone who disagrees with this mantra is committing a criminal act, if you do not believe me ask the Bishop of Chester. So those who hold to an orthodox Christian viewpoint find themselves facing the full force of the judicial system. Meanwhile, our own Church of England finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand it is the established church with all the baggage that goes with that, on the other it claims to be part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. The time is coming when it will have to definitively choose which it is. It cannot continue to act like Janus in the times that are coming. Cardinal Newman feared that the Church of England could only reflect the culture of its day, I pray that is not true, but given some of the reports in this week’s Church Time’s I fear that there are those within it, in positions of influence, who would love to make it so.

Essentially, freedom is good, but freedom comes from God and is given to us so that we may freely choose to follow God’s plan of salvation. Freedom is for choosing good, not evil. Jesus Christ took on our flesh and our freedom to choose what is holy so that we can do likewise, with the constant help of his grace in the Gospel and the sacramental life.

God has fully revealed himself in Jesus and has given to us, in the flesh, a Saviour, who by his nature, his word, and his sacrifice has consecrated himself to us. This is the heart of his priestly prayer: "Holy Father...for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth." (John 17: 11, 19) Because he "sanctifies" his own name, Jesus reveals to us the name of the Father. At the end of Christ's Passover, the Father gives him the name that is above all names: "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

The revelation of Christ in the flesh is given that we may be "consecrated", made holy, in the truth. We have been created by God and redeemed by Christ so that we can achieve the destiny God intended for us from the beginning. In Christ, we are led to know the truth and, what is more, are called to live the truth, that is, to be "consecrated" through him with him and in him. And by this consecration we are to be delivered from evil, for which we pray in the Lord's Prayer each day. Our life of prayer furthers and deepens the life of grace, strengthens us in holiness. The Lord prays: "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one." (John 17:15)

There is evil in our world, but it is not an abstraction, rather it refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (dia-bolos – from which we get our word “diabolical”) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.

And so our freedom is for "choice": choice of the good and rejection of evil. For this we must entrust ourselves by repentance and prayer to consecration in the truth: Jesus Christ, who says to us: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life." The Holy Spirit has been given to the Church to "lead you into all the truth." because only "the truth will set you free." Unity and truth cannot be separated. Yes, we must pray for the unity of the Church and for the reunion of the great Churches of East and West and for all the Church’s separated brethren, but this cannot be reduced to simply being about being nice to each other and being free to believe what we want. Nor can it simply be regarded as simply about being polite to each other, as if we are like members of some Gentlemen’s Club. Nor can it be simply be regarded as simply talking about unity. Unity is far more important than that, because it is about being one in heart and mind – we are to actively search for unity in the Truth that is Jesus Christ and in the Faith that he came to reveal or proclaim.

There may, at the moment be fragmentation and division, but as the secular agenda gathers pace the need for unity in the truth grows ever more important. Many of us will be faced with hard decisions if we are to be faithful to Christ and the Church which he founded. This is all the more so if particular churches continue to give way to the world’s values for in so doing they are running the risk of throwing themselves across God’s plan of salvation revealed in Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.

We are called to live now as sons and daughters of The Church, which is called to be the teacher of truth for the whole world, so that we may live in joyful hope of true and eternal freedom in heaven.

REMINDER: SHPE-NYC: Fleet Week: Navy Technology Tour: Saturday May 23, 2009

SHPE-NYC
See you tomorrow!
@ Pier 88 – (48^th Street & 12^th)
(Meet at the “Pre-arranged Tours” booth)
 

Join us for FLEET WEEK 2009 in New York City
for a private tour and demonstration aboard the USS ROOSEVELT (DDG-80)
Learn firsthand about the latest technologies used on a
US Navy Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer

Sponsored by:
The US NAVY

Saturday, May 23, 2009

1:00pm – 3:30pm

 

Meet at Pier 88
(near 48^th Street & 12^th Avenue)

Please RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

 

 

WWW.SHPE-NYC.ORG

 

 

Kilometer

A-Trak is dope. Sebastien Tellier Remix.

The Ascension of the Lord....

This evening we observed the Ascension of the Lord and Bishop Andrew Burnham SSC, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, was with us to bless our recent restoration/reordering works.

It was a wonderful Mass with the Mass Setting being that used at the International Mass at Lourdes last year when the Archbishop of Canterbury preached. The choir and congregation had been rehearsed beforehand and the Latin setting was sung beautifully.

"Hail the day that sees him rise...." thundered gloriously from the organ as we entered the church. Pausing at the Font for its re-hallowing and the blessing of water, then moving to the confessional for its hallowing and the Rite of Sprinkling with Holy Water. The Procession then moved into the Sanctuary while the Gloria in excelsis was sung and the Mass continued as usual until following the Prayer after Communion. Then the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Tabernacle were hallowed. While the altar and tabernacle were incensed the choir sang “Locuste Iste” by Anton Bruckner.
(Locus iste a Deo factus est, inaestimabile sacramentum, irreprehensibilis est. “This place was made by God, it is inestimably holy. It is absolutely without blemish.”)

The assembled people all joined in the following prayer:

O Jesus, present in the sacrament of the altar,
teach all the nations to serve you with willing hearts,
knowing that to serve God is to reign.
May your sacrament, O Jesus,
be light to the mind,
strength to the will,
joy to the heart.
May it be the support of the weak,
the comfort of the suffering,
the wayfaring bread of salvation to the dying
and for all the pledge of future glory.
Amen.
(by Pope John XXIII)

Returning to the High Altar for the veneration the Procession then went to the tower area and the image of St Michael the Archangel was hallowed after which all joined in the Prayer to St Michael:

Holy Michael, the Archangel defend us in the day of battle;
be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him we humbly pray;
and may the prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God thrust down to hell Satan
and all wicked spirits,
who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Following the blessing a Bring and Share Supper was held in church with many basketful's left over!

Please pray for the souls of:

Derek Savage

Mollie and Harry Coombs

Gweneth Stock

Moly Foxley

by whose generosity these works were made possible and in whose memory they were hallowed to the greater glory of God.

The following is a list of all those who were involved in designing and carrying out these works and of the materials used:

Architect: Mr Julian Limentani of ‘Marshall Sisson Architect,’
Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon

Contractors: Rattee & Kett Ltd of Cambridge

Site Manager: Mr Tim Heriot

Stonemasons: Olly Huckin & Steve Cooper

Decorators/French Polishers: Robin Money & Jake Ralph

Carpenters: Ian Lawrence & Dave Newman

The Baptistery Floor

In Memory of: Derek Savage, Mollie and Harry Coombs

Materials: a) Clipsham stone from Clipsham Quarry, Oakham
b) Purbeck Green & Purbeck Thornbach from Landers Quarry, Swanage, Dorset
c) York stone, from Brittainia Quarry, Morley, Leeds
d) Roman Veined Verde Tinos & Verde Thassos

from Pisani Brothers, Avenza-Carrera, Italy

The Confessional

In Memory of Molly Foxley
Crucifix bequeathed by her to this Parish Church

The Chapel Pews

In Memory of Gweneth Stock

Luke Hughes & Co, Covent Garden, London

The Lectern, Intercession Board & Reredos Board

In Memory of Derek Savage

Turners Carpentry & Joinery, Babraham, Cambridge



The Vicar, Churchwardens and Parochial Church Council are grateful to all those who have given by way of gifts or bequests so many things to the glory of God to this Parish Church over the years - many anonymously - and ask your prayers for the continued success of our Regeneration Project that we may continue to worship almighty God faithfully and share in the continuing mission of Christ the Redeemer to those amongst whom we are set and beyond.

SHPE-NYC: Entrepreneurship Panel Discussion - Thursday June 4th 2009

You are Invited!

SHPE-NYC 2^nd Entrepreneurship Series Event

Join us for a panel discussion of successful founders and experts in small businesses speak about how they started their businesses, their educational and professional backgrounds and discuss many of the common challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs. 

Panelists include:

Fernando Erissman – Infra-Otica - Owner
 Oscar Guerrero – Orders In Seconds, Inc - Owner
Sham Mustafa – NYC Business Solutions Upper Manhattan Center – Director
Judith Katz – SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” - Senior Executive
Catalina Castano - Small Business Development Center at Baruch College – Director

Thursday, June 4^th 2009

6:30pm – 9:00pm

Cisco Systems, Inc
One Penn Plaza, 9^th Floor
New York City

(Official ID, such as driver’s license is required)

 

Please RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

 

 

WWW.SHPE-NYC.ORG

SHPE National Elections 2009 Results

SHPE National Elections 2009 Results

*** CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS ***

National President - Manny Hernandez
National Vice President - Conchita Jimenez-Gonzalez

Region 1 Vice President - Edgar Roman
Region 3 Vice President - Jose Chavez
Region 5 Vice President - Michael Zamarron
Region 7 Vice President - Denny Pichardo

National Graduate Rep - Christella Chavez
National Undergraduate Rep - Eydis Lima
Vice National Undergraduate Rep - Sara Rios

Regional Student Representative 1 - Laura Valencia (PENDING ACCEPTANCE)
Regional Student Representative 2 - Eva Gabriela Baylon
Regional Student Representative 3 - Ramon Martinez
Regional Student Representative 4 - Victor Martinez
Regional Student Representative 5 - OPEN
Regional Student Representative 6 - Mauro Rodriguez Jr.
Regional Student Representative 7 - Omar De Leon

 

www.shpe.org/elections

 

 

 

SHPE-NYC

Executive Board

www.shpe-nyc.org

 

REM(NDER: SHPE-NYC: Joint Networking Social with IEEE - Thursday May 21, 2009

See you tomorrow at SHPE-NYC’s

Networking Social Event with IEEE

Join SHPE-NYC and IEEE for our first joint Networking Social.  Don’t forget to bring your business cards!

Thursday, May 21, 2009 6:00PM – 9:00PM Sidebar 120 East 15th Street New York City RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

www.shpe-nyc.org

 

 

Covering The Classics

Joell Ortiz a.k.a. The Free Agent goes in all over classics instrumentals from classic songs. He certainly does justice to them.

And y'all said Hip Hop is dead, YEAH RIGHT.

SHPE-NYC: Joint Networking Social with IEEE - Thursday May 21, 2009

SHPE-NYC

You're Invited!

Join SHPE-NYC and IEEE for our first joint Networking Social.  Don't forget to bring your business cards!

Thursday, May 21, 2009 6:00PM – 9:00PM Sidebar 120 East 15th Street New York City RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

www.shpe-nyc.org

 

SHPE-NYC: Fleet Week: Navy Technology Tour: Saturday May 23, 2009

You're Invited

SHPE-NYC

Join us for FLEET WEEK 2009 in New York City
for a private tour and demonstration aboard the USS ROOSEVELT (DDG-80)
Learn firsthand about the latest technologies used on a
US Navy Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer

Sponsored by:
The US NAVY

Saturday, May 23, 2009

1:00pm – 3:30pm

 

Meet at Pier 90
(near 54^th Street & West Side Highway)

Please RSVP to rsvp@shpe-nyc.org

 

 

WWW.SHPE-NYC.ORG

 

 

The Marvels Project #1 Cover

(click image to enlarge)
Preview solicitations are out for August 2009 featuring The Marvels Project #1. Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

THE MARVELS PROJECT #1 (of 8)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Pencils & Cover by STEVE EPTING
Variant Cover by GERALD PAREL
70th Anniversary Party Variant by PHIL JIMENEZ
The centerpiece of Marvel's 70th Anniversary celebration! Who is the mysterious old man who lies on his deathbed in a hospital in 1939, and how does his passing mark the beginning of the first heroic age of the Marvel Universe — and signal the rise of the superhumans? Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting unveil the defining story of the origin of the Marvel Universe, revealing the hidden connections that unite the earliest costumed champions, and whose reverberations are felt dramatically into the present day! It’s a world on the brink of war, and the race is on to create the world's first super-soldier! Witness the first days of the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and many more-- how they shaped the world to come, and how the future they would create in turn shaped them! The must-read event of the season for any Marvel fan from the Award-Winning creators who redefined Captain America for the modern audience!
32 PGS./Cardstock Cover/Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Lots of texture overlays and some different painting techniques this time around, resulting in a slightly different look than the Captain America covers (at least I think so). I wish I had more time to experiment, but the ever present deadlines are relentless, as always.

Passing the buck....

I have never been a real fan of the Daily Mail since I discovered that in the 1930's it produced essay competitions for young people and that one of the titles it asked them to write about was "Why we like the Brown-shirts" - not something that I would encourage at all, even though there are those who want to paint Anglo-Catholics in the same light!

However, the Daily Mail, if it is to be believed, has revealed that the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) have produced a document which states that all those who question the latest received wisdom of our current political leaders that adoption of children by homosexual persons is a right are "retarded homophobes." The full quote is: 'Children need good parents much more than retarded homophobes need an excuse to whinge, so don't let your worries about society's reaction hinder your desire and ability to give a child a loving caring home.'

The headline in Thursday's edition, in my view, correctly diagnoses the truth that such statements reveal underlying Nazi tendencies that brook no opposition. So unsure are such people of their own arguments that they have to label, ridicule and ban all opposing views. As a wise Church Army Officer once said "If you have a devil the easiest way to get rid of it is to pass it off as someone else's."

Apparently, a BAAF spokesman has now apologised for this insult blaming "human error"!

Even amongst homosexual people there is no universal acceptance of this new practice. Indeed there are those who are disquieted about the adoption of children by two people of the same sex. One such person said to me that he regarded such adoptions "as a form of child abuse" and that if he had been brought up by two men the difficulty of learning to accept himself would have been made all the more difficult. While this may not be the current accepted view it does indicate that the matter is far more complex than it's proponents are prepared to accept.

Confirmation at St James the Great Hanslope....

Just returned from a wonderful evening at St James the Great, Hanslope where Fr Ecclestone has once again shown how alive the Catholic Faith is in the Ebbsfleet Parishes.

Each year he presents not only those of school age for the Sacrament of Confirmation, but also those who are young adults in their twenties and thirties. This evening was no exception and indeed for me there was a first: the sight of a young married man presenting his wife for Confirmation.

A joyful Mass of St Matthias with Baptism (one adult and one child) and Confirmation for all the candidates was followed by the usual grand spread with the most enormous Confirmation cake which Fr Gary indicated that he didn't want to have to take any home... Discuss?

Invader!

Something a little different this time - a logo I did for a friend's band:



and here are a few shots of the logo in "action":






I have a background in graphic design, but haven't done much of it in the comics industry. I did however, create the logo for one of the books I worked on. Anyone care to take a guess?

Do you "oink" or "cluck"....?

This was the question posed by Fr Darren Smith SSC, the General Secretary of the Additional Curate's Society, who was our Homilist at St Mary & St Giles this morning.

The gist of the background to the question is that farmyard animals wanted to really please the farmer as he was so good to them and the chicken proposed that they cook him a full English Breakfast whereupon the pig pointed out that this meant "total commitment" on his part. The illustration leads on, naturally, to the self-emptying (the kenosis) of Christ and his total commitment to us as shown on the Cross.

So how do we respond? Do we like the chicken give half measure or like the pig are we called to total commitment? Do we cluck or do we oink?

Fr Darren brought with him Fr Barry Smart and the ACS stall of books and devotional items. A retiring collection was held for the work of the Additional Curate's Society in aid of its mission in "poor and populous parishes." Next Lent ACS will be the target of our major fundraising efforts and it is good that FR Darren has been able to be with us at this early stage to prepare the ground for what will be an important initiative in these parishes.

Toronto Tagging

Dope mini documentary of 7 of some of Toronto's most talented Graf Artists.

Writing Toronto's (Hi)Story (24 minutes) from Well and Good on Vimeo.

"Piss For Peace" - John Lennon

An animation based on an interview interview with John Lennon talking about the forces which govern the planet by a young fan in the 70's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIfHsYWeC1Y


Watch The U.S. vs. John Lennon in Music  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

"Holly Wood" The Magician's Wand

Dave Chapelle spilling the beans...





Part2

Part3

Part4

Part5

Part6

Part7

Part8

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter Yr B – AD 2009...

Today we observe the “Fourth Sunday of Easter,” but it could also be called “Politically Incorrect Sunday.” In the first reading we hear St Peter make a proclamation which has offended people for centuries—especially in recent generations when relativism reigns supreme. Peter, speaking about Jesus, proclaims, “and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now if there is a statement that is designed to offend many current sensibilities it is that for too many of the opinion formers and self-appointed elite in our society these words would seem narrow and intolerant. There is no way that you can put a different emphasis on that statement. Peter is saying plainly that the ONLY way to be saved and enter into Heaven is through Jesus Christ.

The claim that Jesus is the only path to salvation is why Christianity is offensive to many people and has been since the beginning. Whenever Christians point out this claim of exclusivity, people are outraged, and accuse us of saying that we are the only one's with the truth or that all other religions are wrong.

A couple of points should be noted. First, Christians didn’t invent this doctrine; Jesus himself did. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Although it is interesting that the final part of that has been dropped from the Common Worship Funeral Rite, although not in these parishes.

Don’t shoot the messenger is a common defence for someone who has to impart news that the hearer will find offensive. The Church cannot state any other than this claim of Jesus if she is to be his true servant. If individual people find this claim offensive they can take it up with Jesus Himself. But we should all note that, if God is really God, then He has every right to offer the world salvation via one path or via many paths. He also has the right not to offer this sinful world salvation at all. Thankfully He did offer it salvation, and apparently He chose one path. Mr Blair has recently suggested to the Pope that the Church should get with the times and change its moral teaching – unfortunately, he has once again shown his ignorance and failed to realise that the path he advocates has been taken by the Anglican Church in the USA to its own ruin. The message cannot be changed because the Church is called to proclaim the Truth that is Jesus Christ and the Gospel message he came to announce.

However, we should note that when Peter proclaims that “there is salvation in no one else,” he is not saying, “There is no salvation through any other denomination but mine.” Many Christians have seemingly transformed what Jesus meant into a rigorous defence of their own denomination or worse their own understanding of the Truth. I well remember a Pentecostal Minister bemoaning the fact that the few denominations that he knew as a child (and that was bad enough, he said) had proliferated into all manner of little groups each seemingly acting more and more suspiciously towards one another. He saw it as symptomatic of an all too human failing: that of a hankering after leadership.

At Walsingham on Retreat in 2006 at mealtimes I was surrounded by members of the Union of Catholic Mothers – noting my wedding ring one of them asked if I was Catholic or Anglican. I replied that I was Church of England (as I am never sure what Anglican means – and think that it is a vain thing fondly invented), whereupon she said “We’ll pray for you.” If it had been said to me 15 years earlier I might have been somewhat offended, but given the parlous state of certain parts of what she knew as the “Anglican Church” how could I take offence?

Part of the problem we have in the Church regarding Ecumenism is that the situation has moved from us being divided by style and emphasis to being divided by error. We can all no doubt think of examples of the former with Baptists emphasising adult conversion and adult only baptism, with Methodists emphasising that they were a Movement and not a Church, with others decrying the Pope and others claiming that the King James Bible was the received text as if somehow God had reached down from heaven and placed the completed version into the minds of the translators. Yet for some while now many theologians and spiritual writers have noticed that what may be emerging is a new realignment based upon adherence to Orthodox Teaching and Practice on the one hand and a liberal, secular mindset on the other. Perhaps this is what Cardinal Kasper had in mind when he made it abundantly clear to our House of Bishops that the time was coming when the Church of England would have to choose whether to side with the great churches of the first millennium or more recent movements. For five hundred years the Church of England has seen itself very much as part of the continuation of the ancient Church, but recent, and ongoing, developments call this into question.

The Gospel reading this week offers some insight into how God can be exclusive: “I know my own and my own know me.” But a little further on we hear Jesus say: “And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; i must bring them also, and they will heed my voice.” This has traditionally been interpreted as meaning the Gentiles, those non-Jews from Greek and Roman culture who comprised the majority of believers by the end of the first century. But by “other sheep” some have tried to say that Jesus was also was referring to other groups with no apparent ties to Christianity, such as people of other faiths, and they use this to justify not proclaiming the Gospel to them as they are going to be saved anyway. However, the text does not support such a view because it talks about them being brought to “heed his voice” and further on we hear of “one flock, one shepherd.”

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one could come to the Father but through him, but he also said that: “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), which means the whole world, not just a small part of it. The Church does not act as the judge or arbiter of who will go to heaven or not: Christ does. We are not to judge individual people as unworthy of salvation because of their denomination or faith, but we are also not allowed to refuse to be messengers because we do not like the message and nor are we allowed to change the message. God’s plan of salvation is just that: God’s plan. It might indeed be very narrow and Politically Incorrect, but it is also very inclusive and broad, for God is love, and love is at one and the same time exclusive and inclusive. There is to be one flock and one shepherd, but within this flock there are to be many that we will be surprised to see and no doubt others that we will be surprised not to see. In the meantime the Good Shepherd is calling us and we are to listen to his voice and not to the voice of the wolf, even if it is wearing a mitre, for in his voice expressed through the unity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church the Truth is proclaimed.