Thanksgiving Legend of Five Kernels of Corn!

(Kind of “Corny” but – Use it if you care to!  I got from 
an unknowing “volunteer” – so you’re entitled.

Happy Thanksgiving + God’s blessings to us and ours!)

Being happy, and thankful, to have you in my life., I as most of the people in The United States will soon celebrate Thanksgiving.  Generally, we celebrate it by eating a huge meal, which almost always includes turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, veggies and dessert—maybe pumpkin pie.  Those who prepare the meal for us often spend days thinking, shopping and in the kitchen cooking up special foods, and if you are like me, everyone is as stuffed as the turkey when the meal is done.

But before digging into the feast, most people give thanks for their many blessings that God has given them and us this past year, just like the Pilgrims did. I’ll bet that someone at your table knows the story of the first Thanksgiving in their new home of Jamestown Virginia. It was very difficult for the Pilgrims.  They were not prepared for the harsh weather and their supplies did not last to long or through the cold winter.  Some people in their little group starved to death in that first year.  If it weren't for the help they received from others, the Native Americans, they might have all died.  So in thanks to God for their first harvest, and the help from their new friends, the Pilgrims invited those Native Americans to dinner, and together they shared a wonderful feast, like we will. 

The second winter was also very difficult.  Again, the Pilgrims did not have enough food. There is a story or maybe history, that there were times when each member of the colony were only allowed 5 kernels of corn to eat for a whole day.  Not as much as they wanted but only 5 kernels of corn! Yet the people had faith that God would take care of them, no matter what, and they pulled through.  Nobody died that second winter.  And the following harvest was huge!  There was so much corn that the Pilgrims were able to help the Native Americans.

So they held a second Thanksgiving feast, again inviting their new neighbors to come.  Massasoit, the Indian chief, came with his wife, several other chiefs, 120 braves and brought meat they had hunted.  All sat down to a feast of 12 venison, 6 goats, 50 hogs and pigs, many turkeys, vegetables, grapes, nuts, plums, puddings and pies.  WOW!

But, to remind everyone of the hard times they had had earlier and that all were thankful, the Pilgrims and their guests sat down to “Empty Plates”!  Each person’s was given only 5 kernels of corn.  A reminder to all that they and others had suffered so much that previous winter, and of how much they had to be thankful for that particular Thanksgiving day. 

Try it! Give each dinner guest and family member a little bag with 5 kernels of corn in it.   And then before your Thanksgiving meal, ask everyone to tell or think silently of 5 things for which they are thankful.  Maybe you could go around the table and put 5 kernels of corn on each person's plate before the meal, and have them share their 5 things for which they are thankful.

Whatever you decide, I and mine wish you and yours a blessing filled and Happy Thanksgiving!  And I/we want you to know that one thing for which we are thankful is you and your friendship and kindness and frankly I personally need a lot more pieces of corn since I have a lot of wonderful things and people, like you, for which I can say “Thanks God”!  Tom/Lynn.

I have bumped into someone unknow to most of you or they have bumped into me on the highway of differing ideas - and I confess that I may be of the same argumentative ilk as are they but from a different direction or view. So I wrote:"
  Finding a comment which we like and find tasty or agreeable,    shouldn't be a criteria for any intellectual or honest person. We all have favorites - people, foods, books and thoughts - but being our favorites isn't the criteria of truth. We almost have to disagree with our own views to test them, theirs substance, their long range effect and finally our own honesty. So many have joined one side or another and totally sold or traded in our willingness to think,research or possibly change. Obama, any of his predecessors or successors aren't saints or always able to pick the right open tick tack toe space or policy! Instead of yelling something that agrees with our "selfish - Self supporting" unstudied or researched opinion. Please, tell me where you found or/and from which you took your latest volley? Did you try to learn the quality of that information, the source or is it merely an opinion with which you agree on a topic you suspect you know a lot about? I am really interested how people chose their ideas and their lack of or appreciate of the supporting materials- How do you do it? Thanks and have a good holiday-dedicate to an open armed historical experience between newbies and old time possessors of America, God bless and have a good day and holiday meal, Tom V.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY! Enjoy this coming National Holiday - Thanksgiving, while being and sharing with your families and folks who may not be family. To the many with whom I or we agree or disagree or vary in views of certain realities, depending the issue, the politics or the day - I ask each of us to consider realistically that we are all newbies to this country (a few generations doesn't qualify any of us to use the rejecting or dening 'black ball" of immigrants out of fear) Many of us came as a result of harsh or cruel occurance in our lives or mother land - I suspect that we all love this country and it's cultural and political qualities and strengths - but we are "WE", not just ME or YOU or OURS. All that can be sadly identified as "THEM" must be considered with more than a nasty, unthoughtful, cold hearted, quick rejection based on our unstudied reasons or worries or unresearched fears. As we get ready to share a meal in celebration of our national holiday based on cultural sharing - think of the real istoric reason that this holiday exists? Why it's such a great holiday? Those who had been here for unmeasurable years, were worried and did questioned the goodness of those who had reasently come and although they too had questions and some doubts - they still assumed the BEST and offered help and a chance and additionally shared what they had. My American shouldn't do less - Can Yours? God bless you and yours and may He give us a chance to be better and caring citizens of this Great and Wonderful country! God bless the USA!

Fortunately we are in a country that has at least "verbally" held on to the thought that cultural identity which are differences "should not seperate us" - but they do, huh? Dammit! Power hungry politicians realize how to tickle our "frantic Fascist like" fears and desires and/or needs for "absolute and constant comfort although wildly unreal, without substance and conforting only to the stupid - for a short while!" WE JUMP to be ANTI-Black if we are white, or Anti White if we are black, anti what ever we are not - and other are. Some people who may be Muslims are bad guys - ALL? To simple to believe!
Got an idea instead if thinking about and Thanking God for ours and us, how about those others who have less or nothing? No, your right, I could forget or get distracted while visiting our daughters and her family with whom I am overjoyed to be related and with on Thanksgiving day but I have to start some where - I don't have the right or the chance to only change you and other with my Big Mouth! Others ain't me but it might be better to know them, persoanlly and not like Post Office Criminal at Large Photos! If I don't get to you before you and yours sit and Turkey it - Enjoy Life, which is a four letter word but can we make it better for others especially some who are abused, belittled or hated by those of us who perfer hate, anger or are shallow, uneducated and afraid of the Real World in which there are Real People with Real Problems and or different thoughts ? God help me -I, for one, could use it! Maybe others too?

UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

(The organization recently made a statement, please read it!) 

From those who know, saw and learned from the past. Witnesses of the consequences when Jews were unwelcomed and unable to flee Nazism, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum expressed concern of the current refugee crisis. While recognizing that security concerns must be fully addressed, we should not turn our backs on the thousands of legitimate refugees. The Museum calls on public figures and citizens to avoid condemning today’s refugees as a group. It is important to remember that many are fleeing because they are targets of Assad and/or ISIS and are being persecuted and/or eliminated on the basis of their identity. The Museum, as should we, inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity if only because so many of us, have been them. (Please think, tfv.)

The AFRAID have gotten addicted to FEAR. The UNINIFORMED find no benefit in LEARNING or KNOWING THE FACTS. The HATERS have all the LOUD ANSWERS. The Un-INFORMED like themselves that way! To learn or think is to damned difficult. To collect information to gain an understanding is just to time consuming! Opinions are free - even if that's also their present cash/cultural value! Look out USA - The UN-Knowing, NON-Thinking, Sad but Lazy lummoxes are looking like our future! Following the call - "Lemming of the World Unite" - There has to be a cliff around here that we can run off following some clown who is encouraging us to jump into some shallow thought pool! God help us, America! God please help us....

“SPOTLIGHT” - Vatican Radio praises movie about Boston Globe coverage of clergy abuse – Thanks God!......Went to see "SPOTLIGHT", a new film which cause me some tension and discomfort as a life-long R. Catholic and a proud, 1/4 Irishman (thanks to my father’s mother). It not a secret that I do or seem to enjoy THROWING STONES at issues and/or people with whom I have differences. Well this movie – THREW BACK! It’s about The Boston Globe's investigatory efforts and publishing of the Catholic clergy sexual abuse which existed but was protected +/- camouflaged by the powerful Boston’s Catholic Church and it’s executive Cardinal. It gave me the feeling as if I was visiting a family member in a prison – not comfortable to believe the worst but forced to assume that it was true! Having been a Catholic all of my knowing life – and having been "somewhat" culturally aware, I was still uncomfortable. Sure there were a “FEW” – Sad but only a FEW! And the church always needs priest – so they should be cared for, corrected and re-employed! And although it’s easy for me to “throw Stones” as your “stuff” - this was “my stuff” – I was anxious and uncomfortable! Oh Hell, I knew about the “dirty Priests” but when my OX was being PUBLICALLY GORES – I didn't enjoy it! And couldn’t or wouldn’t and wasn’t able to grant the Boston Organization absolution! Fortunatly, I read this morning where the A Vatican Radio commentator also said the Boston Globe’s reporting, upon which the film is based, helped the Church in the United States “to accept fully the sin, to admit it publicly, and to pay all the consequences.” Maybe – Manybe NOT! But apparently, the Vatican Radio commentary says that the new film shows Globe journalists exercising “their most pure vocation” as journalists - Thanks God.

Why ISIS Exists

I’m pilfering the ideas/statements/and feelings from a piece with the same nameas above/written by more knowledgable others on 3/5/15 with more insight than I but My BAD - your LOSS - I am up early, sadden and upset that Paris was “struck” last night. Been there. Took our family (12 of us) for a 4 day Thanksgiving holiday. We’ve walked the whinding streets, prayed at Norte Dame, ate at the Jules Vern restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, looked down onto the Seine and into the reflecting lights, felt the beauty and the art and teared up as we left – and now this morning, tears again. We all have seen Isis as certainly dangerous and lacking in understanding when it comes to democratic principals and thoughts. I see them much like one of our big city, juvenile delinquent, youth/street gangs – using violent tactics to get notoriety and status – “Wanna be’s with Only ONE Means,” wiling to do anything to fill their needs for things, recognition and glory! MURDER is a MUST!

  “The media often depicts ISIS recruits as lost souls in search of a cause or suffering from mental illness. That may be true – in some cases.”  ISIS or the so-called “Islamic State” — is the latest and most horrifying iteration of the modern terror groups that have plagued the region/world in recent years. With 20,000 to 30,000 combatants/recruits streaming in from all over the globe, the group is unlikely to be significantly degraded by U.S. air strikes – some OK! But it’s like bombing to get rid of weeds in your yard  – you’ll get some but they’ll be replaced by others!

Political conditions in the Middle East continue to favor it and those conditions are the blowback from U.S. policies, wars, and historic and cultural turmoil. ISIS and its ilk are one result.  Terrorist organization, don’t survive without support – i.e. passive acceptance up to active assistance, coming from individuals who may view ISIS as either the lesser of many evils or else a righteous group waging the Jihad - a holy war similar to our Christian sponsored crusades.

Each seems to be fueled by decades of Western colonialism plus recent U.S. invasions, drone strikes, and the installation and support of corrupt / often brutal puppet governments. If we hold the hands with dictators to get oil deals which  only benefits the hyper-wealthy,  can you guess the reaction of the contained ,needy and poor!

     I’m not defending any of the committed unspeakable atrocities. Those act are WRONG and should be seen as CRIMINAL and treats as such! But what do we say to the fact that the U.S. invasion of Iraq killed some half a million Iraqis by one estimate — most of them civilians — and wounded another million. They died the sorts of deaths that would inflame any of us if we were they. Arabs and Muslims around the world are no exceptions. Can we now just say “Sorry!” and expect mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children to shake hands and accept our “I’m Sorry!” The invasion is recognized to have brought torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners, in blatant violation of international law and the most rudimentary elements of humanity. Nope, we didn’t do anything even when it was known! Torture, of which we knew, is only part of what happened. The aftermath of  “Our War against Husain”,  only fueled the outrage felt by Iraqis + the rest of the Muslim and Arab world. Our U.S. policies supporting/installing/propping-up puppet government has made corruption a reality in daily life for the non-Shiite populations. The US likes to tout its moral superiority. - YET the bleak contrast between what Iraqis experienced and America’s self-proclaimed exceptionalism led many Iraqi/others to join groups of “local street gang” which made its own set of promises — and morphed into ISIS — and the results have been and most probably will be  - terrifying.

Our Mid Eastern allies have a story to tell - Saudi Arabia beheads over 100 people per year, and its fellow Gulf States fail to respect basic human rights. i.e.: Jordan’s King Abdullah ibn Hussein, now our hero for his newfound resolve to fight ISIS, oversees a government that has no freedom of the press and freely uses tortures on dissidents STOP, THINK and READ the article which I plagiarized – Why Isis Exists –  It makes me wonder how many more painful Parisian nights we have yet to face. Help us God!

I have a habit - assumed or drummed into me by some often frightening but hopefully spiritually directed nuns - I take the time and tend to look to see which individual is being recognized for their saintly nature on any particular day - There's a Saint identified for each day! - i.e. That Person's Day of Recognition and Example!  My crowd, Roman Catholics, have extablished a post death series of criterial, most of which are not know by most of we who are RC's - but even those who stand at a distance or may not belong, seem to see positive values in the identified heavenly resident's although dead person. Im additionally lucky that my parish's administrator/pastor does a daily FB thing in which he informs any one of the name of he individual for which the Church is calling attention on that particular day. Many of the other responding FB'er merely join in with a "PRAY FOR US!" Sadly I think that the "Pray for us" folks are just sucking up to our Parish's Monsignor without being aware of any spiritual benefits/activities for which the recognized individual is credited! It like a knee-jerk suck up! Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that their "Pray for us" statements maybe as spiritual as those of us who offer an uncaring "God Bless" each time we hear a sneeze - Sounds Good but without any inherent religious/spiritual thoughs or hopes! Anyhow today is identified for Mother Cabrini, I'm not about to besmerch the lady, her concerns or her work (as I know them through Reading or hear say!) But her remains (most of her uncorrupted body) lies under the altar in a Cathlic Church near Columbia Univ. Hospital - and IS viewable through a sheet of glass, placed for viewing on the front of the altar which faces the attendees!  BEEN THERE - SAW IT!  To be honest, I'm not completely in the "No Corruption of her Body" Crowd " - But I was S T R U C K and SURPRISED and have thought about the experience occasionally! Mother, let God know that I do LOVE him but I'm a little shaky on a lot of the Faith Things!

For some reason I wandered away from this blog - Hey! I heard that "Thank God"! And I have to confess the "give and receive" method on FB aka FACEBOOK, seems to allow for a quicker ergo more comfortable method of drinking morning coffee, reading trash while cleaning out some thoughts jammed into my few remaining brain cells. Some - "Holy CRAP! - TONS OF YOU" have suggested that I get off the back side of my Conestoga Wagon with PULPIT,  and pull it over to this BLOG! OK, here's my offer -  I'll do until I again realize or suspect that I am only talking to my self! Don't get me wrong - I have allways had a place in my heart and attention span for a good and entertaining speaker/writer - but trying to be both is like telling the punch line before you say the joke - You know where it's going! With your permission ........

This Morning found a site which appears reliable and frankly demonstrated the Deep Divide in thei country "trust in news media"-     http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2014/PPP_Release_National_130

i have suspected tht the extremes are being attractive myopically to the "INFORMERS" who support their point of view - but that was only a suspicion - An't a SUSPICION any more -  The Crazies - Left and Right - are hugging their Polar/Opposite Positions and get external support for they internal pre-concieved beliefs ans opinion - I think that this is a challenge to our Nation, Our system of Government, and the need for Education to 'Step up and Teach - THINKING", "QUESTING", "REASON" and security in the belief - That all of us can be wrong - now and then! Historically the last time the nation was so intellectually divided -Abe Lincoln became our president and a war commenced killing more Americans (North+South) than any other conflict including WWII . 

Exploring the Faith of Catholic Men

5/14/ 2015 –National Catholic Reporter (on-line)                                 Matthew James Christoff has highlighted a crisis of faith for Catholic men. 

1st) Somewhere between 11 and 15 million men who were raised Catholic but have left the church.  2nd) Only about one third of Catholic men attend Mass weekly.  3^rd) 4 out of 10 Catholic men do not believe that the Catholic Church contains any more truth than any other religion.

Christoff also notes that 60 percent of Catholic men are what he calls “Casual Catholics”. In other words, they don’t ‘really know their faith’ and don’t practice it appropriately but id asked they would own-u! Only 10 percent of Catholic men are what he calls “committed Catholics.” These are Catholics who are regular communicants, go to confession frequently, and are active participants in various Catholic groups and activities. Perhaps most telling, according to Christoff, only 18 percent of current 18 to 29 year-old Catholics say they are sure they will remain Catholic in the future. Clearly Christoff has put his finger on the pulse of a serious challenge which needs to be honestly confronted with real concern for the church today. His suggestion for correcting the problem, however, is problematic to many as well.

Christoff points to men from Evangelical churches that are more passionate about their faith, which would suggest that something is missing from our Catholic faith experience. Yet his answer appears to be only too familiar. If we simply explained our faith better, and encouraged men to frequent the sacraments and pray more - we could solve this problem! You know, a return to the Catholicism of the 1940s and 50s – Hat for Men and Veils for the Ladies but is it a cure or does it seems to have “NO REAL EFFECT” and will only to perpetuate the causes of the present lukewarm male response to the faith.

Maybe we need to look at why there is so much passion among evangelicals today and consider how we can capture some of that. In one of his earlier lectures, speaking about Evangelical Christianity,

Fr. Raymond Brown commented that he had spoken to many Catholics who had converted to evangelicalism. These former Catholics would make such telling statements as, “I found Jesus, and I love him.”

Perhaps we need to encourage a more personal (and Honest) relationship with Jesus. We need to encounter Jesus not just in the sacraments or only on Sunday but with the Scriptures, inquiringly- asking questions and researching + Open Discussions with each other, and with the world around us. It could be precisely the emphasis on performing certain tasks, rituals, or devotions that are seen as repetitive, routine and non-inspiring or spiritually exciting or thought provoking and which without such efforts, have fails to reach adult men emotionally and rationally.

It would be comforting to hear a guy say,”You know, I just read that…! Or “I never knew or thought about that before?” “Where did you hear or read that? How about you and I discussing that….?

If only +/- 10 percent of Catholic men are finding what they need for spiritual growth in Catholicism, the idea of doubling down and doing more of the “same” or adding  a big handful of GUILT doesn’t seem to be sufficient or probably the solution. We need to explore the realities and riches of the Christian tradition, not just Catholicism, and find new ways for bringing men as well as women into a deeper faith and understanding for and with a stronger commitment to the Lord Jesus, the Christ, His Church and all people

(Ever read the biblical Book of Amos? Yeah, I had never done so either! Actully I don’t think that I was even sure that it was a Book of Amos in the BIBLE – He seem like the guy who wrote some of “Jesus’ scripts and statements” Like what I like - a caring, present day Liberal Politician - Stressing our participatory function and need as well as God’s way and support to feel for and with the less fortunate, the marginalized as Pope Francis sees and calls them and to act in their behalf! Read Amos – if you want to! )