Thursday, December 31, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Song of New Year's Eve


Reel Big Fish, "Auld Lang Syne" from the Happy Skalidays E.P. (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: This hopping, skank-worthy rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" is largely instrumental. The lyrics, in their entirety:
"Should old acquaintance be forget,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne?"

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Sylvester I, Pope (died 335): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
The great churches at Rome by (the emperor) Constantine, e.g. the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Old St. Peter's Basilica, & several cemeterial churches, were build over the graves of martyrs during his pontificate.
This is the same information presented last year in the bulletin, though the sentence has been rearranged, that is, the word order has been changed slightly. Fascinating!


Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses eighteen thru twenty-one;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one, two, & eleven thru thirteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses one thru eighteen.

The Victors | Project OSPREY: Backlog Edition

Friday, 20 November / Crisler Center
Xavier 86-70 Michigan (№ 24)
2-1, B1G 0-0

This was the first of Team 100's games I had the chance to watch & it was a rather dispiriting affair from start to finish, in part because I knew we'd lost before I had the chance to watch the proceedings. In the aftermath, the valiant Wolverines dropped out of the Top 25, while the epithetless Musketeers, previously not ranked, joined the list at № 23.

Battle 4 Atlantis
Wednesday, 25 November @ Atlantis
UConn 74-60 Michigan
2-2, B1G 0-0

Thursday, 26 November @ Atlantis
Michigan 102-47 Charlotte
3-2, B1G 0-0

Commentary: Yours truly stills thinks of Charlotte as U.N.C. Charlotte.

Friday, 27 November @ Atlantis
Michigan 78-72 Texas
4-2, B1G 0-0

B1G—A.C.C. Challenge
Tuesday, 1 December @ N.C. State
Michigan 66-59 North Carolina State
5-2, B1G 0-0

Commentary: The Big Ten Conference defeated the Atlantic Coast Conference eight games to six (8-6). The B1G lost the first ten Challenges, '99-'08, but has not been defeated since, winning five of the last seven, with ties in '12 & '13.

Saturday, 5 December / Crisler Center
Michigan 82-57 Houston Baptist
6-2, B1G 0-0

Tuesday, 8 December @ S.M.U.
(№ 19) S.M.U. 82-58 Michigan
6-3, B1G 0-0

Saturday, 12 December / Crisler Center
Michigan 80-33 Delaware State
7-3, B1G 0-0

Tuesday, 15 December / Crisler Center
Michigan 77-62 Northern Kentucky
8-3, B1G 0-0

Saturday, 19 December / Crisler Center
Michigan 105-46 Youngstown State
9-3, B1G 0-0

Wednesday, 23 December / Crisler Center
Michigan 96-60 Bryant
10-3, B1G 0-0

Wednesday, 30 December @ Assembly Hall
Michigan 78-68 Illinois
11-3, B1G 1-0

What we know so far is this: Team 100 is very much a prototypical John Beilein basketball club, featuring deadly perimeter shooting, a minimal inside presence, & defense as more or less an afterthought. The valiant Wolverines have been plagued by injuries, with Zach Irvin (junior, guard/forward) recovering from off-season back surgery & "Spike" Albrecht (senior, guard) retiring from basketball following off-season surgeries on both hips. All three loses, though ugly, were to quality opponents; on the eve of the New Year, Xavier is № 6 with an undefeated 12-0 record; S.M.U. is № 17 at 11-0; & UConn, though not ranked, are a solid 9-3 with loses to Syracuse, Gonzaga (№ 10), & Maryland (№ 6). Team 100's best wins are those over Texas (8-4), N.C. State (10-3), & Illinois (8-6)—two of those contests were road games in hostile environments while the third was a road game on a neutral site.

Caris LeVert (senior, guard) is a monster, averaging over seventeen points per game (17.6); he's quite simply Mr. Everything to this team. Duncan Robinson (sophomore, guard), a transfer from Division III Williams College, is the valiant Wolverines' second-leading scorer, averaging twelve per game (12.1), mostly through his nearly sixty per cent three-point shooting (58.3%). Mark Donnal (sophomore, forward) had a career game in the B1G opener against the feisty Fighting Illini, scoring a jaw-dropping twenty-six points. I have embraced broadcaster Seth Davis's nickname for freshman forward Moritz "Moe" Wagner, a native of Berlin: "Mo' Buckets;" Wagner (pronounced like the composer Richard Wagner, not the actor Robert Wagner) showed great potential during the three games in the Bahamas, though the grind of the B1G season will prove a sterner test. I do not expect the valiant Wolverines to generate half as much offense in the paint at Donnal did yesterday in Assembly Hall, but any increase in scoring would be nice, & an increased threat in the paint cannot but help the Maize & Blue's already dangerous perimeter shooting become that much more lethal.

The valiant Wolverines of Team 100 have all the strengths & weaknesses we've come to know & love in the years under coach John Beilein. On hot shootings nights, they will be extremely difficult to beat; on cold shooting nights, we'll be hard-pressed to hang with the conference's more elite clubs. I believe in Coach Beilein & his approach to the game, & I have tremendous respect for what he's done throughout his career & especially in Ann Arbor. We go to war with the team we have. I am proud to have them represent the University of Michigan.

Next: Penn State in the friendly confines of the Crisler Center, on Saturday, 2 January 2016. The following game will be a tough challenge: at № 14 Purdue, against their trio of seven-footers on Thursday, 7 January.

Go Blue!

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

'Tis the feast of Saint Egwin of Evesham, Bishop, O.S.B. (died 717): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses twelve thru seventeen;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses seven thru ten;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses thirty-six thru forty.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 6th Day of Christmas

Nat King Cole, "The First Noël" from via iTunes (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: Amidst the frenzy of this time of year, of gift-giving & receiving (& returning or exchanging), of precious time with far-flung kith & kin, of what has been rightly termed "bowl mania," let us not lose sight of the reason for the season, the source of all our joy: the coming of the Christ.
"Noël, Noël, Noël, Noël,
Born is the King of Israel!…"

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop & Martyr (1118-1170), martyred under King Henry II: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights & privileges of the Church & was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after this death, he was canonized by Pope Alexander III.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses three thru eleven;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one thru three& five(b) thru six;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses twenty-two thru thirty-five.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 5th Day of Christmas

Sufjan Stevens, "I Saw Three Ships" from Songs for Christmas (The Last Angry Man)

Monday, December 28, 2015

Bonus! Song of the Day

The Puppini Sisters, "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" from Christmas with the Puppini Sisters (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: Temperatures are projected to be high enough tomorrow afternoon to melt the light coat of snow currently dusting my little corner of sacred Michigan, but for this moment at least there is snow on the ground. Beautiful, beautiful snow!
"Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 4th Day of Christmas

Susan Egan, "Silent Night/Greensleeves" from Winter Tracks (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary:
"Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from Heaven afar;
Heavenly hosts sing, 'Alleluia!'
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!…

"O Silent, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!
Sleep in heavenly peace."

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

'Tis the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs: Martyrs-link ūnus, Martyrs-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; & he (had) killed all the [male] children that were in Bethlehem, & in all the borders, who were two tears-old & younger.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The First Letter of John, chapter one, verse five thru chapter two, verses two;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-four, verses two thru five & seven(c) thru eight;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter two, verses thirteen thru eighteen.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Explorers' Club, № CDLXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The World War
19 December 1915: Field Marshal Sir John French (1852-1925, later ennobled as the first Earl of Ypres), was replaced as commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force by General Sir Douglas Haig (1861-1928, later ennobled as the first Earl Haig), setting the stage for the Somme.









Lest we forget.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph: Holy Family-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. The Holy Redeemer bulletin erroneously discusses the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (1 January, the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord), not today's Feast of the Holy Family (the first Sunday after Christmas Day).

Otherwise, 27 December would be the feast of Saint John, Apostle (first century), the only Apostle not to be martyred: Apostle-link ūnus & Apostle-link duo; Wikipedia-link Apostle, Wikipedia-link Evangelist, & Wikipedia-link of Patmos.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Twould also be the feast of Saints Theodorus of Apamea & Theophanes of Nicaea (circa 775-842 & circa 778-845), the Grapti (the "written upon"), brothers & opponents of iconoclasm: Saint-link of Apamea & Wikipedia-link -dorus & -phanes, Saint-link of Nicaea & Wikipedia-link -phanes.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Book of Sirach, chapter three, verses two thru six & twelve thru fourteen;
or, the First Book of Samuel, chapter one, verses twenty thru twenty-two & twenty-four thru twenty-eight;
Psalm One Hundred Twenty-eight, verses one thru five;
or, Psalm Eighty-four, verses two, three, five, six, nine, & ten;
The Letter to the Colossians, chapter three, verses twelve thru twenty-one,
(or, the Letter to the Colossians, chapter three, verses twelve thru seventeen);
or, the First Letter of John, chapter three, verses one, two, & twenty-one thru twenty-four;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses forty-one thru fifty-two.

Mass Journal: Overtime Time
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute
The most dominant emotion in our modern society is fear. We are afraid—afraid of losing the things we have worked hard to buy, afraid of rejection & failure, afraid of certain parts of town, afraid of certain types of people, afraid of criticism, of suffering & heartache, of change, afraid to tell [persons] how we really feel. We are afraid of so many things. We are even afraid to be ourselves. Some of these fears we are consciously aware of, whole other exist subconsciously. But all these fears play a large role in directing the actions & activities of our lives. Fear has a tendency to imprison us. Fear stops more [persons] from doing something incredible with their lives than lack of ability, contacts, resources, or any other single variable. Fear paralyzes the human spirit.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 3rd Day of Christmas

Christine Mason, Daniel Schmit, & Mike Hilliker; "Away in a Manger" from Christmas Hope (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: The Devil never had a chance, because he has never understood the game he is playing. For all their fluency in Scripture, the demons never understood what it said—they never saw the Incarnation coming.
"I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky,
And stay by my side 'til morning is nigh.

"Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay,
Close by me forever & love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And take us to Heaven to live with Thee there…"

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Octave of the Nativity

'Tis the Feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr (first century): Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He was a deacon in the early Church at Jerusalem who aroused the enmity of members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy, at his trial he made a long speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him & was then stoned to death.
Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
The feast of St. Stephen has been celebrated in the West since the fifth century. St. Stephen was a deacon in the early Church & had been assigned to distribute food to the poor. When certain Jews would engage him in argument, he would always confound them with his wisdom. Ultimately, they made false charges against him, brought in false witnesses, & stoned him to death. The account of his martyrdom is described in chapters six & seven of the Acts of the Apostles. St. Stephen prayed for & forgave his persecutors. He teaches us to do the same. He is also the patron of all deacons.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter six, verses eight thru ten & chapter seven, verses fifty-four thru fifty-nine;
Psalm Thirty-one, verses three(c) thru four, six, eight(a,b), sixteen(b,c), & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter ten, verses seventeen thru twenty-two.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 2nd Day of Christmas

The Klezmonauts, "Good King Wenceslas" from Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: This rendition of "Good King Wenceslas" is instrumental, but the well-known lyrics make it the perfect choice for St. Stephen's Day.
"Good king Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even…"
Alas, there is no snow, much less snow deep & crisp & even.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: The Nativity of the Lord

'Tis the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas): Nativity-link ūnus, Nativity-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day: Mass Readings
The Nativity of the Lord—Night
The Book of Isaiah, chapter nine, verses one thru six;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one thru three & eleven thru thirteen;
The Letter to Titus, chapter two, verses eleven thru fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses one thru fourteen;

The Nativity of the Lord—Dawn
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-two, verses eleven & twelve;
Psalm Ninety-seven, verses one, six, eleven, & twelve;
The Letter to Titus, chapter three, verses four thru seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses fifteen thru twenty;

The Nativity of the Lord—Day
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verses seven thru ten;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one thru six;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter one, verses one thru six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses one thru eighteen;
(or, the Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses one thru five & nine thru fourteen).

The Rebel Black Dot Song of Christmas Day

Sufjan Stevens, "Joy to the World" from Songs for Christmas (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: Normally, yours truly is rather insistent that "Joy to the World" should be "big" rather than "little": "Joy to the World" should knock the roof right off the rafters. This rendition of "Joy to the World" is rather small, but rapturously earnest. There is a moment when even the greatest joy is so overwhelming that no utterance is possible except a small prayer, almost silent; such is this "Joy to the World."
"Joy to the world! The Lord has come;
Let Earth receive her king;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

"Joy to the world! The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

"He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glorious of His righteousness,
And wonders of the His love,
And wonders of the His love,
And wonders of the His love,
And wonders of the His love,
And wonders, wonders of the His love."

Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Song of Christmas Eve

Duvall, "O Holy Night" from O Holy Night (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary:
"Long lay the world in sin & error pining,
'Til He appeared & the soul felt it's worth!
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new & glorious morn.

"Fall on your knees!
O, hear the angel voices,
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born!…

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Irmina of Oeren, Abbess, O.S.B. (died circa 710): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Saint Adela of Pfalzel, Abbess, O.S.B. (died 735): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Ss. Adela & Irmina were sisters, the daughters of St. Dagobert (23 December).

Scripture of the Day: Mass Readings
Advent Weekday
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter seven, verses one thru five, eight(b) thru twelve, fourteen(a), & sixteen;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses two thru five, twenty-seven, & twenty-nine;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses sixty-seven thru seventy-nine.

The Nativity of the Lord—Vigil
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-two, verses one thru five;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses four, five, sixteen, seventeen, twenty-seven, & twenty-nine;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter thirteen, verses sixteen, seventeen, & twenty-two thru twenty-five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses one thru twenty-five;
(or, the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five).

Commentary: Advent continues 'til sunset, or First Vespers, on Christmas Eve, at which point, liturgically, the Christmastide begins.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Operation AXIOM | Urbi et Orbi


Today, 23 December, is the "traditional" observance of Festivus. Festivus is not celebrated in my home, but should be. Why, since two-thirds of us are devout Catholics? As a way to help us recall the true meaning of Christmas. A local evangelical Protestant ("non-denominational") radio station has been playing Christmas music throughout Advent, boasting proudly that they will do so "through December twenty-sixth!," as if that is anything for which they deserve credit. Christmas does not even begin until 25 December, much less end by the next day. The celebration of Festivus might help us demarcate more clearly twixt Advent & the Christmastide. After all, if I had my druthers we wouldn't even deck our halls 'til Christmas Eve, rather than the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which has long been my family's custom. Thus, no decking the halls for Christmas 'til after the Festivus aluminum pole has been put away, an act that itself only follows the "Airing of Grievances" & the "Feats of Strength." If Festivus could help the faithful reclaim the true meaning of Christ's Mass from an overly commercialized secular culture, well, that would be a Festivus miracle!

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint John of Kanty, Priest (1390-1473, A.K.A. John Cantius): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Immediately following his ordination, he accepted a position as rector at the prestigious school of the Canons regular of the Host Holy Sepulcher in Miechow. That such a school would offer him a position at his relatively young age was evidence of John's exceptional intellect & talents. It was there in onducting formation classes for the young novices that he became firmly grounded in the writings & spirituality of St. Augustine(28 August).
Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
St. John of Kanty was bornin a small village near Kanty in Poland. He became a doctor of philosophy at the University of Cracow (Kraków) in 1418. He engaged in pastoral ministry for some time but gave it up & returned to teaching. He transcribed more than eighteen thousand pages of theological treatises. St. John of Kanty distinguished himself by his fidelity to orthodox doctrine & his kindness in his dealings with adversaries. He is buried in the Church of St. Ann in Cracow & from the moment of his death he enjoyed the reputation of a saint & a miracle worker. St. John preached the truth & practiced it. His preaching was reinforced by by his example of humility, chastity, compassion, & penance. He always set aside a portion of his income, & sometimes part of his food, for the poor, whom he welcomed as Christ.
'Tis also the feast of Saint John Stone, Martyr (died 1539), martyred under King Henry VIII, one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link XL.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Book of Malachi, chapter three, verses one thru four, twenty-three, & twenty-four;
Psalm Twenty-five, verses four thru five(b), eight thru ten, & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses fifty-seven thru sixty-six;

or, for the Memorial,
The Letter of James, chapter two, verses fourteen thru seventeen;
Psalm One Hundred Twelve, verse one;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter six, verses twenty-seven thru thirty-eight.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

London Brass, "Festive Christmas Medley (Sleigh Ride/Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas/Jingle Bells/We Wish You a Merry Christmas)" from Christmas with London Brass (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: Four carols for the price of one as the secular Christmas music finale—what a deal!

The Stars My Destination

SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket, which is excellent news by itself in light of June's catastrophic failure of a Falcon 9, but made exceptional in that for the first time they also landed the rocket's reusable first stage: B.B.C.-link & N.S.S.-link. I have been consistently underwhelmed by SpaceX, but if the first stage really can be reused after a relatively quick & inexpensive turnaround, delivering the promised cost-savings on which the whole endeavor is premised, well, then I will be happy to admit that I've misjudged Elon Musk & his company. (I am always happy to admit when I'm wrong, though too often it takes me too long to awaken to my error. 'Tis one of many ways I am trying to grow & improve as a man, a citizen, & a Christian.)

Elsewhere in space (news), N.A.S.A. is crowing about the year its had, with particular emphasis on long-term projects paying dividends, especially the New Horizons probe's fly-by of Pluto & the Dawn probe's orbiting of Ceres: N.A.S.A.-link. (The embedded video is mildly interesting, though the soundtrack is annoying & thematically inappropriate.) Of most interest to your humble narrator is the slow but apparently steady progress of the Orion spacecraft & the S.L.S.—*cough* Ares—rocket.


Liberty & Union
An article in a recent issue of National Review cited the motion pictures Gravity, Interstellar, & The Martian as evidence for a growing renewal of Americans' interest in the space program. We here at The Secret Base hope most sincerely that this in indeed the case, that after the Carter-esque years of the Obama administration's gutting of N.A.S.A.—lamentably cheered on from the Right by libertarians & the "Tea Party" movement—America is getting back into the business of manned spaceflight.

Hollywoodland
There is a new series on Syfy (formerly the Sci-Fi Channel), The Expanse, that in the finely parsed world of science fiction subgenres is tending toward hard science fiction. This itself is startling & most welcome, as television science fiction, even when not bastardized with fantasy elements, tends overwhelmingly toward space opera & soft science fiction. Mind you, there's nothing at all wrong with space opera, & with the interplanetary politics & intrigues there are elements of space opera within The Expanse, but the concern with resources—principally water—& the rigors of spaceflight—drugs & acceleration couches to deal with the effects of high thrust, the "Belters" inability to tolerate Earth's gravity, having grown up in the low-gravity environment of the asteroid belt—signal a hard science fiction sensibility that is something quite different, & most welcome. Three episodes in, The Expanse still looks promising.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Hunger of Utrecht, Bishop (died 866, A.K.A. Hungerus Frisus): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Jutta of Disibodenberg, Abbess, O.S.B. (circa 1084-1136, A.K.A. of Sponheim): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Thomas Holland, Priest & Martyr, S.J. (1600-1642), martyred under King Charles I: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The First Book of Samuel, chapter one, verses twenty-four thru twenty-eight;
The First Book of Samuel, chapter two, verses one & four thru eight(d);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses forty-six thru fifty-six.

Commentary: Today's Mass readings are the exact same as those for 22 December '14 (the first year of BLACK MAMBA record-keeping). This will be the case for the remainder of this week, the end of Advent & the beginning of the Christmastide, especially Friday's Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day).

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

Bruce Springsteen, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" via iTunes (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary:
"He sees you when you're sleeping,
He knows when you're awake,
He knows if you've been bad or good,
You better be good, for goodness sake!…"

Monday, December 21, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

Bob Dylan, "Must Be Santa" via iTunes, (free) Single of the Week (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: "Must Be Santa" builds, adding attributes of Santa Claus as the song progresses. At the end, well, things get just ridiculous, even by the standards of a song describing an immortal, jolly, fat man who dresses in red & commands a team of flying caribou.
"Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon,
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,
Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.

"Reindeer sleigh; come our way;
Ho, ho, ho; cherry nose;
Cap on head; suit that's red;
Special night; beard that's white:
Must be Santa, must be Santa,
Must be Santa, Santa Claus!"

Operation AXIOM


Three hundred ninety-five years ago to the day, 21 December 1620, the Brownist Separatist colonists rightly revered in American history as "the Pilgrims" came ashore from the Mayflower at Plymouth, Massachusetts, to the Plymouth Bay Colony, or New Plymouth. The Pilgrims were not the first New World colonists in what is today the United States: the Spanish settlement at today's Saint Augustine, Florida had been established in 1565. They weren't even the first English colonists: Jamestown & Hampton, in Virginia, had been settled in 1607 & 1610, respectively. No, what set the Pilgrims apart was their motive: the free exercise of religion. As non-conforming Dissenters who defied the Act of Uniformity, the Brownists were persecuted by the Anglican Church almost as fiercely as were Catholics in Elizabethan & then Jacobean England. They had previously found religious refuge in the Dutch Republic (itself still embroiled in the Eighty Tears' War against the Habsburg monarchies of both the Spanish Empire & the Holy Roman Empire), but feared the loss of cultural identity as they, & especially their children, were being assimilated into Dutch society.

In the twenty-first century, the self-proclaimed "smart" people look down their noses at the free exercise of religion. (I use that phrase because those are the words of Amendment I of the United States Constitution, contrary to President Obama's & Secretary Clinton's claims that Americans enjoy only the "freedom to worship".) This was no fit of pique by the Pilgrims, no refusal to "play nice" with others. Crossing the Atlantic in the early seventeenth century was not a lark, & there was nothing easy about establishing an entirely new settlement out of the North American wilderness, especially not beginning in the teeth of a New England winter. Almost half of the original colonists died that first winter. But it is not just their determination to honor God as their consciences demanded that has endeared the Pilgrims to generations of patriots, no. A month before the landing at Plymouth, as the Mayflower sat off of today's Provincetown, Massachusetts, the colonists drafted & signed the Mayflower Compact, another in the link of governing documents that inspired our great republic's foundational charters—the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation & Perpetual Union, the aforementioned Constitution. We honor the Pilgrims because in so many ways they were the model for the Framers of the Revolutionary era, the men who first secured for us the blessings of liberty, not quite two centuries before we were born.

The Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth (maybe, but probably not at Plymouth Rock, of which they made no mention) on 21 December 1620, three hundred ninety-five years ago today.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Canisius, Priest & Doctor of the Church, S.J. (1521-1597): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. I'm not the guy to spearhead ecumenical initiatives, because I cackled with delight upon being reminded of one of St. Peter Canisius's nicknames, the "Hammer of Protestantism." Heresy must be opposed as St. Peter did it, not with violence or civil sanction, but with firm conviction, carefully reasoned & eloquently articulated.

Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Staunch defender of the Church [against] reformist Protestants in Europe. He was an educator & opened colleges for the Jesuits. He spread the findings of the Council of Trent to the European archbishops.
Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
St. Peter Canisius was canonized & declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925. Pope Leo XIII called him the second apostle of Germany, after St. Boniface (5 June). At the age of twenty-three, Peter entered the Society of Jesus & published treatises on the Fathers of the Church. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1546 & became the theologian to the cardinal of Augsburg at the Council of Trent. Called to Rome by St. Ignatius of Loyola (31 July), he was sent to Messina, Sicily, to teach rhetoric. He spent thirty years in Germany working for the renewal of Catholic life. He wrote a Catechism which was written in a persuasive & logical way. St. Peter had a mystical experience of the Sacred Heart. He is an excellent example of how to dialogue with persons outside the Catholic Church.
'Tis also the feast of Saint Anastasius II of Antioch, Bishop & Martyr (died 609, A.K.A. the Younger), martyred by Syrian Jews: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Not to be confused with Pope Anastasius II (died 498).

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings
The Song of Songs, chapter two, verses eight thru fourteen;
or, the Book of Zephaniah, chapter three, verses fourteen thru eighteen(a);
Psalm Thirty-three, verses two & three, eleven & twelve, & twenty & twenty-one;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses thirty-nine thru forty-five;

or, for the Memorial,
The Second Letter to Timothy, chapter four, verses one thru five;
Psalm Forty, verses eight(a) & nine(a);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses thirteen thru nineteen.

Commentary's Today's ordinary Gospel reading is the same as yesterday's, for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The First Reading should also sound familiar, as it was the same of the First Reading on the Third Sunday of Advent.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

The Explorers' Club, № CDLXXVI

Operation AXIOM: The World War
Roland Leighton (1895-1915), the British poet who declined a place at Merton College, Oxford, in order to join the war effort in 1914 & converted to Catholicism while at the front; forever immortalized in the writings of his fiancée, Vera Brittain, especially Testament of Youth & Letters from a Lost Generation; killed by a German sniper on 23 December 1915.







Commentary: Leighton was born on 27 March 1895 & died on 23 December 1915, at age twenty. His gravestone (above) incorrectly gives his age as nineteen. (Below) Leighton, played by Kit Harrington.



Lest we forget.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Fourth Sunday of Advent

'Tis the Fourth Sunday of Advent: Advent-link & Wikipedia-link.

Otherwise, 20 December would be the feast of Saint Dominic of Silos, Abbot, O.S.B. (1000-1073): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Twould also be the feast of Blessed Vincent Romano, Priest (1751-1831): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-four (verses one thru fifty-one).

Mass Readings
The Book of Micah, chapter five, verses one thru four(a);
Psalm Eighty, verses two, three, fifteen, sixteen, eighteen, & nineteen;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter ten, verses five thru ten;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses thirty-nine thru forty-five.

Mass Journal: Week Fifty-two
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute
Does it not strike you as a great poverty of leadership that here in America we cannot put one person on the evening news who can be acknowledged by Americans from coast to coast as a Catholic leader? Where is the "someone" who speaks for us? It is true that occasionally a cardinal or bishop effectively harnesses that media in his diocese & establishes a vibrant identity as a Catholic leader in his geographic area. It is also true that some lay Catholics who occupy positions of prominence in the business world, the entertainment world, or the political realm has successfully established a Catholic identity in different ways. But we have no national figures, not within the clergy & not among the laity. Does that not strike you as a massive poverty of leadership? Where is the Catholic leader who can speak to the people of our time in ways that are bold, brilliant, logical, articulate, & inspiring?
One cannot help but think of the late Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979), Bishop of Rochester, who hosted the radio program The Catholic Hour from 1930-1951 & the television programs Life Is Worth Living from 1950-1957 & The Fulton Sheen Program from 1961-1968: Wikipedia-link. We have no Bishop Sheen today. The closest analog one can recall would be the Most Reverend Robert Barron, newly-installed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who works through "new media" via his Word on Fire Catholic Ministries: Bishop Barron-link & wordonfire.org-link.


But for all his good works, His Excellency Bishop Barron does not permeate the popular culture as Venerable Bishop Sheen did in his day. Of course, one must also acknowledge that Bishop Barron is facing a vastly different culture & a fragmented mass media. Who will be the Catholic leader for whom this week's reflection by Matthew Kelly calls? One does not know, but one hopes he or she will rise to prominence sooner rather than later.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 4th Sunday of Advent

The Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" from Toys for Tots: 25 All-Time Christmas Favorites (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: This rendition of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is instrumental, & delightfully so, but I still thought I should mark the occasion by mentioning my favorite line from the lyrics:
"The hopes & fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight…"
Urbi et Orbi
I often warn persons around the parish that prayer is a very powerful thing & that anything that powerful is potentially dangerous. You have to be careful for what you ask the Lord, because He just might give exactly what you wanted. The last two winters, widely regarded as the fiercest in almost forty years, were the winters I'd been praying for my whole life. They were exactly what I'd been asking for. They were a tremendous blessing, for which I am thankful each & every day, especially now that I am living in a snowless, sun-blasted wasteland.



Fair warning: I'll never stop praying for more of the same.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

The Queue

There is great joy in the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. There is very little joy in the writings of His Holiness Pope Francis, marred as they are by his mushy reasoning & fondness for arguing against straw men. In fairness, getting through any papal encyclical might be a slog, as the only examples I've read are his (though Lumen Fidei is described as being largely the work of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI). Francis is the pope, & he may even be a great pope—I pray for his spiritual & physical health, his pontificate, & his prayer intentions every day—but a great communicator I fear he is not.

Before deciding to read Rediscover Jesus I polled those who had read it, asking them this question: Is it by the good Matthew Kelly of The Four Signs of the Dynamic Catholic or the unreadable Matthew Kelly of Rediscover Catholicism? I was assured 'tis by the former; time shall tell.

Recently
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)
Sam Posey, Where the Writer Meets the Road: A Collection of Articles, Broadcast Intros, and Profiles
Pope Francis, Laudato Si' (On Care for Our Common Home)

Currently
Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation

Daily
Pope Francis & Henri J. H. Nouwen, Welcoming Jesus: Advent Reflections
Madeline Pecora Nugent, The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-by-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

Presently
Dr. John Bergsma, Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History
Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church
Rice Broocks, God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty
Richard Price, Clockers
Sir Richard Francis Burton, translator, "Sinbad the Sailor" from The Arabian Nights
Sir Ernest Shackleton, South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Anastasius I, Pope (died 401): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Urban V, Pope, O.S.B. (1310-1370): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Blessed Kazimiera Wołowska, Martyr (1879-1942, A.K.A. Marta Wołowska, Maria Marta of Jesus), one of the One Hundred Eight Martyrs of World War II, martyred under the Führer Adolf Hitler: Martyr-link Kilo Whiskey, Martyrs-link CVIII, & Wikipedia-link CVIII.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-two, verses thirty-four thru forty-five & chapter twenty-three (verses one thru thirty-nine).

Mass Readings
The Book of Judges, chapter thirteen, verses two thru seven, twenty-four, & twenty-five(a);
Psalm Seventy-one, verses three, four(a), five, six(a,b), sixteen, & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses five thru twenty-five.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Christmas at Ground Zero" from Polka Party! (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: For my money, there's not enough gallows humor around the holidays. I'm all for earnest good will & genuine cheer, but can't some of that cheer be derived from laughing at the grimness of life, rather than pretending 'tis suspended for the duration?
"It's Christmas ground zero,
There's panic in the crowd,
We can dodge debris while we trim the tree
Underneath a mushroom cloud!

"You might hear some reindeer on your rooftop,
Or Jack Frost on your window sill,
But if someone's climbing down your chimney,
You'd better load your gun and shoot to kill!…

"It's Christmas at ground zero,
Just seconds left to go!
I'll duck-and-cover with my Yuletide lover
Underneath the mistletoe!

"It's Christmas at ground zero,
Now the missiles are on their way,
What a crazy fluke, we're gonna get nuked
On this jolly holiday!
What a crazy fluke, we're gonna get nuked
On this jolly holiday!"

Friday, December 18, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Auxentius of Mopsuestia, Bishop (fourth century): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Saint Winebald, Abbot, O.S.B. (circa 701-768, numerous variant spellings): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. St. Winebald hailed from a family of saints: his father, mother, brother, sister, & uncle (mother's brother) are all canonized. Wow! Not the Holy Family, but certainly a holy family.

Breaking news! A second miracle attributed to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, A.K.A. Mother Teresa) has been recognized, setting the stage for her canonization in September 2016: Vatican-link & Reuters-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-one (verses one thru forty-six) & chapter twenty-two, verses one thru thirty-three.

Mass Readings
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter twenty-three, verses five thru eight;
Psalm Seventy-two, verses one, two, twelve, thirteen, eighteen, & nineteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day


The Puppini Sisters, "Winter Wonderland" from Christmas with the Puppini Sisters (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: We here at The Secret Base do not truck with vicious anti-Catholic bigot Norman Vincent Peale & his pseudo-scientific claptrap about "positive thinking," but it can't hurt to maintain an optimistic outlook, such as posting a "snow route" photograph when there is no snow on the ground, just a week away from Christmas Day.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Operation AXIOM

One hundred twelve years ago to the day, 17 December 1903, the Wright bros., Wilbur & Orville, conducted the first flights of a controlled, powered, heavier-than-air aeroplane, the Wright Flyer, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.


The world has been utterly transformed by aviation over the last century-plus: communications, commerce, exploration, war—all have been immeasurably changed. The development of the unmanned drones that the behemoth retailer Amazon.com might soon use to delivery parcels to the doorsteps & balconies of consumers owes a direct debt to the pioneering work of the Wright bros. Manned spaceflight—astronautics—is a direct outgrowth of flight—aeronautics. Man from the planet Earth would never have set foot on the Moon in peace for all Mankind if not for the work of those who followed in the footsteps of the Wright bros.

The Wright bros. were not the first men to fly, that honor belongs to the balloonists, but it is the aeroplane, not the airship that changed the world. The Wright bros. were not the only men trying to conquer the air in those early days of the twentieth century, but to the victors go the spoils. The aeroplane has radically changed the world, & the first successful aeroplane, the Wright Flyer, flew at Kitty Hawk one hundred twelve years ago today.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Lazarus of Bethany (first century), friend of the Lord Jesus, brother of Saints Mary & Martha of Bethany (29 July): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. The resurrection of Lazarus is recounted in the Gospel according to John, chapter eleven, verses one thru forty-four (John, 11:1-44). In chapter twelve, our Lord & Lazarus share a meal; being dead for four days must make a man mighty hungry.

'Tis also the feast of Saint John of Matha, Priest, O.SS.T. (circa 1160-1213), founder of the Trinitarians, formally the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Redemption of the Captives: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link O.SS.T..


Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty (verses one thru thirty-four).

Mass Readings
The Book of Genesis, chapter forty-nine, verses two & eight thru ten;
Psalm Seventy-two, verses one thru four(a,b), seven, eight, & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses one thru seventeen.

Commentary: My personal Scripture reading will be interrupted by the delightful company of far-flung kith & kin during the Christmastide. With a slightly accelerated schedule, I can finish Matthew by Christmas Eve. After the holidays, instead of reading the Gospel according to Luke & the Acts of the Apostles, I will begin reading the Book of Genesis. I am undecided if I will make it through all fifty chapters without any interlude to the New Testament. Recent discussions have reinforced for me the necessity of becoming better-versed with the Old Testament, & I have become (& continue to become) with the Gospels & the epistles. What better place to start than at the beginning?

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day



Dean Martin, "White Christmas" from Christmas with Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, [&] Dean Martin (The Last Angry Man)

Comeetnary: The Greatest weakness of the collection Christmas with Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, [&] Dean Martin is that it has "White Christmas" as performed by Martin, not Crosby. No offense to Deano, but "White Christmas" is Bing's signature song. I'm all for others singing "White Christmas," as evinced by yesterday's R.B.D.S.O.T.D., but having the song sung by anybody other than Bing Crosby on a compilation album that includes Bing Crosby is nonsensical.
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know…

"May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Several of my catechism students (fifth & sixth grades) gave me Christmas presents at tonight's last class before the Christmastide break. Three of the four gave me candy, while the fourth gifted me a scented candle. Thus, I am doomed: I barely have the willpower not to buy candy when I am at the grocery store; I quite frankly do not have the self-discipline not to eat the blasted stuff once it's inside the house. Drat!, drat!, & double drat! So much for the fantasy of not swelling up like a balloon—a morbidly obese balloon—this holiday season.

Also, earlier in the day my father's war-gaming pal, with the comic-book-villain name of Mr. Legacy, told me that he'd thought of me earlier in the day when he spied a one-pound Snickers bar at a filling station. Oh, hey, thanks. I know the Lord Jesus told us not to return insults for insults for our ultimate good, but it sure would be temporarily gratifying to do so.

Well past time, I'd say, to reactivate Operation ÖSTERREICH.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

'Tis the feast of Saint Ado of Vienne, Bishop, O.S.B. (died 874): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

'Tis also the feast of Saint Adelaide of Italy (931-999, A.K.A. of Burgundy), Holy Roman Empress & regent of the Holy Roman Empire: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Since becoming aware of her last year, I have routinely requested St. Adelaide's intercession in my prayers for priestly vocations.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter nineteen (verses one thru thirty).

Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-five, verses 6(c) thru eight, eighteen, & twenty-one(c) thru twenty-five;
Psalm Eighty-five, verses nine(a,b) & ten thru fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter seven, verses eighteen(b) thru twenty-three.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day



Michael Bublé & Shania Twain, "White Christmas" from Christmas (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: Both Mr. Bublé & Ms. Twain hail from the Great White North, also known as the Canadas. That has to help the odds of sacred Michigan, the most Canadian state in the Union, experiencing a white Christmas, no?
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know…

"May all your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white…"

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today we remember Saint Offa of Essex (eighth century, A.K.A. King Offa): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

We also remember Saint Margaret of Fontana, Virgin, T.O.S.D. (1440-1513): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

We also remember Blessed Mary Frances Schervier, Religious, S.P.S.F. (1819-1876), foundress of the Poor Sisters of Saint Francis & the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor: Blessed-link ūna, Blessed-link duae, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link S.P.S.F. & Wikipedia-link S.F.P..

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eighteen (verses one thru thirty-five).

Mass Readings
The Book of Zephaniah, chapter three, verses one, two, & nine thru thirteen;
Psalm Thirty-four, verses two, three, six, seven, seventeen thru nineteen, & twenty-three;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-one, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-two.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day



Bing Crosby, "White Christmas" via iTunes (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: On Sunday & Monday, daytime temperatures exceeded sixty degress Fahrenheit (>60˚ F). This is abominable weather, unseasonable nonsense that is taking much of the merriness out of the season. That said, the time has not yet come to panic. We must acknowledge that 'tis still technically fall, that winter does not begin for another week. This heat wave is still an outrage, but 'tis not yet time to despair of having a white Christmas.
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know…

"May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white…"

Monday, December 14, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl), "Fairytale of New York" from The Best of the Pogues (The Guy)

Commentary: The Guy posted the video to "Fairytale of New York" to his FaceSpace page over the weekend, confirming the choice of a song that had been rattling around my head as a R.B.D.S.O.T.D. candidate. Not Christmas-y enough, you say? Bollocks! Life doesn't stop for Christmas, Christmas is instead a celebration of life in all its myriad colors, sounds, & flavors.
"The boys in the N.Y.P.D. Choir were singing 'Glory Be,'
And the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day…"

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today is the Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest & Doctor of the Church, O.C.D. (1542-1591), co-founder of the Discalced Carmelites, formally the Order of Discalced Friars of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link O.C.D.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
He was a major figure in the Counter-Reformation, a Spanish mystic, a… saint, a Carmelite friar, & a priest. John of the Cross was a reformer of the Carmelite Order & is considered, along with Saint Tereas of Ávila (15 October), as a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. He is also known for his writings. Both his poetry & his studies on the growth of the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature & one of the peaks of all Spanish literature.
Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
Born in Fontiveros, Spain in 1542, St. John of the Cross became a great mystic & Doctor of the Church. He entered the Carmelite Order in 1563. When he met St. Teresa of Ávila, she convinced him to help her in the reform of the Carmelites. He suffered much persecution including imprisonment from his fellow Carmelite friars who were opposed to the stricter reforms. He had many mystical experiences which he… expressed in beautiful poems & treatises: The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night of the Soul, The Spiritual Canticle, & The Living Flame of Love. [His writings teach] detachment from earthly things because they are darkness in comparison to sweet union with God. The way to union with God is through the Cross. One of his admonitions was that in the evening of life we shall be judged by love. He died at Ubeda in 1591.

Saint Quote of the week: "At the end of our life, we will be judged by our love." —St. John of the Cross, whose feast day in 14 December
We also remember Saint Spyridon, Bishop (circa 270-348): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter seventeen (verses one thru twenty-seven).

Mass Readings
The Book of Numbers, chapter twenty-four, verses two thru seven & fifteen thru seventeen (a);
Psalm Twenty-five, verses four, five(a,b), six, seven(b,c), eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-one, verses twenty-three thru twenty-seven;

or, for the Memorial,
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter two, verses one thru ten(a);
Psalm Thirty-seven, verse thirty(a);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter fourteen, verses twenty-five thru thirty-three.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

The Explorers' Club, № CDLXXV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Siege of Kut, Part I
7 December 1915: The 6th (Poona) Division of the British Indian Army, in retreat after its defeat at Ctesiphon, was surrounded by German-led Ottoman forces at the village of Kut Al Amara; the British cavalry successfully broke out; & the Ottomans began building defensive works downriver (the Tigris) to thwart anticipated British relief expeditions.









Lest we forget.

Commentary: The Battle of Ctesiphon, 22-25 November 1915; see: № CDLXXI.

The Savage Wars of Peace: After Paris


One month ago, on 13 November 2015, jihadist terrorists loyal to Daesh (or I.S.I.L., the Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant, among many other names) murdered one hundred thirty defenseless civilians in Paris & Saint-Denis, France. These outrages were the deadliest acts of radical Islamist terrorism in Western Europe since the Madrid train bombings in '04 (11 March 2004) & came as Paris was still recovering from the January '15 jihadist attacks, the Charlie Hebdo massacre & subsidiary attacks during the subsequent manhunt.

The day before the massacre & bombings, the American president, Barack Obama, declared Daesh "contained," a most unfortunately timed remark. The French president, François Hollande, declared "war" against Daesh: French airstrikes against I.S.I.L.'s "caliphate" in Iraq & Syria have stepped up in intensity & emergency powers have been proclaimed within metropolitan France, leading to massive police raids & arrests. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, was "locked down" for four days (21-25 November) while police sought a Paris suspect. In the aftermath, the degenerate state of American political discourse was on full display, as instead of debating how best to go about destroying Daesh & rescuing the peoples of the Middle East from the "caliphate's" barbarism, discussion focused on the resettlement of Syrian refugees—despite the fact that all of the Paris attackers were E.U. citizens, not refugees. On 2 December, a husband & wife team of jihadist gunmen attacked San Bernardino, California, murdering fourteen before themselves being killed in a shootout with police. In response, presidential candidate (& aspiring Fascist strongman) Donald J. Trump, the avatar of everything ugly in the American soul, proposed a moratorium on entry into the United States by Muslims are all nationalities—despite the fact that one of the San Bernardino jihadists was a native-born American citizen.


I urge you, dear readers, neither to forget the tragedy of Paris nor to despair that the end is nigh. If "The Explorers' Club's" continued observation of the centenary of the Great War of 1914-1918 teaches us nothing else, it should be that Western civilization has endured worse days than these. The War on Terror that began in earnest after 9/11 & was declared "won" in the early years of the Obama administration will continue for the foreseeable future. The struggle against radical Islam is a generational one, a fight that will be waged principally within Islam itself, which must confront the disillusionment with the twenty-first century that makes the savage, mediæval ideology of al-Qaeda & its affiliates & Daesh & its affiliates attractive & appealing to a small but significant percentage of the ummah, the worldwide Muslim community. Radical Islam is the enemy of Islam, as well as both Christianity & secular humanism.

(Another time, we shall discuss the differences 'twixt the challenge posed by radical Islam in the twenty-first century with that posed by Soviet Communism in the mid-twentieth century, differences that made containment s viable strategy against the latter but not against the former.)

We are engaged in a terrible struggle, a war not of our choosing but a war we dare not lose. We are fighting a war for civilization itself, a war to determine if we shall be masters of ourselves or if we shall bow to the whims of whomever is ruthless enough to impose his will upon us. We are fighting a war for the freedom not just to vote or to worship the Lord as we understand Him, but the freedom not to be murdered while standing in line to enter a sporting event, the freedom not to be murdered at a concert, the freedom to walk down the street without worrying about a suicide bomber. We are fighting for the simple right to live unafraid, to live as we choose. We are fighting for the right. I leave you with the words of Abraham Lincoln, from the Cooper Union speech of 27 February 1860:
"Let us have faith that right makes might, & in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

Project BLACK MAMBA: Third Sunday of Advent

Today is the Third (Gaudette) Sunday of Advent: Gaudette-link, Advent-link, & Wikipedia-link.

Otherwise, on 13 December we would remember Saint Lucy, Virgin & Martyr (283-304), martyred under the emperor Diocletian: Martyr-link ūna, Martyr-link duae, Martyr-link tria, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
St. Lucy was martyred in Syracuse, Sicily. As Lucy was on her way to the visit the tomb of St. Agatha (5 February), the saint appeared to her & said that the Lord would bless the city of Syracuse because of Lucy's virginal love. St. Lucy then convinced her mother to give her dowry to the poor. In anger, Lucy's fiancé brought her before the judges to be violated & tortured. Her body became immovable & even though she was wounded, she continued to pray & give witness to Christ.
We would also remember Saint Callixtus II, Pope, O.S.B. (circa 1064-1124, A.K.A. Callistus II): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter sixteen (verses one thru twenty-eight).

Mass Readings
The Book of Zephaniah, chapter three, verses fourteen thru eighteen(a);
The Book of Isaiah, chapter twelve, verses two thru six;
The Letter to the Philippians, chapter four, verses four thru seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter three, verses ten thru eighteen.

Mass Journal: Week Fifty-one
Reflection by Mathew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute
The early Church was unstoppable, & as far as I can tell, it was because they followed this simple strategy: They believed that the values & principles of the Gospel were the best way to live. They nurtured friendships. They were deeply committed to a life of prayer. They were courageous in telling their story. They were generous & welcoming. Friendship is the original model of evangelization, & it is the model that will triumph in the modern context. Friendship establishes trust & mutual respect, which together bring about the openness & acceptance that give birth to vulnerable dialogue. Only then can we begin addressing the questions that every human heart longs to answer: Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I here for? How do I do it? Where am I going? Friendship is the key to evangelization.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the 3rd Sunday of Advent

Sufjan Stevens, "Once in Royal David's City" from Songs for Christmas (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: There are two renditions of "Once in Royal David's City" on Songs for Christmas. Today's R.B.D.S.O.T.D. is the longer of the two, 3:40 as compared to 2:01, & features the song's lovely lyrics, whereas the shorter rendition is instrumental.
"Once in royal David's city,
Stood a lonely cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed.
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

"He came down to earth from Heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall,
With the poor, oppressed, and lowly
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

"And our eyes at last shall see Him
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child, so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in Heaven above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone."

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531): Our Lady-link ūna, Our Lady-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '14. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Juan (9 December) came before the bishop & several of his advisors a second time. He told the bishop his story & opened the tilma, letting the flowers fall out. But it wasn't the beautiful roses that caused the bishop & his advisors to fall to their knees; for there, on the tilma, was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely as Juan had described her.
Our Lady first appeared to St. Juan Diego on 9 December 1531, which is why his feast is celebrated annually on that date (Wayback Machine Juliett Delta). The miraculous image properly titled Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on St. Juan Diego's tilma before His Excellency Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, O.F.M. three days later, on 12 December, & thus the date of today's feast.

There is a reproduction of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Holy Redeemer, as in many Catholic churches. This morning, at the last minute, a special Guadalupe Mass was organized for this morning at 11:00 A.M. I was wiped out by the exertion of last night's concert (I could barely breathe, let along sing; in retrospect, I shouldn't have gone at all) & my middle-of-the-night shift in the perpetual adoration chapel, so I didn't get out of bed 'til noon, by which time I found out about the Guadalupe Mass after the fact via text message & e-mail. It could be said that organization is not our parish's strong suit.


Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter fifteen (verses one thru thirty-nine).

Mass Readings
The Book of Zechariah, chapter two, verses fourten thru seventeen;
or, the Book of Revelation, chapter eleven, verse nineteen(a) & chapter twelve, verses one thru six(a) & ten(a,b);
The Book of Judith, chapter thirteen, verses eighteen(b) thru nineteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight;
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses thirty-nine thru forty-seven.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day


The Puppini Sisters, "Mele Kalikimaka" from Christmas with The Puppini Sisters (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: The etymology of the phrase "mele kalikimaka" is fascinating: Wikipedia-link.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Damasus I, Pope (circa 305-384): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Encouraged his personal Secretary Saint Jerome (30 September) in his Vulgate translation of the Bible; presided over the Council of Rome in 382, which may have set down the canon of Scripture; encouraged veneration of the Christian martyrs, restoring & creating access to their tombs in the Catacombs of Rome & elsewhere.
Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter fourteen (verses one thru thirty-six).

Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-eight, verses seventeen thru nineteen;
Psalm One, verses one thru four & six;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eleven, verses sixteen thru nineteen;

or, for the Memorial,
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter twenty, verses seventeen, eighteen(a), twenty-eight thru thirty-two, & thirty-six;
Psalm One Hundred Ten, verse four(b);
The Gospel according to John, chapter fifteen, verses nine thru seventeen.

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

The Brian Setzer Orchestra, "The Nutcracker Suite" from Elf: Music from the Major Motion Picture (The Last Angry Man)

Autobahn
I espied vanity license plate yesterday that I have yet to decipher, which I find vexing: BDGROSS. Is it meant to be read "B. D. Gross" or "B. D. G. Ross"? Or is there another possible meaning that has escaped me entirely? Vexing!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

He's Dead, Jim

I have a cold. It feels like this is the tail end, but my nose is still stuffy & while my throat isn't sore to the point of being raw, my voice—my precious voice!—isn't what it should be. The timing stinks, as tomorrow night, Friday, 11 December, is the annual Christmas Cantata at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Flint Township, a joint concert by the choirs of St. Pius X, Holy Redeemer, & musicians from U. of M.—Flint & M.S.U., et al. This will be my third year performing in the Cantata, so by this point I have a little bit of confidence in my ability to sing the show—if, of course, I had my voice, my normal voice. By Lucifer's beard!

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today we remember Our Lady of Loreto & the Translation of the Holy House: Our Lady-link, Santa Casa-link, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Holy House, Batman!

We also remember Saint Polydore Plasden, Priest & Martyr (1563-1591), martyred under Queen Elizabeth I, one of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link Papa Papa; Wikipedia-link XL.

We also remember Saint John Roberts, Priest & Martyr, O.S.B. (1577-1610), martyred under King James I, another of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter thirteen (verses one thru fifty-eight).

Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-one, verses thirteen thru twenty;
Psalm One Hundred Forty-five, verses one & nine thru thirteen(a,b);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eleven, verses eleven thru fifteen.

Commentary: There are a lot of thirteens in today's reading. Triskaidekaphobia, anyone?

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

Sufjan Stevens, "Christmas in the Room" from Silver & Gold (The Last Angry Man)

Commentary: "Christmas in the Room" is a hauntingly beautiful song, not a chipper as the usual Yuletide fare, but the joy of Christmas to be deeper than a smile fueled by spiked eggnog & an intentionally ugly sweater.

Besides, this is Advent, not Christmas. Advent is about waiting for the coming of the Christ. Not the First Coming two millennia ago in Judea—though we remember & celebrate the salvific miracle of the Incarnation with the great feats of Christmas, Christ's Mass—no, Advent is about waiting, watching, & yearning for the Second Coming, the
Parousia, the great & terrible Day of the Lord. Not exactly the rosy picture of sugar plumbs, mistletoe, & flying reindeer we equate with this time of year. But I digress.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Rebel Black Dot Christmas Song of the Day

She & Him, "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" from A Very She & Him Christmas (Captain Malice)

Commentary: Captain Malice didn't nominate "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" as the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. No, he inspired today's R.B.D.S.O.T.D. by posting an image to the FaceSpace in which A Very She & Him Christmas was re-titled An Insufferable Hipster Christmas. Nicely done!

Project BLACK MAMBA: Advent

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuautlatoatzin (1474-1548): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. The Holy Redeemer bulletin doesn't relate anything about St. Juan Diego, so even more than usual I would urge you to avail yourself of the Wayback Machine hyperlink.

We also remember Saint Valeria of Limoges, Martyr (date indeterminate, A.K.A. Valerie): Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twelve (verses one thru fifty).

Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter forty, verses twenty-five thru thirty-one;
Psalm One Hundred Three, verses one thru four, eight, & ten;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eleven, verses twenty-eight thru thirty;

or, for the Memorial,
The Book of Deuteronomy, chapter six, verses three thru nine;
Psalm One Hundred Thirty-one;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter eleven, verses twenty-five thru thirty.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Explorers' Club, № CDLXXIV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Serbian Campaign, Part IV
6-12 December 1915: The Battle of Kosturino—The Bulgarian 2nd Army, that had defeated the French at Krovilak; rough terrain; & brutal winter weather defeated the British 10th (Irish) Division, compelling a retreat back to Salonika, thus completing the Central Powers' conquest of Serbia.









Lest we forget.

Commentary: The Battle of Krivolak, 17 October-21 November 1915; see: № CDLXXII.