The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Reel Big Fish, "Beer" (live) from Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album, Disc 1: More Shtick Than You Can Shake a Stick At (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I selected the live rendition of "Beer" in part because two of the previous three R.B.D.S.O.T.D.s were live recordings, but also because I adore Reel Big Fish's (R.B.F.) on-stage banter. I salute the Dance Hall Crashers for the subtitle of their live record, The Live Record: Witless Banter and 25 Mildly Antagonistic Songs of Love, because most stage banter is witless. R.B.F. are something of an exception, if relentless, bitter sarcasm is a form of wit. Says Aaron Barrett, front man, lead singer, guitarist, & chief songwriter, "Anyway, I hate this song & I hate all of you—just kidding, I don't hate this song."

A fortnight or so back, I greatly amused my parish's director of religious education/pastoral associate by quoting these timeless lyrics from "Beer":

"She looks like heaven,
Maybe this is hell…"

Happy SKApril, rude girls & rude boys! Don't stop skanking!

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Toasters, "Underground Town" (live) from Live In São Paulo, Brazil (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: The Toasters have been at it for over thirty years, since 1981. They were among the first American ska bands, though the only consistent band member has been a Brit, front man & vocalist Bucket Hingley. Ska needs bands who are in it for the long haul, folks who will carry the torch betwixt periods of faddish popularity. Ska originated in Jamaica, influenced by post-war American rhythm & blues; 2-Tone originated in Britain, influenced by West Indian immigration at the end of the Empire; ska punk originated in America, influenced by the punk scene & its dedication to remaining a subculture. From whence will the by-my-reckoning overdue fourth wave of ska originate? From whence & when? "Ska, ska, ska…"

"Underground Town" is about the New York City subway system; I've only experienced the subway since it was cleaned up & made safer, if more prosaic, under Mayor Giuliani & his successors, not as described in the song. "Underground Town" is also the sort of smooth, rhythmic ska that I can listen to for hours on end.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin & Doctor of the Church, T.O.S.D. (1347-1380): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

Catherine continued to have visions of Christ, Mary, & the saints at the age of 16. St. catherine was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day, although she never had any formal training.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses one thru eleven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses thirty-six(B) thru forty-three;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eleven, verses twenty-seven thru thirty;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter thirteen, verses five(B) thru twelve.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter twelve, verse twenty-four thru chapter thirteen, verse five(A);
Psalm Sixty-seven, verses two & three, five & six, eight;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twelve, verses forty-four thru fifty.

Commentary: Acts, 12; John, 12; what, no Psalm 12? I tease, of course, because Psalm 67 is glorious from beginning to end, all eight brief verses of it.

The Explorers' Club, № CDXLI

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Gallipoli Campaign, Part II
25 April 1915: The Landings at "Anzac Cove" & Cape Helles—amphibious assaults by the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps (A.N.Z.A.C.) & British & French forces aimed at the Ottoman forts that commanded the Dardanelles; one of the most bungled operations of the whole war, marked by lethargic command & chaotic communications, which might have succeeded anyway were it not for the exceptional Turkish commander, Mustafa Kemal, later immortalized as Atatürk.











Lest we forget.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Backlog

Had 26 April not been the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we would have remembered Pope Saint Marcellinus (d. 304), martyred under the Emperor Diocletian: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day (Sunday)
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses eight thru twelve;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one, eight & nine, twenty-one thru twenty-three, twenty-six, twenty-eight & twenty-nine;
The First Letter of John, chapter three, verses one & two;
The Gospel according to John, chapter ten, verses eleven thru eighteen.

Urbi et Orbi
This noontide, on the one hundred eighteenth day of the year, I attended by one hundred first Mass. I did not succeed in my Lenten goal of attending Mass every day of that penitential season, but thus far I am meeting or exceeding my annual goals of not missing a single Sunday & attending at least two non-Sundays Masses a week. The year is yet young & I am yet a sinful wretch, so there is much more work to be done.

MMVIII: XXXII
MMIX: XXXIII
MMX: XXXII
MMXI: XXXVII
MMXII: XLV
MMXIII: LXIII
MMXIV: CXXX
MMXV: CI…

* * * * *

On 27 April we remembered Saint Simeon of Jerusalem (d. c. 107), bishop, martyred under the Emperor Trajan: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day (Monday)
Personal Reading
The Acts of the Apostles, chapters twenty & twenty-one.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eleven, verses one thru eighteen;
Psalm Forty-two, verses two & three & Psalm Forty-three, verse three & four;
The Gospel according to John, chapter ten, verses one thru ten.

* * * * *

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Peter Chanel, Priest & Martyr, S.M. (1803-1841), martyred under the priest-king Niuliki: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

When the king's son expressed a desire to be baptized, the king dispatched a group of his warriors (to) kill the missionaries. St. Peter was seized & clubbed to death by those he had come to save. His death brought his work to completion—within five months the entire island was converted to Christianity.

'Tis also the optional memorial of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, Priest, T.O.S.D. (1673-1716), founder of the Company of Mary, the Daughters of Wisdom, & the Gabrielite Brothers, formally the Brothers of Christian Instruction of St. Gabriel: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Company, Wikipedia-link Daughters, & Wikipedia-link Brothers.

Scripture of the Day (Today)
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eleven, verse nineteen thru twenty-six;
Psalm Eighty-seven, verses one(B) thru seven;
The Gospel according to John, chapter ten, verses twenty-two thru thirty.

Mass Journal: Week 18
Reflection by Matthew Kelly of the Dynamic Catholic Institute

G. K Chesterton wrote, "Christianity has not been tried & found wanting; it has been found difficult & not tried." This is particularly true of Catholicism. Of all the many people I know who have rejected Catholicism, or who are critical of it, I do not know a single person who has truly explored & embraced the Catholic lifestyle. If you humbly open your heart, mind, & soul to the genius of Catholicism, you will not find it wanting.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Mu330, "San Francisco" from Mu330 (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: In the grand scheme of things, the ska community is not that large & never was. The world further shrinks when bands are label-mates & tour together. Potshot's contribution to SKApril '11, the first SKApril, was titled "Mu330;" per usual, Potshot's broken, heavily accented English & free mix of Japanese & English makes the lyrics nigh-impossible to understand, but the chorus is very clearly the band name "Mu330" repeated over & over again, interspliced with some standard whoas (Wayback Machine). Mu330 haven't gone to those lengths, but some familiar names appears in the lyrics of "San Francisco":

"I just got off the 'phone
And I'm sitting here all alone,
But I couldn't feel better:
Mike's gonna give me his ticket
And I'm gonna fly to San Francisco!
I'm gonna play with Johnny Socko,
And I'm gonna fly to San Francisco!…"

"Mike" is of course Mike Park, founder of Asian Man Records as well as a musician in his own right, fronting such SKApril standouts as The Bruce Lee Band, The Chinkees, & Skankin' Pickle.

There is a band called Mu330, a song titled "Mu330," & an album titled Mu330. Alas, the stars do not align perfectly, as when the band King Apparatus released the song "King Apparatus" on their self-title album, King Apparatus (Wayback Machine).

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Slow Gherkin, "Drunken Sailor" (live) from Double Happiness (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I intentionally excluded Slow Gherkin from SKApril '14 because I'd noticed that they were All-Stars & did not regard them as on-par with such other All-Star bands as Mu330, The Hippos, or Mustard Plug. At the time, it escaped my notice that The Pietasters, a similarly "unworthy" band, had by sheer merit made their way into the august ranks of the All-Stars; this year, I did not exclude The Pietasters, as discussed on the day of their contribution to SKApril '15 (Wayback Machine). One cannot un-ring a bell. In the same way, I could never restore Slow Gherkin to All-Star status, even if I wished to do so; as I matter of fact I do not regret "sandbagging" them during SKApril '14. It will be interesting to see if my attitude toward The Pietasters changes & they are as intentionally "demoted" as were Slow Gherkin.

In any event, as discussed with the various SKAffirmative Action bands, there are no unworthy songs in SKApril, even as the bands are held in massively varying levels of esteem. I love modern interpretations of traditional songs such as "Drunken Sailor" (see: Dropkick Murphys's "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya").

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Loose Ties, "Becca's Song (I Don't Love You Enough)" from Champ of the Week (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: The first time I saw The Loose Ties on stage, I first skanked during "Becca's Song," surrendering to the rhythm. The Loose Ties themselves make fun of the title "Becca's Song," which I suppose began as a working title & then was simply never replaced by an "actual" title; the subtitle "(I Don't Love You Enough)" is of my own devise & therefore informal.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

RX Bandits, "Wrong with Me" from Halfway Between Here & There (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: How's this, the RX Bandits are a SKAffirmative Action band, but "Wrong with Me" isn't a SKAffirmative Action song. Alas, the RX Bandits—stylized as the ℞ Bandits & originally known as the Pharmaceutical Bandits—only had the one good album before they abandoned ska for reggae/prog rock fusion, i.e., general musical confusion. Still, plenty of syncopation & ska-y goodness on that one good album.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist (1st century): Evangelist-link ūnus, Evangelist-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

On the way to Rome, Peter picked up Mark & took him as a travel companion & interpreter. mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15-16), before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius.

Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter six (of six).

Mass Readings
The First Letter of Peter, chapter five, verses five(B) thru fourteen;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses two & three, six & seven, sixteen & seventeen;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verses fifteen thru twenty.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest & Martyr, O.F.M. Cap. (1577-1622), martyred by Swiss Calvinists: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

Fidelis's constant prayer was that he be kept completely faithful to God & not give in to any lukewarmness or apathy. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint's life. Fidelis is depicted in art with a club set with spikes or a whirlbat (White). His emblem represents heretics.

Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter five.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter nine, verses one thru twenty;
Psalm One Hundred Seventeen, verses one(B,C), two;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses fifty-two thru fifty-nine.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: REGGAEpril

Magic!, "Rude" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Absolutely pop & perhaps only incidentally reggae, "Rude" still has an undeniably SKApril-appropriate rhythm, in addition to be wicked catchy. Self-styled purists who don't like it, if there are any out there, can piss off.

"Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life?
Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know.
You say I'll never get your blessin' 'til the day I die,
'Tough luck, my friend, 'cause the answer's still no.'

"Why you gotta be so rude?
Don't you know I'm human, too?
Why you gotta be so rude?
I'm gonna marry her anyway…"

Magic!, "Rude" is this SKApril's winner for shortest entry, judge by length of band name & song title, beating out the previous leader—Potshot, "Radio"—which was just ahead of Pushover, "Pitiful." Counting the exclamation point in Magic!, which we must, just as we do the exclamation point in The Aquabats!, Magic!, "Rude" has ten characters. There are ten characters alone in a single word—afternoons—in our longest entry: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Sunday Afternoons On Wisdom Ave."

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Tip the Van, "Place Like Home" from the Passion, Love, & Pride E.P. (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Tip the Van boasts dual distaff vocals, in the vein of the Dance Hall Crashers. I was introduced to them by Ska Army, who discovered them in concert in D.C. Please note, dear readers, rude boys, & rude girls, that your humble narrator is always on the hunt for new (to him) ska music & bands; your leads & recommendations are most sincerely appreciated.

The place like home of "Place Like Home" is the stage. Tip the Van are a little obsessed with fame, which is a little sad if these lyrics aren't ironic.

"I want you to know my name and shout it out loud,
I don't want to be another face in the crowd,
And sing these words as I sing them to you,
And you sing my song, the words, dance to my beat,
And remember every line as you move your feet,
Thanks for coming out, we'll see you again…"

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the optional memorial of Saint George, Martyr (c. 280-303), martyred under the Emperor Diocletian, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

George renounced the Emperor's edict to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods. In front of his fellow soldiers & tribunes he claimed himself to be a Christian, & declared his worship of jesus Christ. Before the execution George prepared himself & gave his wealth to the poor.

'Tis also the optional memorial of Saint Adalbert, Bishop & Martyr, O.S.B. (c. 956-997), martyred while preaching the Gospel to the pagan Old Prussians: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

Adalbert was the Bishop of Prague & a missionary to the Hungarians (Magyars), Poles, & Prussians. He was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter four.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eight, verses twenty-six thru forty;
Psalm Sixty-six, verses eight & nine, sixteen & seventeen, twenty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses forty-four thru fifty-one.



The legend of St. George versus the dragon is almost certainly just that, a legend, but that doesn't make the imagery any less stirring as an allegory for the spiritual combat in which every Christian is engaged against the ruler of the powers of the air, both within is own heart & throughout the wider world. "Almost certainly" a legend? Why not "certainly"? I once heard a radio priest articulate the theory that the "dragon" could have been a Nile crocodile, which St. George might well have encountered at some point in his service in the Roman legions. We know so little about St. George's life that no one can say definitively that he never fought a Nile crocodile-cum-dragon, fanciful though the notion seems to us.

The Explorers' Club, № CDXL

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Second Battle of Ypres, Part I
22-23 April 1915: The Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge—the first use of poison gas on the Western Front, by the Germans against French Colonial (Algerian & Moroccan) & Canadian troops.







Lest we forget.

Commentary: We here at "The Explorers' Club" strive to bring you, our dear readers & fellow explorers, a wide variety of images, meaning we try not to duplicate the photographs & graphics available from the Wikipedia, but some, such as this episode's first image, are so evocative that they virtually demand our usage.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Theodore of Sykeon (d. c. 613), bishop: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter three.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eight, verses one(B) thru eight;
Psalm Sixty-six, verses one thru three(A), four thru seven(A);
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses thirty-five thru forty.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Big D and the Kids' Table, "Little Bitch" from How It Goes (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: A cover of the song originally by 2-Tone standouts The Specials. A ska cover of a ska original? I like the idea of the same song being recorded in three different styles: original ska, 2-Tone, & ska punk. 2-Tone & ska punk renditions of "Little Bitch"? Check. Now we just need someone like Prince Buster &/or The Skatalites to do an old-school ska version.

Today's R.B.D.S.O.T.D. is another example of SKAffirmative Action in action. Again, it's not that Big D and the Kids' Table don't have some good songs, it's just that the competition for SKApril's limited number of slots is fierce; at the same time, presenting the length & breadth of the genre is a desirable goal, so they were given a leg up.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, O.S.B. (1033-1109), bishop & Doctor of the Church: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

Anselm's motto is "faith seeking understanding," which for him means "an active love of God seeking a deeper knowledge of God."

We also remember Saint Conrad of Parzham, O.F.M.Cap. (1818-1894): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter two.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter seven, verse fifty-one thru chapter eight, verse one(A);
Psalm Thirty-one, verses three(C,D) thru four, six, seven(B), eight(A), seventeen, twenty-one(A,B);
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses thirty thru thirty-five.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Mustard Plug, "Mendoza" from Evildoers Beware! (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Mustard Plug, sacred Michigan's best ska band, are of course SKApril All-Stars. The eponymous Mendoza is a girl, "Too much woman for a man like me;" I prefer my love songs to be like "Mendoza," just that little bit vicious.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Suburban Legends, "Zanzibar" from Rump Shaker (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I suspect the "lyrics" of "Zanzibar" aren't actual words, like the haunting but ultimately meaningless chant in John Williams's breathtaking "Duel of the Fates." Per a prior SKApril commentary, "Zanzibar" is a music song. More's the pity, since I adore the word Zanzibar. Zanzibar…

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Cædwalla (c. 659-689), King of Wessex: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

We also remember Blessed Richard Sergeant (c. 1558-1586), priest, martyred under Queen Elizabeth I: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Letter to the Galatians, chapter one (of six);
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter nineteen.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter six, verses eight thru fifteen;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, verses twenty-three & twenty-four, twenty-six & twenty-seven, twenty-nine & thirty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses twenty-two thru twenty-nine.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Were 19 April not the Third Sunday of Easter, we would remember Pope Saint Leo IX (1002-1054), 151st Bishop of Rome: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter three (of three).

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter three, verses thirteen thru fifteen, seventeen thru nineteen;
Psalm Four, verses two, four, seven thru nine;
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses one thru five(A);
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-four, verses thirty-five thru forty-eight.

Mass Journal: Week 17
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

Catholicism is not merely a religion, or a sect, or a set of rules. When small minds & small spirits try to capture the essence of Catholicism, this is often what they tend to conclude. But Catholicism is more than a religion. It is more than just another movement. The essence of Catholicism is not sin, punishment, duty, or obligation, & it is more than a set of lifeless rules & regulations. Catholicism is more. It is more than most people think & more than most Catholics ever experience. The essence of Catholicism is dynamic transformation. You cannot become more like Jesus Christ & at the same time stay as you are. To be Catholic means to be striving to live the Gospel, to be striving to become more like Jesus Christ. It is this dynamic approach to transformation that animates the human person—physically, emotionally, intellectually, & spiritually—& allows is to experience life "to the fullest" (John, 10:10). When are you most fully alive? When you are changing & growing & exploring all you are capable of becoming.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day; SKApril!

Edna's Goldfish, "Sunrise to Sunset" from Before You Knew Better… (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Edna's Goldfish are another Skaffirmative Action band, not because they aren't a fun ska band, but because the competition for SKApril's thirty R.B.D.S.O.T.D. slots is fierce & capricious—fierce because there are sixty bands that have contributed at least one song in these first five years of SKApril, with more bands being added every year (at least two, & possibly three this SKApril), & forty-five bands that have contributed more than once; capricious because a song that might appeal to your humble narrator on one day could well be overshadowed on another, leading to an otherwise worthy effort being excluded from that SKApril. It must also be noted that Edna's Goldfish's first two contributions, "Veronica Sawyer" in '11 & "I'm Your Density" in '12, stand head & shoulders above the rest of their work. That's not a knock on "Sunrise to Sunset," that's just the way it is.

"And then I saw you there will a tear in your eye,
You said it was because of that other guy…

"But then you called me and told me it's over."

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Hippos, "Asleep at the Wheel" from Forget the World (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary:

"It's two in the morning, I'm tired as hell,
What am I doin' behind the wheel?
The lights have all blurred into a row,
I want to be up, I just don't know.

"I'm fallin' asleep, asleep at the wheel,
This feels like a dream, is this real?…

"I've had too much coffee to drink,
Caffeine's gotten to my brain, I can't think,
I don't think I'll make it this time…"

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Perfectus of Córdoba (d. 850), priest, martyred under the Emir Abd ar-Rahman II: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter two.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter six, verses one thru seven;
Psalm Thirty-three, verses one & two, four & five, eighteen & nineteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses sixteen thru twenty-one.

The Explorers' Club, № CDXXXIX

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Armenian Genocide, Part II
24 April 1915: "Red Sunday"—The deportation (& eventual massacre) of Armenian intellectuals from Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, the formal beginning of the Armenian Genocide.







Lest we forget.

The Savage Wars of Peace
I briefly considered placing "Never again" next to our customary closing exhortation, "Lest we forget." When I was a younger man, I embraced the words "Never again," especially their use in the context of the Holocaust during the Second World War & the Armenian Genocide during the First World War. This after watching as the "international community" turned its head & sat on its hands during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide & being utterly bewildered that such a thing could be allowed to happen. In the two decades since, I've grown cynical; I regard "Never again" as the blackest of gallows humor. A more honest, though less flattering, declaration of purpose—or rather purposelessness—would be "Ever again." The world will never tire of tut-tutting all manner of atrocities & bloodlettings, will never tire of holding symposia on "what should be done," which is code for prattling on until the most-recent unpleasantness is mercifully pushed off the front page by the latest salacious celebrity news or hyperbolic domestic political fracas. The world will ever again say that such horrors cannot be tolerated, & will then carry on merrily tolerating them.

I'm so wearied by popular indifference that I have no grand, coherent point to make. One hundred years after the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government continues to deny that it happened, & yet Turkey is not treated as a pariah. I'm rendered inarticulate by a cocktail of pity, fatigue, & rage. I haven't time to read anything else, but I've requested Samantha Power's "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide from the library, I suppose as a salve.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the "Lily of the Mohawks:" Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: St. Kateri's feast day is 14 July in the United States, but 17 April, the anniversary of her death, everywhere else. I mean neither disrespect for nor disobedience to the bishops in today's BLACK MAMBA remembrance.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter one (of three).

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses thirty-four thru forty-two;
Psalm Twenty-seven, verses one, four, thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter six, verses one thru fifteen.

Commentary: Acts, 5:41 is one of my favorite verses in all of sacred Scripture:

So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake for the name.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Pietasters, "Same Old Song" from Oolooloo (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: If "Same Old Song" sounds familiar, 'tis because it's the same old song, a cover of the Four Tops' classic "It's the Same Old Song." Ska & Motown: two great tastes that taste great together!

The Pietasters are the unlikeliest members of the SKApril "All-Stars," those bands that have supplied a song to every SKApril dating back to the first in April 2011. Most of the All-Stars are those you'd expect, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake—the giants of third wave ska-punk. The Loose Ties are there, because not only do I know them personally but what are the odds of discovering a great local ska band in the second decade of the twenty-first century? They were a decade or more younger than me during the Summer of Ska ('97), too young to have had their worlds rocked as was mine. The Pietasters are more widely known than The Loose Ties, but also less personally connected to me. I only own one Pietasters album. So how are they SKApril All-Stars? Because Oolooloo is chockablock with catchy ska songs, songs that tickle whatever the ska equivalent of the funny bone is. The ska bone? (The Fishbone?) That's what SKApril is about, not popularity, but that particular way in which ska makes the soul soar.

This Week in Motorsport

Formula Fun!
Formula One World Championship
Round 3
Chinese Grand Prix
Sunday, 12 April 2015

The Chinese Grand Prix had a bit of Noah's Ark to it, two by two by two: The top six finishers were, in order, reigning double World Champion Lewis Hamilton ('08 & '14) & Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, quadruple World Champion Sebastian Vettel ('10, '11, '12, & '13) & '07 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari, & Felipe Massa & Valtteri Bottas of Williams (Mercedes). The "Silver Arrows" from the Mercedes factory & the rosso corsa Ferraris raced as a foursome, comfortably ahead of the largely white Williamses, who in turn were comfortably ahead of the rest of the field, headed by Romain Grosjean of Lotus (Mercedes), who finished seventh.

'Twas another bad day for the Renault-powered, Red Bull-owned teams. Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull finished ninth while Carlos Sainz Jr. of Toro Rosso finished thirteenth, out of the points. Daniil Kvyat of Red Bull suffered catastrophic engine failure on lap fifteen while Max Verstappen of Toro Rosso suffered catastrophic gearbox failure on lap fifty-two, three laps from the end, when he would have finished in eight place. At the season-opener in Australia, the roles were reversed: Kvyat was knocked out with gearbox troubles & Verstappen by an engine blow-up. The newly Honda-powered McLarens continue to make progress, becoming steadily less woeful. Double World Champion Fernando Alonso ('05 & '06) finished twelfth, just ahead of Sainz, while '09 World Champion Jenson Button finished fourteenth, just behind.

Through three grands prix, Hamilton, Rosberg, & Vettel have started from the first three positions in every race & been the only men to stand on all three podiums. The only constant is that Rosberg is right behind Hamilton.

1st Place: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2nd Place: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3rd Place: Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

Next: The Bahrain Grand Prix, this coming weekend. The junior GP2 Series will make its 2015 debut at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Indy Rock
IndyCar Series
Round 2
Grand Prix of Louisiana
Sunday, 12 April 2015

The inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park was a shambles. ("NOLA": New Orleans, Louisiana; N.O., LA or La.; 'tis ridiculous to write the acronym in all capitals without punctuation, yet with punctuation it's awkward as can be: N.O.LA or N.O.La. Therefore, I will grudgingly indulge the ridiculous: NOLA.) 'Twas a stormy weekend, which happens & is no one's fault, falling under Acts of God, but the nature of the circuit compounded the rain's disruptive effects. The race was started early to take advantaged of a window between severe thunderstorms & from the drop of the green flag was going to be a shortened, timed race—run under a timed deadline, rather than to a set number of laps. From the start, things got worse & worse. Only forty-seven laps were run, instead of an initially planned seventy-plus, & of those only twenty-one were green-flag racing laps; the majority, twenty-six laps, were yellow-flag caution laps, usually run behind the safety car.

There is a saying in motorsports, that yellows breed yellows, & the grisly logic behind the phrase was on display at NOLA. The green-flag restart after a yellow-flag caution period is one of the best times for the aggressive racing driver to make up places on his competitors, because the field is bunched up after running behind the safety car & a well-timed restart yields a considerable speed advantage over cars more tardy in their acceleration. Yellows breed yellows, though, because the field is bunched up; because aggressive moves are not always wise moves, & every driver tries either to pass those cars ahead of him or to defend his position against those cars behind him; & because tires cool while the cars run slowly behind the safety car, & colder tires yield less grip than warmer tires.

This happened time & time again, exacerbated by a river of water running across the track near the start/finish line, at almost precisely the place on the track where the field started to accelerated in anticipation of the restart. Car after car spun out or crashed in the same spot, restart after restart. It was not raining during the majority of the race, yet that river continued to run across the track; the water was clearly draining from elsewhere right across the racing surface, a cardinal sin in circuit design. NOLA is a converted club track, a playground for the wealthy amateur racing & sports car enthusiasts; the Grand Prix of Louisiana was its first time hosting as prominent a professional racing series as IndyCar, & the rain revealed the facility to be not yet ready for primetime. Despite my personal antipathy toward the Big Easy, I have no objection to an IndyCar race in or around the Crescent City, on a proper racing circuit. It will be interesting to see what improvements are made to NOLA to make it more of a proper racing circuit. In the meantime, I will agree with journo Robin Miller (hyperlink) that it is a shame that IndyCar does not utilize such classic, proper racing circuits Road America, Road Atlanta, & Mosport, & the new-but-instantly-classic C.O.T.A.

James "Hinch" Hinchcliffe of Schmidt Peterson (Honda), the social media impresario known as the "Mayor of Hinchtown," made only one pit stop & ran out fuel on his way to "victory lane." One more lap of green-flag running or even yellow-flag running & he would have been stranded on the track or been forced to pit for a splash of fuel. I do not begrudge him the victory, but I do not think that full championship points should be awarded; we fans were treated to half a race, at best; the drivers should only be awarded half points.

1st Place: James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson (Honda)
2nd Place: Hélio Castroneves, Penske (Chevrolet)
3rd Place: James Jakes, Schmidt Peterson (Honda)

Next: The Grand Prix of Long Beach, a storied race on far & away IndyCar's best temporary street circuit, & America's closest equivalent to F1's Monaco Grand Prix, coming up this weekend. The Indy Lights juniors were not at NOLA, mercifully, but will be part of the show at Long Beach.

Autobahn
Earlier, I espied a Mazda MX-5 Miata sporting the vanity license plate FN2DRV2. I am uncertain if this is meant to be read "Fun to drive to," as in a destination, or "Fun to Drive Two," as in the second vehicle named the Fun to Drive. An additional consideration: There was a golf-themed border around the license plate, so "drive" could be a double-barreled reference to both driving the motorcar & driving a golf ball. "Fun to drive" on Hole 2? Nicely done, MX-5 owner, nicely done.

I've also recently spotted a pair of straightforward but interesting vanity plates: ROBERT & DEPART. I'm going to presume the owner's name is "Robert," the only question being either given name or surname, but DEPART? That could be fun in any number of ways with any number of meanings.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (1844-1879), to whom was revealed the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link; Wayback Machine.

We also remember Saint Drogo (1105-c. 1186, A.K.A. Dreux, Druon): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter five (of five).

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses twenty-seven thru thirty-three;
Psalm Thirty-four, verses two, nine, seventeen thru twenty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses thirty-one thru thirty-six.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Forces of Evil, "Vague Love Song" from Friend or Foe? (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Vague! As a card-carrying member of Blue Tree Whacking (O.K., that's balderdash, we don't actually have membership cards), my favorite synonym for vague is murky. "Murky Love Song"? Somebody—write it!

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Potshot, "Radio" from Pots and Shots (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: The lyrics of "Radio" are in such broken English as to be almost entirely unintelligible. This is typical of Potshot & in no way diminishes my enjoyment of "Radio," which hits the listener like a punch in the face, in a good way.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Blessed César de Bus (1544-1607), founder of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine & the Daughters of Christian Doctrine: Blessed-link ūnus, Blessed-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter four.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses seventeen thru twenty-six;
Psalm Thirty-four, verses two thru nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses sixteen thru twenty-one.

Autobahn
This morning I espied a P.T. Cruiser sporting the vanity license plate AHSMGOD. The Cruiser also sported an Ichthys affixed to the rear hatch, which helped lead to to interpret AHSMGOD as Ah-sm-God, "Awesome God." Amen, amen, I say unto thee, God is awesome, in the purest sense of the word.

The Explorers' Club, № CDXXXVIII

Operation AXIOM: The World War—the Armenian Genocide, Part I
19 April-17 May 1915: The Defense of Van—armed resistance to Ottoman efforts to wipe out the Armenian population of Van Vilayet, later used as a pretext for the wider Armenian Genocide.

By the time Imperial Russian forces lifted the siege in May, an estimated 55,000 Armenian civilians had been massacred throughout Van Vilayet.







Lest we forget.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Backlog, Part II

Today we remember Saint Bénézet (c. 1163-1184), the miraculous bridge builder: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day (Today)
Personal Reading
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter three.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses thirty-two thru thirty-seven;
Psalm Ninety-three, verses one & two, five;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses seven(B) thru fifteen.

Commentary: Today's first reading, Acts, 4:32-37, is the same as Sunday's, Acts, 4:32-35, except for two additional verses, 36-37.

* * * * *

Had 12 April not been the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), we would have remembered Pope Saint Julius I (d. 352), foe of the Arian heresy: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

We would also have remembered Saint Sabbas the Goth (334-372, A.K.A. the Lector), martyred under the Gothic prince Atharid: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day (Sunday)
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses thirty-two thru thirty-five;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses two thru four, thirteen thru fifteen, twenty-two thru twenty-four;
The First Letter of John, chapter five, verses one thru six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verses nineteen thru thirty-one.

Mass Journal: Week 16
Sunday, 12 April 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

For the first Christians, Christianity was a lifestyle. They shared a common life. Living in a common community, they often worked together, prayed together, & studied the Scriptures together. Their faith was the center of their lives; it affected everything they did. They shared meals together, played together, & cared for each other in sickness. They allowed the principles of the Gospel to guide them in the activities of their daily lives. They comforted each other in their afflictions & challenged each other to live the Gospel more fully There was unity & continuity between their professional lives & their family lives, between their social lives & their lives as members of the Church. They allowed the Holy Spirit to guide them in all they did. Then, at the pinnacle of their common life, they celebrated the Eucharist together.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Ska Cubano, "Natty Bo Dead (Sammy No Dead)" from ¡Ay Caramba! (T.L.A.M.)

Last Week in Motorsport

Indy Rock
Indy Lights
Rounds 1 & 2
Streets of Saint Petersburg
Saturday & Sunday, 28-29 March 2015

Indy Lights, the second-highest rung of the Road to Indy ladder system, is revamped for 2015 with a new car, the Dallara IL-15, replacing an eleven-year-old design that was rugged, but heavy & increasingly obsolete. As with most feeder/development series, Indy Lights uses a single make of car, so that all the drivers have equal equipment, thus providing a better platform for evaluating driver performance: Dallara chassis, Mazda-badged (A.E.R.-developed) turbocharged four-cylinder engine, Cooper tires. Two races are contested over most weekends, in support of the top rung of the ladder system, the IndyCar Series, & to give the young drivers as much track time as feasible. The new car has attracted a team new to the series, but vastly experienced in the single-seater/open-wheel junior formulae of Europe: Carlin. Carlin teams currently compete in both GP2 & Formula Renault 3.5, the two principal feeder series in Formula One; GP3; Formula Three; Formula Four; & Formula E. Indy Lights is their first venture on this side of the pond.

Carlin's Emirati driver Ed Jones (of British extraction & accent) utterly dominated both races, starting from pole & leaving the rest of the field far behind & out of sight on his way to victory. The podium for both races was identical: Jones on the top step, 2014 season runner-up Jack Harvey of Schmidt Peterson in second, & 2014 Pro Mazda Champion (the rung below Indy Lights) Spencer Pigot of Juncos in third. Since I mentioned that Jones is Emirati, I should also mention that Harvey is British (supported by the Racing Steps Foundation) & Pigot is American.

Carlin's other driver, Max Chilton (British, while I'm at it), a veteran of three seasons in GP2 & two seasons in F1 (albeit with backmarkers Marussia), finished twelfth & fourth in the two St. Pete races. While on paper an experienced F1 pilot should be able to school the up-&-comers in a series like Indy Lights, Chilton has less experience on America's circuits than many of those he's racing &, being new to America's peculiar brand of open-wheel racing, is unfamiliar with rolling starts. Of course, the same is true of Chilton's teammate Jones, who dominated utterly. (Everywhere else in the world, standing starts are always used in single-seater racing. I love my country, but standing starts make for much better racing than rolling starts, & I am irked that for 2015 IndyCar has abandoned its too-brief experiment with standing starts at certain road course/street circuit races.) It should also be noted that Chilton's main drive in 2015 will be with Nissan's new L.M.P.1 program for the 24 Heures du Mans & the World Endurance Championship (W.E.C.).

Beyond Thunderdome
International V8 Supercars Championship
Round 2
Tasmania Super Sprint
Saturday & Sunday, 28-29 March 2015

The V8 Supercars have been hard to find on American television since the Speed channel became Fox Sports 1 in the third quarter of 2013, but seems to have found a new home on the C.B.S. Sports Network, which is increasing its motorsports coverage. Bully for me!

Little seems to have changed in the time I've missed, & that is all to the good. Though contested as the Australian Touring Car Championship, the V8 Supercars formula utilizes rear-wheel drive & naturally-aspirated V8 engines, instead of front-wheel drive & turbocharged four-bangers used in most other touring car series (the World & British series, W.T.C.C. & B.T.C.C., being the most pertinent examples). The V8 Supercars thus most closely resembles N.A.S.C.A.R. Cup cars—except that the Aussies can turn both right & left. Australia is a vast but sparsely populated continent-cum-country, meaning most of its motorsports venues are quite small. The shortest road course in America used for major-series racing is Connecticut's Lime Rock Park, at one & a half miles in length. (We're not even going to discuss the horror of short-track oval racing.) The Symmons Plains Raceway, on which the Tasmania Super Sprint was contested, is about a mile & a half long, by no means the shortest track on which the V8 monsters battle. The frenetic pace at which the big, heavy V8 Supercars tear around such wee circuits is one of the many charms of the series. Australian touring-car racing has traditionally been a duel 'twixt Holden (General Motors) & Ford of Australia, but no longer. Twelve of the twenty-five cars competing at Tasmania were Holden Commodores, while only five were Ford Falcons; four were Nissan Altimas, two were Volvo S60s, & two were Mercedes-Benz E63s. Ford is set to withdraw from the series completely at year's end.

Red Bull Racing Australia (Triple 8 Engineering) remains the dominant team, winning all three of the Super Sprint's races: two one hundred-kilometer (sixty-two mile) races on Saturday, both won by triple Series Champion Craig Lowndes ('96, '98, & '99), & a single two hundred-kilometer (one hundred twenty-four mile) race on Sunday, won by reigning sextuple Series Champion Jamie Whincup ('08, '09, '11, '12, '13, & '14). I was surprised to learn that American motorsports giant Team Penske now has a controlling interest in Australia's Dick Johnson Racing; I'd be happy to cheer for the Captain (Roger Penske) & double Series Champion Marcos Ambrose, returned Down Under from an almost decade-long self-imposed exile in N.A.S.C.A.R., except that their car is a Ford. Boo! Hiss! Boo!

I'll never have the passion for V8 Supercars that I do for Le Mans, Formula One, & IndyCar (on a good day), but it is an enjoyable series that I am glad to be in a position to follow again.

Project BLACK MAMBA: Backlog, Part I

Today is the optional memorial of Pope Saint Martin I (d. 655), martyred under the Byzantine Emperor Constans II: Martyr-link ūnus, Martyr-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Quoth the bulletin:

St. Martin called a council in the Lateran at which one hundred & five bishops convened. He was known as a martyr who stood up for the right of the Church to establish doctrine even in the face of imperial power.

Scripture of the Day (Today)
Personal Reading
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter eighteen;
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter two.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses twenty-three thru thirty-one;
Psalm Two, verses one thru nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses one thru eight.

* * * * *

On 10 April, we remembered Saint Magdalen of Canossa, F.D.C.C. (1774-1835), foundress of the Canossians, a diverse family of religious orders: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Canossians.

Scripture of the Day (Friday)
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses one thru twelve;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one & two, four, twenty-two thru twenty-seven(A);
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty-one, verses one thru fourteen.

* * * * *

On 11 April, we remembered Saint Gemma Galgani, C.P.* (1878-1903), stigmatic: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Our sources disagree as to when Saint Gemma was a member of the Passionists, the *Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ. One source says the Passionists count her as one of their own (a lay member, or tertiary), having been preempted from taking vows by her illness, including the consumption that eventually took her life. Another says the Passionists rejected her, disbelieving her visions. Her spiritual director was a Passionist & she had visions of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Passionist, so, as indicated by the post-nominal letters C.P., I lean toward Saint Gemma Galgani being a Passionist. If I err, I err innocently.

We also remembered Saint Stanislaus of Kraków (1030-1079, A.K.A. Stanisław Szczepanowski), bishop, martyred under King Bolesław II the Cruel: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day (Saturday)
Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter four, verses thirteen thru twenty-one;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one, fourteen thru fifteen (A,B), sixteen thru twenty-one;
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verses nine thru fifteen.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Pushover, "Pitiful" from Mailorder Is Fun! (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Mailorder Is Fun! is the first of three Asian Man Records compilation/sampler C.D.s that provide a fascinating look in the myriad ska & punk bands beyond those that had achieved enough popular notoriety to come to my attention. The title is a reference to Asian Man's mail order business, its principal means of distribution before legal digital downloading became ubiquitous.

I own a Pushover album, Logic & Loss, but both times they have supplied a song for SKApril, that song has come from a compilation.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Sunday Afternoons On Wisdom Ave." from The Magic of Youth (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I think I missed something growing up, my grandparents living hours & hours away, & thus perceiving visits as special occasions, burdensome interruptions to my routine that occurred several times a year, developing no particular rapport.

"A modest triple-decker in a section that was working class.
Not a lot of company, but we would go there after Mass.
Lace curtains in the widows that had been there since the last great war,
They were on the first one and the Mulligans lived on the second floor.

"Sunday driving in the big sedan,
Soup and sandwich on the T.V. stand,
Liked to be there, it was nice to have
Sunday afternoons on Wisdom Ave.

"There was nothing in the pantry and we can't be in the parlor there,
(Ooo, the parlor there,)
It's really nothing fancy, honey. Here's a half a dollar, dear.
(A half dollar, dear.)
A John F. Kennedy coin that you and your brother both can share.
(Both of you can share.)
Just not the kind of people that are even gonna put on airs…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Johnny Socko, "Tortugas" from Full Trucker Effect (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: The lyrics of "Tortugas" are a mixture of English & Spanish, but not in a terribly culturally sensitive, prissy way: Today's R.B.D.S.O.T.D. is a heart-warming tale of underage college students walking to the liquor store because they cannot find their car keys. The eponymous Tortugas being a brand of malt liquor which they wish to purchase. I woke us this morning with "Tortugas" running through my head, which means I woke up this morning with a smile on my face.

"Keys ain't nowhere, so amigos decided to caminar,
To walk a half mile for sweet malt liquor doesn't seem too far,
That's when problemas y dolores de la noche began
La policias were destined to ruin a happy plan…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: REGGAEpril

Eric Christian Olsen, "Getting Ride of Britta" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Within the television series Community, "Getting Rid of Britta" is co-written by Vaughn Miller (played by Eric Christian Olsen) & Pierce Hawthorne (played by Chevy Chase) after the acrimonious end of Vaughn's brief coupling with Britta Perry (played by Gillian Jacobs). The song is performed, with Britta in the audience, by Vaughn's never-named reggae band, of which Pierce is briefly a member. After Pierce defies Vaughn, prompting an astonished Britta to ask, "Pierce, did you just defend my honor?," Pierce is expelled from the band. Vaughn later writes a song defaming Pierce.

Below: the eponymous Britta Perry (played by Gillian Jacobs).

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Casilda of Toledo (d. c. 1050), anchoress: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Today we also remember Saint Waltrude of Mons (d. c. 688), the daughter of saints, sister of a saint, & mother of saints: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The First Letter to the Thessalonians, chapter one (of five).

Commentary: No longer shall I use The Little White Book as a devotional. Therein the late Bishop Untener encourages the reader to use "active contemplation." That is all well & good, active contemplation is known to me from other sources & is credible. A pair of excerpts to explain active contemplation:

In this way of praying, I read an event in the Gospel & place myself right there in the scene. I then watch the event unfold, using my imagination to fill in the details… It's not mere fantasy. I am faithful to what the Gospel says about the core of the event itself. But I use my imagination to fill in details that are not provided.

The problem lies in the bishop's hypocrisy & self-contradiction. In today's reflection, the Little Book goes beyond "filling in details that are not provided" & directly refutes those details that are provided in John's Gospel. The reader is not being encouraged to place herself in the Gospel story, but to rewrite that story to suit her own narrative preferences. Such abuse of Scripture must not be countenanced.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter three, verses eleven thru twenty-six;
Psalm Eight, verses two(A,B), five thru nine;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-four, verses thirty-five thru forty-eight.

Commentary: Both Acts & Luke continue directly from yesterday's readings from the same books.

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day: SKApril!

Streetlight Manifesto, "A Moment of Silence" & "A Moment of Violence" via iTunes (Nick Andopolis)

Skammentary: Today is Nick Andopolis's, my pal & the oft-shirtless drummer for Flint's best ska band, The Loose Ties, birthday. My present to him is the R.B.D.S.O.T.D., chosen by him. I might have guessed he'd pick Streetlight, a favorite of both his & Ska Army's.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Julie Billiart, S.N.D. (1751-1816), foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Namur.

Today we also remember Saint Walter of Pontoise, O.S.B. (c. 1030-1099), abbot: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verses three thru five;
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-five.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter three, verses one thru ten;
Psalm One Hundred Five, verses one thru four, six through nine;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-four, verses thirteen thru thirty-five.

Commentary: Today's Gospel recounts the encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Emmaus. Sweet fancy Moses, I love the road to Emmaus!

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Five Iron Frenzy, "Pre-Ex-Girlfriend" from Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: With ska, as with all other pop music, some songs are prized more for their music, others for their lyrics. "Pre-Ex-Girlfriend" is a lyrics song.

"She's so cool, it's almost eerie,
She's so fine I lost all hope…

"You might say she's everything
Just before everything goes wrong.
She's sunshine and lightning,
She pulls at my heartstrings,
She's stunning and then she's gone…

"Watch her on the floor tonight,
Feel the crush she will incite,
Sparkable, she will ignite,
A beautiful sight!
Softer than the lightest snows,
Watch her as the moment slows,
In my face a door will close,
And there she goes…"

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719), founder of the Lasallian Brothers, formally the Brothers of the Christian Schools: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link F.S.C..

Today we also remember Blessed Edward Oldcorne (1561-1606) & Blessed Ralph Ashley (d. 1606), martyred under King James VI & I in the persecutions following the Gunpowder Plot: Martyr-link Echo Oscar & Wikipedia-link Echo Oscar, Martyr-link Romeo Alpha & Wikipedia-link Romeo Alpha.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verse two;
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-four.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter two, verses thirty-six thru forty-one;
Psalm Thirty-three, verses four & five, eighteen thru twenty, twenty-two;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verses eleven thru eighteen.

Mass Journal: Week 15
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

There are certain disciplines that are associated with the lifestyle of an athlete that could also be compared with the lifestyle of a Christian. Athletes abide by certain diets & adhere to certain training regimens. They don't stay out all night partying, because they know they have to wake early the next morning for training. All these are part of an athlete's lifestyle. So it is with the life of a Christian. There are disciplines & practices that must be embraced & respected if we are to walk faithfully along the path of salvation, fulfill our destiny, become better-versions-of-ourselves each day, & enjoy the happiness God wants to fill us with. Your journey with God will require more discipline than any other quest you will pursue in this life.

Commentary: That's it, we've caught up to the present as far as concerns the weekly reflections in my DynamicCatholic.com-supplied Mass journal. In the words from the talking picture Spaceballs, "We're in now, now." My intention is henceforth to publish each week's reflection on the Sunday that begins that week.

As my own thoughts are scribbled down during Mass, they are shorter & less carefully composed than Mr. Kelly's reflections.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, "El Matador" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I don't know very much about Latin American ska. I shall make that a goal of this SKApril, to explore Western Hemisphere ska beyond the Anglosphere, like Los Fabulosos Cadillacs & Ska Cubano, & more. Plus ultra.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Today we remember Saint Maria Crescentia Höß, T.O.R. (1682-1744, also spelt Höss or Hoess): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verse one;
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-three.

Commentary: The verse from John comes from The Little White Book, a small devotional based on the writings of the Most Reverend Ken Untener (1937-2004), late Bishop of Saginaw. The Little White Book for the Eastertide follows completion of The Little Black Book for Lent. Bishop Untener was an unrepentant sinner, a man who tried to destroy the priesthood in his own diocese, & so his writings must be read very, very carefully so as not to be led astray into error & sin. I pray that the Lord has shone the light of grace, of mercy & forgiveness, upon Bishop Untener.

I am stepping away from the New Testament epistles for a spell to read a trio of chapters from Isaiah, described by the Music Man, Holy Redeemer's youth & music minister, as his favorites in all of Scripture.

Mass Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter two, verses fourteen, twenty-two thru thirty-three;
Psalm Sixteen, verses one thru two(A), five, seven thru eleven;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-eight, verses eight thru fifteen.

Commentary: I really wish we read from Acts at Mass more often than we do.

Mass Journal: Week 14
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

It is through prayer, reflection, the Scriptures, the grace of the sacraments, the wisdom of the Church, & the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we discover & walk the path that God is calling us to walk. In our own way, we all seek out our individual destiny. Drawn by our yearning for happiness, we may seek to experience pleasure, possessions, & even power, but the world & all it has to offer can never content the human heart. God alone can satisfy the deepest cravings of our hearts.

Operation AXIOM | Kith & Kin
I regret this year's lack of online April Fools' Day pranks, which we absent from both The Secret Base & the FaceSpace. Where's Teddy? & the Cupcake were visiting on their parents' spring break, meaning every free moment spent at home was spent playing with them. When they were sleeping, Where's Teddy? was in my bedroom leaving me to crash on a couch downstairs. There was neither the opportunity nor the means to conduct what was becoming my customary April Fools' tomfoolery. Seeing those darling children was a more than fair trade for the low, low cost of trying to play my kith for online fools.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

No Doubt, "Paulina" from No Doubt (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: "Paulina" is a humorous little ditty about loneliness & masturbation with a nice syncopated rhythm, a worthy enough participant in this SKApril. No Doubt, though, are here as something of a charity case. Long before Gwen Stefani was an electro-pop Whore of Babylon, No Doubt was a Southern California ska band; she is the subject of Reel Big Fish's song, "She's Famous Now," having at one time dated R.B.F. front man Aaron Barrett. Few of No Doubt's songs are full-blown ska songs, & during the height of third-wave ska's popularity in the late 1990s, No Doubt & Sublime were used as the poster bands for the "new" genre. This is risible, as No Doubt's breakthrough album, Tragic Kingdom, contains no ska songs: "Spiderwebs" has a ska intro & outro & "Sunday Morning" has offbeat "ska guitar" under the verses, but neither is a ska song. But, No Doubt were more widely known than "one-hit wonders" like the aforementioned Reel Big Fish & The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, so that was that.

Anywho, the charity case angle. No Doubt are one of a handful of bands that didn't make the cut for the first SKApril in 2011, but made the second, SKApril '12, when I was looking, now as then, to provide as broad a survey of ska as practicable. During SKApril '14, when it became clear No Doubt would once again not make the cut, they were one of a handful of bands marked out for special attention in SKApril '15. Here I think I should type out the word SKApril again. My own version of Affirmative Action? I suppose. Doesn't that make me a hypocrite, because I oppose Affirmative Action in college admissions & hiring? I would submit, as many have posited, that a difference of degree is a difference of kind, that picking ska songs for a profoundly obscure blog's annual, month-long celebration of ska music is fundamentally different from admitting students to university or hiring employees. If one cannot accept the distinction, I shan't lose any sleep over one's accusation of my hypocrisy. Would "Paulina" have made the cut without the special emphasis on those of No Doubt's ilk? Likely not, but then if I didn't have a hard & fast rule that no band can furnish more than one song per SKApril, this whole month would probably just the Bosstones' The Magic of Youth repeated almost thrice. (I dig that album. It is eleven songs long.)

I enjoy "Paulina" on its own merits & I hope you will, too.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Easter! Easter! Easter! Rejoice, for He is risen! Death is defeated! The Lord has saved His people with His mighty arm & righteous strength! Rejoice & be glad! Easter! Easter! Easter!

Were 5 April not Easter Sunday, we would remember Saint Vincent Ferrer, O.P. (1350-1419): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of Easter Sunday
Mass of Easter Day Readings
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter ten, verses thirty-four(A), thirty-seven thru forty-three;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one & two, sixteen & seventeen, twenty-two & twenty-three;
The Letter to the Colossians, chapter three, verses one thru four;
or, The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter five, verses six(B) thru eight;
The Gospel according to John, chapter twenty, verses one thru nine.

Mass Journal: Week 13
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

God created us with legitimate needs. We all have legitimate physical, emotional, intellectual, & spiritual needs. The most basic understanding of these legitimate needs comes from considering our relationsip to food, water, & oxygen. To eat & drink are legitimate needs. If you don't eat & drink, you will die. If you don't breathe, you will die even faster. God gave us these needs for a reason. When we hear them calling to us, we hear the voice of God.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

The O.C. Supertones, "The Grace Flood" from Supertones Strike Back (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: Happy Easter, dear readers! Rejoice! Raise your voice in song! He is risen!

"Why do You even love me?
Why do You even care?
Why should You think of me?
Oh, my God, I'll never know—

"It's unconditional love,
Unconditional love,
Unconditional love,
The grace flood!
Unconditional love,
Unconditional love,
Unconditional love,
The grace flood!…"

Project BLACK MAMBA

Were 4 April not Holy Saturday, we would remember Saint Benedict the Moor, O.F.M. (1526-1589): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of Holy Saturday
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verses fifty-five & fifty-six.

Readings at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter
I. The Book of Genesis, chapter one, verse one thru chapter two, verse two;
or, The Book of Genesis, verses one, twenty-six thru thirty-one(A);
Psalm One Hundred Four, verses one & two, five & six, ten, twelve thru fourteen, twenty-four, thirty-five;
or, Psalm Thirty-three, verses four thru seven, twelve & thirteen, twenty, twenty-two;
II. The Book of Genesis, chapter twenty-two, verses one thru eighteen;
or, The Book of Genesis, chapter twenty-two, verses one & two, nine(A), ten thru thirteen, fifteen thru eighteen;
Psalm Sixteen, verses five, eight thru eleven;
III. The Book of Exodus, chapter fourteen, verse fifteen thru chapter fifteen, verse one;
The Book of Exodus, chapter fifteen, verses one thru six, seventeen & eighteen;
IV. The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-four, verses five thru fourteen;
Psalm Thirty, verses two, four thru six, eleven thru thirteen;
V. The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-five, verses one thru eleven;
The Book of Isaiah, chapter twelve, verses two thru six;
VI. The Book of Baruch, chapter three, verses nine thru fifteen, thirty-two thru chapter four, verse four;
Psalm Nineteen, verses eight thru eleven;
VII. The Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-six, verses sixteen thru seventeen(A), eighteen thru twenty-eight;
Psalm Forty-two, verses three& five, & Psalm Forty-three, verses three & four;
VIII. The Letter to the Romans, chapter six, verses three thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one & two, sixteen & seventeen, twenty-two & twenty-three;
IX. The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verses one thru seven.

Mass Journal: Week 12
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

The Catechism of the Catholic Church wastes no time in addressing this truth. The opening point of Chapter One, Section One, reads, "The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God & for God; & God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will man find the truth & happiness he never stops yearning for."

This Week in Motorsport

Formula Fun!
Formula One World Championships
Round 2
Malaysian Grand Prix
Sunday, 29 March 2015

Sweet fancy Moses, somebody beat Mercedes! Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull (Renault) won three grands prix in 2014, the only non-Mercedes A.M.G. pilot to win a race, but—& this is not to take anything away from him—each victory came in a grand prix where one or both of the Mercedes "Silver Arrows" was hamstrung by a mechanical gremlin or a crash. This year at the Sepang International Circuit, quadruple World Champion Sebastian Vettel ('10, '11, '12, & '13) of Ferrari became the first man since the new turbo/electric hybrid era of F1 began in March 2014 to defeat both Mercedes pilots, reigning double World Champion Lewis Hamilton ('08 & '14) & Nico Rosberg, straight up in a fair fight. Neither Mercedes crashed, neither fell prey to a gremlin, Vettel's Ferrari bested them on pace & strategy. Wow!

The grid was at least full: nineteen cars started the Malaysian Grand Prix. Both Manor (Ferrari) cars had taken part in free practice & qualifying, but rookie Will Stevens' car was knocked out before the race by a mechanical fault. Pastor Maldonado of Lotus (Mercedes) retired with mechanical troubles, his second D.N.F. of the young season; neither McLaren (Honda) finished the race, a step back perhaps from '09 World Champion Jenson Button's eleventh place finish in Australia. Interestingly, both Toro Rossos (Renault)—Max Verstappen & Carlos Sainz Jr.—finished ahead of both Red Bulls (Renault)—Ricciardo & Daniil Kyvat—even though Red Bull are quadruple winners of the Constructor's Championship ('10, '11, '12, & '13) with fifty race victories while Toro Rosso, the acknowledged Red Bull "junior team" have a grand total of one race victory in the team's nine-year history. Triple race winner Ricciardo is the senior man at age twenty-four, both Kyvat & Sainz are twenty, & Verstappen is only seventeen years-old. Fifteen out of the nineteen starters finished, a normal rate of attrition in the brave new world of turbochargers & hybrid electrical propulsion.

Vettel's win has the potential to change everything. His Ferrari stablemate '07 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen finished fourth, a fantastic recovery after an early tire puncture that dropped him to the bottom of the running order. If the Ferraris can truly challenge the Mercedes, the stultifying race-for-third that the sport was in 2014 might not be repeated this year. I was disappointed by Vettel's departure from Red Bull, & I still nurse a visceral disdain for Ferrari, but at this point I welcome anyone who is able to challenge the overwhelming technical supremacy of Mercedes. I'm trying not to count my chickens before they're hatched, but after a moribund 2014 Formula One might just be fun again.

1st Place: Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
2nd Place: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3rd Place: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

Indy Rock
IndyCar Series
Round 1
Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg
Sunday, 29 March 2015

The debut of the 2015 IndyCar season brought the oft-delayed introduction of the long-promised "aero kits." Unlike F1, in which every team is a "constructor," designing & building its own chassis, every team in IndyCar racing uses the same chassis, the Dallara DW12, now in its fourth year of competition. For many years prior to the DW12's debut in 2012, Indy cars used not only a common chassis, Dallara's IR-05, but also a common engine, supplied by Honda. The DW12 has always been powered by at least two different engine, from Honda & Chevrolet (with brief participation by a dramatically underpowered third engine supplied by Lotus in '12); from the beginning, it was promised that eventually differentiated "aero kits," aerodynamic bodywork, would be introduced. This was delayed for several years due to cost concerns, & eventually the wide-open aero kit proposal was scaled back to just two, from engine suppliers Chevy & Honda, but at long last the IndyCar field is no longer comprised of racecars that are identical except for the Chevrolet "bowtie" or Honda "H" logo decals stuck to their engine covers. There are aesthetic pluses & minuses to both suppliers' aero kits, but the big takeaway is that the cars now produce an estimated twenty-five per cent (25%) greater downforce, allowing them to be driven with greater precision & control, resulting in better racing.

The four Team Penske (Chevrolet) entries dominated qualifying, starting in positions one, two, three, & four, with reigning Series Champion Will Power starting from the pole. Power dominated the race, being passed only during pit stops by his Penske teammates triple Indy 500 winner Hélio Castroneves ('01, '02, '09) & 2000 Indy 500 winner (& grand prix-winning F1 pilot) Juan Pablo Montoya. Power passed Castroneves on a post-yellow-flag restart to retake the lead. Power made a dramatic attempt to pass Montoya in the dying laps, but came up just short, Power's front right wing making light contact with Montoya's rear left corner, ripping a few pieces of the new aero kit off Power's car. Montoya & Power finished ten seconds ahead of the third-placed Tony Kanaan of Ganassi (Chevrolet), which is a big gap in the ultra-competitive IndyCar field. The other two Penskes, of Castroneves & Simon Pagenaud, finished fourth & fifth. The highest place Honda-powered finisher was '13 Series Champion & '14 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti, in seventh.

To my admittedly biased eyes, the drive of the day belong to Jack Hawksworth of Foyt (Honda). "Captain Jack" (A.K.A. "the Hawk") showed amazing speed on the Star Mazda & Indy Lights rungs of the IndyCar "ladder," & flashes of brilliance last year, his rookie year in IndyCar, driving for Herta Autosport. This year he is partnering F1 veteran Takuma Sato at Foyt Racing, the team owned by "Big Tex," quadruple Indy 500 winner ('61, '64, '67, & '77) & '67 Le Mans winner A. J. Foyt. Hawksworth started twenty-first out of twenty-four cars & early in the grand prix had to make an emergency pit stop to replace a damaged front wing, placing him on an out-of-sequence, "alternate" fuel strategy from the majority of the field. This strategy saw him inherit the race lead when the leaders pitted for fuel, but then fall back when he himself had to refuel. Methodically, Hawksworth worked his way up the field, passing Graham Rahal of Rahal (Honda), Marco Andretti of Andretti (Honda), & Luca Filippi of Carpenter (Chevrolet) in the closing laps to finish eighth. Passing is not easy on the tight, concrete-barrier-lined streets of St. Pete, & o how I wish the "E.S.P.N. on A.B.C." television coverage had taken a moment to look away from Montoya & Power at the front to check in on Hawksworth's midfield charge! Alas! Good on you, Jack.

1st Place: Juan Pablo Montoya, Penske (Chevrolet)
2nd Place: Will Power, Penske (Chevrolet)
3rd Place: Tony Kanaan, Ganassi (Chevrolet)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: SKApril!

Madness, "One Step Beyond…" from One Step Beyond… (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: The annoying introduction to "One Step Beyond…" hypes the "rocksteady beat of Madness." Rocksteady developed out of the original ska of the 1950s & early '60s, serving as something of an intermediate stage 'twixt ska & reggae. Rocksteady is typically more slowly paced than ska, so the manic music of Madness can hardly be categorized as rocksteady; consider the "rocksteady" boast an affectionate affectation.

Fun fact: Madness are the namesake of Prince Buster's song "Madness," which served as the finale to SKApril '14.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Were 3 April not Good Friday, we would remember Blessed Piotr Edward Dankowski (1908-1942), priest & martyr: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link 108.

Scripture of Good Friday
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verses fifty-three & fifty-four.

Good Friday of the Lord's Passion Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verses thirteen thru chapter fifty-three, verses twelve;
Psalm Thirty-one, verses two, six, twelve & thirteen, fifteen thru seventeen, twenty-five;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter four, verses fourteen thru sixteen & chapter five, verses seven thru nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eighteen, verse one thru chapter nineteen, verse forty-two.

Mass Journal: Week 11
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Reflection by Matthew Kelly

The life of Jesus Christ is indelibly engraved upon history; neither the erosion of time nor the devastating & compounding effects of evil have been able to erase [H]is influence. Some people thought [H]e was crazy; others considered [H]im a misfit, a troublemaker, a rebel. He was condemned as a criminal, yet [H]is life & teachings reverberate throughout history. He saw things differently, & h[H]e had no respect for the status quo. You can praise [H]im, disagree with [H]im, quote [H]im, disbelieve [H]im, glorify [H]im, or vilify [H]im. About the only thing you cannot do is ignore [H]im, & that is a lesson that every age learns in its own way. You can't ignore Jesus, because [H]e changed things. He is the single greatest agent of change in human history. He made the lame walk, taught the simple, set captives free, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, afflicted the comfortable, & in all of these, captured the imagination of every generation.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day: REGGAEpril?

Desmond Dekker & the Aces, "Israelites" from King of Ska (T.L.A.M.)

Skammentary: I've deigned to include a few reggae numbers in this year's celebration of SKApril because they are songs I enjoy & because reggae developed out of ska. In many ways, reggae often remains closer to the original Jamaican ska than the third-wave ska punk that I love so dearly. (Where does "Israelites" fit on the ska-reggae "spectrum"? For my money, "Israelites" is a ska song, but I wouldn't pick a fight with anyone who described it as a reggae song. An earlier, no less murky meditation on this point: Wayback Machine.) Ska is a genre, not the work of any single individual or sound system. SKApril must be as broad as ska itself, from early ska to 2-Tone to ska-core to the occasional bit of reggae. Don't hate, rude boys & rude girls, just skank.

I debated whether to use the subtitle "REGGAEpril" or "REGGApril." The latter makes more sense when written, the former when verbalized. In choosing REGGAEpril, I've taken the opposite tack from SKApril, which works in writing but not when spoken, in that this requires mispronouncing either ska or April.

Project BLACK MAMBA

Were 2 April not Holy Thursday, we would remember Saint Francis of Paola, O.M. (1416-1507), founder of the Order of Minims: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link Foxtrot; Wikipedia-link Minims.

Scripture of Holy Thursday
Personal Reading
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verses fifty thru fifty-two;
The Second Letter of John;
The Third Letter of John.

Commentary: 2 John & 3 John are tiny little things, twelve & thirteen verses respectively. In my Bible, the introduction to each occupies as much if not more space than the text of the epistle being introduced.

Chrism Mass Readings
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-one, verses one thru three(A), six(A), eight(B) thru nine;
Psalm Eighty-nine, twenty-one & twenty-two, twenty-five, twenty-seven;
The Book of Revelation, chapter one, verses five thru eight;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter four, verses sixteen thru twenty-one.

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper Readings
The Book of Exodus, chapter twelve, verses one thru eight, eleven thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses twelve & thirteen, fifteen & sixteen(B,C), seventeen & eighteen;
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses twenty-three thru twenty-six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter thirteen, verses one thru fifteen.

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Mass Journal: Week 10
Sunday, 1 March 2015

Before Christmas last year, I saw a Jewish scholar interviewed on television. The topic of discussion was the influence Jesus has exerted on human history. In summary, the scholar concluded, "The impact this man has had on human history is undeniable. Because of this man we call Jesus, the world will never again be the same. Because of Jesus, men & women will never think the same. Regardless of whether or not we believe [H]e was the Son of God, because of this man who walked the earth two thousand years ago, men & women will never live the same, will never be the same."

Commentary: A word of clarification: Though I write in my DynamicCatholic.com-supplied Mass journal whenever the Spirit moves me, the words I have been quoting under the "Mass Journal" title are not my own, nor was it even my intention to misrepresent them as such. These are the weekly reflections published in the Mass journal by the folks at Matthew Kelly's Dynamic Catholic organization. I, your humble narrator, am sorry for any confusion.