The human heart is on a quest for happiness. Every person yearns for happiness like the desert yearns for rain. You have a desire for happiness; I have a desire for happiness. This desire is universal, common to every member of the human family. We simply desire to be happy, & we act from this desire. We often do things that we think will make us happy, only to discover that they end up making us miserable. This is often because we confuse pleasure with happiness. And sometimes long-term misery comes disguised as short-term pleasure.
Now is a time when we all need to rediscover Catholicism. I try to rediscover it every day, & when I seek in earnest to do so I am never disappointed. When I am able to set my ego & personal agenda aside, more often than not I am left in awe. Catholicism is old. But let me ask you a question. If you had an ancient treasure map, would you throw it away because it was old? No. The age of the map doesn't matter. What matters is whether or not it leads to treasure. Catholicism is a treasure map: It may be old, but it still leads to treasure. Let's rediscover it together, & help others to do the same.
The Servite Order was found in 1233… when a group of cloth merchants of Florence, Italy, left their city, families, & professions to retire to Monte Senario, a mountain outside the city, for a life of poverty & penance. These men are known as the Seven Holy Founders. The order's purposes are the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, & the propagation of devotion to the Mother of God, with special reference to her sorrows.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
In 1240 seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw from the city to a solitary place for prayer & direct service to God. Their initial difficulty was providing for their dependents, since two were still married & two were widowers. Their aim was to lead a life of penance & prayer, but they soon found themselves disturbed by constant visitors from Florence. They next withdrew to the deserted slopes of Monte Senario. In 1244, under the direction of St. Peter of Verona, O.P. (6 April), this small group adopted a religious habit similar to the Dominican habit, choosing to live under the Rule of St. Augustine & adopting the name of the servants of Mary. The new Order took a form more like that of the mendicant friars than that of the older monastic orders.'Tis also the feast of Saint Evermode of Ratzeburg, Bishop, O.Praem. (circa 1100-1178): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
"I'm a good man, food on the table,
Working two jobs, ready, willing, and able,
Check, a good man, love having fun,
And got no kids and I love the Lord,
Check, a good man, I'm monogamous,
Never did time, well, maybe just once,
Check, a good man, and I puts it down,
Wanna say it twice, brother puts it down,
Check…"
"I sued Ben Affleck—
Ah, do I even need a reason?…"
"Red dragon tattoo is just about on me,
I got it for you, so now do you want me?
With nothing to prove, will you be my honey? Oh yeah!
In you I confide, red dragon tattoo,
I'm fit to be dyed, am I fit to have you?…"
Happy Valentine's Day, dude! I'm trying to focus on the origins of today with St. Valentine and his legacy. It's more meaningful than what it's become.The conversation flowed back & forth, including the following:
Haha. And it's not like I'd be mad if someone sent me flowers. But that stuff is even more special on days not commercialized, in my opinionLong-time readers of The Secret Base might remember my interlocutor by her old Project PANDORA code name, Miss Mozart. We met through a dating website in the summer of 2012 & had one bad date that fall.* Per her request, we "remained" friends after that, but didn't really reconnect 'til this past summer (2016), shortly before she moved out to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for Major League Baseball. We shared one super fun evening at Ypsilanti's Wurst Bar, a much better evening than our single date lo those many years ago.
They were two brothers who were Byzantine Christian theologians & Christian missionaries. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs." They are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs, these two Greek brothers ultimately became missionaries, teachers, & patronsof the Slavic peoples. A decisive change in their lives occurred when the Duke of Moravia asked the eastern Emperor Michael (III) for political independence from German rule & ecclesiastical autonomy (having their own clergy & liturgy). Cyril & Methodius undertook the missionary task. Cyril's first work was to invent an alphabet, still used in some Eastern liturgies. His followers probably formed the Cyrillic alphabet. Together they translated the Gospels, the Psalter, Paul's letters, & the liturgical books into Slavonic, & composed a Slavonic liturgy, highly irregular then.'Tis also the feast of Saint Valentine of Rome, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 273, A.K.A of Terni), martyred in the reign of the emperor Aurelian: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
"Broken heart again today,Full disclosure: "The Last Song I Will Ever Write about a Girl" was not the last song about a girl Ataris frontman Kris Roe ever wrote.
The flowers that I gave to you have withered all away,
Just when I opened up my heart,
The one you used to love came and ripped it all apart!
"Why do I never seem to learn that
Love is wrong and girls are fucking evil?
I guess I'll never figure out
What womankind is all about.
"I heard your voice again today,
I'm scarred by all the lies that were once promises you made,
I lie in bed awake at night,
I wonder what went wrong, or even more just what went right!
"Why do I never seem to learn that
Love is wrong and girls are fucking evil?
I guess I'll never figure out
What womankind is all about."
"Will you please hold my hand?
I can't, I'm independent!
I want to be your man.
You can't, I'm independent!…
"I'll call you on the phone.
You can't, I'm independent!
Let me know when you're home.
I can't, I'm independent!…
"I hate this game we're playing,
I can't hear what she's saying,
Telling me that she is right and I am always wrong,
Everything she does
Is only just because
She's clinically insane!…"
"I see Thy strength and vigor,
All fading in the strife,
And death with cruel rigor,
bereaving Thee of life,
O agony and dying!
O love to sinners free!
Jesus, all grace supplying,
O turn Thy Face on me…"
This is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in honor of the Marian apparitions that reportedly occurred in 1858 in the vicinity of Lourdes. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, when fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubrious told her mother that a "lady" spoke to her in the cave of Massabielle (a mile from the town) while she was gathering firewood with her sister & a friend. Similar apparitions of the… "Lady" were reported on seventeen occasions that year.'Tis also the feast of Saint Gregory II, Pope (669-731), eighty-ninth Bishop of Rome, opponent of the first Byzantine iconoclasm: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
"So, it's safe to say that we've been here before:
Heart torn out, down for the count, and still come back for more.
This lesson is learned too well,
Though only unlearned by the time your wounds have healed.
"Have you had enough?
I guess not, 'cause you lips are stuck to his,
It's time to say enough is enough,
You'd be so better off,
You love him, but tough,
'Cause it's not coming back from him.
You can't win!
"Stop expecting change,
He's just a lost cause that you're waiting on…"
St. Scholastica, based upon centuries of tradition, is considered the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia (11 July), founder of the monastic communities & compiler of the Rule of St. Benedict, a guide to common-sense living & monastic organization. Over the centuries, icons & other religious works have often depicted Scholastica & Benedict together.'Tis also the feast of Blessed Clare of Rimini, Religious, O.S.C. (circa 1282-1346): Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
"…That girl is way too good for me,
We'll break up before it starts,
She'll only tear my world apart,
Da na na na na na na na na!
"Pre-ex-girlfriend,
That girl is just too fine!
Pre-ex-girlfriend,
Leaving me behind!
"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.
Boy: "Oh, um, hi."
Girl: "Hi."
Boy: "I um, I was across the room—"
Girl: "Uh-huh."
Boy: "And I just looked over, and I saw you, and—"
Girl: "Yeah?"
Boy: "Um, I was wondering if—"
Girl: "Uh-huh?"
Boy: "Maybe you wanted to, uh, go do something?"
Girl: Um—no."
"And then I saw her standing there
With green eyes and long, blonde hair,
She wasn't wearing underwear,
At least I prayed that she might be the one,
Maybe we'd have some fun,
Maybe we'd watch the sunrise,
But that night I learned some girls try too hard!
Some girls try too hard,
And some girls try too hard to impress
With the way that they dress,
With those things on their chests,
And the things they suggest to me…
"Her volume of makeup, her fake tits were tasteless,
So I said I'd call her, but never would bother,
Until I got turned down by another girl at a party.
"So when you see her standing there
With green eyes and long, blonde hair,
She won't be wearing underwear
And you'll discover this girl's not the one,
And she'll never be fun,
You should just turn and run,
Because you'll find out that some girls try too hard…"
St. Jerome was an Italian humanitarian, founder of the Somaschi fathers, & saint. He was canonized in 1767 & is the patron saint of orphans. In the year of plague & famine (1528), he seemed to be everywhere & showed his zeal, especially for the orphans, whose number had so greatly increased. Jerome began caring for the sick & feeding the hungry at his own expense.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin, F.D.C.C. (circa 1869-1947): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.
St. Josephine was a Sudanese-born former slave who became a Canossian Religious Sister in Italy, living & working there for forty-five years. Over the course of twelve years (1877-1889) she was resold again three more times & then given away.In honor of St. Josephine, 8 February is the International Day of Prayer & Awareness against Human Trafficking: U.S.C.C.B.-link.
"Well, my baby, my baby, she don't want me no more,
Ever since she saw his poster in that record store,
She said the way he grinds his molars is really sexy,
She thinks he so darned dysfunctional & Generation X-y,
She likes his brooding angst and his wild-eyed stare,
Yeah, he's her very favorite slacker multimillionaire.
"Well, my baby's in love with Eddie Vedder,
She's all crazy 'bout that Eddie Vedder,
Once she was mine, but now I better just forget her,
'Cause my baby's in love with Eddie Vedder…
"Now she's got an unrequited adoration,
For the frustrated, agitated, designated, alienated, spokesman for the disaffected Grunge generation!
"Well, I don't wear Doc Martens and I don't wear flannel,
And I don't boycott the music video channel,
And I just can't compete with all that money and fame,
But I know two can play at this kind of game.
Yeah, let's just see how jealous she'll get
When I start stalking Alanis Morrissette!…
"I said, I said, I said, my baby's in love with Eddie Vedder,
Why'd she have to fall for that Eddie Vedder?
If she wants to leave me I guess I better let her,
'Cause my baby's in love with Eddie Vedder!"
"I snarl, I hiss,
How can ignorance be compared to bliss?
I spark, I fizz,
For the lady who knows what time it is.
I cheer and I rave
For the virtue I'm too late to save.
The sadder-but-wiser girl for me!…
"I flinch, I shy,
When the lass with the delicate air goes by.
I smile, I grin,
When the gal with a touch of sin walks in.
I hope and I pray
For Hester to win just one more A.
The sadder-but-wiser girl's the girl for me,
The sadder-but-wiser girl for me!"
"I know you too well to like you anymore,As a bonus, here's a live video recording of the R.B.F., featuring Lindsay from Mighty Mongo, performing "I Know You Too Well to Like You Anymore" along with "She Has a Girlfriend Now": YouTube-link. No other band has supplied more A.V.D.S.O.T.D. to the R.D.B.S.O.T.D. than R.B.F., boasting five songs out of a running total of thirty-six.
I know you too well to like you anymore,
There's a nightmare where my dream girl was,
My Prince Charming is a bore,
And I know you too well and I don't like you anymore…
"Well, you used to be such a sight for sore eyes,
But now looking at you is like a knife in me!
Your heart is filled with daggers,
Your kiss is like razor blades,
You'd rather stroke that champagne bottle,
I'll toss you a hand grenade!
"I know you too well to like you anymore,
I know you too well to like you anymore,
You're mean and you're unfriendly,
Well, you're an attention whore,
And I know you too well and I don't like you—
"But I love you, please stay.
No one makes me more miserable, so please don't go away.
'Cause I need you, always,
I'll never be able to forget you,
I wish that I had never met you…
"You're a son of a bitch, you know that?…
"I'm stuck with someone I can't stand,
I can't stand you even more…"
(St. Paul Miki) was a Roman Catholic Japanese Jesuit seminarian, martyr, & saint, one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. He preached his last sermon from the cross, & it is maintained that he forgave his executioners, stating that he himself was Japanese. Crucified alongside him were John Soan de Gotó & Santiago Kisai, also of the Society of Jesus; along with twenty-three other clergy & laity, all of whom were canonized by (Bl.) Pope Pius IX (7 February).'Tis also the feast of Saint Dorothea of Caesarea, Virgin & Martyr (died circa 311), martyred in the reign of the emperor Galerius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
God always wants our future to be bigger than our past. not equal to our past, but bigger, better, brighter, & more significant. God wants your future & my future, & the future of the Church, to be bigger than the past. It is this bigger future that we need to envision. One of the most incredible abilities God has given the human person is the ability to dream. We are able to look into the future & imagine something better than today, & then return to the present & work to make that richly imagined future a reality. Who is doing this for the Church?
For many years I have been reflecting on a single verse from Proverbs. It never ceases to ignite my passion for the Church. "Where there is no vision, the people will perish" (Proverbs, 28:19). I have found this to be true in every area of life. In a country where there is no vision, the people will perish. In a marriage where there is no vision, people will perish. In a business, a school, or a family where there is no vision, the people will perish.
"Always look on the bright side of life, *whistle*
Always look on the bright side of life. *whistle*
"Some things in life are bad,
They can really make you mad,
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle,
Don't grumble—give a whistle!
This will help things turn out for the best.
"Always look on the bright side of life, *whistle*
Always look on the right side of life. *whistle*
"If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing!
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps,
Just purse your lips and whistle—that's the thing!
"So, always look on the bright side of death, *whistle*
Just before you draw your terminal breath. *whistle*
"Life's a counterfeit
When you look at it,
Life's a laugh and death's the joke—it's true!
You see, it's all a show,
Keep them laughing as you go,
Just remember the last laugh is on you!
"Always look on the bright side of life, *whistle*
Always look on the bright side of life, *whistle*
Always look on the bright side of life, *whistle*
Always look on the bright side—"
From being a healer of bodily ailments, Saint Blaise became a physician of souls, then retired for a time of cavern where he remained in prayer. As bishop of Sebastea, Blaise instructed his people as much by his example as by his words, & the great virtues & sanctity of the servant of God were attested by many miracles.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
We know more about the devotion to St. Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise's feast day. The Germans & Slavs hold him in special honor & for decades many United States Catholics have sought the annual Saint Blaise blessing for their throats. Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316.Quoth the Living the Gospel Day by Day:
On the feast of St. Blaise, we have our throats blessed. The Holy Spirit cleanses us of every evil, in particular from disease of the throat. In this purgation we offer all our sins that they may be washed away forever.The blessing of St. Blaise:
Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop & martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat & from every other evil. In the name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Spirit. Amen.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop, O.S.B. (801-865, also spelt Anskar or Anschar): Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo & Wikipedia-link.
Saint Ansgar was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, a northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. The Diocese of Hamburg was designated a mission to bring Christianity to Northern Europe, & Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North."'Tis also the feast of Saint Berlinda of Meerbeke, Religious, O.S.B. (died 702, also spelt Berlindis): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
"Today's gonna be the best day of my life, so far,
Today's gonna be the best day of my life, by far,
I've no particular reason why
I think today's gonna be so nice,
But today's gonna be the best day of my life, so far!…
"When I say today's gonna be so great, it's just because!
"Just because I feel like having the best I can,
And if you don't like it, well, I guess that's your problem.
(Sorry, lighten up!)…
"Why would I need a reason (Why?) to have an awesome day? (No way!)
For me it's enough when I wake up to look around and say, 'Hey!'
Today's gonna be the best day that I have ever had…
"And if I fail to have the best day that I can,
Then I'll wait for tomorrow, and I'll try it once again…"
"These days, everybody's got something they want to say to me,
These days, everybody's got advice on how to live.
"All you motherfuckers, well, you don't know shit,
This is my life and I'm the one who has to live it,
And I'll admit that I do not know shit,
But it's up to me, I'm gonna do it how I want to do it!
"I don't need your advice!
I can live my own life!
I can fuck it up myself!
"I know everything thinks I'm stupid, young, dumb, and naïve,
I know everything thinks they know what's best for me.
"All you motherfuckers, well, you do not know shit,
I've got a mind and I am not afraid to use it,
I know you shouldn't rhyme shit with shit,
But this is my song, I'm gonna sing it how I want to sing it!
"I don't need your advice!
Let me live my own life!
I can fuck it up myself!…"
Known originally as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a relatively ancient celebration. The Church at Jerusalem observed the feast as early as the first half of the fourth century, & likely earlier. The feast celebrates the presentation of Christ in the temple at Jerusalem on the fortieth day after His birth.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin (from "Saint Quote of the Week"):
This Thursday, 2 February, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. It's one of my favorite feast days. Mary & Joseph present the baby Jesus in the Temple (much like we do to have our babies baptized). When Simeon sees Jesus, he says the following words:'Tis also the feast of Saint Bruno of Saxony, Martyr (circa 830-880, A.K.A. of Ebsdorf), Duke of Saxony, martyred in battle against the Great Heathen Army, one of the Ebsdorf Martyrs: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link Ebsdorf & Wikipedia-link Ebsdorf.
"Now, Master, You may let Your servant go in peace, according to Your Word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in sight of all peoples."
I always find these words inspiring. It's as though he is saying that whatever happenes that day, we can be at peace because we have Jesus with us.
"Here's to the life
That we always never wanted,
And somehow we've forgotten,
The road we traveled on,
Here's to the life
But now that we're stuck on it,
Just get us out alright,
Here's to the life!"
