"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Friday, August 9, 2013

My Slow Takes (Vol. 108)


                                  

1. Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” 
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. 
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. 
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”     LK 12:13-21     

Father John’s Homily Sunday morning made me more aware of the point Jesus was trying to make to the crowd about greed. His answer to sharing the inheritance is not pleasing to the one who asked. I’m sure he was expecting Jesus to tell his brother that is proper to provide what is due him. The son doesn't seem to have any concern for the departed father, only the importance of the property.

In the parable, the word “I” is repeated six times. The word “my” is repeated three times. There is no sharing, no thought of other, just self. Possession of food and drink built into a personal treasure. Jesus wants the crowd to know and understand the importance of the sinfulness of greed. The parable provides the lesson; if they choose to listen. 

2. Here is an easy and simple way to test your batteries. I never knew this.


3. This an excellent video of the Battle of Bushy Run which took place on August 5-6, 1763. It is done in miniature.

Bushy Run by Don Troiani
4. We are holding an election for a new Governor. Our current Virginia elected official is Bob McDonnell. His term is ending and the two individuals running for office are Ken Cuccinelli II, Republican, and Terry McAuliffe, Democrat. Their campaign focuses on each one telling how bad the other one is. It’s hard to tell what good either one of them may be able to accomplish. A campaign of “Frick and Frack.” Just my 2 cents, but read what Frank James writes at NPR.

5. Hiawatha was a real person made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Song of Hiawatha.” He was an Onondaga Indian and was instrumental in forming the Iroquois Confederacy, sometime between 1450 and 1600. There was no written history of this but was orally passed from generation to generation. It was said that the founding father was possibly a Huron named Deganawida. He traveled from tribe to tribe, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca, preaching the “Good News of Peace.” During his travels he met Hiawatha, Ayouhwatha, an Onondaga. Together they convinced the tribes to be at peace and the Confederacy of the Five Nations was formed. 

A nation that encompassed most of what is today New York State, but reached into Canada and Pennsylvania. The Iroquois Nation played an important part during the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution.    

The Iroquois Museum website has excellent information and provides a complete story and reference list.

Hiawatha Belt by Ken Maracle, Cayuga Indian, 2006
Northern Iroquoian Nations 1615 by Jennifer Birch

6. This is a fruit bowl that was at a baby shower Dee attended last weekend.


7. This is an ad that has me contemplating trying their product.



Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.



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