Later, we played "Scattegories" and "Balderdash": much more fun. The Wiki article says:
An oft used strategy in balderdash is to elect your own fake definition in an attempt to give it credibility in the minds of your fellow players. This is referred to as a "downstream balder". You do not score a point for guessing your own fake definition, only for other people who guess yours as being right.I managed that a couple of times and I shall in future refer to it knowingly as a "downstream balder."
I was invited to a family on St Stephen's Day but the end of evening Mass, my cold had rather worn me down and I rang to give my apologies - most regretfully too, I might add, although I really did need an early night.
On Sunday, the feast of The Holy Family (OF)/St John (EF), I made up for my previous lethargy by visiting two families. The lunch table at one was dominated by a Christmas pumpkin:
The evening's entertainment gave me an opportunity to have a go on the "Wii". I wasn't much good at lightsabre fighting but managed to win a couple of consolation rounds against my eight year old oppenent. Archery, which involved less waving the arms around and more concentration was a little better until it proved necessary to compensate for wind speed and distance.After bashing lots of things and people in virtual reality, I think that there was plenty of pent-up energy among the children to hit a real object with a large stick, so the Pinata came out:
On the feast of the Holy Innocents, it was my turn to entertain. Twenty or so members of my own family, including a great niece and nephew, came over to Blackfen. The Small Hall has a connecting door to the front room so it is a good place for children to play with radio controlled cars, throw felt balls at people with velcro covered hats on, and that sort of thing. My brother-in-law spent a considerable amount of energy convincing me of the value of the music of Messaien and I feel slightly less at a disadvantage in that respect now.Today on the feast of St Thomas of Canterbury, I celebrated Mass for the parish altar servers at which four of them were enrolled into the Guild of St Stephen. We had a little party afterwards with tea, coffee, cakes and squash. There was even a glass of sherry available but few takers this far into the Octave.
All of this has left me confirmed in the truth that the vocation of the celibate priest and the vocation of the married couple are complementary and mutually enriching. As the great Abbé Lacordaire said of the priest, he is "a member of each family, yet belonging to none."
9 comments:
As Archbishop Sheen put it - 'The Priest is not his own' : and you, Father, prove that spectacularly well !
As for Messaien, I'm delighted to hear that you are getting there; it would be my pleasure to provide a talented interpreter of Messaien for you if you ever feel like putting it on the music list at Blackfen !
Hurry up and recover from the bug, so that you can enjoy the New Year.
To get started on Messiaen, and to verify that he is on the side of the (musical) angels, start off with O Sacrum Convivium:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieiHHhK_MX0
Then, try Les Bergers from La Nativité - a great piece for Epiphany - it gives a taste of his wonderful gift for voluble melodic development:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poCLSVvHk8s
- played in that recording by the redoubtable Marie-Claire Alain, whose recording of the complete organ works of Bach I have listened right through a number of times.
When I heard Messiaen improvising at the 12:00 Organ Mass at the Ste Trinité at Christmas 1974, I was struck to note that his improvisational style was very close in musical language to these 1935 organ pieces, rather than to the somewhat tougher idiom of much of his post-1950 writing.
It's important, when listening to Messiaen, not to listen for the kinds of development practised in classical music after the manner of Haydn and his pupils. By their standards, Messiaen's pieces are extremely, obstinately, "static" on classical terms. It is absolutely best to regard the music as a musical prayer or contemplation, and to join in that prayer!
And perhaps the most helpful thing I can say about Messiaen is that the timeless, almost time-destroying ecstatic character of his music absolutely infuriates some atheistical listeners.
Perfect post!
What a pity we Christians conform to nodding off in front the TV screen with films devoid of the Christmas spirit on Christmas day. What a pity the Church's aren't all open in the evening, glowing, warm and radiant, with the Christ Child being visited, caroled, adored... even forgiving and healing,( does not the 'just man sin seven times a day', perhaps even on Christmas?) Why are expectations so low and mundane for Catholics on Feast Days in the UK? Where I celebrate, thank God, the churches throughout Christmastide are precisely as described above, with the priests continually at the altar, or in the confessional, and families quick to congregate around the divine Infant, or Nativity scenes. The spirit of Christmas flows effortlessly into the New Year and beyond, and by end of the Epiphany we are all ready to step out of its warm glow, and take something of it into tougher environments. I write this not to cause holy envy, but just to bear witness to the fact that Church praxis on great Solemnities and feast days can always be improved.
As the great Abbé Lacordaire said of the priest, he is "a member of each family, yet belonging to none."
-That's pretty profound, Father, and reminds me of something in a poem by Michel Quoist. I'll have to dig it out some time.
Have a great New Year, Father.
I am sure in days gone by people would spend the day around the Church in between Mass and Christmas Dinner as opposed to the pub. I love playing board games and just chatting over a well roasted turkey on Christmas Day. Why does everything always have to centre around a screen. For one day this year (Christmas Day) I insisted that the computers were not switched on and we had a wonderful day.
The thought of electricity failure is very welcoming in todays TV, DVD, Internet etc led lifestyles.
no visit to Parkminster this year Father?
Great post father. I envy your door to the Small Hall where children can play all sorts of vigorous games.
invocante - I was there on Thursday but unfortunately I could not go to the post-christmas get-together on St Stephen's day because it was on Saturday when we have a full schedule in the parish.
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