Month: March 2005

Don't Tell MOMA

OK, so what do you do if your an artist and nobody is interested in your work? Well, you could cut off your ear, but that is so last century. It’s been done, and modern art is all about breaking boundaries, and stuff. So that’s what this guy actually did! Slipping past the rigid barriers of the bourgeois establishment (and some security guys), he managed to sneak several pieces of art into a number of famous modern art galleries and museums ( Like MOMA), where they hung for days without being noticed. Hey, why wait ’til your dead, right?

Of course, the trade-off is that he will now be remembered for being clever, rather than talented. But, hey, that’s what modern art is all about!

GET THE STORY.

Don’t Tell MOMA

OK, so what do you do if your an artist and nobody is interested in your work? Well, you could cut off your ear, but that is so last century. It’s been done, and modern art is all about breaking boundaries, and stuff. So that’s what this guy actually did! Slipping past the rigid barriers of the bourgeois establishment (and some security guys), he managed to sneak several pieces of art into a number of famous modern art galleries and museums ( Like MOMA), where they hung for days without being noticed. Hey, why wait ’til your dead, right?

Of course, the trade-off is that he will now be remembered for being clever, rather than talented. But, hey, that’s what modern art is all about!

GET THE STORY.

"We'll Get It Blessed Later"

A reader writes:

I understand that Catholics are supposed to obtain a dispensation

to get married in a non-Catholic ceremony. I have a Catholic cousin

who will soon marry a Lutheran man in a Lutheran Church, and I understand

the groom-to-be’s mother is very adamant about it being that way. I asked the

bride-to-be’s grandfather (who is Catholic) if she obtained a dispensation, and he

said they claim the marriage will get blessed by the Catholic Church "later".

I really don’t

know all that’s being done to "keep the peace" or what was said by the local

    priest about a dispensation. They live hundreds of miles away and I have no idea

what kind of "practicing Catholic" the bride-to-be is. My dilemma is: Can I attend

this wedding?  Can I send a gift?

If no dispensation was obtained, but only a promise to "take care of things later" was

made, the wedding would still be "illicit" in form, right?  If the priest promises to

bless the marriage later, is that a valid dispensation?

Unless the Catholic party has received a dispensation from the obligation to observe the Catholic form of marriage then the marriage in question will not only be illicit, it will be invalid. What a priest may say is irrelevant. The diocese, not the local parish, must grant the dispensation. Promises by a priest to convaidate ("bless") the marriage later also do nothing to change the fact that the marriage will be invalid at the time it is contracted.

This means that no actual marital union will be established between the parties and they will be objectively fornicating until such time as they get their marital situation rectified.

Because of this, I cannot recommend that you attend the wedding or otherwise celebrate it (e.g., by giving a gift).

By being frank (but gentle and compassionate with them) about your reasons for not attending or otherwise celebrating the union, you would be performing an act of charity toward them by indicating (a) indicating to them that they are not really getting married and that what they would be doing after the service is objectively siful and (b) that someone in the family is willing to act in accordance with the truth instead of pretending that their "we’ll get it blessed later" plan is okay when it is not. Sometimes people need the example of others standing up for what is right before they’re willing to stand up for what is right themselves.

If they do proceed with their plan and, at some later date, have their marriage convalidated in the Catholic Church, at that time it would be appropriate to send gifts, etc.

Hope this helps!

20

“We’ll Get It Blessed Later”

A reader writes:

I understand that Catholics are supposed to obtain a dispensation
to get married in a non-Catholic ceremony. I have a Catholic cousin
who will soon marry a Lutheran man in a Lutheran Church, and I understand
the groom-to-be’s mother is very adamant about it being that way. I asked the
bride-to-be’s grandfather (who is Catholic) if she obtained a dispensation, and he
said they claim the marriage will get blessed by the Catholic Church "later".

I really don’t
know all that’s being done to "keep the peace" or what was said by the local
    priest about a dispensation. They live hundreds of miles away and I have no idea
what kind of "practicing Catholic" the bride-to-be is. My dilemma is: Can I attend
this wedding?  Can I send a gift?

If no dispensation was obtained, but only a promise to "take care of things later" was
made, the wedding would still be "illicit" in form, right?  If the priest promises to
bless the marriage later, is that a valid dispensation?

Unless the Catholic party has received a dispensation from the obligation to observe the Catholic form of marriage then the marriage in question will not only be illicit, it will be invalid. What a priest may say is irrelevant. The diocese, not the local parish, must grant the dispensation. Promises by a priest to convaidate ("bless") the marriage later also do nothing to change the fact that the marriage will be invalid at the time it is contracted.

This means that no actual marital union will be established between the parties and they will be objectively fornicating until such time as they get their marital situation rectified.

Because of this, I cannot recommend that you attend the wedding or otherwise celebrate it (e.g., by giving a gift).

By being frank (but gentle and compassionate with them) about your reasons for not attending or otherwise celebrating the union, you would be performing an act of charity toward them by indicating (a) indicating to them that they are not really getting married and that what they would be doing after the service is objectively siful and (b) that someone in the family is willing to act in accordance with the truth instead of pretending that their "we’ll get it blessed later" plan is okay when it is not. Sometimes people need the example of others standing up for what is right before they’re willing to stand up for what is right themselves.

If they do proceed with their plan and, at some later date, have their marriage convalidated in the Catholic Church, at that time it would be appropriate to send gifts, etc.

Hope this helps!

20

Sunday Obligation

A reader writes:

Jimmy, I have some obligations this coming Saturday and Sunday that will very likely make it impossible to get to a Mass on Saturday “evening” or Sunday.  I’m wondering how early a Mass can be on Saturday to count for the Sunday obligation.  There’s one at 2pm here.  It just seems really early.  I suppose I’ll be relieved from my Sunday obligation if I just can’t make one, but if the 2pm will count, I’d like to go.  However, it’s in Korean, which I do not speak.  Does it even make sense to go if you won’t be able to participate really, or understand what’s being said?  Any input is greatly appreciated.

The law is ambiguous on when "evening" begins. (And no, folks, I don’t want to have this fight all over again, so e-mail me if you want to rush me your vital evidence regarding when evening begins.) Some documents would suggest something in the 4 p.m.-4:30 p.m. timeframe–or when the local bishop says–but it is not clear that these documents presently have legal force, in which case 12 noon would be case.

What we have in this case thus seems to be a doubt of law situation, and in such cases, "Laws,
even invalidating and disqualifying ones, do not oblige when there is a doubt
about the law" (Canon 14).

To apply this to your situation:

  1. If you have other pressing obligations that would preclude you from going to Mass on Saturday after 2 p.m. or on Sunday then you are not obliged to go during that time. You simply have no Sunday obligation in that timeframe.
  2. Since it is doubtful whether a 2 p.m. Saturday Mass would fulfill the Sunday obligation, one is not bound to go then due to the doubt of law.
  3. You certainly may go to the 2 p.m. Saturday Mass, and that would be a praiseworthy thing to do, even if you are not obligated to do so.
  4. The fact that the Mass is in Korean may play a role in whether you personally decide to go to it or not, but that is a matter of personal taste, not of the efficacy of the Mass for fulfilling one’s obligation when one exists. The Church has never regarded it as essential for going to Mass that you speak the language in which the Mass is conducted. The Mass is primarily a vertical experience in which we relate to God by going to be with him and worship him, even if we cannot speak the language of those around us. You can still derive great spiritual benefit from going to a Mass in a language you don’t speak because your linguistically-challenged state does nothing to prevent you from thinking about and worshipping God in your heart, receiving Jesus in the Eucharist ("Amen" is still "Amen" in Korean when you receive Communion), or even following the general structure of the Mass. There also may be a Korean-English translation available in the Missal, who knows.
  5. If you go, "hello" in Korean is "Annyong haseyo" (Ahn-yong ha-say-yo). Smile and wave when you say it. Or bow if you use it at the sign of peace. (They’ll know what you mean.)

Hope this helps!

20

The Green Flash

No, the green flash not a new superhero–or supervillain.

It’s another solar-atmospheric phenomenon.

Unlike the crepusculent rays (with which it is sometimes confused), the green flash is not as easy to see. You can’t just walk out and find them on any ol’ day. The starsatmospheric conditions have to be right.

The easies way to explain what a green flash is is to show you a picture of one, so here goes:

Green_flash

[SOURCE.]

See that flash of green at the top of the setting sun? That green flash is the green flash.

The green flash occurs when part of the sun appears green because of the way its light is being refracted in the atmosphere. (A common myth is that it is because the sun’s light is being filtered through ocean water, but that myth is just a myth.)

Green flashes also come in other colors, like blue. They’re still called green flashes, though, even though they aren’t green. Here’s a blue-colored green flash:

Bluegreenflash

[SOURCE.]

As you can see between these two, not only the color can change, but the visual appearance of the flash in relation to the sun can change. In the first case the green flash appears separated from the rest of the sun by a band of darkness, while in the second it appears to be part of the sun.

Here’s a really weird-lookin’ green flash, courtesy of NASA:

Nasagreenflash

[SOURCE.]

Now, a lot of folks have the idea that you have to be near the ocean to see green flashes (has to do with that seawater myth, y’know) but this is also a myth. In fact,

THERE’ZA BUNCHA MYTHS ABOUT GREEN FLASHES.

But

HERE’S A GOOD PAGE ON GREEN FLASHES (INCLUIDNG LINKS TO MORE PICTURES, MANY TAKEN FROM HERE IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA).

There is also

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFEREN TYPES OF GREEN FLASHES.

It also has

ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO SEE AND TAKE PICTURES OF GREEN FLASHES IN YOUR AREA.

If you get any pictures, be sure to send them to me so I can post them on the blog!

Jerry Falwell

FalwellA number of years ago I was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem when I saw a guy with a video camera–a professional-level one, not a handheld. I looked to see what he was filming and, lo and behold, it was Jerry Falwell!

I pointed him out to other members of the group I was with, which was being led by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, and after Falwell, we greeted him as a group. (As an individual, I did not, unfortunately.) Falwell was extremely gracious and shook Fr. Mitch’s hand, referring to him by his title "Father."

It showed me another side to the man who, in other contexts, preaches sermons that come across quite Fundamentalist. Despite his Baptist heritage, he recognized Catholics and Catholic priests as on the side of the angels.

Spend enough years fighting for unborn babies and I guess you’ll get that message.

Right now Jerry Falwell is in critical condition with viral pneumonia, experiencing his second bout of it in just the last few weeks.

I happened to see him the other night on Fox, where he mentioned the first bout and said if he was ever incapacitated the way Terri Schiavo is that he had better be given a food tube since he might wake up in six months and be just fine.

I had no idea his life would be in jeopardy so quickly after that.

Let’s pray for him.

GET THE STORY.

What's This?

Looks like a piece of seaweed on the ocean floor, right?

No, that’s just what it wants you to think.

Now, how about this:

Maybe a cocoanut that’s being carried along by the current?

Again, that’s just what it wants you to think.

In reality, these are both octopodes. (That–not "octopi" or "octopus"–is the correct plural based on the Greek, for sticklers about such matters. The other two words are based on a misperception that "octopus" is a Latin-derived word. Though for us English-speakers, "octopuses" will do just fine, thanks.)

Both of the Cthulhu-spawn are doing their best to be deceptive and tricky. In the first case the octopus has flayed six of his arms out to make him look like seaweed and is preparing to sneak along on two of his legs in an attempt to escape the Cousteau-spawn attempting to film him.

WATCH HIM DO IT.

In the second case the Cthulhu-spawn has wrapped six of his arms around himself to make him look like something he’s not, again so he can escape on two legs.

WATCH HIS ATTEMPT.

Yes, it turns out that

OCTOPODESUSES ARE A TRICKY AND DECEPTIVE BREED–ENEMIES OF MANKIND.

(Cowboy hat tip: Small But Disorganized pros Slashdot.)