Almost Christmas

While you're all recovering from Festivus and getting ready for Kwanzaa, I'm gearing up for the first Masses of Christmas, fortified by Huevos Rancheros, strong coffee, and corn tortillas.

Excuse me?

Here's some Austin Farrer to reflect on before Mass:

“WHEN Mary laid Jesus Christ upon her knees, when she searched him with her eyes, when she fed him at the breast, she did not study to love him because she ought, she loved him because he was dear: he was her Son. His conception had been supernatural, perplexing, affrighting; it had called for faith in the incomprehensible, and obedience beyond the limit of human power. His nativity was human and sweet, and the love with which she embraced it was a natural growth, inseparable from the thing she loved. She was blessed above all creatures, because she loved her Maker inevitably and by simple nature; even though it needed the sword—wounds of the Passion to teach her fully that it was her Maker whom she loved. The Son of Mary is the Son of all human kind; we embrace him with the love of our kind, that we may be led up with Mary to a love beyond kind, a selfless love for the supreme Goodness, when we too shall have climbed the ladder of the cross.”

I love that -- the Farrer, not the random dancing priestess, obviously.

God bless,

LSP

Just Making a Knife

When not working feverishly to meet an urgent go-to-press deadline, I've been rather busy polishing a piece of horn. I feel the exotic horn will become two things, a knife and a bottle opener. "But how can that be, LSP?" you ask with a note of wonder. Simple. After finishing the horn with a small rasp and ever decreasing grit sandpaper, I'll cut the thing, leaving a hand-sized knife grip and a longer bottle opener section. 

Some dancing priestess goofing-off in England

I'll then bed a knife blade into the handle with epoxy and perhaps drive two rivets through handle and tine to make the blade secure. The end of a brass 20 Gauge shotgun shell should work to close off the open  butt. A similar process will sort out the bottle opener. I'm excited by this. Stay tuned.

Jesus said "no priestesses."

On a different note, random church people brought evening gifts after I'd said Mass and taught a class on John 17 -- a bottle of red wine and some cherry crumble. I ate the one and saved the other. Thanks, team.

God bless,

LSP