For my mick wife and partially mick kids.
Paddywas driving down the street in a sweat because he had an importantmeeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven hesaid, 'Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will goto Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me IrishWhiskey!'
Miraculously, a parking place appeared.
Paddy looked up again and said, 'Never mind, I found one.'
===========================================================
Walkinginto the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, 'Pour me a stiff one- just had another fight with the little woman.'
'Oh yeah?' said Charlie, 'And how did this one end?'
'When it was over,' Mike replied, 'She came to me on her hands andknees.'
'Really,' said Charles, 'Now that's a switch! What did she say?'
She said, 'Come out from under the bed, you little chicken.'
Showing posts with label Holy Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Days. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
From The Weston Forum
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What with the $75/dozen roses and the inundation of diamond and Victoria’s Secret ads, it’s easy for a cynic to believe that Valentine’s Day was a creation of Madison Avenue, one of those “made up holidays” created by greeting card companies to generate business in an otherwise dull time of year.
Not true. While the Greeting Card Association of America does admit that Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas in the volume of cards sent (an estimated one billion valentines will be sent this year!), they refuse to take credit for the creation of the day itself.
That honor goes to the Catholic Church, which, as it did on several occasions, decided to combine some existing pagan rituals with some newer Christian ones. Throw in a saint, a few miscellaneous legends and traditions, and, voilà! Valentine’s Day!
Fertility rites
Pope Gelasius first declared Feb. 14 to be St. Valentine’s Day in 498 A.D. But long before then, Romans had been celebrating the official beginning of spring with all of its attendant fertility rites in mid-February.
The Lupercalia Festival in ancient Rome was dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. It is said that priests who were members of the order of Luperci gathered at the entrance of a cave believed to have been the place where the infant Romulus and Remus were cared for by a she-wolf. A goat was sacrificed for fertility and a dog for purification.
The hide of the goat was sliced and the hide was dipped in blood. Men then took to the streets, gently slapping women and fields of crops with the bloody goathide strips. This was believed to make both women and fields fertile.
Later in the day, the names of all the women in town were placed in an urn, and the bachelors would choose a name and be paired with that woman for the following year.
Romance
While today the romance involved in these gestures is a bit hard to discern, February nevertheless has been seen as a month for romance since ancient times. In France and England, it was widely believed that birds began their mating season in mid-February (some even say birds who mate for life choose their mate on Feb. 14).
Valentine himself is often believed to have been a romantic at heart, even though he was a priest. He lived in Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, who outlawed marriage because he believed that single men made better soldiers. Valentine believed this decree to be unjust, and continued to wed young lovers until he was discovered, jailed, and eventually put to death for his crime.
One legend says that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer, and sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine,” just before he was put to death. And so was born the first “valentine.”
The oldest known valentine still in existence was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt.
Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated in Great Britain around the 17th Century. By the mid-18th Century, it was common for good friends and lovers to exchange small tokens and notes on Valentine’s Day. Ready-made cards first appeared at the end of the 1700s.
Americans also began exchanging valentines in the early 1700s. It was not until 1840 that Esther A. Howland became the first person to sell mass-produced valentines in this country.
Today, approximately 85% of all valentine cards are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, the holiday is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Some would argue that Valentine’s Day, despite being created to honor a legitimate saint, is still a scam perpetrated by the multi-billion-dollar card industry. Most would agree, however, that today’s practices are still better than getting slapped with a bloody strip of goathide.
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What with the $75/dozen roses and the inundation of diamond and Victoria’s Secret ads, it’s easy for a cynic to believe that Valentine’s Day was a creation of Madison Avenue, one of those “made up holidays” created by greeting card companies to generate business in an otherwise dull time of year.
Not true. While the Greeting Card Association of America does admit that Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas in the volume of cards sent (an estimated one billion valentines will be sent this year!), they refuse to take credit for the creation of the day itself.
That honor goes to the Catholic Church, which, as it did on several occasions, decided to combine some existing pagan rituals with some newer Christian ones. Throw in a saint, a few miscellaneous legends and traditions, and, voilà! Valentine’s Day!
Fertility rites
Pope Gelasius first declared Feb. 14 to be St. Valentine’s Day in 498 A.D. But long before then, Romans had been celebrating the official beginning of spring with all of its attendant fertility rites in mid-February.
The Lupercalia Festival in ancient Rome was dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. It is said that priests who were members of the order of Luperci gathered at the entrance of a cave believed to have been the place where the infant Romulus and Remus were cared for by a she-wolf. A goat was sacrificed for fertility and a dog for purification.
The hide of the goat was sliced and the hide was dipped in blood. Men then took to the streets, gently slapping women and fields of crops with the bloody goathide strips. This was believed to make both women and fields fertile.
Later in the day, the names of all the women in town were placed in an urn, and the bachelors would choose a name and be paired with that woman for the following year.
Romance
While today the romance involved in these gestures is a bit hard to discern, February nevertheless has been seen as a month for romance since ancient times. In France and England, it was widely believed that birds began their mating season in mid-February (some even say birds who mate for life choose their mate on Feb. 14).
Valentine himself is often believed to have been a romantic at heart, even though he was a priest. He lived in Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, who outlawed marriage because he believed that single men made better soldiers. Valentine believed this decree to be unjust, and continued to wed young lovers until he was discovered, jailed, and eventually put to death for his crime.
One legend says that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer, and sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine,” just before he was put to death. And so was born the first “valentine.”
The oldest known valentine still in existence was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt.
Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated in Great Britain around the 17th Century. By the mid-18th Century, it was common for good friends and lovers to exchange small tokens and notes on Valentine’s Day. Ready-made cards first appeared at the end of the 1700s.
Americans also began exchanging valentines in the early 1700s. It was not until 1840 that Esther A. Howland became the first person to sell mass-produced valentines in this country.
Today, approximately 85% of all valentine cards are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, the holiday is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Some would argue that Valentine’s Day, despite being created to honor a legitimate saint, is still a scam perpetrated by the multi-billion-dollar card industry. Most would agree, however, that today’s practices are still better than getting slapped with a bloody strip of goathide.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Holy Thursday
A few quick thoughts.
It’s Jesus’ last supper before he died. Dying is a possibility for any one of my kids nearly every night at my house during dinner.
Just once I’d like a meal where milk isn’t spilled, food isn’t thrown, people aren’t yelling at each other and Cecilia isn’t going potty in her pants…is that really too much to ask for.
But I digress, today is Holy Thursday; the day the Eucharist and the Priesthood were instituted. Our church always has a great Mass on this night and it’s even more special for us since Joseph, #6 child and #3 son, is becoming and Altar Boy tonight. Congratulations Joey!
I had a wonderful lunch out with my bride today. It’s our 18 years and 10 months wedding anniversary today. Fried calamari, pizza and Greek salad. I need a nap.
Today’s workout: a very windy 12 mile run. Legs felt good though.
It’s Jesus’ last supper before he died. Dying is a possibility for any one of my kids nearly every night at my house during dinner.
Just once I’d like a meal where milk isn’t spilled, food isn’t thrown, people aren’t yelling at each other and Cecilia isn’t going potty in her pants…is that really too much to ask for.
But I digress, today is Holy Thursday; the day the Eucharist and the Priesthood were instituted. Our church always has a great Mass on this night and it’s even more special for us since Joseph, #6 child and #3 son, is becoming and Altar Boy tonight. Congratulations Joey!
I had a wonderful lunch out with my bride today. It’s our 18 years and 10 months wedding anniversary today. Fried calamari, pizza and Greek salad. I need a nap.
Today’s workout: a very windy 12 mile run. Legs felt good though.
Monday, March 17, 2008
It was the best of times it was the worst of times – don’t you just hate it when people start stories like that? How stinking clichéd can you get…
Anyway it’s Monday which is always a Tale of Two Emotions type of day. On the one hand part of me is happy to be going back to work for some peace and quiet and to get away from the potty trainee who goes potty everywhere but in the toilet. But I get kinda lonely on Monday mornings at work. Weird, I know. After two days of all the commotion and running around, all the fights and fun, all the meals and spills, all the mess and all the mess and all the mess (none of which is my fault of course)…you start to get used to the craziness and realize it’s normal. It’s just the way things are at our house. The quietness of the workplace is actually strange, creepy strange.
That’s what makes this new job so good. I get to work from home 2 days a week (anymore and someone might get their lungs ripped out). So Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I’m at home. One day at work, one day at home etc…best of both worlds. This new job has truly been a blessing so far.
Now to get back to work so I can keep this cool gig.
Today is: St. Patrick’s Day or is it? For all I know the liturgical ‘experts’ in this country have moved it to Ascension Thursday – I hear that date is free. Anyway being an Italian German American and married to an Irish Lass makes for an interesting day. I would normally wear all black today just to be annoying. But just to show how much I have grown, I’m wearing green boxer-briefs…so there.
Today is also: “Campfire Girls Day”, “Freedom of Information Day”, and “Well-Elderly Day” enjoy!
Peace Out
Anyway it’s Monday which is always a Tale of Two Emotions type of day. On the one hand part of me is happy to be going back to work for some peace and quiet and to get away from the potty trainee who goes potty everywhere but in the toilet. But I get kinda lonely on Monday mornings at work. Weird, I know. After two days of all the commotion and running around, all the fights and fun, all the meals and spills, all the mess and all the mess and all the mess (none of which is my fault of course)…you start to get used to the craziness and realize it’s normal. It’s just the way things are at our house. The quietness of the workplace is actually strange, creepy strange.
That’s what makes this new job so good. I get to work from home 2 days a week (anymore and someone might get their lungs ripped out). So Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I’m at home. One day at work, one day at home etc…best of both worlds. This new job has truly been a blessing so far.
Now to get back to work so I can keep this cool gig.
Today is: St. Patrick’s Day or is it? For all I know the liturgical ‘experts’ in this country have moved it to Ascension Thursday – I hear that date is free. Anyway being an Italian German American and married to an Irish Lass makes for an interesting day. I would normally wear all black today just to be annoying. But just to show how much I have grown, I’m wearing green boxer-briefs…so there.
Today is also: “Campfire Girls Day”, “Freedom of Information Day”, and “Well-Elderly Day” enjoy!
Peace Out
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