Thursday, October 22, 2009

Religion and radiators


Such exciting news yesterday out of Rome! It is like the Middle Ages come to life. It is as if we are back in the Renaissance again.

In case you are not a nerd the way I am, the Pope made this big move to invite Anglicans back to the Catholic Church. It is not only a religious thing, it is a political thing. In England, especially, the papers were buzzing and blogging about it all day. We are talking dozens of separate commentaries, multiplying as the day went on.

The Pope's big move was top secret until the last minute, which was one thing that made it exciting. I am excited about this, I will tell you that. If traditionalist Anglicans join the Catholic Church that means that is one more blow dealt against the schlocky music so many of us have been stuck with over the years.

They would probably even like Latin Masses, the way I do!

I would go to their Masses and hear their choirs, I will say that.

We can use these people and their reverence and their good taste!

Today it was reported that 400,000 Anglicans were immediately taking the Pope up on his offer. There were whispers that the Archbishop of Canterbury himself might become Catholic.

What about the Queen? Might she, too?

I secretly wonder about Prince Charles. I mean, look at them. What do you think? This is perhaps not as impressive as a picture I have of Leonard Pennario meeting Pope Pius XII. But it is impressive nonetheless.


Anyway this is all great fun and it took my mind off the rubber bands in my mouth. It is thrilling to have the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop of Canterbury, pictured at the top of this post, in front page headlines and dominating Web logs. It is like being back in the time of Geoffrey Chaucer.

One headline I loved: "Archbishop of Canterbury Critical of Rome For Springing This Announcement On Him."

Ha, ha!

Speaking of being back in the time of Chaucer, we had to do the winter-is-coming thing and clean all of our radiators. Everyone must be doing the same thing. It is that time of year. Isn't it fun?

Here are our radiators from Big Blue gathered for cleaning.


This is a big task and Howard is thinking he will have to take the radiators to a collision shop.

It is a heavy job!

4 comments:

Larry said...

Sand blast those radiators.

Oops! Until I read otherwise, I had though the picture on the top was of the guy who wrote 'The Satanic Verses'. Rushdee or something like that. Guess I am the wrong kind of nerd, lol!

Prof G (is back) said...

About the Pope mandating art music in church:

Don't hang by your left earlobe waiting for it! The Catholic Church hierarchy in America is Irish. Ireland has a magnificent literary tradition, but you have to look to Germany, France and Italy (England to a lesser extent - their choral tradition still functions) for art music to have any kind of religious priority. Here, rock schlock rules... the same way that sports does. If the Pope makes it an order, the tastemakers will just laugh.

Now that I think of it, I wonder how soon an Introit will be known as "the kickoff"?

Mary Kunz Goldman said...

Larry, you crack me up.

Prof. G, you do too. I have never heard that particular explanation for the schlockiness of church music!

Prof. G said...

Church music: I copped the ethnic idea from a book called Why Catholics Don't Sing. You'd enjoy reading it, I'm pretty sure.