PERMALINK
Sorry couldn't help it.
(My mom got such a huge kick out of this. I am number 5 out of 7. LOL) 
March 6, 2009 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended the and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pangs of hell, but most of all because I love you, my God...
This encapsulated the perfect act of contrition and the imperfect. It always got to me that a jihadist would blow himself up to get a lot of lovin from inexperienced women rather than from the more perfect motive of loving the gray haired guy in the sky.
I think there is a psychological level that a good reciter of prayer could achieve. I could never get to that level.
Chanting as a form of psychological peace or warfare depending upon your inclination.
Remember we get the rosary from the eastern prayer beads present at least six centuries before Christ.
Jogging over 30,000 miles in thirteen or fourteen years would appear to be very boring, but if it had been that boring, I never would have achieved that number. The mind and body kind of merge and the jogging was not boring at all. It was a type of prayer.
I believe some people reach a mind body thing with prayer. Purgatory is simply a metaphor, of course. So are indulgences.
Aunt Sam is presenting a real type of indulgeance.
As far as prayer. Been there, done that.
NOTHING IS REVEALED
This encapsulated the perfect act of contrition and the imperfect. It always got to me that a jihadist would blow himself up to get a lot of lovin from inexperienced women rather than from the more perfect motive of loving the gray haired guy in the sky.
I think there is a psychological level that a good reciter of prayer could achieve. I could never get to that level.
Chanting as a form of psychological peace or warfare depending upon your inclination.
Remember we get the rosary from the eastern prayer beads present at least six centuries before Christ.
Jogging over 30,000 miles in thirteen or fourteen years would appear to be very boring, but if it had been that boring, I never would have achieved that number. The mind and body kind of merge and the jogging was not boring at all. It was a type of prayer.
I believe some people reach a mind body thing with prayer. Purgatory is simply a metaphor, of course. So are indulgences.
Aunt Sam is presenting a real type of indulgeance.
As far as prayer. Been there, done that.
NOTHING IS REVEALED
Exactly. As I once wrote about in that blog of yours on nothingness:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/dikkday48yahoocom/2008/12/nothingness.php
That was when I first met you, I think. :)
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/dikkday48yahoocom/2008/12/nothingness.php
That was when I first met you, I think. :)
hahahahahahah. Yes, that is when TPM became my home!!1
You are already forgiven, M. Day.
=D
I feel that it must be so.
=D
I feel that it must be so.
Oh Thera, I loved this post. It took me way back and I had the same thoughts you did. LOL
This line was the best:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/86
Being a former Catholic girl, I found it hysterical. Now that I know there are other recovering Catholics on this site, I thought I would share. :)
This line was the best:
So they made praying into punishment. How sane is that???Have you seen/heard Julia Sweeney's stand up show "Letting Go of God"? OMG it is a laugh riot along the same lines as your post here. She did a snippet of it here at TED:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/86
Being a former Catholic girl, I found it hysterical. Now that I know there are other recovering Catholics on this site, I thought I would share. :)
There are many of us here, mage. I think it turned us into leftists... caring about our fellow person.
Actually, I still consider myself Catholic. And one of the best reasons to do so is for the pure joy of defying the pope! I'm not so much recovering as defying!
But I'm thrilled you loved the blog!
(I will follow up on the "letting go" video)
And if you want to read how I "let go" - you can look for the long comment on dd's blog (link above) - or not, as the case may be.
Actually, I still consider myself Catholic. And one of the best reasons to do so is for the pure joy of defying the pope! I'm not so much recovering as defying!
But I'm thrilled you loved the blog!
(I will follow up on the "letting go" video)
And if you want to read how I "let go" - you can look for the long comment on dd's blog (link above) - or not, as the case may be.
I suspect there are others here besides myself and DD that can remember the Latin Mass.
That was back when Catholicism (according to Eddie Izzard, the religion based on the teachings of Cathol) had a good sense of theater.
That was back when Catholicism (according to Eddie Izzard, the religion based on the teachings of Cathol) had a good sense of theater.
Latin Mass. That's all there was, right? I have a friend who believes that if they hadn't gone to English and taken away the "mystery" she might still be religious.
Not sure about that one, myself. Then again, I had multiple years of ecclesiastical and classical Latin in HS.
At least it made getting along in Italy easier...
At least it made getting along in Italy easier...
Back in the olden days, the purpose of the Latin Mass was that you could be anywhere, in any country, and the mass was just the same! (it may well have made the moving around of priests easier too, to keep the scandals secret... terrible thought that!)
The great Eddie Izzard, explaining Cathol, the Mormons, the Church of England & the rest of Christianity. As well as that awful singing.
Brilliant.
Brilliant.
Thanks, quinn!
Humor must be a primary characteristic of being human. :)
Humor must be a primary characteristic of being human. :)
In my childhood neighborhood, there was a group home for the nuns who formed the teaching staff of a Catholic K-8 school at the end of the block; everyone called the compound - very swanky for the area of town, by the way - "the convent". These nuns ran the neighborhood the way Mussolini ran Italy's trains - and no backtalk. They are about the least "indulgent" partisans I can imagine.
SFCurt, I used to be terrified simply walking past the principal's office. You are so right. They were not "indulgent" at all.
It's a shame so many christians "missed the boat" Jesus was in. The did exactly the opposite of what he was teaching. Makes no sense to me.
It's a shame so many christians "missed the boat" Jesus was in. The did exactly the opposite of what he was teaching. Makes no sense to me.
Reminds me of this quote: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Gandhi
Amen.
Krishna-krishna, hari krishna
Krishna-krishna, hari krishna
Amen. Again.
I don't want to seem like I'm bashing my particular "Holy Trinity/Bravo One" Nun Brigade. When anyone was in trouble, or something was needed fast, they would leap in their sober, grey Lincoln Nunmobile and make it happen. And I do mean FAST: Any nun who got behind the wheel drove by grace of God and NASCAR. Hearts of gold, feet of lead. Their souls were in the right place, even if their harsh anti-tree house policy regarding the huge, lush oaks skirting their property was difficult for bored 10-year-olds to countenance.
I too had some wonderful nuns. They tended to be the elderly ones, though we had one lovely young nun in 7th grade.
This was never a blog against nuns! Indeed there are very many activist nuns we can all be proud to call fellow members of the left!
This was never a blog against nuns! Indeed there are very many activist nuns we can all be proud to call fellow members of the left!
Actually, the president of our college was a pretty cool nun too!
Preface: Raised Episcopal but had to go to Catholic School for a year (Convent of Sacred Heart in California-5th grade). Scared me. Since then, penquins make me nauseous.
I have great faith, but not within any organized religion. My opinion is the Catholic Church has done far more harm than good (as has Morman, etc.).
But, I digress. My indulgence is coming here and interacting, broadening my horizons and often being comforted. My penance is I feel guilty for staying too long as work goes undone and dust bunnies mate. I now will chant my mantra as I make promises to do better (until the next time).
And in truth, I do pray everyday and cite appreciation for lessons learned, horizons broadened and gifts received. My Faith and Prayer sustain me but organized religion only delivers shame, constriction and restriction.
Amen.
I have great faith, but not within any organized religion. My opinion is the Catholic Church has done far more harm than good (as has Morman, etc.).
But, I digress. My indulgence is coming here and interacting, broadening my horizons and often being comforted. My penance is I feel guilty for staying too long as work goes undone and dust bunnies mate. I now will chant my mantra as I make promises to do better (until the next time).
And in truth, I do pray everyday and cite appreciation for lessons learned, horizons broadened and gifts received. My Faith and Prayer sustain me but organized religion only delivers shame, constriction and restriction.
Amen.
Catholic School PTSD. A new diagnostic category! It's pretty amazing to me that people could get away with terrifying a children for so long! And the sad thing is that too many adults are still terrified. Or so turned off by what terrified them that they lose sight of anything beneficial to be found in a spiritual context. There's really a similarity with torture here. It's just as ineffective in getting at the truth. After all, in childhood I lied in the confessional! I was lined up. I had to go in. But I was scared to death of these people. What else was I to do? Torture works. It turns people into liars!
Talk about prejudice. Mother Langtry (OMG I can still remember her name)never forgave me the 'sin' of not being catholic. Of course, even at that tender age, I didn't 'get' the whole confession scam. I knew I didn't need an intermediary to 'hear me confess', I went right to the Big Guy. And trust me, not once did He tell me to Hail Mary myself into redemption, at least until I did it next time. Never believed any mortal has the right to give anyone abosolution in HIS place. I can forgive someone, but only for myself.
And the Catholic Church is the epitamy of prejudice against women!
You're right, I still have issues about the experience and the 'Catholic Con' games.
(shudder.)
Don't even get me started on the Pope and his minions.
And the Catholic Church is the epitamy of prejudice against women!
You're right, I still have issues about the experience and the 'Catholic Con' games.
(shudder.)
Don't even get me started on the Pope and his minions.
A similarity with torture? Like one of the nuns in my grade school (not my class - I heard about this) holding a kid out an upper floor window by his shirt front?
OMG!
Yep. Happened. She quietly disappeared shortly thereafter, apparently to the "mother house" where nuns went when they retired or went crazy.
My husband was viciously beaten as a kid by two priests - on separate occasions. One of them was relieved of duties for being "crazy."
Power corrupts.
Power corrupts.
Wow, therap! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your link. They are bringing back induligences. I guess they figure everyone has forgotten the original reason they were done away with by now. For an anti organized religion person it is hard for me to grasp how people can 'indulge' themselve in this kind of thing. What got me in the NYT piece was the guy saying - oh this is a way to have people help each other, help the community blah blah. Why does religion insist on maintaining that people will only be good if there is a reward (or punishment)? I had a discussion with a customer about her broken computer and she said she was buying a new one anyway (filthy rich). I encouraged her to contact the company about getting it fixed (she had issues with Circut city fixing it). She said she didn't want anything to do with the old one. I suggested she fix the old one and donate it. Her response - Oh thank you, what a Christian thing to say. She was leaving as she said it but I was rendered speechless. For all she knew I could have been a jew or muslim or hindi. Does god support that kind of foolishness?
Well, now I am sorry and will have to beg an indulgence myself for kinda pooing on your post when it was so nice and kind to begin with. You all can just skip right over this comment and I am going to continue to think about what I can do with 10 minutes to help someone else so I can post over at Aunt Sams nice post without pooing on it.
Well, now I am sorry and will have to beg an indulgence myself for kinda pooing on your post when it was so nice and kind to begin with. You all can just skip right over this comment and I am going to continue to think about what I can do with 10 minutes to help someone else so I can post over at Aunt Sams nice post without pooing on it.
I think it was a great comment! Didn't offend me at all. And made total sense. Every bit of it. And doing your 10 min of kindness here on top of that. Peace be with you. Ten times over!
No no no. The whole point of indulgences is that you pay money! See it's not in the interests of the Church whether the flock is absolved or not. It's in the interests of the Church to get more money.
See, I knew there was a catch!
They just want to lure them back. :-)
Just so.
Indulgences have always been a vehicle forthemega rich to absolve their well deserved guilt
=D
Indulgences have always been a vehicle forthemega rich to absolve their well deserved guilt
=D
We grew up in a ferociously anti-Catholic area. There was just one Catholic church in the whole county, and we knew (and distrusted) every member. About half of our Baptist preachers (note: only half, but still...) would drop a stream of comments about the "Papists" & their ways. In terms of crossing those lines, it was FAR more acceptable to date or marry an atheist than a Catholic. The argument was that Catholics bowed to a foreign power, had too many children, and if you married & had a child with one... the children would be forced to grow up Catholic (and thus, lost to Heaven.)
These charges came from preachers who handed out & highly recommended the words of Southern Baptist Fundamentalist & Evangelical preachers from the US... to congregations where many families had 7, 9, 12 and more kids... none of whom would countenance having their children raised in any other faith, or even any other denomination, than Baptist.
Needless to say, this caused a bit of confusion for me. ;-) (And this was just the 60's and 70's, not that long ago - and not in what were considered the truly "deep" or "fervent" parts of the Baptist world.)
As for our sins, well... there were ways to have them washed away. But our method was so public - and so intense - that many of us WISHED for something as private, and easy to access on a regular basis, as a confessional. I suspect you've seen this documentary?
And now, on TV, I see Baptist preachers who have moved beyond selling Bibles & commentaries to knick-knacks to... Holy Water. As my father used to say, "We've moved beyond having a Pope in the Vatican, to having a Pope in every Pulpit."
These charges came from preachers who handed out & highly recommended the words of Southern Baptist Fundamentalist & Evangelical preachers from the US... to congregations where many families had 7, 9, 12 and more kids... none of whom would countenance having their children raised in any other faith, or even any other denomination, than Baptist.
Needless to say, this caused a bit of confusion for me. ;-) (And this was just the 60's and 70's, not that long ago - and not in what were considered the truly "deep" or "fervent" parts of the Baptist world.)
As for our sins, well... there were ways to have them washed away. But our method was so public - and so intense - that many of us WISHED for something as private, and easy to access on a regular basis, as a confessional. I suspect you've seen this documentary?
And now, on TV, I see Baptist preachers who have moved beyond selling Bibles & commentaries to knick-knacks to... Holy Water. As my father used to say, "We've moved beyond having a Pope in the Vatican, to having a Pope in every Pulpit."
Heartwarming....
The argument was that Catholics bowed to a foreign power, had too many children,Quinn, this sounds somewhat familiar. Do you mean something like this?
Sorry couldn't help it.
(My mom got such a huge kick out of this. I am number 5 out of 7. LOL)
Ok, well we may need to start a movement. To bless "emissions" - just in case. Indulgences for all, whether conceived or not.
Now you tell me. I came South for the weather. This is no place to be a Catholic, so I lapsed and went to work for an insurance company. There was a bible on the shelf in my office which I replaced with my annotated copy of The Collected Works of Flannery O'Connor.
Since Christmas, I've been reading O'Connor's "Mystery & Manners - Occasional Prose" - including about 4 essays on Catholics in the South. One of my favourite writers. Understood religion in ways many don't.
True that. Her short stories really probe the spiritual architecture of these parts. The Life You Save May Be Your Own with its antihero, Tom T. Shiflet, has particular relevance for me.
Being somewhat of a non-believer, but very much wanting to believe that an indulgence will keep me off of that preordained, fast-tracked, downward, one-way elevator, I would like to have an indulgence please.
I'd like mine straight up with an olive and a thin slice of onion please.
Great blog for today's times, TheraP. Enjoyed it indulgently. :-)
I'd like mine straight up with an olive and a thin slice of onion please.
Great blog for today's times, TheraP. Enjoyed it indulgently. :-)
One - or more - straight up with an olive and a thin slice of onion. Any time! Bring friend along! Sounds heavenly!
i was baptized Catholic and went to Catholic school; but I got better!
Those of us here are the ones who made it! If it had not been for the Benedictines, I might never have really been introduced to true spirituality! (Actually, Merton played a role, but he never knew it.)
I'm so glad you got better. And are here to share your beautiful writing. :)
I'm so glad you got better. And are here to share your beautiful writing. :)
So many recovering Catholics! I went to Catholic school grades 1-8 and was a good little altar boy as well. The whole thing was so distressing and disillusioning that when I got to high school I became an atheist, really more of a solipsist, which led to despair within a few years time. Due to awakening experiences that saved me (not related to any religious structure), I gave up atheism but still have no interest in ever again joining an organized religion. I am more influenced by and partial to Buddhist thought than anything else I could name, but can't see myself joining any particular spiritual club.
BTW, when I was in Catholic school (1964-1972) there were 2 young priests in my parish (at different times) who I really looked to as spiritual leaders and examples worth emulating. Guess what - both left the priesthood after a few years to get married!
And a note on confession - having been forced into it by the nuns in 2nd grade (preparation for communion) I see it now as a horrible practice designed to instill guilt and fear in innocent children. I'm sure millions of recovering Catholics would agree. And all that repetition of prayers as penance never made any sense to me. In 7th or 8th grade I finally went to confession at a different church and the priest gave me a penance that made sense - I confessed about making fun of a classmate, and the priest told me to do something nice for the kid.
OK, that's my Catholic confession, Sister TheraP! Can I have my indulgence now?
BTW, when I was in Catholic school (1964-1972) there were 2 young priests in my parish (at different times) who I really looked to as spiritual leaders and examples worth emulating. Guess what - both left the priesthood after a few years to get married!
And a note on confession - having been forced into it by the nuns in 2nd grade (preparation for communion) I see it now as a horrible practice designed to instill guilt and fear in innocent children. I'm sure millions of recovering Catholics would agree. And all that repetition of prayers as penance never made any sense to me. In 7th or 8th grade I finally went to confession at a different church and the priest gave me a penance that made sense - I confessed about making fun of a classmate, and the priest told me to do something nice for the kid.
OK, that's my Catholic confession, Sister TheraP! Can I have my indulgence now?
A Plenary Indulgence - to be granted every time you see my blogs or my name - for the rest of time!
Not only that, tt, I hereby grant you the power to grant the same to anyone else of your choosing, no matter how many you choose.
Not only that, tt, I hereby grant you the power to grant the same to anyone else of your choosing, no matter how many you choose.
Dang - thank you, ma'am! I remember hearing that term but never knowing what it was. Now that I've looked it up, I see it's the Cadillac of indulgences. And a wonderful thing to bestow.
Now that I consider it, it seems to me that the root concept behind indulgences is the acknowledgement of and acceptance of GRACE. That I can believe in.
Now that I consider it, it seems to me that the root concept behind indulgences is the acknowledgement of and acceptance of GRACE. That I can believe in.
Amen!
Amen indeed, with your grace note avatar!
Are there gift certificates available so one can distribute free indulgences to friends and family and perhaps Republicans too as they certainly need forgiveness?
See my reply to tt above, oleeb. You are hereby granted the same:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/therap/2009/02/free-indulgences-over-here-ple.php#comment-3372517
The beauty of an indulgence is that you can pay it forward. :)
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/therap/2009/02/free-indulgences-over-here-ple.php#comment-3372517
The beauty of an indulgence is that you can pay it forward. :)
I don't even know what to say. I don't know much about Catholicism... other than what I see in shows like "Blues Bros."
What I do know, is that as a Christian, the leadership in the church,in all Denominations as far as I can see, is missing the boat big-time. I can't help but believe that God is in His Heaven deeply disappointed in His children and the mockery they are making of Him.
It is very difficult to live life as a Christian without the support of other Christians. Being away from church for a few months, I can already feel myself slipping back into a potty mouth. But how to ignore the un-Christian-like behavior in terms of how Christians treat non-Christians in order to live the "cleaner," closer to Christ life I desire, is causing me a great deal of distress...any indulgences for that? Every time I try a Hail Mary, it comes out "hail Mary, full of grace, how does your garden grow?" God is not amused.
What I do know, is that as a Christian, the leadership in the church,in all Denominations as far as I can see, is missing the boat big-time. I can't help but believe that God is in His Heaven deeply disappointed in His children and the mockery they are making of Him.
It is very difficult to live life as a Christian without the support of other Christians. Being away from church for a few months, I can already feel myself slipping back into a potty mouth. But how to ignore the un-Christian-like behavior in terms of how Christians treat non-Christians in order to live the "cleaner," closer to Christ life I desire, is causing me a great deal of distress...any indulgences for that? Every time I try a Hail Mary, it comes out "hail Mary, full of grace, how does your garden grow?" God is not amused.
Personally, stilli, I think God loves a good joke. And yes, it is hard to find an anchor for your faith, when so many seem to be mis-taking the message, which I take to be one of love and forgiveness and service to others. I've found that the monastic tradition has kept alive a true spiritual path, but not even in every monastery. If you've never read Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain, you might enjoy that. It's the story of how a very worldly young man was blown away by God and became a monk. Or you could try He Leadeth Me, the story of a priest taken captive in Russia, who spent several years in solitary confinement and then a number of years doing hard labor in Siberia. Or Father Joe, The Man Who Saved My Soul, about a guy who used to write satire and had a couple of failed marriages, but all the while kept up a relationship with an amazing monk he came to know as a young man. These area all books by or about Catholics, but none of them is trying to convert anybody. They can be read and appreciated and learned from - in terms of how a person can maintain a relationship with God - through almost any experiences - how God is always there and continues to seek each of us. I highly recommend all 3 books. Or any others you find on your own. "Seek and ye shall find."
I understand how hard it is. I truly do.
I understand how hard it is. I truly do.
Finding a faith, not God for me but Creator, is the easy part. It's keeping faith that's the hard part...and keeping that faith while away from like minded people is hardest of all.
I know this struggle personally because there are no followers of my particular belief system where I live...and in fact my Anishinaabek ancestors religious beliefs were all but destroyed by the good intentions of Christians.
Fortunately, the teachings remain because a strong spoken word history persisted and I count myself lucky to have found a group of Elders willing to teach this errant (through no fault of her own) Indian.
But they are miles and miles away and I only get to see them in person a few times a year. What they have given me to use in the times we are far apart is a set of tools that helps me center myself so that I can more easily turn away from the 'noise' that distracts me from my faith.
Stilli, I am sure you have a set of tools as well. I think we all do, really, even if we declare we are not of a religious bend. We all have our little rituals that soothe us in times of turmoil.
You have decided on your path of Christianity, Stillidealistic. Have faith in your faith. :o)
I know this struggle personally because there are no followers of my particular belief system where I live...and in fact my Anishinaabek ancestors religious beliefs were all but destroyed by the good intentions of Christians.
Fortunately, the teachings remain because a strong spoken word history persisted and I count myself lucky to have found a group of Elders willing to teach this errant (through no fault of her own) Indian.
But they are miles and miles away and I only get to see them in person a few times a year. What they have given me to use in the times we are far apart is a set of tools that helps me center myself so that I can more easily turn away from the 'noise' that distracts me from my faith.
Stilli, I am sure you have a set of tools as well. I think we all do, really, even if we declare we are not of a religious bend. We all have our little rituals that soothe us in times of turmoil.
You have decided on your path of Christianity, Stillidealistic. Have faith in your faith. :o)
Live simply. Treat others as you would be treated. Leave things at least as good as you find them - better if possible.
Whether or not you choose to call it anything, that seems to me to be the prescription for a sane life. And things we can all agree on, unlike doctrinal matters, which are so often the point of disagreement among the various faiths.
Whether or not you choose to call it anything, that seems to me to be the prescription for a sane life. And things we can all agree on, unlike doctrinal matters, which are so often the point of disagreement among the various faiths.
Great post, Thera. I was raised Catholic too, and when i read the NYT article today I just couldn't believe it. I thought indulgences went out with "Dominus vobiscum - et cum stiritu tuo", which I still remember from the Latin Mass even though I haven't been to one since childhood. Actually, it seems like all the really old Catholic stuff is making a comeback under this new pope, including the xenophobic and anti-semitic parts.
I went from being raised Catholic to being a raving anti-cleric during my twenties, and eventually settled into my present vaguely optimistic agnosticism. But boy, you never forget being raised Catholic. I grwe up in Lowell, Massachusetts, which was one of the most catholic cities in the US at the time, and so I thought the whole world was Catholic when i was young. I didn't really meet Protestants until college. I have to say that my personal experience of Catholicism was really horrible and pretty scarring. I'm pleased to see that most people today no longer seem so controlled by it, even if they still believe, but it freaks me out a little to see the Catholic church of my youth making a comeback.
I went from being raised Catholic to being a raving anti-cleric during my twenties, and eventually settled into my present vaguely optimistic agnosticism. But boy, you never forget being raised Catholic. I grwe up in Lowell, Massachusetts, which was one of the most catholic cities in the US at the time, and so I thought the whole world was Catholic when i was young. I didn't really meet Protestants until college. I have to say that my personal experience of Catholicism was really horrible and pretty scarring. I'm pleased to see that most people today no longer seem so controlled by it, even if they still believe, but it freaks me out a little to see the Catholic church of my youth making a comeback.
We're gonna have our work cut out for us in our old age, due to this pope!
Peace, Tom. Glad you survived it. :)
Peace, Tom. Glad you survived it. :)
If I may "indulge" myself, I wrote the following song a few years ago; it is in a style which borrows a little from both Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed... oh, and a whole lot of Catholic influences!
Bless Me Father
words and music by
Justice Putnam
(Dm~Cm7 slowly thoughout)
Bless me Father
For I have sinned
It’s been so long
Since my
Last Confession
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
No amount of Hail Mary’s
Or Acts of Contrition
Can Absolve me.
I gave my parents
A lot of grief
But that doesn’t compare
To my evil deed
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
One summer’s night
I stole a neighbor’s purse
But Father I’ve done
Something so much worse
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
Really Father I’ve tried
To live an honest life
And I know I haven’t
Really done things right
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
I’ve been known to carouse
Like a soldier will
But my sin
Is so much bigger still
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
Somewhere near
The Tigris River
Somewhere north
Old Baghdad
Lies an old woman
In widow’s shrouds
I shot her dead.
The Sarge said
It’s kill or be killed
But Father still
I shot her dead.
Bless me Father
For I have sinned
It’s been so long
Since my
Last Confession
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
No amount of Hail Mary’s
Or Acts of Contrition
Can Absolve me.
© 2006 by Justice Putnam
and Mechanisches-Strophe Verlagswesen
Bless Me Father
words and music by
Justice Putnam
(Dm~Cm7 slowly thoughout)
Bless me Father
For I have sinned
It’s been so long
Since my
Last Confession
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
No amount of Hail Mary’s
Or Acts of Contrition
Can Absolve me.
I gave my parents
A lot of grief
But that doesn’t compare
To my evil deed
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
One summer’s night
I stole a neighbor’s purse
But Father I’ve done
Something so much worse
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
Really Father I’ve tried
To live an honest life
And I know I haven’t
Really done things right
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
I’ve been known to carouse
Like a soldier will
But my sin
Is so much bigger still
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
Somewhere near
The Tigris River
Somewhere north
Old Baghdad
Lies an old woman
In widow’s shrouds
I shot her dead.
The Sarge said
It’s kill or be killed
But Father still
I shot her dead.
Bless me Father
For I have sinned
It’s been so long
Since my
Last Confession
Give me penance Father
I’m on bended knee
My heart is crying
No amount of Hail Mary’s
Or Acts of Contrition
Can Absolve me.
© 2006 by Justice Putnam
and Mechanisches-Strophe Verlagswesen
This song also attempts to show that if we put people in hell, hell will ensue.
Once again, words fail... in the face of your poetry.
When this terrible war started, that I did so much to try to stop - before it started - I read a book On Killing.
It was by a former military psychologist, who had done investigative research, talking to soldiers, as well as some historical research. I never thought I'd read such a book. But it was important to face what the soldiers were facing. And I knew they were sending them into moral jeopardy.
The worst thing for any of the soldiers was having killed.
I can see, in your own poetry, you try to feel your way into the heart of darkness.
Bless you for that. It can't be easy work.
When this terrible war started, that I did so much to try to stop - before it started - I read a book On Killing.
It was by a former military psychologist, who had done investigative research, talking to soldiers, as well as some historical research. I never thought I'd read such a book. But it was important to face what the soldiers were facing. And I knew they were sending them into moral jeopardy.
The worst thing for any of the soldiers was having killed.
I can see, in your own poetry, you try to feel your way into the heart of darkness.
Bless you for that. It can't be easy work.
I keep doing it again, I meant the comment below to be a reply to this...
You were in Iraq?
:(
:(
no, the song isn't about me; but the hell of war.
bwak, he tends to impersonate people (feel his way into them, skin, bones, mind, soul) in his works. That threw me too, the first time I read him. His avatar, at that time, was a beautiful - well I thought it was a guitar, but they told me it was something similar, and I thought he was a woman, based on the story, but he told me he wasn't.
Just wait till you read the poem in his blog today.
The Cafe is becoming so rich with good writing, I can hardly keep up with it!
Just wait till you read the poem in his blog today.
The Cafe is becoming so rich with good writing, I can hardly keep up with it!
I initially had a photo I took of my 12-string ovation baladeer guitar as my profile pic; but I thought the "spooky" self-portrait wouldn't confuse so easily.
Here's some other photos I've taken; though the last eight were taken by others of me:
http://people.tribe.net/justiceputnam/photos
Here's some other photos I've taken; though the last eight were taken by others of me:
http://people.tribe.net/justiceputnam/photos
I have other stories, poems and songs (that I will share later here at the Cafe) that attempts to figure out why people do the things they do; not to justify behavior, but to understand it.
I've been accused of being "Confessional" in my fiction, poems and songs; as if I were writing auto-biography. That might be true with some "love songs," (Hah!) but mostly I'm writing about the Soul and the Soil and what causes some to choose evil, (however banal) and good or something between. Sometimes I write about dystopian universes and what might be if were not careful.
I've gotten into the "heads" of a nazi bureaucrat "transfering" child prisoners, a nisei fighting for the 442nd in Italy and a young female military recruit writing a letter home from Iraq that I will share in some future offerings.
I've been accused of being "Confessional" in my fiction, poems and songs; as if I were writing auto-biography. That might be true with some "love songs," (Hah!) but mostly I'm writing about the Soul and the Soil and what causes some to choose evil, (however banal) and good or something between. Sometimes I write about dystopian universes and what might be if were not careful.
I've gotten into the "heads" of a nazi bureaucrat "transfering" child prisoners, a nisei fighting for the 442nd in Italy and a young female military recruit writing a letter home from Iraq that I will share in some future offerings.
So you...
tell others stories through empathy?
tell others stories through empathy?
Yes, in a way I do; though empathetic might be softening it some; I also might be angry when I'm telling other's story as well.
"As I say, no bartering whatsoever! It's free - for all who truly want it."
I'd like to be paid for my indulgence, please.
It's not that I would fake it for the money, this isn't soulful prostitution, think of it as tithing in reverse. And it's not blackmail or extortion, I offer no force of violence to move you. Nor do I promise that all hell will break loose if we cannot reach an understanding (OTOH, a lack of common understanding might just be the essence of hell on Earth).
I want you to want to pay me, or come to think of it, if you prefer, "to gift" it to me. It's a privilege to make this gift to me, a kind of respect for my indulgence. As a gift it would not be taxable income, thus helping to ensure separation of Church and State in case the gift were large enough to attract the attention of the IRS.
No quid pro quo, just a sign of respect and devotion on your part.
Thank you, in advance, so much!
I'd like to be paid for my indulgence, please.
It's not that I would fake it for the money, this isn't soulful prostitution, think of it as tithing in reverse. And it's not blackmail or extortion, I offer no force of violence to move you. Nor do I promise that all hell will break loose if we cannot reach an understanding (OTOH, a lack of common understanding might just be the essence of hell on Earth).
I want you to want to pay me, or come to think of it, if you prefer, "to gift" it to me. It's a privilege to make this gift to me, a kind of respect for my indulgence. As a gift it would not be taxable income, thus helping to ensure separation of Church and State in case the gift were large enough to attract the attention of the IRS.
No quid pro quo, just a sign of respect and devotion on your part.
Thank you, in advance, so much!
ROTFLMAF!
Sounds like a personal problem to me.
So, let's say that I did something bad today (or yesterday, or last week, or two years ago), and I feel really badly about it today. Does that mean I can gladly by an indulgence tomorrow and pay y'all back next year?
I know the answer. I know the answer!
...hamburger!
...hamburger!
I love you, MJ.
I read the post three times. I mean no disrespect nor am I making a personal attack but rather, one of incredulity.
The whole thing is freak'in crazy. Indulgence defeats the purpose of forgiveness. What a system. A target rich environment made into a con-artist's paradise.
Wow.
The whole thing is freak'in crazy. Indulgence defeats the purpose of forgiveness. What a system. A target rich environment made into a con-artist's paradise.
Wow.
You've read it three times! wow, enough indulgences to last quite a while!
You have no idea. Remember this: noone expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Dear Jesus,
I am very sorry I have been an evil American consumer. I am sorry ran up my credit cards and bought all that crap in my basement and driveway that I never use. You know: the snowboard, the ATV, the power tools, the penis enlarger, the boat, the military surplus grenade launcher and the nuclear powered beef spit.
I have atoned; I have sacrificed. I am not buying much stuff anymore. I am hoping that this new austerity will have the side benefit of putting all of the snowboard makers, ATV assemblers, and penis specialists out of work, and punish them for tempting me into buying their stuff. I also think that if I sacrifice myself into depression-era poverty, then I too can be totally freaking morally awesome and superior, like those Greatest Generation guys.
I am sorry that I have sometimes been bigoted and less than charitable toward the benighted and deprived non-American peoples of the world, like the time I found my nuclear spit instructions were written in Chinglish that said things like "Next, attaching the bolt B through the hole C, to show over the diagram with characteristics of switch labeling is/not is", and I smashed the whole thing with a sledge hammer while yelling "Fucking yellow, job-stealing commie idiots!"
.. Or the time my new Mercedes turned out to have a defective transmission and I shouted, "Goddam Nazi bastards!" (Oh, sorry about the "goddam" too, and I hope you didn't really damn the German people, who have really made many fine products that I use and enjoy, and have never had to take back to the shop.
Please indulge my sorry ass and bail out my soul, because next year I would like to buy another television, and maybe a lake house if the mortgage market comes back. But I would like to start with a clean slate.
I am very sorry I have been an evil American consumer. I am sorry ran up my credit cards and bought all that crap in my basement and driveway that I never use. You know: the snowboard, the ATV, the power tools, the penis enlarger, the boat, the military surplus grenade launcher and the nuclear powered beef spit.
I have atoned; I have sacrificed. I am not buying much stuff anymore. I am hoping that this new austerity will have the side benefit of putting all of the snowboard makers, ATV assemblers, and penis specialists out of work, and punish them for tempting me into buying their stuff. I also think that if I sacrifice myself into depression-era poverty, then I too can be totally freaking morally awesome and superior, like those Greatest Generation guys.
I am sorry that I have sometimes been bigoted and less than charitable toward the benighted and deprived non-American peoples of the world, like the time I found my nuclear spit instructions were written in Chinglish that said things like "Next, attaching the bolt B through the hole C, to show over the diagram with characteristics of switch labeling is/not is", and I smashed the whole thing with a sledge hammer while yelling "Fucking yellow, job-stealing commie idiots!"
.. Or the time my new Mercedes turned out to have a defective transmission and I shouted, "Goddam Nazi bastards!" (Oh, sorry about the "goddam" too, and I hope you didn't really damn the German people, who have really made many fine products that I use and enjoy, and have never had to take back to the shop.
Please indulge my sorry ass and bail out my soul, because next year I would like to buy another television, and maybe a lake house if the mortgage market comes back. But I would like to start with a clean slate.
Clean Slate. Be my guest. :)
Thera: Wow, didn't realize we have so much in common. I, along with two siblings, went to Catholic boarding high schools, of course, same sex only. There are four of us, and the only Catholic now is the one who went to public school. The three of us don't necessarily believe in God, which is sad. I have struggled with this quite a bit, especially when I hear every other politician quoting religion for political points, the worse being during the Bush era. I was with a 'born again' Catholic before the election who told that Catholics could not vote for Obama due to abortion, and I asked her how they reconciled that with killing innocents in Iraq for profit? No answer. My spouse has more belief in a higher being than I do, isn't that a sorry statement being he was raised without organized religion.
I made up stuff in confession, still don't get the name thing we had to choose for confirmation, and totally am perplexed by the whole "godparent" thing. My mother drank half her life away but to this days admonishes me about not praying, and my father, who had inappropriate touching issues with me died clasping his rosary. I was never angry with him, but very angry that I approached my mom and she did nothing. I asked her after he died why she didn't help me and she said because it never happened. I guess Catholics have always had issues with inappropriate touching realities. Needless to say, I am really burnt out on religion. Old Grouch said it best above, at least for me. "Live simply. Treat others as you would be treated. Leave things at least as good as you find them - better if possible."
Thanks for the post. Therapeutic for me!
I made up stuff in confession, still don't get the name thing we had to choose for confirmation, and totally am perplexed by the whole "godparent" thing. My mother drank half her life away but to this days admonishes me about not praying, and my father, who had inappropriate touching issues with me died clasping his rosary. I was never angry with him, but very angry that I approached my mom and she did nothing. I asked her after he died why she didn't help me and she said because it never happened. I guess Catholics have always had issues with inappropriate touching realities. Needless to say, I am really burnt out on religion. Old Grouch said it best above, at least for me. "Live simply. Treat others as you would be treated. Leave things at least as good as you find them - better if possible."
Thanks for the post. Therapeutic for me!
Glad it helped you in some measure. And I sure wish I could help out with your mortgage issues. Blessings upon you - of whatever type feel ok.
Peace. Always. Thanks so much for your comment. :)
Peace. Always. Thanks so much for your comment. :)
Thera: I actually wrote a reporter of The Wall Street Journal who wrote me back immediately and said he is very interested in the concept of GMAC telling current payers to default. So maybe he will do some investigating. I have since learned from Fannie Mae that our loan is guaranteed by them, therefore, GMAC has no incentive to help us whatsoever. Just the way it is, and Fannie Mae also refuses to interfere/push the banks holding their investments to work with people like myself. I have quit fretting. Life goes on, there are others much worse off than us. Take care.
(TheraP: I resemble your post. And I bet I can say a Hail Mary faster than any of you.)
Actually there is a back story to this whole indulgences issue that is a distant mirror of our current economic crisis. It is not a well known story because the mainstream media up there in Eternal Blissland is as corrupted as our Earthly version, and for the same reason. Back in the 1970’s here on earth ( it is hard to match earth dates with Heaven dates because they use the Mayan calendar in Heaven), the heavenly version of the Fairness Doctrine was repealed due to the efforts of the man we know as St. Bastard (hattip to Eddie Izzard) but whose real name is Grover. The revisionist destruction of the historical record that ensued makes researching the true story very difficult. That and the fact there is no Nexus/Lexus or Google in heaven. If you have a question you can just ask any nearby Archangel. They pretty much know everything about everything. Of course like all of you I don’t have access to Archangels, just my little Guardian Angel and his job was outsourced to a guy in Buddhist heaven, Shambala, and no matter what I ask him he just says “Be at peace. Knowledge is illusion.” My research took a lot of effort.
Anyway after centuries of dispensing indulgences on a pretty standardized scale of value, some smart saved souls decided that the whole indulgence business could be much more efficient if the standard scale was dropped and everyone was free to allocate indulgences as they saw fit. They found ways to make a small good deed worth as much as a lifetime of charity and one Hail Mary as good as a recitation of the entire Latin Rite. At first everyone was very happy. Most people here on earth were able to amass tons of sanctifying grace (sorry I don’t know the metric equivalent). Of course all this grace was just on paper (OK parchment) but everyone agreed that God would be good for it. And on it went until the inevitable happened. Some guy passed away who had led a pretty dissolute life and when he tried to cash in all his indulgences to avoid a long stay in Purgatory well, it exposed how “leveraged” the bestowers of all those indulgences really were. The poor guy nearly went to Hell and everyone else started to loose confidence in the whole indulgence market.
Things got so bad that the Hosts of Seraphim formed a select committee to investigate the matter. It was chaired by St. Joseph (my namesake by the way). Now St. Joseph, God love him, has a reputation for being, how shall I say it, trusting. I think it all goes back to the way he accepted Mary’s explanation for everything. His committee took testimony but tended to accept the bona fides of every witness at pretty much face value. In the end the committee recommended that the whole indulgence thing should be scraped and replaced with a very fixed rate of exchange for good deeds. The real casualty in this whole debacle was the idea of Purgatory. It lost favor everywhere. But the good news is that with the end of the Purgatory myth the market in indulgences began to recover, which is where we are today.
Just thought you’d like to know.
Actually there is a back story to this whole indulgences issue that is a distant mirror of our current economic crisis. It is not a well known story because the mainstream media up there in Eternal Blissland is as corrupted as our Earthly version, and for the same reason. Back in the 1970’s here on earth ( it is hard to match earth dates with Heaven dates because they use the Mayan calendar in Heaven), the heavenly version of the Fairness Doctrine was repealed due to the efforts of the man we know as St. Bastard (hattip to Eddie Izzard) but whose real name is Grover. The revisionist destruction of the historical record that ensued makes researching the true story very difficult. That and the fact there is no Nexus/Lexus or Google in heaven. If you have a question you can just ask any nearby Archangel. They pretty much know everything about everything. Of course like all of you I don’t have access to Archangels, just my little Guardian Angel and his job was outsourced to a guy in Buddhist heaven, Shambala, and no matter what I ask him he just says “Be at peace. Knowledge is illusion.” My research took a lot of effort.
Anyway after centuries of dispensing indulgences on a pretty standardized scale of value, some smart saved souls decided that the whole indulgence business could be much more efficient if the standard scale was dropped and everyone was free to allocate indulgences as they saw fit. They found ways to make a small good deed worth as much as a lifetime of charity and one Hail Mary as good as a recitation of the entire Latin Rite. At first everyone was very happy. Most people here on earth were able to amass tons of sanctifying grace (sorry I don’t know the metric equivalent). Of course all this grace was just on paper (OK parchment) but everyone agreed that God would be good for it. And on it went until the inevitable happened. Some guy passed away who had led a pretty dissolute life and when he tried to cash in all his indulgences to avoid a long stay in Purgatory well, it exposed how “leveraged” the bestowers of all those indulgences really were. The poor guy nearly went to Hell and everyone else started to loose confidence in the whole indulgence market.
Things got so bad that the Hosts of Seraphim formed a select committee to investigate the matter. It was chaired by St. Joseph (my namesake by the way). Now St. Joseph, God love him, has a reputation for being, how shall I say it, trusting. I think it all goes back to the way he accepted Mary’s explanation for everything. His committee took testimony but tended to accept the bona fides of every witness at pretty much face value. In the end the committee recommended that the whole indulgence thing should be scraped and replaced with a very fixed rate of exchange for good deeds. The real casualty in this whole debacle was the idea of Purgatory. It lost favor everywhere. But the good news is that with the end of the Purgatory myth the market in indulgences began to recover, which is where we are today.
Just thought you’d like to know.
Larry, what a relief to have the whole story down in black and white! Or good and bad. Or at least from a known source!
I notice how similar your tale is to the current economic situation.
I await further advice and information. Meanwhile, consider me your faithful servant in Christ. :)
I notice how similar your tale is to the current economic situation.
I await further advice and information. Meanwhile, consider me your faithful servant in Christ. :)
What a service!
Thank you so much, TheraP. Now I feel free to hate Tom Delay all I like--and with complete impunity!
Actually, I went through a similar thought process as yourself in my youth, but I was much more guilt ridden--I was a Baptist.
I was convinced that I was going to be condemned to Hell and damnation because I "accidently" looked at the budding breats of my sixth grade schoolmates. I'd be bumping into trees because I'd be walking around with my eyes closed praying for forgiveness all the time. And when I went to church, with all the ladies in their short dresses, I went through pure Hell.
So one day I said a "super-prayer." I asked God to help lead me and guide me, and help me to make the right decisions in life. And you know what God said? "I made you the way that I wanted you to be, so Chill-out."
One of my very first decisions was to leave the church and follow the common sense that God gave me, I've been free of guilt every since. It was a miracle. Hallelujah!
Thank you so much, TheraP. Now I feel free to hate Tom Delay all I like--and with complete impunity!
Actually, I went through a similar thought process as yourself in my youth, but I was much more guilt ridden--I was a Baptist.
I was convinced that I was going to be condemned to Hell and damnation because I "accidently" looked at the budding breats of my sixth grade schoolmates. I'd be bumping into trees because I'd be walking around with my eyes closed praying for forgiveness all the time. And when I went to church, with all the ladies in their short dresses, I went through pure Hell.
So one day I said a "super-prayer." I asked God to help lead me and guide me, and help me to make the right decisions in life. And you know what God said? "I made you the way that I wanted you to be, so Chill-out."
One of my very first decisions was to leave the church and follow the common sense that God gave me, I've been free of guilt every since. It was a miracle. Hallelujah!
March 6, 2009 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
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