“This month is the eighteenth December in a row that men and women from Earth have been on board the International Space Station during the Christmas holidays. As the Expedition 54 crew members prepare to celebrate in 2017, here’s a quick peek at some of the Christmases past spent on board mankind’s outpost orbiting 250 miles above the planet.”
Update (1 of 2, December 27, 2020) Today’s news isn’t good. Certainly not for friends and family of Anthony Quinn Warner, whose DNA was in debris left by the Christmas morning explosion.
On the other hand, there seems little reason to fear an apparently non-existent cabal of saboteurs and their exploding RV campers.
Maybe that’s not good news. But it’s not bad news, either. Provided that most of us accept the possibility that every camper we see isn’t about to explode.
Federal investigators saying that it’s “…too early to suggest a motive…” makes sense to me.
Whatever reason the person who set off that explosion had — is something I may talk about.
Later, when there’s more information, and fewer unanswered questions.
“Police investigating a camper van blast that injured three people in Nashville on Christmas Day have named a suspect after DNA was collected at the scene.
“Officials in the US state of Tennessee said the DNA matched that of Anthony Quinn Warner, 63.
“The FBI said there was no indication of additional suspects and that it was too early to suggest a motive….
“…During a press conference on Sunday, federal investigators said they believed that Warner, who worked in IT and had extensive experience with electronics, was the sole individual responsible for the blast and had died at the site.
“They said the blast was probably deliberate, and that it was Warner’s remains discovered at the scene….
“…Earlier, CBS News reported that a DNA sample had been collected from Warner’s mother….
“…His former employer, estate agent Steve Fridrich, told the Nashville Tennessean that Warner had resigned unexpectedly this month after four years with the company. Mr Fridrich said the move had been ‘quite out of character’….”
Update (2 of 2, December 27, 2020) I have no idea whether or not Petula Clark’s “Downtown” (1964) connection with the 2020 Christmas morning Nashville explosion will resonate in news media.
I’m likely to remember that the song was one of those played by the RV camper. But that may be because I’m only a few years older than the fellow who died in the explosion.
“The mid-1960s classic ‘Downtown’ by Petula Clark played from the RV parked in downtown Nashville prior to the explosion that damaged more than 40 buildings and injured at least three people Christmas morning.
“‘What I remembered was “downtown, where the lights shine bright,”‘ Metro Officer Tyler Luellen said of the song playing, as he and his fellow officers worked fast to evacuate people in the area of Second Avenue North and Commerce Street….
“…The officer said he looked up the song later and discovered it was ‘Downtown’ by Petula Clark, the chart-topping song that begins, ‘when you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown.’…”
Being around the age of the chief and only suspect, and recognizing a song he apparently selected, does not make me a public menace. I am far too fond of breathing to consider suicide, and that’s something I may — and probably will — discuss (much) later.
Memories and associations I’ve accumulated make lyrics like these poignant in the ‘Christmas explosion’ context:
“…Don’t hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows
Downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never close
Downtown…”
(“Downtown,” Tony Hatch, sung by Petula Clark (1964) via AZLyrics.com)
This is a bad situation. But it could have been a lot worse.
“A parked camper van exploded in the US city of Nashville, Tennessee, early on Christmas morning, injuring three people and knocking out communications systems across the state.
“Possible human remains were later found near the blast site, US media report….
“…Officers responding to reports of gunshots just before 06:00 (12:00 GMT) found a camper van broadcasting a warning message to leave the area….
“…CCTV footage posted on YouTube appeared to show the moments before the explosion, when a warning was broadcast, saying, ‘If you can hear this message, evacuate now’. A loud bang follows and flames and smoke fill the screen….
That “If you can hear this…” announcement is the weirdest bit of this incident, from my perspective. Folks who do newsworthy bombings don’t, as a rule, seem to be concerned about hurting or killing others. Sometimes that seems to be the whole point of a bombing.
As of late afternoon, I’d heard that only three folks got hurt. Possibly because Nashville law enforcement started evacuation nearby buildings shortly before the camper exploded. Then I read about possible human remains.
Speculation and Uncertainty
I’d hoped that three non-life-threatening injuries was the extent of casualties. As of early evening of Christmas Day, that seems unlikely. “…Possible human remains…” does not sound hopeful.
Motive is also an apparently-unknown part of the puzzle.
Telcom Connection? Protection Racket??
The camper was near a building owned by AT&T, which may explain the post-boom communications problems, and that company has a nearby office tower.
Maybe someone got upset over their phone bill, or thought they were striking a blow for something related to telephone, television and/or Internet usage.
Maybe one of the business owners on that part of 2nd street hadn’t made their payments with proper promptness and respect.
Nixing Naughty Nashville Nightlife???
And maybe the motive has something to do with the nature of several businesses on that block. News accounts referred to Nashville’s nightlife. Signage I saw in some photos suggested that they were naughty establishments.
I lived in San Francisco for 18 months, so they didn’t strike me as all that naughty. But someone with high, and fractured, moral character might feel otherwise.
I really hope my ‘bomb the naughty places’ scenario isn’t near the mark. And that’s another topic.
I noticed “Nashville explosion” headlines in my news feed this afternoon, and am writing this just a few hours later. Just about everything I know about the incident is in this post.
Maybe the motive(s), damage, injuries, probable death or some other detail will warrant my writing more. Then again, maybe not. On the whole, I’m hoping for “not.”
I’ve talked about bombs and and people acting badly before:
(My corner of small town America around noon, Christmas Eve.)
It’s Christmas Eve afternoon here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.
Weather, Wind Chill, Memory and Deciding
Wednesday’s blizzard became a wind chill advisory, which has since retreated to lands north and west of my home.
And I’ve decided to stop trying to remember the topic or topics I had in mind last night.
All I remember is that I had more than one in mind, and that they were “slightly more Christmas-themed stuff.” I might not even have remembered that detail, if I hadn’t written it down. Or, more accurately, keyed it in.
I could fret over that lapse of memory.
Since I’ll be 70 next year, I could emulate gerascophobia — it’s a real word — and write an earnest epistle on the virtues of some fad diet or vices of targeted advertising.
But I won’t. My brain is good for quite a few tasks. But rote memory isn’t one of them, and never has been.
So I’ll decide that whatever the “Christmas-themed stuff” was, I didn’t think it was important enough to write down. Or key in. And probably wasn’t worth remembering.
And if I had written/typed/keyed the ideas, recording them in written form, I’d probably remember them without reference to what I’d written.
Which is why I made copious notes during my college classes.
I’d occasionally read through my notebooks before midterms and finals. But after the first academic cycle, I’d learned that writing ideas down as I was hearing them fixed them in my long-term memory. With the occasional panic-inspiring exceptions.
Tis the Season to be Kitschy
(From Verizon & Macy’s, used w/o permission.)
(Nothing says “Christmas” like self-propelled bowling shoes.)
Weather, however, doesn’t have much to do with Advent or Christmas.
Neither does memory, text anxiety or — a polar Wookiee?!
That bit of weirdness is a Victorian Christmas greeting card sold by L. Prang and Company: a visionary pioneer in a field which has enriched our culture with kitsch.
And made Hallmark productions a schmaltzy symbol for some, a cornucopia of comfort for others.
My attitude is somewhere in the middle.
I like schmaltz and kitsch. In moderation. Which is, I figure, why I enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
But I think there’s more to Christmas than Brobdingnagian bowling shoes and 16-foot self-propelled pins.
Christmas specials, some of them, come closer to the mark with their “and the true meaning of Christmas is” — being nice to neighbors, warm family feelings, something like that.
And one, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” got it right. I talked about the Peanuts Christmas special a few years back. (December 24, 2017)
And probably will again, but not today. Or, very likely, during this Christmas season. Which, since I’m a Catholic, begins today.
“…That’s What Christmas is All About….”
I talked about octaves, Advent and Christmastide last year.
Along with a quick look at what’s changed and what hasn’t over the last couple millennia. (December 31, 2019)
What we do each year, and how we do it, matters. But it’s not nearly as important as why we get together and celebrate.
“The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
“And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’
“And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
“‘Glory to God in the highest
“and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'”
(Luke 2:10–14)
Linus Van Pelt: [Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
(“15 of the Most Memorable Quotes from A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Katie Robinson, Town and Country Magazine (November 24, 2020)
Christmas and COVID-19, a Memorable Combination
(Our Lady of Angels, my parish church, second Saturday of Christmas: January 2, 2015.)
No Christmas is exactly like another. But this year’s is more distinctive than most.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a memorable year.
My parish church doesn’t have our traditional Christmas tree. The manger scene and ‘starlit sky’ display isn’t up. And I don’t envy the folks who make sure we don’t exceed the allowed number of folks in the sanctuary.
But instead of complaining about that, or indulging in an anguished lament over the decline and fall of everything and everyone — I’ll close with something almost completely different.
Update: Christmas Afternoon, December 25, 2020
My parish’s Christmas tree was up this morning. So was our manger scene and starry backdrop. Dummkopf that I occasionally am, I’d forgotten that they’re not in place until Christmas. Neither was the one in my house. It’s up, too, and that’s something for another day.
Enjoying Another Christmas
(Merry Christmas, with the “Chumley, the Elf Who Slept Through Christmas” TV special.)
It’s now Christmas Eve evening here in central Minnesota, and early Christmas morning a few time zones east of there.
“Eve evening???” That sounds, and probably is, redundantly reiterative. Never mind.
My family, following our customs, opened some of our presents an hour or so ago.
We’re keeping others under the tree, to be opened when a daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come.
This Christmas is particularly merry, in the ‘festivity and rejoicing’ sense, time for me because I’m here.
My September-October hospital interlude helped me appreciate the daily miracle of living. (October 5, 2020)
I’d planned on talking about that “Merry Christmas” scene, with it’s “Chumley” Christmas special. But that flight of fancy must wait for another day. Or, more likely, another year.
Which isn’t that far ahead. New Years Eve is Thursday of next week. And that’s another topic.
Meanwhile, here’s the usual list of somewhat-related posts:
(Wednesday noon, December 23, 2020; my webcam’s view of Sauk Centre’s south side.)
Tuesday afternoon’s winter storm warning for my part of central Minnesota became a blizzard warning in the evening.
We were promised a chance of freezing rain. But I didn’t notice any Wednesday morning.
On the other hand, wind was picking up and by noon snow wasn’t coming down. It was coming across. I’d probably have got out to the Eucharistic Adoration chapel for my 2:00-3:00 Wednesday afternoon turn, if my wife hadn’t said I should think about it.
Which I did. Then I started calling folks who should be told when a scheduled adorer can’t make it. Odds are pretty good that they closed the chapel anyway. The Adoration chapel may be devout. But we’re not crazy.
Adoration and Alternatives
Well, most of us aren’t.
Like I said, I was going to go: blizzard or no blizzard. I very strongly suspect it’s not because I’m devout above and beyond the call of reason.
More likely, it’s because I’m a guy and we live longer if we’re married. Or so I’ve heard.
About closing the Adoration chapel: I’m not involved in that part of the operation, but I gather that someone’s tasked with reposing the Host and taking care of whatever weather-related procedures are needed.
Would I have preferred having my hour of Eucharistic Adoration this afternoon? Yes!
Am I going to grouse, grumble and gripe about the weather, folks who say my life matters, or the National Weather Service for scaring us with weather reports?
No. I am not.
I am, however, going to do a little reading and some prayer that I’d have done at the chapel. And then I’ll be back to finish this post. That’s my plan, anyway.
Discord, the Other Discord, and “Deck Us All With Boston Charlie”
That was several hours back now. It’s still Wednesday, Wednesday evening.
My son had asked me if I had set up a Discord account yet.
I had not.
A Discord account, I discovered, has nothing to do with My Little Ponys. Or is that My Little Poinies? Never mind. Discord (discord.com) has nothing to do with Discord, the charmingly eccentric dragon-moose-whatever of MLP.
Or, so far as I can tell, with those who would bring chaos and tumult to this fair land.
Which would be quite a trick on a night like this. I figure the only folks out in this weather are those whose job is keeping streets and roads comparatively clear, emergency responders, and folks with more optimism than good sense.
None of which has much to do with “Deck Us All With Boston Charlie,” but it’s almost Christmas, and I like the old Pogo strips.
Speaking of Christmas, the Weather Service says this blizzard will likely keep going for another 12 hours. (It’s just after 6:00 p.m. here in Minnesota.) Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas this year.
And now, more weather maps than you need, or probably want, to see. And whatever else I think while setting them up.
“Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful….”
(From National Weather Service, used w/o permission.)
(U.S. National Weather Service map, 6:58 p.m. on December 22, 2020.)
That’s what I saw about 23 hours back. A winter storm warning is something to notice – but not enough to necessarily make me change my Wednesday afternoon plans.
A few hours later, the forecasts had been updated.
(From National Weather Service, used w/o permission.)
(U.S. National Weather Service map, 10:09 p.m. on December 22, 2020.)
Okay. A blizzard is still a winter storm of sorts. But Stearns County, where I live, is on the edge of the blizzard warning. Still not necessarily reason to change my plans.
And thus ended Tuesday the 22nd.
Snowing Sideways
(From National Weather Service, used w/o permission.)
(U.S. National Weather Service map, 8:24 a.m. on December 23, 2020.)
Wednesday morning, and the forecasts have changed again. Slightly, and mostly other than where I live.
No problem. My hour at the Adoration chapel is from two until three, but now I’m wondering whether maybe I’d better reconsider.
(From National Weather Service, used w/o permission.)
(U.S. National Weather Service map, noon, December 23, 2020.)
Noon, Wednesday, December 23, 2020. It’s snowing sideways. My wife tells me I should think before going out. I decide that she’s right. And start calling folks who need to know that I’m not coming in.
Start trying to call folks. The telephone system told me that some numbers were disconnected or no longer in service, other didn’t respond, and – – – long story short, it was frustrating.
And, therefore, a good opportunity to practice patience.
(From National Weather Service, used w/o permission.)
(U.S. National Weather Service Upper Midwest radar map, noon, December 23, 2020.)
And so, now, several hours after I said I was going to do my ‘Adoration hour’ reading and prayer, I’ve done only a little of the reading and none of the prayer.
“And a Good Time Was Had by All”
I’m not overly concerned. Partly because I’ve been spending much of the time chatting (I think that’s the verb) with my number-one daughter via Discord. Nice! As my father used to say, “and a good time was had by all.”
I figure I’ll get the prayers done later this evening. After I wrap up this post.
And, as it turns out, decide to do some slightly more Christmas-themed stuff tomorrow.
Which leaves me with the often-pleasant task of adding links to vaguely-related posts:
Last Sunday’s homily included mention of the ‘wheat and tares’ parable. Or was it Sunday before last? Either way, that parable didn’t fit the Gospel reading.
But the off-season reference put wheat, weeds and questions on my mind’s front desk. And reminded me of a ‘Wheat and Tares’ post I wrote about a half-dozen years back.
Then, a few days ago, I was told that the Catholic Church is a terrorist organization.
I started writing about that, added a revised version of the old ‘wheat and tares’ post, and wound up with this:
Belonging to an (allegedly) “Terrorist Organization” ??
The “terrorist organization” assertion almost makes sense.
A few priests have behaved badly. Very badly. So have a few bishops, and at least one American cardinal.
Abusing minors, or anyone else, is a bad idea and nobody should do it. And it’s worse when the abuser is someone who should be caring for the minor. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2389)
I don’t know why American bishops and cardinals didn’t, when they heard rumors of abuse, act immediately. I also don’t know why some seem to have deliberately ignored signs of trouble.
But that’s what happened. Nothing will undo what some, not all, clergy did. Or didn’t do.
I also don’t know why a reboot of the ‘pedophile priest’ story didn’t get traction, about two years back:
Maybe presidential campaign preludes, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, provided sufficient sound and fury; and that’s another topic.
Beware the Satanic Papal Octopus: Legacy, Cycle A and an Angry God
The “terrorist organization” label sounds new. Maybe it’s a post-9/11 moniker.
But the basic idea is not unfamiliar.
Denouncing the Romanism monster seems vital to a fair number of traditional American viewpoints.
I suspect that hostility toward “The Papal Octopus” comes partly from a love of justice.
And a sincere desire to defend America from Evil, Superstition, Subversion and other arms of the “Satanic” monster.
Not that many folks see Fowler and Crowley’s “Papal Octopus” in their mind’s eye when they think of the Catholic Church. Most, maybe, have never read Crowley’s “The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue.”
Maria Monk’s best-seller is another matter, and yet another topic. (May 14, 2017)
I don’t enjoy experiencing my culture’s anti-Catholic attitude. And, since I became a Catholic, I certainly don’t support it. But it comes with the territory. And, like I said, opposing the “Papal Octopus” may be inspired partly by a (misdirected) love of justice.
Where was I? Weeds. Questions. Fighting Evil, Superstition and Subversion. Right.
I won’t hear the wheat and tares/weeds parable as a Gospel reading until July of Cycle A. We’re starting Cycle B now, so that’ll be a while. The A-B-C Sunday and weekday and I-II cycles go back to 1969.
I figure some folks are still upset about the A-B-C and I-II cycles. I’m not, and that’s yet again another topic.
God: Large and In Charge
God is occasionally presented as violence-prone, with serious anger management issues.
Some folks who describe the Almighty this way seem to think that we should worship God because the alternative is getting squashed like bugs.
Others claim that God is a make-believe bogeyman, invented by charlatans to frighten people.
I think both claims are missing an important point.
God is just, God is merciful: and sometimes God has to get our attention.
“For neither is there any god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned;
“Nor can any king or prince confront you on behalf of those you have punished.
“But as you are righteous, you govern all things righteously;
you regard it as unworthy of your power
to punish one who has incurred no blame.
“For your might is the source of righteousness;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.”
“You taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are righteous must be kind;
And you gave your children reason to hope
that you would allow them to repent for their sins.”
(Wisdom 12:13, :16–19)
That’s from Cycle A’s 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time readings. That Sunday’s Gospel reading, Matthew 13:24–43, is a long one, and includes a parable about wheat and weeds. I’ll get back to that.
It’s also a gift of the Holy Spirit, along with wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and piety. This sort of piety encourages devotion to God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1831, 1850, 2084)
It’s not a sanctimonious holier-than-thou attitude. And that’s still more topics.
Pope Francis gave a pretty good explanation of the “fear of the Lord” a few years back:
“The gift of fear of the Lord, which we are speaking about today, concludes the series of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It does not mean being afraid of God: we know well that God is Father, that he loves us and wants our salvation, and he always forgives, always; thus, there is no reason to be scared of him! Fear of the Lord, instead, is the gift of the Holy Spirit through whom we are reminded of how small we are before God and of his love and that our good lies in humble, respectful and trusting self-abandonment into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment in the goodness of our Father who loves us so much….“
(Francis I (June 11, 2014))
Fear of the Lord and Karaoke
Ever since the first humans preferred their own will to God’s, we’ve had relationship issues with the Almighty. It’s easy for us to be afraid of God, which isn’t the same as having “fear of the Lord.” (Catechism, 399)
The “fear of the Lord” we read about in Psalms 111:10; is reverence for God.
I’m supposed to recognize that God’s God, and I’m not: that I owe my continued existence to God. (Catechism, 2096-2097)
Fear of the Lord is not living in terror that God will caste me into an infernal karaoke bar because I like the ‘wrong’ kind of music. Or don’t get upset when a priest makes an out-of-season Gospel reference. Or whatever.
On the other hand, Hell, eternal separation from God, is real. So is Satan. At the end of all things, I’ll either willingly accept God: or not. (Catechism, 391-395, 1033-1037, 1849)
“Not,” in my considered opinion, is a daft option.
To Seek, Know, and Love God
My job is to seek, know, and love God.
I’m invited, along with everyone else, “to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.” (Catechism, Prologue, 1)
I should be learning to say four things to God: please; thank you; sorry; and I love you. That quartet isn’t my idea, by the way: a new priest in our parishes talked about that learning curve a half-dozen years ago.
We start out by asking God for help, should follow that up with thanks, and — if we’re realistic about our decisions — tell God ‘I’m sorry’ when we mess up. Happily, repentance is an option. (Catechism, 1422-1449)
Telling God “I love you” is something I’m working on, and probably will be for the rest of my life. That’s — what else? — another topic for another post.
Wheat and Weeds
The “weeds” in Matthew 13:24–43 are (probably) a specific plant: darnel.
It’s poison, either because of the plant’s alkaloids, or a fungus that lives in the seed head. Darnel is sometimes called false wheat, because it looks almost exactly like wheat until the weed’s ear appears.
The parable of the wheat and weeds is one of the more comforting passages for me, since I’ve looked an awful lot like a weed at times.
Or I could see myself as the paragon of all virtues, and everyone who’s not like me as weeds ready for an overdue weed-whacking. That alternative strikes me as a really bad idea.
I figure it’s better to let “terrorist organization” labels, crackpot COVID-19 conspiracy theories and life’s other annoyances remind me to check my own attitudes and actions.
Remembering that “those who are just must be kind,” and applying the principles outlined in Matthew 7:1–5? It’s not easy, but sure beats the alternatives.
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Life, the universe and my circumstances permitting. I'm focusing on 'family stories' at the moment. ("A Change of Pace: Family Stories" (11/23/2024))
Blog - David Torkington
Spiritual theologian, author and speaker, specializing in prayer, Christian spirituality and mystical theology [the kind that makes sense-BHG]
I was born in 1951. I'm a husband, father and grandfather. One of the kids graduated from college in December, 2008, and is helping her husband run businesses and raise my granddaughter; another is a cartoonist and artist; #3 daughter is a writer; my son is developing a digital game with #3 and #1 daughters. I'm also a writer and artist.
It’s now Christmas Eve evening here in central Minnesota, and early Christmas morning a few time zones east of there.
