Funny time to be eating cornflakes

Quote of the week

2011-05-03T21:14:00.001+01:00

"Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind"
John Donne

Change

2011-02-21T20:45:00.001Z

God is changing me, creating a new and better person, molding me for something different, preparing me for heaven. I find it an uncomfortable process at times.

The old me and the new me are battling for control, right now the new me is winning, but the old me is there waiting in the wings to step in at a moments notice, even at the smallest sign of weakness.

Maybe the battle becomes easier with time, then again maybe not.

I don't usually plug my own poems, but this one is trying to get across what I feel:
http://gwilymgochpoems.blogspot.com/2011/02/slowly-learning-to-be-me.html

Quotes of the week

2011-01-25T20:50:00.000Z

"If you treat Me as a stranger, I'll be only a judge. If you trust Me, I'll be your Saviour."

"Don't you know that because of My compassion a single act of perfect love atones for a whole lifetime?"

Both these quotes are taken from a book called He and I by Gabrielle Bossis, a journal of her ongoing conversation with Jesus. He speaks with a very familiar voice, words always full of love. If you can, do get hold of this book.

Yes or No (pt2)

2011-01-20T18:36:00.000Z

This is hilarously funny, I'm tempted to vote for the No campaign just for doing this!
Lack of official campaigns in referendum 'sad day'

Yes or No

2011-01-19T22:30:00.000Z

I just cannot decide how/whether to vote on the issue of more law-making powers for the Welsh Assembly.
On the one hand I like the idea of devolving power from the centre.
On the other hand I despise the jumped up local councillors in the Assembly and don't like the idea of them having ANY power at all.
Then again should I legitimise their system by voting at all?

I may not decide until the day.

Calling on all Britons to make a fuss

2010-12-11T19:42:00.000Z

Once again a major British company has provided me with utterly useless service. Why are so many British companies so crap?

I'll tell you why, it's because we let them get away with it!

So I am calling on everybody in Britain to decide not to put up with it any more - if you get treated like crap, give as good as you get - kick up a stink, make a fuss, be bolshie, demand your rights - COMPLAIN!

Only when everybody starts to complain, and threatens to take their business away from companies with poor service, will we finally see an improvement, so go on put the boot in!

Quote of the week

2010-11-16T17:22:00.000Z

"Be patient with all that is unresolved in your heart."
Rainer Maria Rilke

Poetic muse

2010-10-12T20:23:00.000+01:00

It's funny how I seem to go for ages without the merest flicker of a rhyme crossing my mind and others when I just can't stop writing. At the moment I feel full of verse, I've written more in the last few weeks than in the previous few years put together. Much of my recent work is also more positive than previously, which is also good. I've put a few up on my poetry blog if people want to look.

Another birthday last week, how the years fly, it is actually 15 years since I first came to Aber. as a student and 21 years since I started at Uni. - Yikes!

I look at the the students today and they all look so young, it's hard to realise that it was so long ago now. I look back at myself then and realise that as I've grown older and (hopefully) wiser, I am a lot less certain of things now than I was then. Then I thought I knew everything, and now I realise I know nothing! Sometimes I long for the simplistic clarity of youth, but at heart I know my foggy uncertainty is better.

Birthday quote of the week

2010-10-09T09:00:00.001+01:00

"There is still no cure for the common birthday"

John Glenn

Pope's visit to Britain

2010-09-26T18:21:00.000+01:00

Despite the dire warnings of disaster the Pope's visit the other week seems to have been a great success and he came across very well. It was very noticeable that the tenor of the BBC coverage changed part-way through the visit, when they realised that he was actually receiving a warm welcome and that the mass demos were turning out to be a bit of a damp squib. Suddenly they stopped mentioning child abuse every other sentance and began discussing what he was actually saying and doing. I even heard one reporter admitting that he was FORCED to join the Hitler Youth, rather than the usual tactic of just mentioning his membership and declining to mention he never went to the meetings. A minor miracle I think!

Sometimes people surprise you and I have been pleasantly surprised by Pope Benedict on this visit - I think it is good for him to get out of the Vatican and to visit the real world, he should do it more often, it'll lessen the influence of those morons in the Curia, who have advised him so badly over the last couple of years.

Quote of the week

2010-08-10T19:28:00.000+01:00

This is a great quote from Babylon 5, when G'kar complains about the Centauri Emperor being allowed aboard the station, this is Sheridan's response:

Sheridan [to G'kar]: If this bothers you, I suggest you stay in your quarters, stick your fingers in your ears and hum real loud until it's over. Unless you'd like to try something as breathtakingly rational as trying to open up a dialogue.

You can't make peace until you are ready to talk with your opponent, it happened in South Africa, in Northern Ireland, between the USSR & USA, sooner or later it will have to happen in the Middle East, Korea, Burma and all those other conflicts in the World - why not start now?

Quotes of the week

2010-08-02T23:51:00.000+01:00

Three quotes from Miguel de Unamuno:

"Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you."

"Faith which does not doubt is dead faith."

"True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant."

Quote of the week 2

2010-05-25T20:02:00.000+01:00

Two for the price of one, this week:

"No one is fit to be trusted with power. ... No one. ... Any man who has lived at all knows the follies and wickedness he's capable of. ... And if he does know it, he knows also that neither he nor any man ought to be allowed to decide a single human fate."

C. P. Snow

Quote of the week

2010-05-25T19:57:00.002+01:00

Long time since I've done one of these:

"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion"

C. P. Snow

Why nobody will get my vote

2010-05-03T19:52:00.002+01:00

There are six candidates in my constituency, all of them belong to political parties, as they belong to a party, I have to wonder whether their loyalty will be to the local community that elected them, or to the party that selected them.

I believe that far from having the solution to our problems, political parties are part of the problem, and as long as they are part of our system nothing will change - it is simply not in their interest for it to do so.

We do not live in a democracy we live in an elective oligarchy, to be fair it is an open oligarchy these days, but it is still an oligarchy. All power is centralised in the state and its bureaucracy, and that state and its bureaucracy has a vested interest in maintaining itself even at the expense of those whom it claims to represent.

As long as power is distributed from the centre we will not have true democracy. We need to develop a system where power is vested in the local community and, where needed, those communities come together to share power at a higher level.

The only question for me is this, do I go and spoil my ballot, or just not bother at all?

Stars

2010-04-10T16:54:00.000+01:00

I have been cursing the local council for turning off our streetlights at midnight. Until I arrived home at half past midnight last night and looked up at the clear night sky. What a sight, so many stars.

Holiday

2010-04-06T20:12:00.000+01:00

Just been for a week in Shropshire, very cheap hotel £30 a night, about what you'd expect for that price too.

Drove over last week in a virtual blizzard, but the weather improved over the week, Sunday was the best day.

Despite the weather I still managed to do plenty of sightseeing, though I needed my boots what with all the mud.

The highlight was some of the Abbey ruins, Buildwas and Lilleshall were brilliant. Morton Corbet Castle is also well worth a look if you are in the area.

About time too

2010-04-06T19:33:00.001+01:00

Amazingly the BBC seems to have remembered it was Easter this year and put some appropriate programmes on.

They also did a very good programme about the persecution of Christians in Britain. Much more balanced than their usual anti-Christian propaganda.

Are Christians Being Persecuted?

Nice one vince

2010-02-13T19:30:00.000Z

The Arch-bish. has waded firmly into the whole palliative care vs. death industry argument. Good for him.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols attacks NHS over compassion

Quote of the week

2010-02-08T22:55:00.000Z

"The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense."
Tom Clancy

Remorseless

2010-01-29T21:17:00.000Z

So there you have it, not one iota of remorse, or sorrow, no regret, no admission of wrongdoing...

Did we really expect anything more?

Building work

2010-01-18T22:27:00.002Z

I am currently having the extension on my house rebuilt; what with Christmas and the weather, things have been going in fits and starts, but now much of the plastering is done. Trouble is, when it's finished I'll have to decorate - still it only took me 18 months to finish the kitchen!

Facebook

2010-01-12T23:10:00.002Z

I finally succumbed and joined Facebook at the weekend, and this evening I linked my blog to it, so this is by way of a test to see if it will in fact send new posts through to Facebook.

Freedom is a two edged sword

2010-01-12T21:25:00.002Z

It was interesting to hear the comments of the leader of Islam4UK about his group's imminent banning. He claimed that his freedoms were being taken away.

I find this a bit rich considering that one of his supporters was on TV last night carrying a placard saying the following: "Islam will rule the World. To hell with freedom"

Listen sunshine, you can't have it both ways. You can't go around threatening to force the rest of us to follow your religion on pain of death and then bleat about your rights when the government slaps you down for it.

Rome trip

2010-01-12T20:07:00.005Z

Last October I went to Rome for a week, it was a terrific holiday and I really loved Rome. If you haven't been do go - I recommend the Pantheon.

Anyway, this is by way of background to what I actually wanted to say. The first few days we went around several of the large Basilicas, and I became increasingly disconsolate about them. They were very ornate and impressive, but I felt very little sense of the holy in them, they were like museums and tourist attractions rather than places of worship.

As part of my reason for going to Rome was to re-charge my spiritual batteries, you can imagine that this was a bit of a let down.

Towards the end of the week we went to St Peter's itself, and I didn't expect anything different, I walked into the Church and at first felt nothing, but then I found my way into a side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. Lots of people were praying, and I joined them. I spent half an hour there talking to Jesus and it was so wonderful, it made all the difference, when I came out of the side chapel and started looking around the rest of the Basilica it was with very different eyes. To feel God's peace and grace and love is a powerful thing, of course it doesn't last, we have to come down the mountain, but while we're up there... There's nothing like it.

The Shambles, York

2009-11-05T15:49:00.001Z

The Shambles, York, originally uploaded by GwilymGoch.

This is the shrine of St Margaret Clitherow, in York. Earlier this year when on holiday in York I visited the shrine several times. It is a wonderfully peaceful oasis in a seething ocean of tourists and shoppers.

The best bit was being able to go to Mass on the saturday morning, I thought that there might be half a dozen people there, but the place was packed solid. It was really great to see it so full and the simple Mass was very moving.

I'm sure St Margaret is delighted to see so many people at Mass in the same street where she kept the faith alive all those years ago.

Yet another stealth tax

2009-06-16T21:45:00.002+01:00

So we are going to be stiffed with yet another unfair tax: Tax to pay for fast net access
And where will the money go? If you think it will go on better broadband you really are living in cloud-cuckoo-land. They are probably saving up for the next pointless war; or maybe to give themselves a nice big pay rise to make up for the lost expenses.

Another kick in the teeth for British Democracy

2009-06-16T21:19:00.003+01:00

Just read this story on the BBC: Force disciplines police blogger
Typical - how is it the public interest that people with the courage to blow the whistle are not protected from retribution?

How can we complain about the Iranian government stifling criticism if we are doing the same thing?

How long before elections in this country are rigged by the ruling party? Let's face it, it's the only way gormless Gorden is ever going to win!

Speaking of Iran - viva la revolución!

History

2009-05-22T14:45:00.005+01:00

I have just been reading one of C. J. Sansom's 'Shardlake' books, an excellent read. It set me thinking about British history.

Possibly the two most important events in our post-Roman history were the Norman Conquest and the Reformation. These two events made this country what it is today: a Godless, money obsessed, inequitable society where drunkenness and violence are ubiquitous.

Thank you to William the Bastard & fat syphilitic Henry, two of the most nasty gits in a long succession of evil English Kings. Great adverts for republicanism both.

Moron Alert

2009-05-13T16:39:00.004+01:00

I just had a flyer through the door from the BNP (Brainless Nazi Party?)

In addition to the usual Union Flags and pictures of nice WASPs (that's the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants not the insects) I noticed a picture of a Spitfire.

Imagine my surprise when I looked more closely and noticed the red & white chequered emblem of one of the Polish Squadrons serving with the RAF during WWII (In fact this appears to be a Spitfire Vb of 303 Polish Squadron, which is credited with the highest number of enemy kills during the Battle of Britain)

Given all their complaints about immigrant Polish workers I was highly amused to see this and leaves me asking just one question:

JUST HOW STUPID ARE THESE IDIOTS???

If you do intend to vote during the European elections all I can say is please, please, please ignore the poisonous propaganda of these dangerous fools!

No european elections for me

2009-05-09T09:54:00.003+01:00

As a codicil to my previous post, I notice that the European elections are going to be run on the basis of Party lists - so you don't get any choice as to which individual represents you it is all down to the Party.

As this is the case I won't be voting on June 4th as I would only be able to support a party.

As an aside; this system is a good way of allowing extremist political parties to gain power. The geographically based vote for an individual candidate mitigates against this.

Don't assent to this flawed system by voting next month, if we don't play along with the party system it will have to change.

Pigs at the trough

2009-05-09T09:18:00.004+01:00

It's nice to see that people are finally waking up to the fact that our politician's are all corrupt. Why has this happened. Very simple: the party political oligarchy which runs this country. M.P.s are not answerable to their constituents they are answerable to the party to which they belong, their allegiance is not to the people and the area they claim to represent it is to the party hierarchy.

How can this be solved, how can we have a system of government where those who make our laws and run our country are truly our servants. Simple BAN ALL POLITICAL PARTIES.

M.P.s should all be independent with no ties to a larger organisation. If this happened candidates would have to persuade the electorate that they personally were worthy of our votes; they would have to prove that they would represent their constituency at all times and not follow any party line.

It would also force the electorate to engage with the process more, no longer would people say "I'll vote labour" or "I'll vote conservative" through some sort of tribal loyalty, they would actually have to listen to the candidates and decide which person was the one they liked best. It would create a much more democratic system, based on individual merit not a faceless party machine.

If one lesson should have been learned from Communism and Nazism it is that "the party" is the antithesis of democracy. It acts against the individual will and freedom of conscience.

Without political parties a new form of consensus politics would have to emerge, the Prime Minister would have to represent all of Parliament not a single grouping. Every issue & every law would have to be argued on its merits to the country as a whole; there would be no whips to ensure that M.P.s toed the line.

I have decided that I will never again support a political party of any hue, nor will I vote for any candidate who belongs to one. If I vote for anyone it will be for someone who has proven to me that he or she is honest, moral and fearless in standing up for what is right - I simply don't believe any party hack can meet these criteria.

Interesting article

2009-05-06T20:33:00.003+01:00

Religion of hatred: Why we should no longer be cowed by the chattering classes ruling Britain who sneer at Christianity.

A friend passed this link on to me, it is an article by A.N. Wilson, about his return to faith and lambasting the godless elite destroying this country. It is well worth a read and very refreshing to see someone standing up to the anti-Christian mafia.

Some welcome news

2009-04-10T11:29:00.003+01:00

Good news, we have a new Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols: "A 'tough champion' for Catholics" & "Pastor with a political touch". This is the man that Cardinal Hume wanted to succeed him and I think the Holy See has probably made a good choice.

I'm glad to see he is making his presence felt already: "Archbishop condemns abortion ads".

Unwelcome but not unexpected

2009-04-10T11:01:00.002+01:00

So Tony Blair has finally raised his ugly head again: "Blair questions papal gay policy". How dare he presume to know what ordinary Catholics think!

I am not at all surprised to find that many Catholic bloggers have criticised him. I am however, disappointed that the Church does not appear to have responded officially. It seems that not only is Blair allowed to join the Church despite espousing causes which would lead to the excommunication of anyone else, but now he's allowed to claim he represents the lay people of the Church with his noxious lies.

Of course the BBC has once again totally failed to understand the Catholic Church. This is not 'papal gay policy' as they put it, this is the doctrinal teaching of the Church!

Better late than never

2009-02-04T17:52:00.003Z

Finally, three days late as usual, the Vatican has managed to cotton on to the fact that they've made a terrible blunder: 'Holocaust bishop' told to recant

Oh no not again!

2009-02-03T17:35:00.004Z

Just been reading up on the furore surrounding the re-admission of four excommunicated 'bishops' to the Church: Pope move ignites Holocaust row.

Once more the Vatican is suffering from 'foot in mouth' syndrome. What were they thinking of, letting that bunch of fascists back in?

We are not only talking about a bunch of Holocaust deniers, but also a group that once sheltered a wanted war criminal.

If you can watch this and still believe that this person is fit to be a minister in the Catholic Church then I can only pity you.

Somebody really needs to remind these people that Jesus, Mary and all the apostles were Jewish and would all have ended up in the gas chambers if they'd been unfortunate enough to find themselves in Nazi's clutches.

Do's and Don'ts

2009-01-21T20:13:00.003Z

Christianity is often portrayed in our society, sometimes justly, and a religion of Don'ts; Don't do this and don't do that. However, if you look at the Gospels, Jesus is much more interested in Do than Don't.

He spends much more time telling His followers to do things than not to do them, his commandments are usually positive: Love one another as I have loved you, Love your neighbour as yourself*, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, set prisoners free etc.

It is also interesting to look at some of the things he tells people not to do. Most importantly Don't be afraid, Don't judge and Don't be a hypocrite.

That doesn't mean that He isn't willing to point out to people where they have gone wrong, but He always stresses the positive future not the negative past. For example, the woman facing a stone throwing mob is told: neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more - in other words the past is passed now look to the future and do better.

This is such an important lesson; not to get mired down in our past failings, but determine here and now to do better in the future.

* As an aside it is interesting that most people concentrate on the love your neighbour side of that equation and forget about the as yourself bit. We all need to love ourselves, if we don't we will never be able to love others, our self-loathing will always get in the way.
Scripture teaches us that God loves us and created us in His image and in His eyes we have worth. Even in our broken and sullied state, even at our worst, even at our lowest ebb, God thinks we are worth loving, not as an abstract whole, as humanity, but as individuals, known fully, and loved fully

Quote of the week

2009-01-20T19:45:00.004Z

"...we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals"

This is the moment Barack Obama really hit the spot for me in his speech this afternoon. It gives me hope that America will start to live up to the ideals that its founding fathers promised. President Obama's speech was inspirational and will have encouraged many people around the World. Now we have to see if the political establishment and big business will allow him to live up to the promise.

I realise that this is my first post for over five months, to be honest I haven't really felt like publishing my thoughts for the last few months, largely due to a lack of anything positive to say.
But, after a shaky start, the new year has given me a brighter outlook and hopefully I will manage to add to this blog a bit more often.

Quote of the week

2008-08-08T17:49:00.004+01:00

"If the primates that we came from had known that someday
politicians would come out of the gene-pool they'd have stayed
up in the trees and written evolution off as a bad idea"
John Sheridan, Babylon 5

I have been watching Babylon 5 again recently and this quote jumped out at me from one episode. Babylon 5 has so much of value to say about the danger of government and power in the wrong hands. If you have never seen it - go and get it all now and watch it!

Quote of the week

2008-07-25T15:53:00.009+01:00

"Meet the new boss - Same as the old boss," - The Who.

This line from the Who's song Won't Get Fooled Again sums up the danger of violently overthrowing the current order. In the end, similar, if not the same, people end up back at the top.

The problem with revolutions is that, as the name suggests, once the process has been completed you are invariably back exactly where you started.

This was ably demonstrated by George Orwell in Animal Farm, his modern fable satirising Soviet Communism. The leaders of the revolution inevitably become like those they displaced, as power corrupts them. The principles of the original revolutionaries are betrayed and they find themselves oppressed once more.

History teaches us that any power founded on violence and through violence is doomed to be perpetually plagued with violence - look at modern Israel or even at the USA itself. It could be argued that the success of post-colonial India in the last 60 years is, at least in part, due to the adherence to non-violence by the main independence movement. India could have freed itself from the colonial yoke through force of arms, that might have been the easier, quicker way, but instead India chose the harder path, the longer path; as Frost would have it "the one less traveled by" and as he says, it HAS made all the difference!

Welsh Martyrs Catholic Church, Penparcau

2008-07-20T11:47:00.004+01:00

Just went to Mass at Penparcau, sadly we are having to temporarily move down to St. Winefride's next week, due to the state of the roof. Hopefully we can get it patched up soon. As this photo shows it is in a pretty parlous state, which is a pity, since it is a nice Church to worship in.

There is no further news on the vexed question of a new Church. I gather that someone has now sent a letter to the Western Mail, the same non-parishioner who wrote to the Cambrian news.

It's all very well this person writing to the papers and complaining, but he doesn't even live in the Diocese and he isn't going to have to pay for anything that's done, the parishioners are.

The bottom line is this: what can the parish afford to do, that will give us a Church that will last us into the next century?

People need to remember that the Church is the community of believers, not any particular building. I like Welsh Martyrs, but I accept that it will eventually have to go, whatever is decided.

The important thing is to give the Catholic community of Aberystwyth a place where they can worship in reverence and safety for the next 100 years. Though the way the current government is going Christianity may well have been outlawed by then.

Annoyances

2008-07-18T18:17:00.003+01:00

I've had quite a stressful week at work, mainly due to various little niggles, caused by other people. So many people seem to have no empathy towards others. It seems to be a national disease.

I often lack patience with others and sometimes am guilty of thoughtlessness myself. Of course that doesn't help me to cope with other people annoying me.

My main problem is letting go of the irritation, I'm often like a child picking at a scab, and doing that it'll never heal.

How good it would be to learn the art of throwing away what's in the past!

Big Brother wants to watch you even more closely

2008-07-17T18:46:00.003+01:00

Anyone who thinks our freedoms are safe in the hands of the government should take a look at this article on the BBC News website.

Yo, Brown, if you're reading this, just GO NOW!

Quote of the week

2008-07-15T19:26:00.005+01:00

"Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to the dark side" - Yoda.

Why do we fear others, those who are different from us? Is it simply the fear of the unknown, or is it our own insecurity? Whatever the reason, as long as we separate ourselves from others, cut ourselves off from experiencing them, their lives, their thoughts and beliefs, we cannot understand them and this lack of understanding will leave us uncertain of others.

If we engage with others, those who are different, and get to know them as individual human beings then it is much easier to understand them and much harder to fear them and thus hate them. It is much easier to hate an amorphous group of people than someone you actually say hello to every day.

If I don't know any Muslims, if I've never met a Muslim, then how can I really understand them? It is very easy to fear this faceless group of people. But how can I hate the young Muslim woman who smiled at me this afternoon as we passed in the street. Such a simple act, but so important, fear is dispelled by a the smallest kindness.

If we can learn to look through another's eyes, to 'walk a mile in someone's shoes', to make that all-important empathic link to another, then fear and anger and hate and darkness can be banished from our lives.

Wisely, speaks small green alien.

One of my heroes

2008-07-07T22:17:00.005+01:00

I recently read "John Gerard: The Autobiography of an Elizabethan". This is an amazing book detailing the life & work of a Jesuit Priest during the post-reformation persecution of Catholics in Britain. It is a an account of immense courage in the face of ever-present danger, of faithfulness among the Catholic community despite intense pressure to conform.

Gerard, who came from the village I grew up in, spent many years spreading the faith and ministering to the Catholic community in England. Such was his success that he became one of the most wanted men in Britain. He was betrayed and captured by the authorities. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and endured torture, before escaping.

Despite the claims of the English state, Gerard always maintained that he had no political agenda and remained loyal to the Crown. In the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot, Gerard was finally forced to leave the country, though he had no knowledge of the plot and had told people not to get involved in such activities.

Contrary to their reputation in this country, the Jesuits were not into plots and were never involved with the inquisition (apart from their founder St. Ignatius Loyola, who was actually hauled in front of them at one point). In fact the Jesuits were more interested in debating with those that disagreed with them and used persuasion and argument to convert people.

John Gerard has always been one of my heroes, ever since I first read about him, when I was a child. This was a truly inspiring book and a very readable translation of Gerard's Latin original. It is well worth a read.

Welsh Martyrs, Penparcau

2008-07-06T16:38:00.003+01:00

It was announced this morning that 9am Mass is going to be moving down to St. Winefride's from 27th June. It is a shame that we are going to have to move from Welsh Martyrs as it is such a nice Church. Unfortunately the roof is in such poor repair now and added to this Paul and Phillip are to take on full time responsibility for Lampeter and Aberaeron.

We now only have three priests for the whole of Ceredigion. Sooner or later someone is going to have to take a good look at whole question of who can become a priest, how long it should take to train them, what they should be doing and what they should be leaving to the laity. Unfortunately I can't see this issue being addressed during the current Pontificate; at the moment the prevailing attitude among the hierarchy appears to be one of burying their heads in the sand and blaming the laity for not all rushing to enter the religious life.

Sunday Mass

2008-06-29T11:56:00.004+01:00

As I went to receive Communion this morning I was struck by how awesome it is, how wonderful, what an amazing gift. I don't understand how people can accuse the ordinary Mass of lacking mystery and reverence. The mystery and reverence are in the Eucharist itself, not in the trappings surrounding it. If people cannot see that, then maybe they are looking in the wrong place.

The Oxford Murders

2008-06-23T23:16:00.003+01:00

Just been to see this at the cinema - all I can say is that it is two hours of my life that I won't get back. Frankly it was the biggest pile of camel dung I have seen for quite some time.

The plot was contrived, the editing was sloppy and the culprit was soooo obvious from the word go. Many of the characters and ideas were hackneyed and stereotyped. John Hurt was clearly going through the motions (though he still managed to be amusing at times). The love interest started with an American accent, moved on to Irish and ended up somewhere on the Continent. In general the dubbing was atrocious, especially the Russian student.

There was also the inevitable, gratuitous, sex scene, complete with food - why do they bother?

Hurt's character managed to spout the most meaningless philosophical twaddle as if it had some deep significance to humankind - I suspect that most first year philosophy students at Oxford could probably have shot him down in flames with consummate ease.

Hurt's character suggests that it is not possible to know the truth, or even if there is such a thing - I disagree, the truth is this film wasn't worth watching!

Turning the clock back

2008-06-21T10:58:00.005+01:00

I have just read a disturbing story in this weeks Tablet it appears that the Vatican is hell-bent on taking us back to the middle-ages, what next burning heretics?

When the new rules on the Tridentine Mass were issued, we were told that this was just for those few people who wanted it, now it is to be forced on every Parish, whether wanted or not. In addition all new priests will be taught it. Of course, the next step will be to make every Mass like this.

The Vatican is sticking two fingers up to the laity and telling them to get back in the pews - to turn up, pay up and shut up. Of course, contrary to what they think, this will simply hasten the death of the Church in the Europe. It will also discourage vocations to the priesthood (this latest news has certainly ended any thought I might have had of following such a vocation).

I suspect I will not be alone in feeling betrayed by the Vatican; this is not the Church I grew up in. If they go through with this, I fear that I will no longer have a place in the Catholic Church, and I doubt that I will be alone.

Why I no longer believe in parliamentary democracy

2008-06-19T18:22:00.003+01:00

I grew up in a World where there appeared to be only two choices of government, the freedom and safety of Western Democracy or the fear and tyranny of the Communist Bloc. I was taught the importance of our freedoms and warned never to take them for granted.

Now, given the choice I'd plump for Western Democracy every time and I'm very grateful that we won the Cold War. However, I don't think that should blind us the failings of our own system, and these have become very clear in recent years.

The problem with Parliamentary Democracy in this country is that it is elitist, adversarial and bureaucratic. The fact is that it is not really a democracy (rule by the people); instead it is a self-perpetuating oligarchy (rule by an elite).

What we have is government from the top down, rather than from the bottom up, as it should be in a true democracy. The government is supposed to us, the people, in theory we are the government; but many people think of the government as "them", a remote, faceless and uncaring institution, in which they have little say.

I finally lost any remaining faith in our democracy when the British Government joined the Bushite crusade in Iraq; a war that millions of people in this country were against; a war in which thousands have died and a war which has left us less safe than before. In addition to this both the previous Conservative government and the current Labour government have forced through law after law curtailing our basic freedoms. If you don't believe this, I thoroughly recommend that you watch the film "Taking Liberties".

I now believe that the whole concept of the state is flawed; as Jacques Ellul wrote:

"What seems to be one of the disasters of our time is that we all appear to agree that the nation-state is the norm. […] Whether the state be Marxist or capitalist, it makes no difference. The dominant ideology is that of sovereignty." (Anarchy and Christianity, 104–5.)

Some people would label me either a fascist or a communist (depending upon their own political leanings). The truth is that whichever way you go, the extremes of left and right are practically indistinguishable - the iron fist of repression and the rule of the state.

Recently I have begun to realise that the whole left-right thing is a fantasy. Neither the free-market nor the nanny-state can truly give us the society we need. I now realise that we have to step aside from these debates and choose another way.

This other way begins with the rejection of this artificial construct: the state. Leo Tolstoy wrote of the state:

"In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments,
the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom
war is always pernicious even when successful."

This ideology (the idea that no state or government is necessary) is called Anarchism - forget anything about punk rock and the Sex Pistols. Many people assume that this is an ideology of the left, but in truth Socialism (the corporate state controlling everything) is the antithesis of Anarchism. Furthermore, Anarchism does not necessarily involve violence and revolution, in fact pacifism and non-violence are more often found within modern anarchist thought.

I have been particularly taken with the ideas of Christian Anarchism, which I have been examining recently. Hang on, I hear you say, what is a Christian, especially a Catholic doing talking about anarchism? Well I'm not alone, many Catholics have embraced aspects of anarchist thought and some anarchists have adopted ideas from Christianity, especially the early Church (see Acts 2:44).

Well, I will have to stop for now as I have to go and play badminton, but this is something I will return to.

Pay

2008-06-18T18:18:00.005+01:00

Following on from the disgraceful decision of Welsh Assembly Members to take an 8.3% pay rise earlier this year, now we hear that some M.P.s at Westminster want a 21% pay rise - this is just obscene.

They say that they have fallen behind comparable jobs in the private sector - well so have the rest of us!

Librarianship is one of the worst paid professional jobs there is - I can just imagine the response if we asked these same politicians for a similar hike.

This just helps to confirm the suspicions of a growing number of people that all politicians are just in it to get rich quick and that none of them are worth voting for. They are asking the rest of us to show some restraint - so should they.

Father Phillip

2008-06-18T17:50:00.004+01:00

The good news is that we have a second priest in the parish. Contrary to my pessimism in a previous blog it seems that Father Phillip (still sounds a bit odd calling him that) will be staying with us for now. This is excellent news, I hope that we can hang onto him for a while and that the Bishop doesn't move him.

Phillip said his first Mass in Penparcau last Sunday and did very well. Though he told me afterwards that his hands were shaking - it wasn't noticeable. Phillip is such a character and I think he compliments Father Paul quite well.

On other Parish matters, I can't recall if I mentioned about the meeting last month about the Church, and I can't say too much in public, because some of the information is sensitive, but it looks like we might be getting a nice new Church, and sooner rather than later too.

Of course there are the usual old fogies (in mental outlook, not necessarily in physical age) who want everything to stay as it is and who are up in arms about the proposals - hopefully the Bishop will totally ignore them and do the right thing. My only fear is that he will decide to leave it for his successor in order to avoid the nausea caused by these people.

Quote of the week

2008-06-18T17:41:00.002+01:00

"Proof reading is always more effective after publication" - Philip Barker

I was looking back at some of my previous posts and noticed a number of typos, I suppose I should go back and correct them; but life is too short.

Trouble is, when you are in the midst of writing it is very easy to get caught up in putting your thoughts into the computer and not notice the slips you make. Sometimes the stream of consciousness can turn into a stream of something else!

Back to work

2008-06-05T17:20:00.003+01:00

I was feeling quite refreshed after my holiday; as shown by my stunning performance at Badminton last week, winning three games on the trot. I also managed to spray paint all my garden fences - so that's another job out of the way!

Salisbury Cathedral at sunset

2008-06-03T11:32:00.002+01:00

Salisbury Cathedral at sunset, originally uploaded by GwilymGoch.

I've just returned from holiday in Salisbury, Wiltshire. We were staying in the Cathedral close and this was the view from the window of the place we were staying. Not a bad view eh! Of course it didn't look so good in the rain - all day bank holiday monday for example - and no TV in the place we were staying!

The cathedral is quite impressive, though as it was built as a single piece, it somehow lacked some of the homeliness of some of the other cathedrals I've visited, especially St Albans, and St Davids.

Why are there so many rules?

2008-04-13T11:17:00.004+01:00

One objection many people seem to have with organised religion is the number of rules that there seem to be. I have to say that it is view that I have some sympathy with.

For the Christian there are actually very few rules. As Paul says "For me there are no forbidden things" (1 Cor. 6:12), though he does go on to say "but not everything does good"

In fact the only thing necessary is this "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself" (Luke 10:27)

Jesus only gave his disciples one commandment "Love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another" (John 13:34)

If we follow these simple rules then we will always do what is right and no other rules are necessary. So why do we need all these other rules?

Well, here's the problem, if we followed God's simple rule about loving him and each other, we wouldn't need any other rules; because we would always do the right thing. All the other complicated (man-made) rules are there because people seem to be incapable of following the simple (God-made) ones.

If the whole World followed the rules set out above, there would be no need for religious laws. Furthermore there would be no need for any civil laws, no need for lawyers, policemen, armies or governments. Sadly this isn't going to happen anytime soon (barring the second coming).

Finally someone who knows what they are doing!

2008-04-12T12:52:00.002+01:00

I've just spent a few minutes booking my train journey using the Trainline - it was so much simpler. I don't think I'll ever use the National Rail website again after seeing the comparison.

It still doesn't make any difference to my opinion of our railways. It was cheaper to buy two singles than to buy a return ticket - what is the point of having a return ticket if it is more expensive - I thought the whole idea of a return ticket was that it was cheaper!

Yet another example to prove that bureaucracy is the work of the devil; or of a deranged mind at any rate.

Well at least I can settle down to watch the Anglo-Welsh Cup final this afternoon. Come on Ospreys (I hope they do better than last week).

Why everyone drives instead of taking the train

2008-04-12T12:17:00.002+01:00

I have just spent a very frustrating half hour on the National Rail website trying to figure out what ticket I can get for a journey I have to make for work.

As far as I can see there are no tickets on sale for the train I want, this website is totally incomprehensible to me. This is why I prefer to drive.

There was a time you just asked for a return ticket from X to Y and they sold it to you - privatisation, what a good idea - NOT!

Exercise is bad for the health

2008-04-11T22:44:00.005+01:00

I played Badminton on friday, for the first time since I hurt my thigh before Easter, I played quite well, but managed to hurt my heel - probably due to my new trainers, which I haven't worn much yet.

I have come to the conclusion that all this exercise is actually bad for the health - it jsut seems to emphasis all the creaks and groans I seem to be developing as I get older.

Went to SVP this evening, it's always quite fun as well as spiritually uplifting and one older member keeps telling me she thinks I'm a student, because I don't look old enough to be holding down a full-time job - it's nice to hear you still look young, even if you no longer feel it!

Why I won't be watching the Olympics

2008-04-11T22:18:00.003+01:00

Another long hiatus between posts. Life and TV getting in the way again. I've been a bit down since Easter - probably too much sugar!

Anyway, back to the Olympics and my lack of watching thereof. This isn't all about China & Tibet/human rights etc., though that's part of it.

The fact is I've never been a big fan of the Olympics; I see it as being about propaganda, the so-called Olympic ideal is a myth, and it has always been linked to the political situation both globally and in the host country.

All these people who go on about keeping politics out of sport are living in cloud-cuckoo-land. Sport is not somehow immune from, or above political realities. Sportsmen and women are part of the human race and cannot opt out of morality and reality.

This was seen clearly in the sporting boycott of South Africa during the Apartheid era. Some people said this was pointless; but it hurt the South African establishment - why else would they have gone to such lengths to persuade various rugby and cricket players to go on 'rebel' tours of the country.

It's not just the Beijing games I will be avoiding I will also be keeping away from the London games in 2012. I don't think 'democracies' are immune from the temptation to use sport for political ends - look at Gordon Brown trying to be English football's biggest fan and Rhodri Morgan cashing in on Wales' grand slam triumph (at least Wales is actually his country!)

What really disgusts me about the London fiasco is that huge amounts of money are being taken from the rest of the country to develop parts of London and the Southeast - the richest part of Britain. Once again the Southeast-centric government shows its utter contempt for the rest of us.

When saturday comes

2008-03-15T09:30:00.003Z

Beginning the build up to the big match this afternoon, the excitement is growing - can we do it, can we win a second Grand Slam in 4 years? We'll find out this afternoon.

The thing is you never know which French team is going to turn up, the mercurial or the muddled?

Even if we lose I can't see them beating us by 20 points, so we should still win the Championship, but the Gland Slam is what we want.

Long time no blog

2008-03-10T21:37:00.006Z

I realise that I am becoming less and less frequent with this blog. I'd like to say this was because I was busy doing useful and fulfilling things; but the truth is that it is largely because I've been quite down over the last few weeks.

Trouble is I don't really know why, work is no worse than usual. Health is OK, apart from tweaking a hamstring playing badminton. I just feel out of sorts; maybe my prayer-life has become more of an afterthought recently; or maybe it's the realisation that things don't suddenly change and it takes hard work and perseverance is something I've never been good at.

On the plus side it was a good weekend sports wise, with Wales winning a triple crown and Chelsea & Man. Utd. losing. I think this is the best FA Cup for ages, even if Liverpool aren't in it. I'll just have to support Cardiff.

Anyway, as we approach Holy Week I must try to get myself more organised and try harder. Of course the truth is I can't change myself, no matter how hard I try, I need God to do that for - I just have to let Him.

Country living

2008-02-23T12:18:00.005Z

It's been a while since I last posted, due a mixture of lots of evenings out, a lack of inspiration and the Stargate SG-1 series 10 box set. Still I was inspired to post today.

While washing up this morning I happened to look out the window over my back garden and saw flying over the garden a Red Kite (the feathered variety, not a man-made one). It was a beautiful sight, flying quite low and alternately gliding and flapping it's wings. It reminded me of why living out here in the country is so much nicer than being in the big city.

Today the weather is a big grey and damp, why is it that the brilliant sunshine comes during the week when we're at work? Still, there is the rugby to watch today.

Quote of the week

2008-02-10T10:30:00.000Z

I was discussing theology at lunch with a friend on friday. I have never really trusted it as a discipline, it has always seemed to me to be a way of separating people from God's simple message by using verbose over-complicated langauge to explain something that a five year old could put in one sentance.

It brought to mind the follwoing quote, from Thomas à Kempis:
"I'd rather feel remorse than know how to define it"

RIP Linda

2008-02-07T17:39:00.000Z

I heard today the sad news that one of my fellow parishoners has passed away. Linda was a lovely person, she used to play in the music group at Penparcau, but had to stop due to her illness.

I first met her at a Welsh class and used to see her regularly at Boots, where she worked. She was not very old and it is a great loss for her family and those who knew her. Her faith was so strong, I met her a few times after she fell ill and I was always struck by her serenity and acceptance.

I am struck by how many ordinary everyday saints there are out there, they don't perform any great miracles, but through their lives they make Jesus manifest for the rest of us; a simple example - but so very powerful.

Please pray for the repose of Linda's soul. May she and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

England 19 - Wales 26

2008-02-02T18:28:00.000Z

To quote the Stereophonics "As long as we beat the English we don't care" - nuff said!
Though I have to admit, I was beginning to despair after the first-half performance; I thought it was going to be the usual story from England, instead they self-destructed. Mind you I think it helped that we started actually taking our re-starts and not letting them take the ball off us every time we got it.

Ah, what a good feeling, every saturday afternoon should end this well!

Snow wishing

2008-01-31T18:26:00.000Z

All evidence to the contrary many of my colleagues are hoping for heavy snow tomorrow so that they can get a day off. I think that they are likely to be disappointed. I can't say I'm fussed either way.

It's funny, but I am feeling really good at the moment, my health is as good as it has been for five years or more and I feel OK in myself. I don't really know why, but my outlook is very positive at present.

Nothing has really changed in my life to explain this, except that I am actually managing to pray every day - not always for very long or very well, but at least I am keeping at it, which is a major achievement.

The thing is, the more you pray, the better you can cope with life's ups & downs, and the better you feel. The trick is to get into this virtuous circle, and stay there and not allow life to push you out of it.

I can't believe that Lent starts next week. Still it'll give me a chance to look at Delia's other book.

Thank goodness it's Friday

2008-01-25T19:32:00.000Z

It has been quite a long week, and I'm feeling quite tired; though for some reason a am also feeling quite relaxed. I think that this may be something to do with my decision to avoid getting worked up about work - after all nobody else seems to care that much, so why should I kill myself because of it. I don't mean that I'm not bothered about doing my job well, I have too much self-respect for that. It's just that from now on I'm going to do it differently, and I'm not going to get wound up by people or events.

Why this sudden change, well, it dawned on me the other day that I just don't get paid enough for that amount of stress, and if this means that things don't get done - well there is only one of me and people are going to have to accept that.

Last night we had an SVP meeting and the reading on spirituality was very thought-provoking, it was one of those occasions when you hear something said in a way you have never heard before and something goes click and you see the World in a new way. This is part of the reading:

"We aspire to infinity, to God, and yet we are living in a finite time and space with the many constraints that brings. Our hearts are actually made for union with everybody, and to relate to everything, yet we cannot, on earth, experience more than a taste of what awaits us in the fullness of time. It is not surprising, therefore, that we experience an insatiable appetite for love, that we experience loneliness, that in our restlessness we may turn to alcohol or drugs. Our longing and yearning for a universal love is infinite and with the grace of God our capacity is infinite."

Somehow, though I've heard the same thing said in many different ways before, it never really struck home in the same way. Being a perfectionist this comes as something of a revelation; but I find it somehow freeing - life will never be perfect so just accept it for what it is and get on with it.

After SVP finished I went to play badminton, I have to say I played some of the best games I've ever played, though I was quite tired by the end and was flagging by the last game. Still overall I was very pleased with my performance and enjoyed myself immensely; it was also great exercise, I got very out of breath, which I don't usually.

Today

2008-01-21T18:41:00.000Z

Apparently today is the most depressing day of the year. Funny thing is I've felt quite good today, I think I was a bit ahead of the trend and had mine last week.

I haven't been posting much lately - too much TV & video games. I've been playing C&C TW3 this week. The annoying thing is when I got to the end of the scenario the storyline totally ignored the fact that I'd won without doing what they expected me to do. So it didn't make any difference that I'd managed to avoid using the WMD (thus destroying half of Europe), they acted as if I did anyway. Oh well, never mind.

Our new Deacon gave his first proper sermon on Sunday, it was very good. I also discovered that I'd double booked myself on Thursday with SVP & badminton, hmm this could be interesting - can I get to both?

Last week I actually managed to beat HL for the first time in ages, I'm finally beginning to figure out how to deal with his service. Unfortunately I then managed to lose to RM for the first time in ages, though it was very close.

Quote of the week

2008-01-11T21:29:00.000Z

I think it's time for another quote, this one is from Albert Schweitzer:

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

I have just come across another really good quote from him, so today is two for one day:

"Do something wonderful, people may imitate it."

Jesse James

2008-01-11T21:14:00.000Z

Saw "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" last night, it was an excellent film. Brad Pitt & Casey Affleck were both excellent, the script, sets & cinematography were superb. Also something you don't often notice in films , but which I feel compelled to comment on in this case, was the sound, not the musical score (though that was good too), but the actual sound effects, they really were noticeable and played an important part in the film.

Pitt's Jesse James was truly frightening at times and clearly paranoid. Affleck's portrayal of Ford, was at first just creepy, but at later on you began to understand Ford's motivations. It would be so easy to succumb to the mythology of Jesse James and create two-dimensional characters but this film avoids that pitfall; rather it seeks to explain without condoning either character. It clearly makes the point that James was a cold-blooded killer, not the Robin Hood figure of legend, while at the same time showing the normality of his family life, and placing him into the context of the post-Civil war world in which he lived.

Well worth seeing, if you get the chance.

Memorial service

2008-01-10T17:51:00.000Z

Last night I went to the memorial Mass for Fr. John Fitzgerald. It was a very nice service, led by Bishop Mullins, whose sermon contained a number of quotes from Fr John's poetry.

The singing was also very good, though a couple of the sung parts of the Mass were a bit ropey.

I don't know why but I felt a bit depressed afterwards.

I am quite tired this week, though it has gone quite quickly, I've been very busy at work and the first week back is always tiring.

Played badminton on Tuesday, I did better than last week, when I lost every game. This time I only lost once (though very badly: 21-10) to HL. He is really difficult to play against now.

Off to the cinema this evening to watch the Jesse James film. Of which more later if I remember.

New Deacon

2008-01-07T19:14:00.000Z

I met the new Deacon at Welsh Martyrs on Sunday, he is a huge guy, totally dwarfing Fr Paul, but like most big men he seemed very cheerful and friendly. He is with us until Easter and he will be ordained in the summer, sadly I don't suppose he will be returning here after that; priests, especially young ones, are increasingly scarce in Menevia Diocese, and I doubt we'll have two here again.

I once heard a talk given by a priest, who, musing on the lack of vocations to the priesthood, said "maybe God has had enough of us and has decided to do something else", hmmm.

Mondays

2008-01-07T18:40:00.000Z

Went back to work today after a fortnight off, yuck!

Actually it wasn't too bad, as returns to work go, relatively stress free, without any nasty problems appearing on my desk; but I'm still quite tired afterwards.

As the Boomtown Rats said - I don't like Mondays!

Sadly nobody out there has seen fit to give me a million pounds, so that I can quit work and do something I want to do instead. With a million I could live happily off the interest even at 5% gross. Unfortunately real life doesn't work that way and most of us have to work by the sweat of our brows to make ends meet, and some people have trouble even doing that.

I guess I ought to be grateful for what I've got, after all, by Worldwide standards I am incredibly rich as are most of us in the West.

Still as a lowly government employee it is a bit annoying to see the obscene amounts paid to sportspeople and entertainers, when we are getting an effective pay cut. It wouldn't surprise me of M.P.s went and gave themselves a huge raise despite what Gordon Brown has said about restraint - I wish I could vote for what I got paid!

Layout

2008-01-03T13:07:00.000Z

I've just been experimenting with altering the layout of my blog, by changing the HTML. The reason I did this is so that when I use photos from Flickr I can use the medium size images of 500 pixels wide without the right-hand edge disappearing off the screen.

It actually turned out to be fairly simple once I figured out which values to change, perhaps I will do some more experimenting in the future.

St Winefride's Church

2008-01-03T12:38:00.001Z

Thought I'd do another photo-blog, this time with a picture of St. Winefride's. I'm afraid that even in this photo it is possible to see the sad condition of the building.

Worse still over Christmas, vandals smashed several windows in the Church Hall, making it unusable, until they can be fixed - which is going to cost money we don't really have.

I'm not going to comment on the perpetrators, other than to call for the return of the stocks & pillory to common use.

Photo-blogging

2008-01-02T19:46:00.000Z

I went out and tried my new digital camera for the first time today , and the results were pretty nice, even if I do say so myself. I think my photos came out pretty well, considering I have no talent whatsoever.

I decided I would try my hand at some multimedia blogging and add this picture of Aberystwyth.

What next - me singing - perhaps I will spare you that!

Quote of the week

2007-12-31T18:26:00.000Z

Another in my occasional series of quotes that I have found thought-provoking etc.:

"The Christian must remember that he is likely to be the only copy of the gospels that the non-Christian will ever see" - Philip Scharper

What sort of copy of the gospels have I been over the past twelve months? I pretty tatty and dog-eared copy with several pages missing I suspect - oh dear!

New year's eve

2007-12-31T18:04:00.000Z

I guess as it's the end of the year one ought to take stock of things; unfortunately I have not had much chance to do so today as I have been busy having clear out of old paperwork (I seem to do this about once a year, around this time).

I'm not really one for new year's resolutions, but there are a few of things I do intend to do this coming year, they include:

1) Have a proper holiday, preferably two weeks worth.
2) Get more exercise and improve my overall health (Ha, heard that one before!)
3) Keep in touch with friends more frequently (Ditto!)
4) Improve my prayer life (again something I have tried many times before)

Really number four ought to be number one, hmmm.

Admiral & Pirates

2007-12-30T13:29:00.000Z

I've just seen an advert on TV for Admiral.com, an insurance company. In the advert the 'admiral' has a parrot on his shoulder. Now as far as I know this is not a normal part of an admiral's regalia. In fact, the only nautical types commonly shown with parrots on their shoulders are pirates.

I wonder if this is really the image they want to project?

Poetry blog

2007-12-30T12:07:00.000Z

I've decided to bite the bullet and create a new blog for myself. Somewhere to set down my occassional efforts at poetry. If I pluck up the courage one day, I might put some of my old poetry up elsewhere on the web.

For now, I've added a link to the new blog on this page.

Post Christmas musings

2007-12-29T20:31:00.000Z

Well Christmas is over and family are now returned home so I thought I'd add another entry. As usual I have eaten far too much and regained a lot of the weight that I had managed to lose in the previous month. I really need to lose about a stone for the sake of my health, so once the Christmas goodies are consumed its back to the normal regime; which means NO SNACKING!!

Actually this Christmas has not been too bad; apart from the weather, it was relatively stress-free and peaceful. I went to the vigil Mass on Christmas eve, which meant that I didn't have to stay up late for Midnight Mass or get up early the next morning, which was nice. Managed to get out on Christmas day for a turn along the prom.

I spent most of today catching up with the washing and playing around with the new digital camera I bought, which arrived with the post - I finally decided that I'd had enough of having to finish films and get them developed. Once again attempts to buy what I wanted in the shops were a complete failure and I had to resort to shopping online (which turned out cheaper anyway).

I find that I am often unable to get things in the shops these days, either they just don't have what I want or the staff are so poorly trained that they can provide little help. What with this and the fact that most things cost so much more in the shops, is it any wonder more and more people just aren't bothering. I went into town on Boxing day morning and it was almost deserted - so much for the 'sales'.

Quote of the week

2007-12-19T20:23:00.000Z

We were discussing the Cricket at work today and one of my colleagues uttered the following, which is worthy of inclusion in the next volume of Colemanballs (or would be if he was famous)

"Sir Lanka will win... unless they lose"

Went out for lunch today with friends from work, very enjoyable and saved me from having to cook tonight.

Got home to find my new "Biometric" passport has arrived. At least I got it before these ID cards come into operation.

As tonight is one of the few nights I'm free this week, I am taking the opportunity to bake another loaf of bread. This is really easy when you have a bread machine, and it is much nicer than shop bread, which always goes mouldy after a couple of days.

Things at work are winding down towards Christmas, only two days to go! I'm actually quite tired at the moment, so no great inspiration, as you can probably tell.

Badminton

2007-12-17T20:01:00.000Z

Went to Badminton tonight, for the first time in three weeks. It's amazing how you lose your edge so quickly, when you don't play for a while. I had three close games, coming from behind every time, I managed to win two, which isn't bad considering.

I have a horrible feeling this week is just going to drag, I just wish the holidays were here already. I don't really want to go through four more days of work, I just don't feel that enthused about it. Hurry up Friday!

3rd Sunday of Advent

2007-12-16T22:18:00.000Z

Went to Mass at Penparcau this morning, they've managed to get the heating working a bit better, so it wasn't quite as freezing as last time. It was quite full today, whether this is just down to visitors or an actual increase is uncertain, maybe time will tell.

Managed to get some of the Christmas food shopping done, which will make life easier next week. Just fruit & veg etc. needed now.

Also managed to realise that I'd forgotten to send one person a card (there's always one isn't there!), still it should get there in time.

Read yet another attempt to deny the existence of global warming. Yes, why take any notice of 30 years of scientific evidence supported by the vast majority of the scientific community. Hey, even George Bush is (reluctantly) accepting it now. Wake up and smell the Diesel!!

The evidence was pretty clear when I was studying climatology & oceanography nearly twenty years ago, now it is incontrovertible; but that doesn't stop people spouting drivel about it.

It is yet another example of people seeing what they want to see, regardless of the evidence, people can be so illogical.

Of course even if most people accept it, it doesn't mean we are actually going to do anything about it. It is a sad fact that no civilisation has ever managed to bring itself back from the brink of environmental catastrophe in the whole of human history; will we go the way of Easter Island?

Christmas preparations

2007-12-15T15:59:00.001Z

I've been trying to clean up a bit before fetching my brother up next week. Which is as good an excuse to stay inside out of the cold as any.

I also managed to find the Crib figures in the attic this year and they are now set up on the mantelpiece, awaiting Jesus on Christmas day. I inherited the figures from my parents, so they bring back a lot of memories.

I will probably go the 6pm vigil on Christmas Eve, this means I don't have to stay up late for Midnight Mass, or get up early for Christmas Morning Mass, which is good news.

Managed to find a Blog of one of my College friends today (at least I think it is hers - could be embarrassing otherwise), this is a really good way to keep up with what people are doing, much better than just a Christmas card.

American Gangster

2007-12-15T15:40:00.000Z

Well, this was a pretty good movie. The time seemed to fly by, it didn't seem to drag at all. It was a fascinating study of human nature. Denzel Washington's character is no two-dimensional villain, nor is he displayed as somehow heroic. The portrayal is deep and shows the dichotomy of humanity. One moment we can show great love and tenderness, as the character does towards his mother, and yet the next we can sink to the worst sort of depravity - dealing heroin, or committing cold-blooded murder.

It is simple to think of such people as evil, this sets them apart from us. I don't think people are evil, but they do evil things, and we are all capable of doing such things; and yet there is still that spark of love in all of us which can lead to redemption. In the film the villain finds a sort of redemption (though admittedly self-interested) through helping to catch the corrupt policemen.

It was also interesting to see the journey of Russell Crowe's character - clearly showing that in real life honesty isn't always appreciated and doing the right thing can some times get us into trouble; but the film also says clearly, that doesn't mean we shouldn't do the right thing.

One other thing the film was good at doing was showing the affects of drug-use, the images of people 'shooting up' were pretty horrible, and something which movies & TV often gloss over by glamorising drug culture.

To meet or not to meet

2007-12-14T16:47:00.000Z

Went out last night for an SVP meeting, only to discover that Sr M had got the date wrong. I obviously looked frozen (I was!) and she was feeling bad about dragging me out for nothing so she offered me a cup of tea. This was fine by me as it gave me the chance to talk to her about my decision to switch to Penparcau. She was really supportive and understood my reasons. I still feel I ought to do more for the Society, especially if I'm not at St Winifride's to do the collection, but Sr M, told me not to worry about it, and that we would find someone else easily enough.

We had a really good chat and it was nearly ten when I finally left. These days, it is so rare to just sit and chat to someone for any length of time, it seems to be a dying art.

So the decision is made, I am Penparcau bound on Sunday, sadly this means getting up earlier, but I am looking forward to going to Mass for a change.

Tonight I'm off out to see American Gangster at the cinema, another Ridley Scott offering, but at least there is no history for him to get wrong this time. I will express an opinion in my next post.

Departmental Christmas Dinner

2007-12-13T17:05:00.000Z

We had our departmental Christmas dinner last night, which I actually enjoyed more than I usually do. The food was pretty good, though the service was a bit ropey - especially when it came to providing cutlery; but never mind, a fun time was had by all.

I left work just after six, but the do was 7.00 for 7.30pm. I gave SJ a lift into town as her hubby was staying on with the car. As we were so early we wandered along the sea-front for half an hour. It was quite nice, there was hardly any wind and the temperature wasn't that bad, considering it was 6.30 on a December evening.

Earlier in the day I was having lunch with WT, the discussion inevitably turned to St Winifride's and he admitted that he often felt more depressed coming out than when he went in - just like me. Penparcau may be getting more refugees yet!

I was going to write something else, but inspiration got up and left the room. Maybe later.

Links

2007-12-11T20:56:00.000Z

I've added some links to other blogs I've come across, I will add further links to this list when I find other interesting blogs.

Not alone

2007-12-11T19:33:00.000Z

Had lunch with MW today, we discussed the situation at St Winifride's. It turns out that he, like me, is unhappy about things. Like me he doesn't feel that he gets much out of it and like me he gets pretty depressed about it. He says that he might follow me up to Penparcau.

We also reminisced about Fr. John, speaking of which, there are more tributes here (mostly in Welsh, but with some English at the end.

It was really nice to talk with someone who feels the same way I do, so often I feel that I am surrounded by people who violently disagree with everything I think. The thing which really angers me is the way in which these people think it is perfectly acceptable to make the most offensive remarks, not only about non-Catholics, but also about their fellow Catholics - it is possible to disagree with people without being offensive.

Of course, being human, such behaviour tends to make me angry back, which only makes me feel worse. As a student I used to have long arguments with my Protestant freinds, but there was never any personal animosity and at the end of the day we would agree to disagree.

The attitude seems to be 'I am right and if you disagree with me you are scum', it's not what I call Christianity.

I loathe bigotry in any form whenever I come across it. I can't claim that I have never had such feelings, but I have always done my best to push them back into the dark primitive recess where they belong - all human being should be able to rise above such things, those who profess to follow Christ even more so.

I wish these people could see what a poor example they provide, of the faith they profess to love. Even when you think someone is completely wrong - respond in love, if necessary correct in love - but don't treat others with contempt, you will only make them hate you.

Quo vadis?

2007-12-09T14:08:00.000Z

Once again had to suffer the sung Latin Mass parts. As usual sung badly by the choir and a few others. I find I get less and less out of going to Mass at St Winifride's; I just don't find it a spiritually nourishing experience - quite the opposite. I think I'm going to start going to Penparcau full time.

More and more it is just a forum for a clique of older people to relive their childhood, and to hell with what anybody else wants. One fellow parishioner actually said "We don't want any of this bongo, bongo music!" i.e. any modern music or music played on anything other than an organ.
I feel that there is no Church just a group of people in a big building on Sunday mornings.
I felt so much more at home at Penparcau when I went a few weeks ago, despite the cold it was a much more prayerful atmosphere.

It's not just this parish though; I am becoming increasingly disturbed & depressed by the way that the Church as a whole is going. There is a refusal to move from entrenched positions on so many issues where movement is needed, and in areas where there had been positive movement after Vatican II, there seems to be increasingly retrograde movement.

There seems to be a move to turn the clock back to the 'good old days' of the 1950s or possibly even the 1550s. The pope seems to be hell bent on offending everyone else in the World, so far he's done Muslims, Jews & Protestants; I wonder who is next.

The problem is that the Catholic Church has got itself into the position of being politically unable ever to admit it has got it wrong in the past. After all, if your leader is infallible, then he can't possibly admit that previous leaders were not, because that means he can't be either.

There is such a strong element of authoritarianism running through the Church, the Church's leaders will brook no opposition and so many of the rules and regulations are designed to keep people in line. It is all about power and control. This might have worked in the past when you could back it up with civil power, but not anymore, and now people are voting with their feet.

It is clear in my own parish there is an entire generation that is practically non-existent in the Church. At any event I go to I am almost always the youngest there and I'm nearly 40.

The thing is Christianity was never meant to be about following a set of rules, it was meant to be about a living faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear that following a set of rules, however, carefully isn't enough - you can't earn heaven.

This is what annoys me about the whole indulgences thing which is rearing its ugly head again. Taking a trip to Lourdes will not of itself make you more ready for the Kingdom. Purgatory isn't a place where you suffer physically for past sins, this is such a medieval idea. I thought we'd grown beyond that.

I have always seen purgatory as a process, the process by which we shed all the sin & corruption which have stained our souls throughout life. This is not an easy process and often involves suffering, and it is a process which also goes on during life not just after it. God is making us fit for His kingdom and the closer we are in this life to the imitation of Christ which is the meaning of the word Christian, the easier will be that process at the end of life.

You see, there is nothing stopping us from being perfect, except ourselves, we don't have to sin, we choose to, and the more we choose to sin, the further away from perfection we move, and the harder the journey back to God.

Of course a pilgrimage to Lourdes or another Holy place can be an important part of that process and can bring us closer to God, but it involves much more than travelling from A to B or reciting the rosary a set number of times. It is about recognising that we have 'fallen short of the Glory of God' and trying to do what we can to accept God's forgiveness, and to trust Him and follow Him more willingly in future.

I love the Catholic Church, but I find myself increasingly alienated, marginalised and unwelcome in it. It is changing from the Church in which I grew up and not in a good way. The truth is if things carry on like this I don't know if there will be any place for me in the Church much longer. About the only thing that keeps me in the Church is the Eucharist, this is the one constant for me. Because of this I don't think there is another denomination I would feel comfortable in.

It reminds me of John Chapter 6; after Jesus tells His followers that they must eat His flesh & drink His blood many leave Him. He turns to the twelve and asks then if they want to leave as well; Peter replies "To whom would we go? You have the message of eternal life."

That is the question, where would I go? Thus, the title of this piece, the old Roman sentry challenge, Peter's question to Jesus outside Rome - quo vadis? where are you going?

Where am I going?

Quote of the week

2007-12-08T23:17:00.000Z

When I started this blog I thought it would be good to do a quote every week, I have now realised that after the first one, I haven't done it again, oh well, such is life.

So, onto this week's quote:

"No one is fit to be trusted with power... No One... Any man who has lived at all knows the follies and wickedness he's capable of... And if he does know it, he knows also that neither he nor any man ought to be allowed to decide a single human fate." - C.P. Snow

This is pretty self-explanatory. I know if I ruled the World, even though I'd want to do the right thing, in the end, it would all turn bad. So consider yourselves lucky!

Average saturday

2007-12-08T22:31:00.000Z

Thought I'd give you a flavour of an average (boring) Saturday, with nothing much happening.

Got up around 9am, had a lazy long breakfast watching TV, actually I was watching a recent purchase "Our man in Havana", great movie, I do like Alec Guinness, he was such a great actor. Also a convert to Catholicism. I must get hold of his autobiography sometime, I've heard some of it read by him on the radio, and it sounded very funny.

Actually I used to know a girl who went to the same Church as him and she told me that all the kids used to annoy him intensely by going up to him at the sign of peace and saying "the force be with you".

Anyway, back to my boring Saturday. After the film finished I realised that I had forgotten to set the bread-machine working and that I had no bread for lunch - so a quick trip to the shops to get something. Then set the bread-machine to work, put the washing on and settle down to lunch & some more Blog-browsing, didn't find much of interest (though it is quite addictive), so did some more Christmas cards and bills (yuk). The end of the year is quite an expensive time as lots of memberships are up for renewal, add to that my second attempt at sending my passport for renewal (I forgot to put it in with the application form - senior moment!)

Then one of my neighbours turned up with a parcel which the postman had left with him yesterday while I was at work. Excellent this is my monthly Amazon order (my one major extravagance), which this month contains the Michael Wood collection.

If you don't know, Michael Wood is a historian who has done several shows for the BBC and he is one of the best documentary presenters around. He is a great storyteller, and his shows don't rely on lame re-enactments or fancy graphics, it is usually just Michael Wood talking or travelling around meeting people - this sort of thing is what makes TV worthwhile.

I am currently watching "In search of the Trojan war", which is still fascinating, even after 20+ years. Anyway, that's my boring saturday out of the way.

Boredom

2007-12-07T23:58:00.000Z

I've just been browsing through some of the other Blogs on Blogger, I came across a few good ones, but also a lot of dross. More dead Blogs (depressing) and then the usual X-rated stuff and people trying to sell you things (also depressing). I also came across several Blogs discussing at length what was on telly the other night - I mean have you nothing better to say!

It's not that I object to the mention of TV or movies etc, now & again, but weeks worth of posts about what happened on a particular show. After all, if people watched the show they don't need a blow by blow account and if they weren't interested enough to watch the show in the first place, it is doubtful that they want to hear about it secondhand afterwards.

Oh dear, I'm ranting again. Probably equally as tedious as commenting on TV programmes!

Christmas is coming

2007-12-07T16:58:00.000Z

For some reason, this year I can't wait for Christmas to arrive. Maybe I'm just looking forward to two weeks off. It's that time of year when things get busy. I'm doing something every night next week, except tuesday.

I'm halfway through my cards already and all the pressies are bought - thank you Amazon.

My thoughts are now beginning to turn to provisions, but that can wait.

I am appraoching the end of this year with a much brighter outlook than I have for many a Christmas. I think that starting this blog has helped in this respect.

That is not to say that everything in the garden is rosy, not at all, but maybe a few of the weeds are starting to be cleared away, which is a start

Website

2007-12-05T21:47:00.000Z

I am currently trying to construct a website for myself, unfortunately Yahoo, are a bit useless when it comes to providing web editing tools. This means I am having to try to remember HTML, which is something I haven't had to do for a good ten years or more, and their HTML help is pretty basic. Fortunately, I am a hoarder which means that I still have all my old web pages to refer back to, so I can find bits of code I used in them.

The annoying thing is I used to have an HTML reference book which contained all the tags etc., but I decided I wouldn't need it anymore and got rid of it - that'll teach me!

On the subject of websites you may have noticed that I have not entered my birth-date or year in my profile. This is not through any desire to hide my age (I'm 38), rather it is because they insist on using it to put down your zodiacal sign, and I dislike this for two reasons:

1. It makes the profiles list look like a dating website.
2. Astrology is complete and utter bunk and I refuse to buy in to it in this way

I will refrain from discoursing on astrology, as it is one of my pet-hates, and if I got started I could here all night. Suffice to say, it is something which has been scientifically disproved time & again, the evidence is out there, and people just need to use that big grey lump between their ears.

Music

2007-12-04T20:13:00.000Z

I've just been listening to my most recent iTunes purchase, "Ride on King Jesus", by Steve Bell. I remember this song from when I was in Ireland in the early 90s. I actually met Steve there and heard his music for the first time. It was really great music, very moving & reflective at times and at others very sing-alongable & foot-tapping. Steve was a really nice guy, very gentle and soft spoken and a great example of the Christian life.

I bought a tape of his album "Deep Calls to Deep" at the time, but this song wasn't on that album and, after returning to the UK, I despaired of ever getting hold of any more of his music, as he lives in Canada. However, thanks to the Internet, this is no longer a problem. It is really great that iTunes carries so much Christian music, I'm not in favour of the ghetto mentality sometimes shown by people, with regard to popular culture. Christians were always meant to be out there involved with the World, and having these songs there available to everyone is actually a powerful tool for evangelism.

Thinking of the Internet, I decided to see if I could find Steve's Website to find out what he's doing now. I've added a link to it in my list of Websites to visit. I notice that the person he most admires is Jean Vanier - good choice!

If you have never come across Jean Vanier then do find out about his work with L'Arche. I was very privileged to hear him speak, again when I was in Ireland. Now I think about it, I seem to recall that Steve Bell was there with him, but my memories are a bit hazy.

Anyway, that's all for now, as I need to get ready for tomorrow morning.

Why worry?

2007-12-04T17:46:00.000Z

I am inveterate worrier, I worry about the minutest things, all the time. I can't seem to help it, I am for ever winding myself up expecting something bad, which invariably never happens.

I was doing it again at work today, working myself up about something and things didn't turn out that way at all. Why do I do this to myself?

The thing is even when you worry about the important things it doesn't change the outcome. I spent years worrying about my father, but it didn't stop him from dying. The thing is, when he did, the World didn't come to an end, it carried on going and so did I. Not that I'm saying it was easy - far from it; but when the worst happens you cope, somehow; worrying about it all beforehand just screws your insides into a ball and makes you ill.

God's response to me is always: put your trust in me and don't worry. If only I was more willing to take Him at His word.

The good news is that my blood pressure appears to have returned to normal after the stress of the last week.

The even better news is that I have had my first comment on this blog. Someone left a comment on my blog about Fr. John. This is so cool , somebody actually read what I wrote, not only that, but they felt moved to respond, that is so amazing! This blogging thing is pretty good.

Actually, I find it quite therapeutic to be able to put my thoughts down in this way. I suppose I could do so in the privacy of a journal, manuscript or electronic; but there is something... it is difficult to find the right word, the only word I can think of is 'special'...

What I'm trying to say is that knowing that other people can read this, helps me somehow, maybe it stops me from turning it into a moanathon; maybe I ponder what I'm going to say more carefully; maybe the sight of all those Aberystwyth student blogs which only lasted for a few weeks encourages me to keep it up.

I have to say looking at all those abandoned blogs, orphaned I might even say, was really sad, they looked so forlorn, almost a fossilised record of someone's thoughts, not a living breathing thing like those blogs which are still being written; growing, aging, maybe even maturing.

It is interesting to see the different types; there are the blogs which are set up, with maybe one or two short posts and are then never revisited. Those which start off all enthusiastic and carry on for a few months until workload, or partying, or both, get in the way and it becomes too much. Then there are the ones which last while the person is in Aberystwyth, but are abandoned when they leave. There is probably a spiritual metaphor in there somewhere, however, it is half past six already and I must get some dinner, so such musings (or is that ravings) will have to cease for now.