“All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own.” – Plutarch (Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist)
I haven’t just rambled incoherently in a blog in quite some time. Since I’m a little tired and unfocused, now is probably a good time to do that. I don’t know why I’m tired. I got a relatively good amount of sleep last night even though I really couldn’t convince myself to go to bed till almost 4 in the morning. Why is that? Well, I was having a stimulating conversation with a special lady friend of mine and we didn’t get off the phone until almost 2. I could have gone to bed, but I was watching the Colbert Report which I had taped earlier and wanted to finish it. Yes, I could have skipped it, but he was in the middle of one of his WORD segments, so I had to watch. Ok, it only took about fifteen minutes to finish watching that, but then I got a little hungry, so I ate some wafer-crème cookies (one of my dad’s favorites). While I was eating those I started watching Laws of Attraction, the movie with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. I’ve never seen it before, so I got wound up in watching it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. I got about an hour and a half into it when I realized that it wasn’t that good a movie and decided to go to bed.
Like I said, I got plenty of sleep, by which I mean I got my normal amount of sleep. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few months. Sometimes I sleep like a rock, lights out minutes after my head hits the pillow and straight through till morning. But there have been nights where I haven’t slept well at all. I’d wake up constantly, being asleep for an hour or more, but then sort of shocking myself awake. I’ve even had some pretty terrible nightmares, about one a week for the past month or so. One involved a serial killer chasing me, one involved being attacked by a zombie-like goliath, and the last one involved being mugged and shot in the head (and surviving…with brain damage). I didn’t have any dreams or nightmares last night. I slept like a rock, waking up in almost the exact same position as I fell asleep. I’ve been told I don’t move much, if at all, while I sleep, but last night into this morning was the first time I have actually noticed it. I usually fall asleep flat on my back with my arms to my side (soldier style) or with my arms folded over/near my chest (corpse style). Mom said there were times when I was younger where she felt she needed to check to make sure I was still alive.
Why am I talking about all of this? Sometimes, I feel, a blogger needs to bare themselves completely to their audience in order to gain their trust, but also to humanize themselves. I am not standing in front of you telling you my conclusions, theories, and opinions, so it can become a case where you stop believing what you are reading is coming from a living person, but rather begin to expect it to come and either entertain or disgust you as if it materialized out of nowhere. So, yeah, I am real and I am writing these things every other day just for you (well, considering there are so few of you actually reading this, then maybe it is more for me). So, if you are reading this right now, know that I am really tired, I wanted to take a nap but was interrupted by a friend’s phone call, and now I am even more drowsy/tired and I have to leave for my night class in thirty minutes. I am a complex person…
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Babaganoush Sports Beat
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have gone out of their way to protect Joaquin Arias. When he couldn't break into the lineup at shortstop, they moved him around the diamond. When he couldn't throw for two years, they waited patiently. When he ran out of minor league options, they created injuries for him so they wouldn't have to risk losing him on waivers. One place they can't protect him: When he's on the field. As a late-game replacement Monday in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Arias once again demonstrated why he so perplexes management. He helped them get their first lead of the game at the plate, then promptly went into the field and opened the door for a four-run Tampa Bay eighth inning. It was enough to leave manager Ron Washington pacing his office and pinching his lip in frustration before tossing aside his hat and throwing his pack of Winstons on the desk.
We have got to get our heads out of our butts and play better baseball. We gave them too many outs. Cliff Lee should have faced only four hitters in the inning. We made too many mistakes. There were two in particular. Arias was smack-dab in the middle of both. In the field, Arias looked like an about-to-be-thrown bull rider. When B.J. Upton lifted a soft fly ball toward right, Arias wandered out after the ball in a tentative and circuitous route, but it was still shallow enough he came within six inches of catching it. Instead, Upton wound up at second with a double. After Jason Bartlett reached on a single, the next batter was Carl Crawford. He's kind of known for being fast. Word gets around when you average 50 stolen bases for the last seven years. But when Crawford dribbled a ball toward second, Arias stayed back on it, then tried to hurry a throw to second to start an impossible double play.
Asked if Arias played a role in the bizarre feeling of the inning, starter Cliff Lee declined to pass judgment. But if you were watching the game last night, you could see how Lee felt about the debacle. The heat merely appeared to be pouring out from inside of Lee as he seethed in the dugout. And this wasn't the first time the Texas defense let him down. Washington, however, did judge…righteously. He was far more direct and stinging in his assessment of the plays, quite out of character for a manager who loathes saying anything critical of a player. Then again, Washington has seen this before. Last August, with the Rangers trying to catch Los Angeles, Arias stepped in for a pair of starts at second while Ian Kinsler was on the DL. Arias bumbled through two games, both losses, and was promptly banished from the big league team. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, using up his last minor league option. This time, it only took one inning for a problem to surface. This time, if the Rangers decide he can't help them, they aren't going to be able to protect him. This time, that might not be a concern.
On a note dear to my heart, Rangers manager Ron Washington said the team will wait until Ian Kinsler (left groin) resumes baseball activities until making a decision on the second baseman. Washington and team officials will evaluate Kinsler in Baltimore during the Rangers' four-game series against the Orioles or when the team returns to Texas after the seven-game road trip. Kinsler, who was placed on the disabled list on July 29 and eligible to come off it Aug. 12, mentioned before Monday's game against the Rays that he feels healthy and is just waiting on the team's decision.
Dallas Cowboys
Now training in Oxnard, CA, the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive players walked off the field when practice ended Monday, a clear indication they received the message coaches sent the day before. The whole crew “stayed after school,” as team owner Jerry Jones put it, because of a sloppy workout Sunday. They recovered nicely on Monday, drawing plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, especially on touchdown catches from Jason Witten and Miles Austin during a 2-minute drill. Tony Romo was sick Monday, although not as much as he had been Sunday. Jones praised his quarterback for being out there anyway as did coach Wade Phillips.
Offensive worries have been a constant the past few weeks, from the ankle injury that’s sidelined Dez Bryant to right tackle Marc Colombo needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday, from the offense failing to score a touchdown in the first two preseason games to the line allowing 11 sacks in those games. So when the offense got sloppy Sunday, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett reached his breaking point. Phillips said off days are bound to happen. The bothersome part was that players let it keep deteriorating. Jones said he’s not overly concerned. Tight end Jason Witten noted that the starters have only played 32 snaps. Another risk-reward issue is how much Romo will play Saturday since he’ll be missing his usual right tackle. Phillips said that probably won’t be much of a factor in the decision.
The Rangers have gone out of their way to protect Joaquin Arias. When he couldn't break into the lineup at shortstop, they moved him around the diamond. When he couldn't throw for two years, they waited patiently. When he ran out of minor league options, they created injuries for him so they wouldn't have to risk losing him on waivers. One place they can't protect him: When he's on the field. As a late-game replacement Monday in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay, Arias once again demonstrated why he so perplexes management. He helped them get their first lead of the game at the plate, then promptly went into the field and opened the door for a four-run Tampa Bay eighth inning. It was enough to leave manager Ron Washington pacing his office and pinching his lip in frustration before tossing aside his hat and throwing his pack of Winstons on the desk.
We have got to get our heads out of our butts and play better baseball. We gave them too many outs. Cliff Lee should have faced only four hitters in the inning. We made too many mistakes. There were two in particular. Arias was smack-dab in the middle of both. In the field, Arias looked like an about-to-be-thrown bull rider. When B.J. Upton lifted a soft fly ball toward right, Arias wandered out after the ball in a tentative and circuitous route, but it was still shallow enough he came within six inches of catching it. Instead, Upton wound up at second with a double. After Jason Bartlett reached on a single, the next batter was Carl Crawford. He's kind of known for being fast. Word gets around when you average 50 stolen bases for the last seven years. But when Crawford dribbled a ball toward second, Arias stayed back on it, then tried to hurry a throw to second to start an impossible double play.
Asked if Arias played a role in the bizarre feeling of the inning, starter Cliff Lee declined to pass judgment. But if you were watching the game last night, you could see how Lee felt about the debacle. The heat merely appeared to be pouring out from inside of Lee as he seethed in the dugout. And this wasn't the first time the Texas defense let him down. Washington, however, did judge…righteously. He was far more direct and stinging in his assessment of the plays, quite out of character for a manager who loathes saying anything critical of a player. Then again, Washington has seen this before. Last August, with the Rangers trying to catch Los Angeles, Arias stepped in for a pair of starts at second while Ian Kinsler was on the DL. Arias bumbled through two games, both losses, and was promptly banished from the big league team. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, using up his last minor league option. This time, it only took one inning for a problem to surface. This time, if the Rangers decide he can't help them, they aren't going to be able to protect him. This time, that might not be a concern.
On a note dear to my heart, Rangers manager Ron Washington said the team will wait until Ian Kinsler (left groin) resumes baseball activities until making a decision on the second baseman. Washington and team officials will evaluate Kinsler in Baltimore during the Rangers' four-game series against the Orioles or when the team returns to Texas after the seven-game road trip. Kinsler, who was placed on the disabled list on July 29 and eligible to come off it Aug. 12, mentioned before Monday's game against the Rays that he feels healthy and is just waiting on the team's decision.
Dallas Cowboys
Now training in Oxnard, CA, the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive players walked off the field when practice ended Monday, a clear indication they received the message coaches sent the day before. The whole crew “stayed after school,” as team owner Jerry Jones put it, because of a sloppy workout Sunday. They recovered nicely on Monday, drawing plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, especially on touchdown catches from Jason Witten and Miles Austin during a 2-minute drill. Tony Romo was sick Monday, although not as much as he had been Sunday. Jones praised his quarterback for being out there anyway as did coach Wade Phillips.
Offensive worries have been a constant the past few weeks, from the ankle injury that’s sidelined Dez Bryant to right tackle Marc Colombo needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday, from the offense failing to score a touchdown in the first two preseason games to the line allowing 11 sacks in those games. So when the offense got sloppy Sunday, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett reached his breaking point. Phillips said off days are bound to happen. The bothersome part was that players let it keep deteriorating. Jones said he’s not overly concerned. Tight end Jason Witten noted that the starters have only played 32 snaps. Another risk-reward issue is how much Romo will play Saturday since he’ll be missing his usual right tackle. Phillips said that probably won’t be much of a factor in the decision.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Intercommunion: Interfaith Sharing of the Bread of Life
When Catholics from all the nations and cultures of the world gather for a Eucharistic Congress, like the one in Rome in June 2000, they celebrate a tremendous sign of unity. All who participate in this Eucharist are fed by the same life of Christ. At the same time the worldwide eucharistic celebration is a sign of unity it is also a source, or cause, of unity. We are nourished by the same body and blood of Christ, strengthened in unity. Yet there's a flip side of the coin. As remarkable a display of unity as eucharistic congresses are they also show us how far we are from unity among all Christians. A eucharistic congress makes us long for the day when all Christians can share in the one body of Christ: intercommunion. To what degree is intercommunion possible today? Are there ways we can hasten the day when all communions can participate in one Eucharist?
Different Christian Churches answer this question in various ways. Some Christians favor "open Communion." Open Communion is the position that holds that no one can stop a baptized person who believes in Jesus Christ from receiving Communion in any Church. They would say that open Communion is the preferred option because the Holy Supper is a source of unity—a means by which unity among Christians can be achieved. This, however, is not the official Roman Catholic position.
Other Christians believe that the condition for receiving Holy Communion in another Church is unity of faith in the Real Presence. Intercommunion will be possible when the Churches reach a doctrinal consensus regarding Eucharist. While much progress has been made regarding our common doctrinal understanding of Real Presence, the official Catholic position asks for more than common belief in the real presence. Some Christians—Catholics included—hold that sharing Holy Communion is only proper between Churches which have a historical succession of bishops and true priesthood. For real (valid) Eucharist, you need real priesthood. This is an important element of the Catholic position.
The official Catholic position holds that Holy Communion is not only a source of Christian unity, but it is also a sign of unity—real unity, existing now. "Strengthened in holy Communion by the body of Christ, [the faithful] manifest in a concrete way the unity of the people of God that this sacrament aptly signifies and wondrously causes" (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 11).
We cannot put forth signs of unity when obvious division still exists. Receiving Communion at the same altar is not a sign of unity when we do so with the intention of separating afterwards to return to our various Churches. In short, the Catholic Church teaches that we should not pretend to have true unity if, in reality, we are separated from other Christian bodies. That separation is often seen now not so much over basic beliefs as it is over mutual recognition of the validity of Holy Orders.
The Eucharist is more than food for the individual Christian. When we come together to celebrate the Eucharist we express who we are as Church. The liturgy, especially the Eucharist, "is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2).
The fundamental meaning of any sacrament can be found in the prayers which accompany the sacramental action. In each of the seven sacraments we invoke the Holy Spirit and petition the Spirit to make us holy and to build up the Body of Christ. This petition is the key to understanding the sacrament: The primary petition of the eucharistic prayer is for unity in Christ. We ask that the Spirit change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ so that we who eat and drink might be changed into the Body of Christ. "Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ....May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit." (Eucharistic Prayer, 2) "Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ." (Eucharistic Prayer, 3) The other eucharistic prayers have similar invocations. This can be a foundation for future intercommunion and well as other communal acts between various Christian spiritualities.
Different Christian Churches answer this question in various ways. Some Christians favor "open Communion." Open Communion is the position that holds that no one can stop a baptized person who believes in Jesus Christ from receiving Communion in any Church. They would say that open Communion is the preferred option because the Holy Supper is a source of unity—a means by which unity among Christians can be achieved. This, however, is not the official Roman Catholic position.
Other Christians believe that the condition for receiving Holy Communion in another Church is unity of faith in the Real Presence. Intercommunion will be possible when the Churches reach a doctrinal consensus regarding Eucharist. While much progress has been made regarding our common doctrinal understanding of Real Presence, the official Catholic position asks for more than common belief in the real presence. Some Christians—Catholics included—hold that sharing Holy Communion is only proper between Churches which have a historical succession of bishops and true priesthood. For real (valid) Eucharist, you need real priesthood. This is an important element of the Catholic position.
The official Catholic position holds that Holy Communion is not only a source of Christian unity, but it is also a sign of unity—real unity, existing now. "Strengthened in holy Communion by the body of Christ, [the faithful] manifest in a concrete way the unity of the people of God that this sacrament aptly signifies and wondrously causes" (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 11).
We cannot put forth signs of unity when obvious division still exists. Receiving Communion at the same altar is not a sign of unity when we do so with the intention of separating afterwards to return to our various Churches. In short, the Catholic Church teaches that we should not pretend to have true unity if, in reality, we are separated from other Christian bodies. That separation is often seen now not so much over basic beliefs as it is over mutual recognition of the validity of Holy Orders.
The Eucharist is more than food for the individual Christian. When we come together to celebrate the Eucharist we express who we are as Church. The liturgy, especially the Eucharist, "is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2).
The fundamental meaning of any sacrament can be found in the prayers which accompany the sacramental action. In each of the seven sacraments we invoke the Holy Spirit and petition the Spirit to make us holy and to build up the Body of Christ. This petition is the key to understanding the sacrament: The primary petition of the eucharistic prayer is for unity in Christ. We ask that the Spirit change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ so that we who eat and drink might be changed into the Body of Christ. "Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ....May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit." (Eucharistic Prayer, 2) "Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ." (Eucharistic Prayer, 3) The other eucharistic prayers have similar invocations. This can be a foundation for future intercommunion and well as other communal acts between various Christian spiritualities.
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