williamonthehill

Sunday Fruitcake

No, not a recipe this time although I am aware that a new recipe is overdue. Next weekend perhaps... No, this particular fruitcake was Peter Tatchell being interviewed on BBC Radio Four programme, Sunday. Peter Tatchell  was on the programme in support of the vicious slur on the character of Cardinal Henry Newman, namely that he was a Homosexual with a special (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) "relationship" with his friend Father St.John whose grave the soon-to-be Saint shares.

I distinctly heard Mr. Tatchell make the silly claim that the Catholic Church was guilty of breaching the Cardinal's human rights in disinterring him since it was the good Cardinals last wish to be buried in the same grave as his friend and this right should be protected.

Think about that... breaching John Henry Newman's "human rights". The man has been dead near 120 years. How can he have any legal "rights"? He is beyond the judgement of any mere human judge.

Peter, bless him... he just doesn't get it does he.

Ugly Violence

A few minutes ago I witnessed the ugly face of our society today. Hearing screaming and shouting of the most foul language I went to the window. Down below were two black youths gesticulating and making obscene gestures and threats towards a third partry whom I could not see.

A car sped down the road towards the two youth and they ran away down the road. Then they ran back - I heard threats. "Come on, we want to gut you, come on pussy" This was aimed at a white man who had got out of the car and was shouting something back to the two youths, something about damage to his car. The youth claimed to have knives although I did not see any. One of them had picked up a bottle from somewhere and he broke the bottle against a wall and shook it at the man - "Gonna cut your +++++++++++ head off"

Even as I reached for the phone to call the Police the two youth then ran away leaving the motorist to look over his car, take a photo of the damage, then slowly drive away.

I am the Anti-Christ... O, all right then just another flakey Hollywood has been

Hang on to your hat... I am about to publish a rather nasty little rant from some talentless little runt.

From This evenings London Paper, a freebie.

An Interview with Guillermo del Toro, Director of Pan's Labyrinth, Hell Boy, and future Director of the Lord of the Rings "prequel" The Hobbit.

" Mexican filmaker Guillermo del Toro is partial to a good fairytale. "People might think they're childish or fanciful" smiles the director, "but for me politics, religion and economics are far more so. They're bigger fairytales than the fairytales! And they destroy the Soul."

It's this idea that informs both Pan's Labyrinth, his 2006 Spanish-Language masterpiece, and his latest, the comic book picture Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

"I,ve always thought Pan's is very close to the Hellboy films,"...

"In both films there's the idea that you can listen to what the world tells you to do and be, or you can choose what you should be. In the words of Jesus christ or, perhaps better, Popeye: I am what I am!"

In the case of Hellboy, the hero is a demonic creature, who, despite his devilish appearance, fights for the powers of light....

"The director adds, "People should listen more to fairytales, not politics or religion." He laughs.

"Really, I mean, who wants to take advice from some old guy in a robe sitting in Rome who never got laid?"

Lauren Williams - The London Paper

_________________________________________________________________________________

One thing you can be certain about. Mr del Toro would never talk about Islam in the same way he disrespects the Church here. I wonder why that is?

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives there lies the other empty tomb. In the Abbey of the Dormition lies a Sarcophagus said to be for Our Lady. It is empty. She never lay in it in death. Indeed, Mary never died if Orthodox theology on the matter is to be believed. Instead she fell into a deep sleep and her Son, Our Lord sent an army of Angels down to her, who lifted her up and took her straight to heaven to be with her son. There she was crowned Queen of Heaven for all eternity.

Mary is our model for faith. She heard what God had to say to her; heard and obeyed. She was humble and she pondered what this might mean. She was Christ's first disciple ("Do whatever he tells you...") and stood firm at the foot of the cross. It was then that she pondered on that early riddle told to her in the Temple by Zachary... "And a sword shall pierce your own breast.." Sorrow, deepest savage sorry pierced her heart then but still she stood firm. This is why she is our model and why we should model ourselves on Mary, Queen of Heaven.

Hail Mary, full of Grace; the Lord is with thee

blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; Jesus.

 

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death

AMEN

 

 

Ireland - The Midlands

The skies are wide in the Irish Midlands. Wide-open and scattering bright light even on this overcast day. We are motoring down the N4, following the signs for Athlone. Actually we are going to stop first at the small town of Clara. The town rises out of the bog which encloses the south of the town. The river Brosnan flows through Clara on its way to the Shannon, and the railway passes through, on its way to Athlone. Through but not stopping. The railway first came to Clara in 1854, the Midland and Great Southwestern being attracted by the huge industry of the town. Back then were three huge flour mills, and twenty four linen, flax mills, not to mention five distilleries and three brewerys. Clara was one of the most prosperous towns in all the midlands. Today, although it is still a commercial and manufacturing hub it is on a far smaller scale.

Clara is where my mother was born and so today we are on a kind of pilgrimage to see this place. I find it all rather sad and melancholy. I have no way of identifying the house where she was born. Her birth certificate says "Collinstown" which is a small settlement south of the station and the town. Approximately ten houses along a small lane. But which one? Don't know. Take them in with the eye as I turn the car around.

I have promised to show Liam what a bog is. We drive along the arrow straight road that flies south from the town centre and which goes out across the Clara bog, a part of the far larger Bog of Allen which extends thousands of square miles between here and the Mountains of Wicklow. We walk out into the bog, squelchy and rough. He takes photos of the cotton grass and the orchids. On the way back we recross the rickety bridge - which promptly collapses under my weight. I am in the bog up to my waist! A bit too close a view for my liking.

We drive into Athlone. A delightful town on the Shannon. Really far more pleasant than I had imagined. A lovely large bridge across the river, promenades. We check into our B&B - lovely, wacky interior and decorations. We have a walk about in the evening air which has become sunny and almost balmy. Our first day in Ireland is drawing to a close. Asking us about what we have been doing today our landlord describes Clara as a "desperately melancholy" place. I think I agree.

Pagan Britain

I have heard the United Kingdom described as a "Post-Christian society". This description relating to the general decline in the Christian religion post World War One and especially since the 1960's. I have pondered this term for many years trying to fit it with my own experiences and evidence. Actually I believe that it would be more accurate to call the United Kingdom "Pagan" rather than merely "Post-Christian".

"Post-Christian" seems to indicate a passive situation whereby the people of these isles have merely forgotten about their Christian roots and origins. While this may have been the case a few decades ago I no longer believe that to be the case today. Then it was fashionable to believe that their was nothing beyond the present life; no God in Heaven. Self regard became the dominant faith; in other words worship of the self, the Ego. This helps to explain the obsession with personal looks and good health as well as the love of Personality which we see on our TV screens and our newspapers every day.

While this is still the case today I do believe that a certain scepticism has crept into this mix. While most people would still accept that the self is the only "deity" with which we can manufacture certainty out of, some people harbour doubts. Where there is no God how do we explain "the Big stuff"? Death, illness, misfortune?

Some of this manifests itself in fashion statements like Tattoing. Now Tattoing is itself a Pagan form. It was what marked (literally) the barbarian from the Roman and thus anarchy from civilisation. The Germanic and Hunnish tribes tattoed themselves on the body and the face. Romans were clean-shaven and unmarked.

Tattoing has become really important. I am no longer surprised when I see a really rather respectable, well educated, middle-class and middle-aged woman with a tattoe on her arm or upper breast. It is not just the abstract or the pattered Tattoe of course. I believe that David Beckham encouraged the fad for having incantations and spells tattoed onto the skin. Now many people have inscriptions tattoed on their inner arms or other parts of the body. These incantations are sometimes Kabbalah incantations, or Chinese or Tibetan. You see them everywhere, on nearly everyone. They are usually incantations or spells to bring good luck to the wearer. None of this magical thinking is at all Christian and, indeed from the perspective of the Christian they must be viewed as evil and malign.