Nov 11 2010

Military Funeral Etiquette

Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery by Mark Alves

Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery by Mark Alves

Living down the street from Arlington Cemetery, I’m seen the expansion of the hallowed grounds for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of my annual commemoration of Veterans Day, I’ve updated my Veterans Day Prayers list.  It includes a Miss Manners column on Military funeral etiquette for grieving family members, which I’ll highlight here.

Military Funeral Etiquette For Grieving Family Members

  • Do not need to stand to receive the flag from a service member
  • Do not need to return a salute (if a civilian)
  • Should not misinterpret silent reverence by a service member in attendance as rudeness
  • Are not obligated to verbally express thanks to service members in attendance

Source: Miss Manners column, 11/10/2010

Jun 7 2010

Explaining the Trinity to Geeks

Holy TriniTy ProtocolHow would you explain the Trinity to a geek, you ask? The concept I’m about to describe below is one I’ve ruminated over the years, wondering if it was helpful or if it was blasphemous. As another Trinity Sunday passed, I decided to publish it.

Reflection for Trinity Sunday

Think of the elements of a website. You’ve got the words and pictures, you have the underlying site structure and directory names, and then there are the links that connect. When you bring these separate parts together, the whole is much greater than the sum of the distinct parts.

The same principle is at work with the Trinity. While it’s impossible for our human minds to comprehend the infinite love of God, we can get a glimpse by looking at the persons of the Trinity.

So let’s take a closer look at how understanding a website can give our nerd friends some insight into the Trinity. Now we all know that in the beginning was the Word (that will represent our words and graphics). The Word was begotten by the Creator who designed our world. Together, those two form our webpages–words and structure. But the bonds between those two are so strong and interconnected that we have links that spring forth, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to help us to see connections that we would otherwise miss, to enter into a deeper understanding of God. Putting it all together, we have three distinct elements working together.

Now if this doesn’t work for you, there’s always Saint Patrick’s clover leaf analogy or a more formal definition of the Trinity. But for your web geek friends, try this one.

May 9 2010

Best Songs About Mary for Mother’s Day

A Twitter friend recently asked about recommendations for Mary songs that a non Catholic might like. Two Michael John Poirier songs jumped to mind:

I’ve got these on tape and CD, but it took some digging to find them online so I want to share them in the spirit of Mother’s Day today. (You may need to hit the purple play triangle and then the gray triangle in the Rhapsody button at the bottom.)

Please give them a thoughtful listen and then consider buying them to support Michael John’s wonderful music ministry.

And now for something from a completely genre — the Mother’s Day rap my sons put together for my wonderful wife:

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. If you have a favorite Marian song, or your own Mother’s Day project to share, please do so in the comments.