I have some sort of existential flu today, feel like cr*p.  Hammerhead headache, bones ache, glands swollen, sinuses on fire with lead.


Classic Dylan is medicine for viruses of this sort.

It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) by Bob Dylan

Darkness at the break of noon Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the child's balloon Eclipses both the sun and moon To understand you know too soon There is no sense in trying. Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn Suicide remarks are torn From the fool's gold mouthpiece The hollow horn plays wasted words Proves to warn That he not busy being born Is busy dying. Temptation's page flies out the door You follow, find yourself at war Watch waterfalls of pity roar You feel to moan but unlike before You discover That you'd just be One more person crying. So don't fear if you hear A foreign sound to your ear It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing. As some warn victory, some downfall Private reasons great or small Can be seen in the eyes of those that call To make all that should be killed to crawl While others say don't hate nothing at all Except hatred. Disillusioned words like bullets bark As human gods aim for their mark Made everything from toy guns that spark To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark It's easy to see without looking too far That not much Is really sacred. While preachers preach of evil fates Teachers teach that knowledge waits Can lead to hundred-dollar plates Goodness hides behind its gates But even the president of the United States Sometimes must have To stand naked. An' though the rules of the road have been lodged It's only people's games that you got to dodge And it's alright, Ma, I can make it. Advertising signs that con you Into thinking you're the one That can do what's never been done That can win what's never been won Meantime life outside goes on All around you. You lose yourself, you reappear You suddenly find you got nothing to fear Alone you stand with nobody near When a trembling distant voice, unclear Startles your sleeping ears to hear That somebody thinks They really found you. A question in your nerves is lit Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy Insure you not to quit To keep it in your mind and not fergit That it is not he or she or them or it That you belong to. Although the masters make the rules For the wise men and the fools I got nothing, Ma, to live up to. For them that must obey authority That they do not respect in any degree Who despise their jobs, their destinies Speak jealously of them that are free Cultivate their flowers to be Nothing more than something They invest in. While some on principles baptized To strict party platform ties Social clubs in drag disguise Outsiders they can freely criticize Tell nothing except who to idolize And then say God bless him. While one who sings with his tongue on fire Gargles in the rat race choir Bent out of shape from society's pliers Cares not to come up any higher But rather get you down in the hole That he's in. But I mean no harm nor put fault On anyone that lives in a vault But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him. Old lady judges watch people in pairs Limited in sex, they dare To push fake morals, insult and stare While money doesn't talk, it swears Obscenity, who really cares Propaganda, all is phony. While them that defend what they cannot see With a killer's pride, security It blows the minds most bitterly For them that think death's honesty Won't fall upon them naturally Life sometimes Must get lonely. My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards False gods, I scuff At pettiness which plays so rough Walk upside-down inside handcuffs Kick my legs to crash it off Say okay, I have had enough What else can you show me? And if my thought-dreams could be seen They'd probably put my head in a guillotine But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.

This fantastic story of a retired greyhound who heard the roar of the crowd and took off racing  around an English soccer stadium, much to the delight of the assembled crowd, shows that excellence and the spirit of winning are part of beings who carry them long after the heat of competition has faded. 

Little doggie, every aging racehorse, fading beauty queen, former football hero and doddering Olympian salutes you!

From News.com (Australia)

A RETIRED greyhound disrupted a professional soccer game in England when the floodlights and crowd noise brought back memories of her racing days.

Fool's Mile escaped from owner Jane Holland and ran four circuits of the pitch, halting play between Blackpool Reserves and Burnley Reserves and prompting a standing ovation from spectators.

Holland said the five-year-old greyhound with 11 wins to her name appeared to be reliving her glory days.

"It was as if all her old instincts had come back," Holland told Britain's The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"We were nearby and when she heard the crowd she was off."

Woohoo! Good stewardship of mother earth just got a lttle bit more R-E-S-P-E-C-T  from mainstream big Christian denominations known in the past for their ostrich head in the sand approach.

The Baptists have gotten on board the peace train with a formal manifesto - and the Catholics have made it a mortal sin to defile the earth. No kidding. Amazing stuff.

Mortal sins are the big ones, the ones which must be repented of & ceased, like, now. (For those non-Catholics among us.)

The seven social sins are:

1. ``Bioethical' violations such as abortion-causing birth control

2. ``Morally dubious'' experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty

The original deadly sins:

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Gluttony

4. Lust

5. Anger

6. Greed

7. Sloth

Here's a great musical find. I have just discovered Arvel Bird and his band, One Nation. Awesome!!

A really big day on the Calm Eagle personal calendar.

I LOVE Ireland, the Irish, Guinness, Jameson's, Saints Patrick, Bridget, Columcille, Kevin, Fiona and all of CELTIC Christianity, all of Irish spirituality for that matter. Let's get ready for the big day!

For Monday of Holy Week, from the Byzantine Rite Mattins service:

YOU TAUGHT YOUR DISCIPLES, LORD, TO DESIRE WHAT IS PERFECT,
SAYING:  BE NOT LIKE THE GENTILES, WHO OPPRESS THE WEAK.
IT SHALL NOT BE SO WITH YOU, MY DISCIPLES.
FOR OF MY OWN WILL I AM POOR.
LET THE FIRST AMONG YOU, THEREFORE, BE THE SERVANT OF ALL.
LET THE RULER BE LIKE THOSE WHO ARE RULED.
LET HIM WHO IS FIRST BE LIKE THE LAST.
FOR I HAVE COME TO SERVE ADAM IN HIS POVERTY,
AND TO GIVE MY LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR THE MANY WHO CRY TO ME://
O LORD, GLORY TO YOU!

                TONE 8

THE FIG TREE WAS WITHERED UP BECAUSE IT WAS UNFRUITFUL.
WE SHOULD FEAR THE SAME PUNISHMENT, O BRETHREN,
AND BRING WORTHY FRUITS OF REPENTANCE TO CHRIST,
WHO BRINGS TO US GREAT MERCY.

It is also the feast day of St. Patrick of Ireland today, who managed to bring Christianity to Eire more or less without bloodshed by out-magicking the Druids, a feat that would've made the rest of the ancient world into as devout Catholics as the Irish had the apostles of the faith had the wherewithal & connectedness with the Divine to do it. 

I LOVE St Pat's, I LOVE Eire, I LOVE the Irish!  Slainte'!!!
(Although my celebration will be slightly subdued due to the infrequent intersection of Holy Week with Saint Pat's.)

From the Word Incarnate with thanks,

QUOTE 

Six days before the Passover-that particular Passover that would forever change the course of human destiny-Jesus decided to relax a bit and enjoy a supper at the home of his friends-one of whom had died not long before, but who was now sitting with Him at table, also enjoying his supper. We are entering a time of the celebration of the greatest mysteries of our faith, of our salvation, and so we should expect to be immersed in wonders. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, manifesting that as the Son of God, life and death are in his hands. So if He can raise Lazarus, He can raise us too-but in a much more glorious way. Lazarus had to die again, but when Jesus raises us from the dead, we will live forever in the glory of his Kingdom. Jesus was also giving a sign (miracles are called "signs" in John's Gospel), a confirmation of his words about his own death and resurrection: "I have power to lay down [my life], and I have power to take it up again."

The raising of Lazarus is one of the climax points in the Gospel of John. For one thing, it is the turning point after which all our attention is focused on the imminent Passion. There are no more miracles in the Gospel after this. Once Lazarus was raised, the hearts of the chief priests and Pharisees were definitively hardened against Jesus, and the arrangements would soon be made for his arrest and condemnation. But there is another reason that this is a climax point. John's Gospel as a whole is about the manifestation, the revelation of the glory of God in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son. In a very striking way, the raising of Lazarus opened the eyes of all people of good will to the glory of God. At the entrance of the tomb, when Martha objected to its opening, Jesus uttered a cry which is not only a key to the understanding of John's Gospel, but also (for me anyway) one of the most powerful utterances in the Scriptures: "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (11:40).

Believe and see the glory of God: this is also a key to entering the profound meaning and experience of the Passion and Resurrection narratives, and a key to the whole of Christian faith. On this Palm Sunday we are to believe and see God's glory in Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, was one who believed and saw his glory. This glory is not, for the most part, a blinding radiance perceptible to the bodily eyes. It is a spiritual perception granted through faith and love, an awareness of who Christ really is, and an ability to recognize in all He says and does the wisdom and power of God. Mary, recognizing the glory of God in Him, placed an act of love and humility-which Jesus described as a prophetic act, a symbolic preparation for his burial-as she anointed his feet with costly oil and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil, says the Gospel, and it was also filled with the spiritual fragrance of both divine and human love. Unfortunately there was another odor in the house, and it was not a pleasant one. Judas objected to Mary's loving extravagance, protesting that the poor could have benefited from the money wasted on expensive oils. John comments that this was just a ruse. Judas would have liked to have received the money as a donation from Mary, so he could spend it on himself, for, as John tells his readers, Judas, the community treasurer, was a thief.

Thus, in this atmosphere of both love and treachery, and of joyful exultation and bitter vindictiveness (which were the two responses to Lazarus' return from the dead)-this ambivalent atmosphere which so characterizes the whole human condition-Jesus left the house to move resolutely toward his Passion. John said earlier in his Gospel that Jesus had no illusions about the nature of man, of the human heart, knowing full well what lay within. So He wasn't deterred from his mission by the adulation of the crowds on that first Palm Sunday. He entered the city acclaimed as a King, and rightly so, but He didn't allow this passing praise to make Him think that perhaps He wouldn't have to suffer and die after all. For, as He would later tell Pilate, his Kingdom is not of this world, so He is not interested in being made an earthly king. Some time earlier He actually fled when the people wanted to declare Him king. But there was no fleeing now, for a prophet can only die in Jerusalem, as He said, and He knew He was riding straight into the jaws of death. If only we could know his thoughts as He slowly rode into the holy city...

In the film "The Passion of the Christ," there is a flashback to the entry into Jerusalem-as Jesus is exiting Jerusalem, carrying the cross. He remembers how a few days ago they were waving palm branches and singing his praises, but soon after that they were spitting on Him and reviling Him, pushing and kicking Him as He fell under the crushing weight of the cross of our sins. Yes, He needed no one to instruct Him on the unstable and treacherous nature of the human heart.

The Pharisees, says St John, were highly distraught as Jesus entered the city to the sound of universal acclamation. "What can we do?" they cried in dismay. "The world has gone after him!" They needn't have been so worried. The world goes after many idols and phantoms and dead ends, and its opinions are easily swayed or bribed. What the Pharisees should really have been concerned about-and after Pentecost they were concerned about this-was not the superficial hero-worship of a fickle crowd, but the determined fidelity of a small group of dedicated followers who were willing even to die for Jesus. It is these who will turn the world upside down, not the mindless and uncommitted masses.

We have to find our own place in the events of these days we are celebrating. At the tomb of Lazarus, are we among those whose faith is strong enough so as to enable us to see the glory of God in Jesus, or are we among those who become dismayed because his ways are not our ways, because He does things that upset our own plans or desires? In the home of Mary and Martha, would we be like her who humbled herself to make a public and extravagant act of love and devotion to her Lord, or would we be like him who grumbled about it, wishing he could gain some personal benefit, yet at the same time putting on a phony act of care for the needy?

(Contrary to what some people think, Jesus was not disparaging the poor, or exalting Himself, when He said, "The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me." This was an indirect reproach to Judas: "You, who say you care for the poor, have had many opportunities to help them, but you did not, because of your selfishness. But now you have a chance, and one chance only, to minister to Me, who alone can heal your avarice and forgive your sins. You have Me now, and only for a short time; abandon your pretense of love for the poor and repent in earnest; you will die in your sins unless you come to believe that I AM.")

On the road to Jerusalem, how shall we receive Him? On Palm Sunday we hold palm branches and sing "Hosanna in the highest"-just like the ones who called for his crucifixion a few days later. Are we going to crucify Him by returning to our sins once this celebration is over? Or are we going to follow Him all the way to the Cross, standing with Mary and John, professing our love and fidelity to Him?

Palm Sunday is a feast day; we are called to rejoice, to welcome our Savior into our church and into our hearts. On Monday we begin the great and holy week of our Lord's Passion. Let us embrace the Cross with the same zeal with which we eat and drink and celebrate a feast. The Lord has enough fair-weather friends in the world, enough of those who show up for feasts and then leave Him alone when He is hanging naked and scourged on the Cross. Our share in the sweetness of the resurrection will be proportioned to our share in the bitterness of the passion. So let us go the whole way-the joy, the sorrow, the agony, the ecstasy-for only in this way will our faith mature, our spiritual perception and awareness be sharpened. Let us abandon all wavering and embrace Him wholeheartedly in faith. For Jesus told us that if only we would believe-really believe-we would see the glory of God. UNQUOTE

Those eyes so sweet, those lips, how perfect. How can my heart stand to see the Holy One hanging in agony on a tree? How can a heart hold this grief? How can we bear to stand at the foot of the Cross with His Mother, immobilized in grief? How can this suffering save the world? How can such a terrible gift from the Creator bring eternal heaven to creation? How can this crucifixion redeem the irredeemable?

The mystery of Christ, the paradox of Christianity is unfolded on this day.

A transformative and holy Friday to all.

QUOTE  A Jayhawk helicopter was the first to arrive.

"As we approached the scene, we saw three strobe lights and we assumed those were rafts," flight commander Lt. Brian McLaughlin said. "The scene was very grim.

"We got a little closer and there was a fourth light, then a fifth, and a sixth and the numbers just kept growing. The ocean was flashing at us over about a mile-long stretch." UNQUOTE

When I was growing up in western Oregon back in the sixties and early 70's one of the folkies I really liked was ol' Gordon Lightfoot, whose whiskey and smoke edged voice and plain good journeyman guitar work combined with a bard's gift of storytelling to produce some fine, fine tunes.  I couldn't get the song The Edmund Fitzgerald out of my head last night when I heard the news about the Alaska Ranger going down in the Bering Sea, 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Way out in the Aleutian islands, as far west as America gets, the US Coast Guard pulled  off its largest coldwater sea rescue in its history. Kudos to them for their bravery, professionalism and quick response. Also, I think perhaps some Good Samaritan vessels helped with the rescue, props to them as well.

This is a saga, with heroes. This is a drama worthy of Titanic fame or Greek drama or Shakespeare. The captain, first mate and engineer made sure all others were off the boat, in survival suits and went down with the ship, losing their lives. Most others miraculously survived, 35 degree waters and prolonged immersion. The were bobbing, in the dark frigid Bering Sea, for 5, 6, 7 hours, stretched out over a mile long area-in 20-foot swells. The heroes of the Alaska Ranger died on Easter Sunday. I'm sure the Catholics and Orthodox amongst us know what that means, but for the rest of us ~ straight to Heaven. Do not pass go. Do not worry about $200. Do not worry about your sins and omissions. Ancient Church tradition has it that only the very very deeply good die on Easter, because they bypass the individual judgment and are shooed straight up to the bosom of Abraham and the right hand of the Compassionate One, like the Good Thief.

Mr. Lightfoot, are you still in the songwriting field? Because this saga needs telling, and telling for many years to come.


Rescued Alaska Ranger Crew Member Safely Aboard Coast Guard Vessel

SEABGB posted the following yesterday:

QUOTE 

Latest news of this event from various sources is as follows:

1. Flooding started in the rudder room, which had always been a problem area on this vessel.

2. Vessel was a converted oil patch boat. Former captain considered her top heavy for a fish boat.

3. Crew told not to talk to the press by vessel's owners.

4. USCG crews undertook a brave and highly successful rescue. Individuals of the Coast Guard went above and beyond in rescuing crew.

5. Captain of Alaska Ranger made sure everyone put on their survival suits before abandoning ship.

6. Captain and 3 crew, including engineer and first mate, were the last to leave vessel. They apparently died of hypothermia after 6 or more hours in the frigid water.

7. Seas were in the twenty foot range, which isn't uncommon for the area this time of year.

8. It was cold enough to make ice. There was a report the deck of the other vessel, Alaska Warrior, which arrived to assist, had ice on its decks. The ice prohibited the Coast Guard Helo on scene from using the Warrior as a rescue platform.

9. The Alaska Range sank in 15 minutes in over 1,000 fathoms of water.

Questions about the cause of the vessel's foundering will remain open for some time. However, we can speculate that even if the entire rudder room was flooded, there had to be something else not quite right to cause the vessel to sink so quickly.

Our condolences to the family and friends of those who were lost. And our thanks to the men and women who assisted in the rescue of those who survived. UNQUOTE

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"My father has always said that a good captain always makes sure he is the last soul off the boat."   - Scott Jacobsen, stepson of Captain Eric Peter Jacobsen
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Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the same movie. Too much fun, I may have to see it when it comes out next month.

Way too much fun. I am a sucker for Jackie Chan films, I admit it.