This, That, and the Other Thing

First of all, when I put that About Me stuff on there, it was two years ago. I'm now 66. I've been going in there trying to pull it up to change it but it won't let me do it.

Second of all, there are two important books coming out. One is Shadow's Prisoners by J. Paddy Spaight. A great paranormal tale. Disclosure Statement, I'm the author's wife and I edited the book. Still and all I am so fussy I edit shopping lists so I think perhaps you may trust me when I say that this book is great for fans of the paranormal.  I designed the cover and took the pix of him.So here's my "ad" for all of you. The book is available in e-format from Smashwords. My own book, Paradox: True or False Tales, which includes some of the stories you have read on this blog is currently in production. I'll give you all a heads up when that comes out.

A cascade of death sweeps through a small town, and a quaint funeral home is at the center of the problem—but it’s not about the dead people there—it’s that some of them aren’t exactly dead. Fifteen-year-old Peter Livingston lives in the funeral home, but he doesn’t know about its gruesome connection to a maxium-security prison—some of the prison’s not-dead inmates are not-alive either.

Shadow’s Prisoners is filled with horror and cliffhanger chapters and it’s a real page turner. In between the disgusting (rats) and the ugly (corpses) and the evil (plotters and schemers), there are also glimpses of warmth and humor that encourage the reader to stay hot on the trail with Peter, armed only with a flashlight, searches through everything and anything to solve the mystery. Who or what is killing so many animals and people in his town?

There’s the doctor who rides a motorcycle through town to take care of his patients. There’s the teacher who is  a recycling fiend. There’s Peter’s father who is struggling to keep the old mortuary from becoming as dead as its clients. There’s Peter’s uncle who understands, more than anybody else, why it is necessary to brave the worst to discover the unnatural truth. And there’s the FBI agent who is forced to accept things way beyond his skill-set. And these are all the good folks.

Ultimately, this situation is for the birds—well actually a very special bird—who lives with Peter’s family and causes no end of havoc.

J. Paddy Spaight works as a logistics analyst at his day job. Otherwise, he works on his blog, Paddy’sPlace, and is writing several short stories. He lives with his wife, Billie M. Spaight, a medical editor, and their two cats, Corduroy and Gizmo, in the borough of Queens in New York City. His interests include films, genealogy (especially about Ireland) sports, art, music, politics, and paranormal phenomena.

Half a Loaf is Better than None: Pope Francis' Half Miracle.

Half a Loaf is Better Than None:

Pope Francis’ Half Miracle

Ed Mazza of HuffPostReligion reports that something very odd happened when Pope Francis was in Naples attending festivities for the Feast of San Gennaro (also known as Januarius) on March 21, 2015. The Saint's dried blood, inside a sealed glass ampoule, began to liquify when the Pope kissed the outside of the ampoule. Half of the contents became so immediately, while the remainder. Mazza reported that this was the first time this had happened in front of a Pope, since 1848, when it happened in front of Pope Pius XI.  This had been reported to happen prior to that, as often as six times per year.

Read:

Pope Francis Credited With Performing "Miracle" As St. Gennaro's Blood Liquifies

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/pope-francis-miracle_n_6920624.html

While some members of the onlooking crowd burst into ecstatic tears, and others cheered, Cardinal Crescenzo Sepe, archbishop of Naples, told the cheering crowd, according to Vatican Insider: “It is the sign that St. Gennaro loves Pope Francis: half of the blood turned to liquid."

With typical humility, Pope Francis responded: 

"If only half of it liquefied, that means we still have work to do; we have to do better. . . .We only have half of the Saint's love." 

According to Vatican Insider, the rest of the dried blood eventually liquefied that day.

Much as this impressed the faithful, skeptics suggested that the liquification might be the result of the relic being moved and put on display.

In any event, the Pope looked rather surprised himself.

So, what are we to make of this? I’m not very religious, but every time this story surfaces on the news, I end up crossing myself like any other good Catholic.

I’ve not been around much on The Populist Pope. There are two reasons and an “excuse” for that. First, much of what was being reported was simply a variant of what had been covered previously. Second, there were a series of recent misteps by Pope Francis. One reason was his manner of talking about women in old-fashioned derogatory terms. Another was his appointing a bishop to Chile who was cited for covering up sexual abuse in his diocese.

Indeed, the Pope was continuing to broach new issues and concerns, making pleas for mercy instead of strict judgment. However, as expected, not one scrap of doctrine was changed. So we were standing at the status quo. Open the door, let some air in, and talk, but everything and everybody is to remain stationary. This is why I remain unchurched. I admire the man just for even talking about such things and for making merciful gestures, but I feel ready for more.

Here’s the excuse. A busy life and an illness drained me of a lot of energy.

But when I read this “miracle” story, I had to come back and say something—anything.

Do I believe it’s a miracle? I’m sitting on the fence. Ouch! Part of me believes that it is so because I do believe that Pope Francis is a holy man. But, like he said, only half the work was done. I wonder if “the other half” means that he must now take steps to make actual changes. Is that what San Gennaro may be asking?

Not much is known about San Gennaro. He was born a patrician and became a priest during the 300s (ad). He hid fellow Christians during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian and was himself arrested during that year-and-a-half period.

Perhaps the spirit of San Gennaro is interested in people who have to hide their identities for fear of persecution. His interest might be concerned with Christians who are being persecuted in the Middle East today.

However, I would love to think that maybe San Gennaro might just also be saying that is is necessary to welcome more people into the Church, people who are routinely excluded because of their marital status or their gender or sexual orientation. Might San Gennaro be declaring: “Francis, you’ve talked the talk, now walk the walk. Make changes!”?

I’m no theologian. Most, I am sure would disagree with me very strongly on this point. I’m the last person to know what the spirit of a Saint from the 300s is trying to convey. It’s just nice to think about it.

In any event, we know Pope Francis will ponder about what he needs to do. He did, after all, according to Mazza, speak out against organized crime and then “shared a meal with prison inmates, including some who have AIDS and some who are transgender.”

Can’t argue much with that, can we? You know the saying that “half a loaf is better than none.” Well, half an ampoule of liquified blood is also better than none.

These days, even half-miracles are welcome.