Category: Saints and Scalawags

Nic and Mr. K are my favorite scientist saints. If you can believe it, there are some “haters” out there who blame Copernicus for the hubris some humans have. As I tell them, it is not Nic’s fault an individual thinks he or she is the center of the universe, rather than the Sun, let alone the Son!

Let us pray:

As the heavens declare thy glory, O One In Charge, and the firmware showeth thy handiwork, we bless thy Name for the gifts of knowledge and insight thou didst bestow upon Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler; and we pray that thou wouldst continue to advance our understanding of thy cosmos and cyberspace, for our good and for thy glory.  Amen.

Luke was a physician, but he did a lot of writing, too. He still does a lot of writing and holds workshops on technical writing and documentation. We gave him an iPad for his feast day. He was thrilled. He said recording his roadtrip with Paulie and writing the Gospel would have been a lot easier to write with the iPad.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5:20)

Sistertech is so glad Luke recorded this. End users do tend to drive support staff a bit crazy sometimes. But it’s hard to stay mad at them when they have so much faith in one’s technical ability to absolve their sins, er…, resolve their issues. Especially the ones of their own making.

O One In Charge, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel your love and healing power: Graciously continue in your IT servants this love and power to heal.
Amen.

Today Sistertech remembers Bernie of Clairvaux. Most people think of him as the guy who set up a monastery in Clairvaux, France in 1115 and preaching in support for the Second Crusade. (That last task wasn’t entirely Bernie’s own idea.)

What I like about Bernie is his intense devotion to The One In Charge. Sistertech thinks this comes through smashingly in the lyrics Bernie wrote.

Jesus, the very thought of thee
with sweetness fills the breast;
but sweeter far thy face to see,
and in thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
nor can the memory find,
a sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
the Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind thou art:
how good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
nor tongue nor pen can show;
the love of Jesus, what it is,
none but who love him know.

Jesus, our only joy be thou,
as thou our prize wilt be;
in thee be all our glory now,
and through eternity.

I only mention Samuel’s feast day today because some of Sistertech’s best friends are philosophers. I realize that it is rather “edgy” of me, but one does not always have control of one’s heart. Some of you agree, I’m sure, with BP — no, not that “BP”:

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.

Now, Samuel is not high on the list of Sistertech’s “go to philosophers”. But one has to admire his spunk, at least on the polemical side. He never has struck me, however, as a “stand up guy”.  I mean, really. The guy is deathly afraid of small pox. Flees his post. Surprise. His wife…, well you read it and then tell me:

He remained in Stratford until 1754, when the vestrymen of the Anglican Trinity Church in New York City considered him the logical choice to serve as after the first president of King’s College. Though reluctant to leave his family in Connecticut, Johnson ultimately took up the post, assisting in behind-the-scenes maneuverings to ensure the college would be explicitly Anglican, rather than nonsectarian. In the early years of the institution, Johnson was the sole instructor, primarily teaching classics and philosophy. Owing to his fear of smallpox, Johnson was frequently absent from the city, and increasingly shared his teaching responsibilities. When his wife died of smallpox, Johnson began to seek a means to leave his post. In 1763 he returned to his ministry at Stratford, where he died.

But let us not cast the first stone, shall we? Let us remember that Samuel, as with at least some philosopher are part of that peculiar breed of thinker. I suppose Peter might have had them in mind when he wrote the following:

But you are a chosen race, a royal philosophy club, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of The One In Charge who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light.

St. Mary has a special place in Sistertech’s heart. What a role model! Talk about being a servant! And humble? No competition. The folks in the Lectionary Department get “two wings up” on today’s readings. I suppose it really isn’t fair. Humans struggle so with their Mother’s Day cards. We’ve got The Document in its entirety to choose from. Psalm 34 in particular sounds just like something Mary would say:

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

[4] I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.

[5] Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.

[7] The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

[8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[9] Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

[11] Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

[12] What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?

[13] Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.

[14] Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

[20] He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.

[21] Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[22] The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Allow Sistertech to slip into the vernacular for moment to exclaim: “These ladies rock!” Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman: the Fantastic Four! Each are duly honored for their vision and work in advocating for women’s rights, or as I like to say, simply “human rights”. I mean, isn’t that the point?

There’s always a large group around three of them. Amelia, I’m afraid, has not lost one bit of her entrepreneurial drive and that’s become a problem. Most of us angels are terribly busy (you think?), and the interminable sales pitches tend to tire one. She texts me constantly about her new design: Angel Bloomers. For some reason she thinks that the garment would be perfect for Sistertech.

Continue reading “Remembering the Fantastic Four”

I must admit, Sistertech always thought Ms. Stowe was a bit stodgy. But Harriet was one of the “good guys” as far as Sistertech is concerned. She was a champion of human rights long before the term was coined. We give thanks to The One In Charge for Harriet’s passion for pursuing the recognition of the full humanity of African Americans.

Psalm 94:16-23

[16] Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?

[17] If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

[18] When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

[19] When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.

[20] Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?

[21] They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.

[22] But the LORD has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.

[23] He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the LORD our God will wipe them out.