BIG FORK, CATHOLIC MASS & OKTOBERFEST
I started out the weekend, Friday, trying to attend Oktoberfest, in Whitefish, Montana, for some brats, sauerkraut, potatoes, and a stein of beer, well, I don't drink, so water or soda; however, as fate would have it, or providence decided otherwise, the advertisement in the newspaper, left something to be desired, leaving, Friday's schedule, at least to me, a bit sketchy, making me guess if the festivities started at noon, or at 5 p.m. Well, I didn't want to wait 6 hours, getting to Whitefish, somewhere around 11:00 a.m., therefore, I wrote my blog, opted out, and after reading the papers, saw that John Paul II Catholic Church, was also having Oktoberfest, with music by Bavarian Echoes Polka Band, along with German food and beer, and wine for sale.
What a great day, starting with mass . . . as a Mormon, you are a church goer. So, generally, I attend some type of church every Sunday; I find them all enlightening and rather inspired in their messages, as was the case with today's sermon, regarding the parable of the man who had two sons. He asked them both to go into the field and harvest the wheat or food, and the first son told his father, that he would go and work in the fields, but never went. The second son, said he would not go work, but did. And the question was, which one do you think the Lord, symbolically, but the father in the story, was most happy with . . . of course the son, who while resisting the work, eventually did, go and do his father's will. While the other son, giving lip service to the father, stating that he would go into the field, vineyard, or whatever, displeased his father, because the father counted on his help, and he got none.
So, what is the lesson to you and me? I will let you think on that one, I can't do all the thinking for you. LOL! But, the Church building was absolutely amazing, with tons of light, light oak beams, windows, stone, cool, painted cement floors, awesome pews, and the colors were great, done with style, grace, simplicity, and beauty, that matched the lightness of the services, the wonderful music, with a member, who is a professional violinist from Japan, who played in their symphony or something like that, and joined the folksy guitars, singers, and pianist. The Monsignor, was great with the kids, little ones toddled to the front to partake of the sacrament, I think . . . I couldn't see that well from the back, and I am not that familiar with the Catholic services, but everyone was friendly, fun, welcoming, and happy.
This is the Second Time, This Reformed Mormon Crashed the Catholic BBQ
I am not exactly sure, until I get there what the procedures are, and if the public is invited, or if they are just advertising to Catholics, from around the valley to come join in the fun. But, I do know that both times, I have been made to feel part of the group, and totally involved in the celebrations, regardless of if I am suppose to be there or not. And usually, it is a friendly member, who wonders how I got there, and I am sure can tell immediately, that I don't have a clue about Catholics, liturgy, customs, worship, or diverse groups dealing with children, women, or the men's groups. I guess I just assumed, which you know what that makes of me and you, that the public was invited to any Oktoberfest, just like the community celebration in Whitefish, kind of a cultural, rather than religious thing, so, of course, that worked in my schedule, so I went, as I did, last summer to the big shindig, the Catholics held at Caras Park in Missoula, Montana, last summer or fall . . . they too, wonder how I ended up at the event, that was advertised in the newspaper?
My ignorance is probably due to the fact, that in the Mormon Church, you are organized into wards, and stakes, in geographical sections of a city, town, state, or what not, and all picnic type activities, are generally advertised in church meetings; therefore, celebrations, other than something like the 24th of July, which is a Utah state holiday, celebrating the Mormon pioneers, coming into the Salt Lake Valley, as commemorated by the Days of 47 Celebrations, marking the date, July 24th, 1847, when Prophet, Brigham Young, announced, when seeing the Salt Lake Valley, this is the place . . . all other activities, other than this one, are usually, interfaith announcements, not made to the public or in the newspaper. But, the Catholics, just took it in stride, probably wondering who in the hell is this chick, crashing our German celebration!
The very active perish, had free books for party attendees, entitled, Saint John The Great, by Jason Evert, a former Scottish guard for the Pope at the Vatican. I started reading about this Pope, who I knew a little about, but not much, due to the fact, that I haven't had much contact with Catholics, other than when I lived in Chicago, for a summer internship, with Americans United For Life, when once again, I was the only Mormon at the Catholic Law Firm, we even had the Catholic Arch Bishop, in all his head dress and robes, come bless the attorneys, on the day, the U.S. Supreme Court was making the decision on the Casey vs. Planned Parenthood, on the 20th anniversary and challenge to the Court's landmark abortion case, Roe vs. Wade. My roommate and friends a work, were all Catholic, as far as I knew, or were the predominant religion of the Chicago. My roommate, used to walk to a corner to get to church each Sunday, and I had to take the L or the electric train, and the bus, to get to church about two hours away, taking me all day, but a fun excursion.
Thank God For Variety In Life, Infusion, Refreshment
I still remember, sitting in Relief Society meeting, the women's meeting in the Mormon Church, and we were signing an opening hymn; this new member, a heavy set, but beautiful black woman, sitting in front of me, all the sudden, spoke up in the meeting, stopping the hymn, that sounded like the Battle Hymn of the Dead, rather than the Battle Hymn of the Republic, that was dragging, nobody was really singing very loud or with any type of rhythm, that I am sure this new sister, was used to in her Bible thumping, Gospel singing, rock in, black revivalist churches . . . we had all been singing like we were part of the living dead. I will always remember that as being a bright shiny day in my memories of church, wishing I could package up this swinging, loud, fun Latter-Day Saint, and take her back to Utah with me! LOL!
This previously, trained Gospel singer, had enough, stopped us, and said, now, come on sisters, we can do better than that, sign out, louder, let's get this song going, and I think she had all the sisters, rocking out, singing to the top of their lungs, and digging the hymn, much better than had previously been the case. If I do recall, I think, she was inducted or called to serve as the chorister, for the whole ward, she made it so fun, added some zip to the meetings and woke people up, who had drifted off to sleep during the services . . . she took me back to a former city planner associate of my ex-husbands, a black from the deep south, who would tell us the funniest stories about church, big bosom women, who would greet him as a boy, by smashing his head into their ample and sizable breasts, and rock him back and forth, loving this child to death. Larry, I think his name was, had us laughing with tears running down our faces, as he recounted tale after tale, from his early religious days as a boy.
Greatness Through War--Polish Pope John Paul
The most prominent themes of Polish literature and drama later found their way into many of John Paul's papal teachings, including political and religious freedom, the dignity of labor, the human person, courage under pressure, sacrificial love, and redemptive suffering.
As we embark on this tragic and somewhat beautiful war in Syria and Iraq, there will be heroes made, character strengthened, humanitarians made, possibly a future pope, sometimes in the worst of times, the best in human nature surfaces. John Paul, was a young school boy, during the German invasion, when Hitler and the Nazis, saw little use for Polish people, killed many, their worth was only for slave labor, or their women used for Hitler's men in brothels. Girls were used to breed lice, attaching the lice to the girl's bodies, letting them feed on the blood in their thighs, and the girls would get more rations. Hitler and crew, saw no use for the Jews, whatsoever. All Poles were declared slaves of the German Reich, life was to remain low in Poland, and they were not permitted to rise as a culture, either educationally or otherwise.
In an effort tow wipe away any trace of Polish culture, schools were locked and libraries were destroyed. In Warsaw, German troops shot children for target practice if any of them attempted to sneak out at night in search of food. Entire families were murdered, and the bodies of some parents and children were arranged in the form of swastikas. Polish men were tolerated as long as they could be enslaved as workers, while many of the women were used in brothels for the German officers. Every educated person is a future enemy . . . Hitler requested that all men capable of leadership in Poland be "liquidated." Thanks to the providence of God, they missed one.
In his, John Paul's papal teachings decades later, and in a message for a World Day of Prayer for Peace, he spoke about how war does not solve social or political problems, but causes more of them and creates poverty. He added, Young people see their hopes for the future shattered . . . victims of war are forced to flee and become refugees who have no possessions beyond what they can carry with them. Because of the constant use of explosives, the work John Paul did in the quarry, was dangerous. In a poem, he recounted once, how he witnessed the death of a coworker from a dynamite blast, he emphasized the last line of Wojtyla, who declared, Look, how love feeds on this well-grounded anger . . . in the midst of the hardship, sorrow, and injustice, he found the strength to transform his righteous rage into a fiery, divine love.
Every Culture Has So Much To Offer The Rest of the World!
It posed an interesting juxtaposition, as the Bavarian Band and Dancers, smiling, rounded the room in a polka, waved white napkins, in remembrance of Germany winning the World Cup Soccer, beer steins raised in singing and laughter, the smell of great food, cultural decorations, happy people, celebrating, cooking, serving, and working with each other in a spirit of love and celebration . . . while I am watching the festivities enjoying ever second of the fun, but anxious to get into the book, and reading of the horrors of the German invasion, and wondering, why? Instead of going to war, why don't we live, love and thrive together? Think of what a wonderful life this would be for everyone, jointly celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest, eating Greek food, dancing the Irish gig, doing belly dancing with the Indians . . . why don't we stop blowing up each other, killing each other, fighting with each other, and build, rather than destroy? I just simply don't get it?
It is possible to live in peace, love, freedom, liberty and all those great rights that all human beings long for. I hope this war effort, ends quickly, is resolved with the least amount of damage, death, and cost. But, as John Paul said, Jesus, I trust in you. God prepares his arrows . . . just as an arrow is readied for the shot from the bow, God prepares the proper people, He prepares his arrows . . . The famous Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote that beauty will save the world. Through the Rhapsodic Theater, Karol Wojtyla and his compatriots were attempting to do just this. As one of his friends remarked, The performers were like a priesthood, guarding and imparting the deepest truths of life; it was their task and their opportunity to regenerate the world by a display of artistic beauty. John Paul later wrote of Norwid that he persistently reminds us that without heroism humanity degrades itself, loses its identity, and rejecting God, it betrays itself . . . Woe to societies in which the priestly character f the human person is lost.
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