Welcome Father Fernando

Papal Visit to the UK -- (Defending The Pope, Part-XXX)

Is the Pope in danger?

Yes.

As are all priests. Nuns, too. Disciples.

Another bombing. Another murder. Another act of terror. Another conspiracy to inspire hatred against others, thusly dividing communities, families, teams, companies and countries into ever-increasing numbers of squabbling TRIBES, instead of UNITING 'tribes,' teams, families, countries, worlds through PeaceOnEarth, as commanded (or at least desired).

Any excuse will do for positive(s) to hatefully crusade against 'negatives' and hammer their so-called 'equal-fellow-citizen-beloved-neighbors' against merciless positive-cross-signs -- the TRUE and ONLY VALID definition of the very concept of crucifiXtion (regardless of spelling), and why those priests and nuns and Popes put their lives at risk to reduce the propensity of those formulamatic DIVIDES in the first place.

+1-1=0
-- translation: a positive one and a negative one equals nothing, hate, death, therefore DeathWorship, so don't be that way, otherwise one is engaging in the formula for divides, the formula of anti-christ messaging -- so don't be that way. Don't get caught-up in the 'sounds-reasonable' Higher-Ed pop-psychology lingo that 'positive' is a 'good-thing,' -- it isn't, never was, never will be.

Father Fernando gave his first Sunday homily (sermon) at St. Catherine's on September 5th, 2010. But let me firstly address the Sunday Bulletin from Sunday, September 12, which said that Father Fernando was in need of a bicycle in good condition. After mass, I went home, put one of my most prized-possessions into the back of my old beat-up pickup, and immediately returned to St. Catherine's to present it to Father Fernando. A bicycle I worked hard to earn the money for -- put on lay-a-way while working in a fish factory in Sitka, Alaska, dividing the fish to feed the masses, therefore a most appropriate bicycle for Father Fernando.

-- a very safe bike, too. With safety head-lamp and rear-lights, reflectors, a good seat, fat tires, and a removeable basket with a handle to carry books or groceries. It can be carried right into the store to reduce the land-fill waste of plastic grocery bags which clog sewers too, making utilities ever-more expensive. A great bicycle indeed.

-- damaged by Alaska airlines. Slightly.

-- I'll have to buy a new rear fender for Father Fernando's gift, eventually, when I can afford it. But the bike is still ridable -- and very safe -- the fender just rattles a bit and has some dents, and one wheel is slightly out-of-round. I'll replace those for him when I can afford it, but the vehicle itself is in great condition and very safe, regardless.

-- the bike itself is a bright color for added safety. That's most important. And painted with a reflective paint. Like I said -- it's a great bike. I also installed a bell to alert animals and pedestrians. That's very important also. And a special locking cable for theft prevention.

But Father Fernando had already departed. Anyway, some people were still there and they helped me lock it up inside. The bulletin said he would be gone the entire week, so I've yet to talk with him and tell him about all the bike's added features. And tell him that if someone offers a bike more suited for his purposes, then please not accept my gift, as it's a very special prize-possession of mine, otherwise a no-strings-attached gift to him. I think that goes without saying, common-sense, but I want to make sure we have a conversation about it eventually.

New priests get alot of critical remarks. None are 'perfect.' Nobody is. If they were as judgmental as the 'flocks' there wouldn't be any parishes. Only 'on-paper,' that is. :lol:

He's gonna have a hard time here. And relocating is always hard. Always. He doesn't have a support-system, outside of new people, here, to offer him a supportive figurative shoulder. IS THAT YOU? Or burdens, to depress him. IS THAT YOU?

That doesn't mean he can't be disagreed with. On the contrary, good discussion, conversation, is the sharing of diversity in peace, without faking 'wounds' from wounds, from dissent.

Which brings to his first Sunday homily, because I DISSENT. Doesn't mean I hate him. Or hope for his failure. Or that bad things befall him. I just disagree with the topic, his interpretation of the topic, that is, I think it's wrong. Not that HE HIMSELF is 'wrong' -- but that that particular way of opining about that particular topic is not accurate.

-- see how that works? It's very simple.

That said, I must also mention Father Fernando's accent, as English is not his first language. Perhaps it's a second-language, but could be a third, or fourth or fifth -- I don't know for sure, but I do know that his education includes more than two. Obviously.


I've worked with people from all over the world. When I work with someone who speaks English as a second or third language, it takes awhile for my ear to atune to their use of English. You know how some people say 'ant' and others 'aunt'? Sometimes your brain ponders the pronunciation and searches your internal database of possible definitions of that one word, your focus consumed in it -- and then misses the remainder of the sentence or paragraph. "Huh?" "What?" "Would you say that again, please?" And they look at you as though you may have some type of mental-problem -- are stupid or something, then repeat it, slower, as if you as a person are 'slow.'

-- ever done it? most have.

But stupidity has nothing to do with it. Nor does auditory issues. Nor cognative processing issues. It's your ear atuning to their use of language, your brain databasing new ways of pronouncing common words, filing that info away for future reference in the event you hear the word(s) pronounced or used in that manner again.

It takes awhile. When working with people from around the world, even on a full-time basis, it can take a matter of weeks. It takes time. Doesn't mean you are stupid -- or slow -- or that they are 'aggravating' to listen to. It's called 'acceptance of diversity' for a reason, and you prove it each and every moment, in very small ways throughout your life.

In both Latin and Greek, especially Greek translated into Latin, there is a problem with finding direct-corresponding words for concepts presented in the original Greek. Father Brian (last-name?, I forgot) mentioned that during a Sunday homily a couple months ago, that there are four words in Greek for the single English word 'love' in our modern use of the language, therefore the concepts get blurred --- confused -- missing the original intent, distorting it -- erasing it. For example, when you say you love your friends or love children, that is a completely different concept than saying you love your girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse. Tangentially related to the concept of 'love' -- in the sense that it's not intolerance, not war, therefore not hate, not wishing misery and doom against those friends and children, but has nothing to do with sexual attraction or romance. Yet we use the same word. Greek doesn't. It has absolute concrete disctinctly different words so that nobody can ever accuse you of having some weird sexual-motivations for loving your friends or children or neighbors or anybody else.

That's why I call today's English, "IdiotLanguage_101." Where you use the same words to describe your sexual-motivations and your compassionate ministrations; where you are ridiculed while being complimented and vice versa; where you are 'positive' in your diagnosis of cancer, or HIV or drug use or mental-illness, but be 'positive' is a 'good-thing' (which is an intentional misuse of English by Higher-Ed to profit from atop of the rubble, misery and grief of their own psychotic instigation, their own HATE).

Recognizing it, then addressing it, striving to do it no more, is the lesson in the reading from the letter of Saint Paul to Philemon and the corresponding Psalm and passage from Luke 14:25-33, which is why I disagree with Father Fernando. It's never a 'good thing' to hate. And substituting the word 'intolerant' as an excuse for it, to 'soften' the concept of the word-use, 'hate,' only obfuscates that fact.

That's not why I gave Father Fernando a bicycle. :lol:

Like I said, I love that bike -- I ride it nearly every day -- and now, with all the walking I must do from one end of my property to the other, I tell myself, "wish I had a bicycle with a basket," before loading-up with some tools or 'stuff' I need at the other end of my property and walking back. A sacrifice. That's what gifts are -- no strings attached -- out of love -- respect -- to welcome one who has a whole lot of obstacles set before thee, in the true tradition of communities, parishes welcoming new priests for millennia.

I use the head-lamp, which is removable, one of those many-bulbed LCD lamps, as a flash-light, to find the light-switch and see where it's safe to walk on the rough terrain of my property, or point-out the odd-sounds lurking in the forest. I'll have to buy a new flashlight, eventually. But keeping Father Fernando safe, is more important than my convenience(s).

See how that works?

And that's why governments do it for Papal visitations, too.

Kind Regards,
Clayton Leon Winton -- HFA