POLITICAL, BUT ONLY SLIGHTLY SO, MAINLY SPIRITUAL

Posted on December 12, 2020 by abyssum
Dear ,

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke (or somebody)

I have a Bible app called YouVersion and subscribe to various studies. My favorite study thus far has been a simple one: just Bible passages via Daily Bible Reading Guide (Catholic). A couple days ago the reading was from Matthew 10. It’s basically Jesus talking about courage and laying out the difficult work ahead to his apostles. In verse 26 he says:Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

In these perilous times, it’s easy to go wobbly. We live in an era of deceit and lies and it can be tough to discern what to believe. In this same passage, Jesus talks about being wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Christians aren’t supposed to be idiots. They’re just charged with not being brutal with their knowledge. Harmless.

Fraudulent Media
A couple days ago, we found out that the media did what we knew it was doing: Hiding, lying about, and ignoring the Hunter Biden story. It’s all true, of course. When the New York Time’s Ken Vogel investigated before the election, he chose not to report it. Why? Because it was true.

We’ve seen videos of votes being pulled out of suitcases. We’ve seen votes fed through machines multiple times. We know that votes with no signatures and addresses have been counted. What we don’t know is if all of this cheating changed the election outcome. If the media and corrupt politicians have their way, we’ll never know. 

A note for the folks who fear the implications of all this widespread fraud. Yes, this has existed for years. Yes, there have been faulty election results and unfair elections and yes, we’ve had Senators, Congressmen, and even the presidential election stolen – from Nixon. What? You thought his paranoia was irrational? No. It’s painful to think that this evil exists in our beloved country. But face facts we must, and that might mean being laughed at, ridiculed, etc. Oh well. 

The media has been using Nixon as an example we should follow for Trump conceding. Are they understanding what they’re saying? Today, some media doofus upset about Trump calling them out for their malice, noted that even Lincoln treated the media with respect. These ahistorical buffoons don’t even know what they’re saying.

Anyway, it’s easy to lose heart. Don’t. If our elections are so easily corrupted, the whole foundation of our Republic has rotted more completely than imagined. It must be investigated, measured, and remedied. 

Don’t give up seeking the truth. Don’t resign yourself to the lies. Have courage.COVID Questions
With near universal mask use, why are COVID infections rising? With infections rising, why aren’t hospitals overwhelmed? The numbers of infected in my county have doubled in number at 4,000 plus but the number of patients in the hospital are 29 and have hovered in the mid 20’s to mid 30’s for months. The mortality rate is steady and low. No big jumps.

That is not true everywhere, of course. I suspect that the nutritional state of the patient and quality of the health care system in various areas matters much regarding mortality rates. It also matters the age and vulnerability of those sick. There are outliers, of course. But there always are outliers.Music Interlude
Sorry, no food this week. If you must know, my kids are obsessed with all things Asian and so there’s a lot of Ramen. I’ve even made some homemade Ramen. (It’s glorified chicken noodle soup, but don’t tell my kids that.)

Instead, this week, I’d like to talk about organs. Not organ meat (gross, English people, so so gross) but the church instrument the Organ. With churches being shuttered and the coffers going unfilled, organists are seeing their profession or avocation going by the wayside. In England, they have had a fundraiser for these poor lasses and chaps where they play Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D minor. You can listen here. Not my favorite Bach. 

Here’s another Bach for you. Worth listening to for the Counter Tenor alone. (And also the Organ.)

One of the best bits of Organ playing occur in the major motion picture Interstellar. Here’s a sample. I highly recommend the movie for the sweeping cinematography and score. I happen to love the story, too. Gorgeous movie. I saw it in I-Max with my son who is an astronomy buff. Blown away.

Back to Counter Tenors for a moment. For the last couple of years, I’ve gone to the Houston Symphony’s Handel’s Messiah. Because of Covid, there will be no performance. I’d take different people every year so they had the experience, once in their lifetimes, of hearing one of most beautiful artworks ever created. In the second half, the audience stands up in honor of the Lord of Lords and sings the famed Hallelujah chorus. I’m overwhelmed every time. I will miss it this year.

The first time I heard it, a delightful young Polish Counter Tenor, Jakub Józef Orliński, sang. Here he is performing Vivaldi. It was my favorite performance so far.

I’ve had the pleasure of singing the Hallelujah chorus as a mezzo soprano and playing it in the orchestra backing the choir (I play –played– the violin. I have a kid who plays the cello and one who plays the viola.) Playing in the orchestra was fun. The trumpet player was super cute and asked me out! (He was 18 and I was 15. Very heady stuff!) This piece is simply amazing no matter how you relate to it. 

Some performances to peruse:King’s College Cambridge with Boys ChoirLondon PhilharmonicAnd of course, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. And a virtual version! Gorgeous.Soli Deo gloria!

My personal email is mackenziem@spectator.org. Write any time!

Freedom!


Melissa Mackenzie
Publisher, The American Spectator
 

About abyssum

I am a retired Roman Catholic Bishop, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas
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