Washington National Cathedral Greets Pinnacle of Christian Year-Easter 2011

Happy Easter! 

To all of you around the world, wherever you may be and whether or not you even celebrate Easter.

At Eastertime, I play the part of the Easter Bunny, offering chocolates to my family who are already far too advanced and well-fed for such luxury.

Thus, I had to resort to listening online from my home computer perch many miles away to the incredible services at the Washington National Cathedral, though it would have been better to be there in person.

Actually, I had a "Cathedral Marathon" and saw far more on the internet than I would  likely have done in person, and might have attended maybe one or two of the Easter services...not the four I watched online! In addition, watching services on the internet now resembles a sports game on television because it is well-televised, and close-ups bring the principle players up close, in this case the Ministers, Organist and Choirs.  Watching at home one does not have to take a back seat. The performances are so polished, it makes sense to record them and send them out to a wider audience, as expensive as it must be. I still wish I could have been there in person for the excitement of the live service of worship.

The Services at the Cathedral are always so perfect, and the processions are powerful to behold. The music, hymns, anthems, and especially Widor's Toccata were played perfectly by Cathedral Organist Scott Dettra. He infuses his music with personality and emphasis to perfection. He is the best organist, although being televised from Washington National Cathedral helps. Organists around the world help make Easter celebrations more spiritual.

The Cathedral had an incredibly busy schedule with Easter services at the pinnacle of the Christian year all week, and on Good Friday afternoon (for three hours), Saturday evening (probably two hours or maybe three with baptisms) and then two services of  one and one-half hours Sunday. In his perennially welcoming words, Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III said he wants to open our hearts and tease out the possibilities.

It's possible to watch the webcasts, too, after the services and experience some of the soothing psychological benefits of spirituality for yourself at your convenience. This is especially important to those too busy to take part in the services as they happened.

The flowers by themselves must have employed hundreds! They filled a huge paragraph in the Service leaflet (p. 15). There were beautiful bouquets...I counted seventy-eight honorees of flowers in the leaflet at least. 

As usual, the Cathedral conscientiously publishes Permissions (p. 15) to sing hymns, and in that way is a fine example to other churches. 

Whatever your religious persuasion, watching the webcasts on the website is a pressure-free way to see the religious services if you would like to understand more of the benefits they would bring to you. The Cathedral Archives conveniently online are a great help to clergy and anyone with an interest in, or curious about, previous worship services.

Please give generously to the National Cathedral. Hope you had a Happy Easter!!!

Washington National Cathedral Gears Up For Easter Celebrations

Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral has just broadcast online a wonderful Good Friday Service that must have been a three-hour-long marathon for the participants! Included in the webcast are Sermons, in the leaflet called Meditations or Homilies, by the Very Rev. Alan Jones, Cathedral Vicar Jan Naylor Cope, and Cathedral Dean Samuel T.  Lloyd III. 

The always perfect organ music of Organist Scott Dettra permeated the entire service of Devotions. Presided over by The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, the Bishop of Washington, Gospellers and Ministers, the lengthy official afternoon of worship included singing by choirs led by Canon Michael McCarthy, singing soloists, music by a cellist, and special readings at the front of the Cathedral. 

The current 2011 Lenten season has been enriched at the Cathedral with Meditations available online. As well as today's long service and others held at the Cathedral, last night's Maundy Thursday was the occasion of a special evening service. Easter Services are planned for Saturday evening and Sunday, and will be broadcast live online. Throughout this Easter Holiday, the Cathedral has kept to a busy schedule and has generously made these services available online. The gentle, mellifluous voice of Dean Lloyd made it clear during a previous service that while passes are handed out for well-attended, super-important services on Easter Day, some seats might still be available to those wishing to attend in person.

Please give generously to the Washington National Cathedral. Donations can be taken online at the Cathedral website. 

Why Is President Obama Misunderstood?

 "Mr. Obama agreed that "we have piled on a lot of standardized tests" under federal education law, meaning the annual proficiency tests in reading and math given to Grades 3 through 8 as well as once in high school.

"Now there's nothing wrong with a standardized test being given occasionally just to give a base line of where kids are at," he continued. "Malia and Sasha, my two daughters, they just recently took a standardized test. But it wasn't a high-stakes test. It wasn't a test where they had to panic."

New York Times, April 6, 2011

Critics, speaking within the article, miss the point if they think he is saying private school tests are less-pressurized, or blame the government for more testing in schools.

I believe, in this instance, he is talking about the formal nationwide  tests middle-schoolers take, not the SAT and ACT tests that Juniors and Seniors take. The latter do cause panic, unlike the yearly ones which are a part of the regular school years in both public and private schools. He meant, I believe, "it wasn't a high-stakes  test" such as an ACT or SAT test.

I believe the private high school entry exam, called the SSAT, is also panic-inducing because it is looked at by private high schools.  Despite my first daughter getting perfect scores on her SSAT, she did not get accepted at two out of four private high schools to which she had applied, and refused to study ahead of time for her SATs at the end of high school as a consequence.  Despite that, she graduated from Princeton University with As. It amazes me how her elementary teachers predicted dire consequences which didn't fortunately happen. I shouldn't have listened to them and worried myself sick without reason...(Today, my second daughter took her ACT; the panic continues, and she's an entirely different person)...

But what do I know? I could be wrong.  It was just a simple statement. I do know that if a simple statement can be misunderstood, as I believe the one above was, then how much more can be mangled by the press and bloggers and all? (admittedly including myself). And how many of those misunderstandings are motivated by fear and prejudice?

He made a good public display of crowd-pleasing today, and is working hard, I think. It was extremely brave to go out into crowds at any time, as he did today, the day after the historic Budget showdown that almost shut down the American government. I don't know why, but the spectacle of him unexpectedly shaking hands with tourists was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes! It's a pity he can be so misunderstood at times, since I believe he is a kind-hearted leader and Americans are blessed to have him as President.

Time to Question the Risks of Sports

A recent University of North Carolina study painted a grim picture of head trauma and its long-term affects.

“Repeatedly concussed National Football League players,” said the UNC report, “had five times the rate of mild cognitive impairment (pre-Alzheimer’s) than the average population,” while “retired NFL players suffer from Alzheimer’s disease at a 37-per-cent higher rate than average.” Then came the kicker. Two doctors determined “that the average life expectancy for all pro football players, including all positions and backgrounds, is 55. Several insurance carriers say it is 51 years.”

Toronto's Globe and Mail,  Tues April 5, 2011
 

DATA360

The average American male's life-span, in contrast, has risen from 65 in 1950 to almost 80 in 2011 [table above].  Yet hockey and football players clearly have potential sports-related injuries. These injuries may haunt them for years. None of us would consciously want to play hard only to pay for years with chronic pain.

The trouble is, these sports, at least the way they are now played, are relatively new when looked at from the perspective of time. We don't know the long-term consequences. Certainly the single-minded pursuit of sports excellence is now unmatched by anything in the past. It is motivated by money, and fed by supposedly demanding masses. It's true, we seldom think about  the negative repercussions of sports as a daily reality if we don't live with it.

 Sports rise and wane in popularity. It is time to revisit the injuries suffered by players. Remember the gladiators of Rome and how popular they were? Bull-fighting and dueling were far more popular in the past than they are now, due to the possibility of severe injury leading to death. Even boxing in America used to be more popular than it is now. Fatal danger is a common thread in sports that disappear over time.

Future ball players will have these statistics to ponder, and it is my hope they will pursue less dangerous pursuits in the future, in careers where risks are less costly. After all, exercise in moderation is excellent.

Pro athletes are overpaid  because their working life is short and for that reason, they enjoy compensation with astronomical salaries, support staffs, news coverage...I have long  marveled at how on earth sports salaries ever got so crazily high.