Made in New York City??!!

Well, marketed from there anyway. First it was picante sauce, now this...

NY company to launch Mexican-made kosher tequila

The Associated Press

http://www.philly.com/

NEW YORK - A New York businessman is launching a new kosher tequila in time for Cinco de Mayo. Martin Silver says Agave 99 will be on the market in time for the holiday that celebrates Mexico's defeat of French forces on May 5, 1862. Silver, president of Long Island-based Star Industries, says he wants to satisfy the craze for high-end tequila with one that observant Jews can drink.

I didn't know there was such a Tequila craze among observant Jews!

Silver says a half million cases of the 99-proof kosher tequila are being produced at a Mexican plant using methods certified by a rabbi. It will retail for $41.95 a bottle.

It's probably just as well; most of us Mexicans wouldn't pay that much for a bottle of tequila anyway.

The product launch , with Mexican songs sung in both Yiddish and Spanish , is set for May 5, but it will also be sold earlier for Passover, which starts at sundown on April 8 this year.

Mexican songs sung in Yiddish, eh? I am really have trouble imagining this. I suppose that's better than Yiddish songs sung in Spanish --- or is it?

Readings For Sunday, March 29, 2009

Once again, here are some resources for getting a deeper understanding of the readings we'll hear at this Sunday's Mass. The readings, from the website of the U.S Catholic Bishop (USCCB):
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032909a.shtml

And a study/meditation from my website:
http://members.cox.net/fidelis927/this_week.htm

Charitible comments and discussion are always welcome! Have a blessed Lord's Day.

Hillary Meets A Real Woman -- Old What's-Her-Name.

So Madame Secretary of State of the United States of America, goes to the most famous religious shrine in the Americas, The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, lays flowers at the foot of the image , gazes at it and says to the priest who was showing her around, "Nice picture -- who painted it?"

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15511

Doh!

It's doubly worse since she previously visited the Shrine in 1979. What's more pathetic, her memory or her staff, who could at least have researched it for her?

Not content to be ignorant, she also managed to be patronizing by remarking to some poor Mexicanos outside the door of the church, "You have a marvelous virgin!"

And this is the "smart" Administration that was supposed to replace the "dumb" Bush Administration?

Unfortunately, the significance of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of the Unborn, did not appear to have an immediate effect on Mrs. Clinton’s respect for unborn life.
The following day, she happily accepted a “Maggie” award (named for founder Margaret Sanger) from Planned Parenthood for her efforts in promoting legalized abortion.

Why bad jokes are easier to remember than the good ones

Scientists have explained why the best jokes are the hardest to remember, while the worst are easily called to mind.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5032755/Why-bad-jokes-are-easier-to-remember-than-the-good-ones.html

What do you call cheese that belongs to someone else?
Nacho cheese.

Bad-a-boom! I'm here all week, folks --try the veal.

There Is Such A Thing As "Same-sex Marriage: It's In the Dictionary!

Webster's dictionary redefines 'marriage'
Now includes references to same-sex relationships

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91995

The new definition references "marriage" as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife. But the definition also includes "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage."

This is pretty disturbing. It seems like those having a so-called "same-sex marriage" agenda --news media, academia, the entertainment industry -- are not above redefining terms in the most definitive of references to foist their views on the vast majority of us who otherwise wouldn't dream of this on our own. But then again, they feel they need to force this on the rest of us that are, comparatively speaking, unwashed and unenlightened. Those who control the airwaves know that whoever defines the terms, wins the argument.

According to the article, Webster associate editor Kory Stamper justified the redefinition:

"In recent years, this new sense of 'marriage' has appeared frequently and consistently throughout a broad spectrum of carefully edited publications, and is often used in phrases such as 'same-sex marriage' and 'gay marriage' by proponents and opponents alike. Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing our readers with accurate information about all of the word's current uses."

This is the weak argument that just because people widely utilize this term in published works and casual conversation, it merits conclusion in the dictionary as a recognized use of the term. But it goes beyond this, in that, as set forth in the dictionary entry, it is presented-- not as a colloquialism to be used in quotes or prefaced by a "so-called" ______ --but as a non-qualified, alternative definition of the word "marriage," a term (and state) perennially reserved in Western Civilization for the permanent and exclusive relationship between one man and one woman.

Readings For Sunday, March 22, 2009

Here are some resources for getting a deeper understanding of the readings we'll hear at this Sunday's Mass.

The readings, from the website of the U.S Catholic Bishops (USCCB):
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032209a.shtml

And a study/meditation from my website:
http://members.cox.net/fidelis927/this_week.htm

Charitible comments and discussion are always welcome! Have a blessed Lord's Day.

Alternative Bible Translation O.K.?

Question: I was thinking about using the Douay Rheims Bible [DR] for our Bible study at church. The main reason I want to use it is that it's set up great in my opinion, with footnotes instead of endnotes, scripture references, good size etc. PLUS it's a great translation. Should I just keep using my RSV-CE [Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition]? Most everyone in the Bible Study uses the NAB [New American Bible], but I'm just not the biggest fan of it so I've always used the RSV-CE, but I was just thinking about using my DR.

Answer: I think it is basically a good idea. I lead Bible studies at our parish and we predominately use the NAB because, right now, we are doing a study of the Sunday readings (the readings at Mass in the U.S. are mostly based on this translation) and because most of the group owns a NAB (my personal translation of preference is the RSV-CE). Since no translation is perfect, however, it is always helpful to have an alternate translation on hand to make an occasional comparison. I often supply an alternate reading of a particular verse when I think it will make things clearer or to bring out a deeper understanding of it. There are only two possible downsides to you using a different translation from everyone else: [1] If the group gets confused when it is your turn to read and you have to interpret the sometimes archaic language in the DRV, and [2] if you get frustrated because everyone elses reading is different from yours. Worse case scenario is if a showdown results over whether the group should insist on only one translation. Feelings get hurt that way.If you have any doubts and if you are not the leader of the group (and presuming the group has a leader) I would check with him or her first.

Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics

While I'm busy grinding gears trying to get underway in driving this blog, I'd like to kick it off with adding a link to an existing website of mine, Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics, found at http://members.cox.net/fidelis927/. If you're a Catholic who is looking [a] for a deeper understanding of the Sunday Mass readings and [b] information on getting started in learning more about the Bible, you may find this site helpful. It's updated every Wednesday evening (or so) with a study of the Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday's Catholic Mass.

Another thing I like to start doing is posting questions and answers I get about the Bible in particular and Catholic teaching in general. I periodically start and lead parish Bible study series and I get a lot of good questions from participants. I answer to the best of my ability at the time, but a lot of times I afterward think how I could have answered it better or more completely if I had had my home and online resources readily available. Also, I often go on Catholic online forums where I also get a chance to help people out with these types of questions. If I think a particular question and answer may be of interest on this blog, I may modify it and post it here.

Disclaimer: As I state on my Bible study website, I don't claim to be a scholar of any kind, but I do feel my knowledge in these areas is solid enough to be of interest and even helpful to others who are asking these questions. In any case, take it for what it's worth--if it's not helpful for you, it may be helpful for someone else.

Give God the Glory -- Here We Go!

This is the maiden post of my new blog so I'm afraid there won't be anything of substance in this particular post. Just feeling my way around and seeing what this baby can do. If I don't run away from this blogging thing in tears of frustration by not being able to make it what I want it to be, I plan to have some (what I hope is) more substantial content up real soon. Ta-ta for now.

St. Joseph, patron of this blog, pray for us!