Quinquagesima Sunday...

I love the name "Quinquagesima" ! In fact, all the "-gesimas" have a certain ring to them. Quinquagesima, as the inimitable Fr. Z reminds us, is the symbolic fiftieth day before Easter.

We're on the home straight before the rigours of Lent begin. Hopefully we've all decided on our penances, our prayers and our almsgiving for the Lenten season. If not, now is the last chance.

Tuesday is not "pancake" day - it's Shrove Tuesday. To be shriven is to be absolved from your sins. Shrove Tuesday is thus named because it was traditionally the day people went to Confession before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. The emphasis was on preparing for Lent, not just seeing Lent as preparation for Easter (though obviously it is that too!) But Ash Wednesday should not catch us unawares...

Excuses...

My MP, Teresa Pearce, replied to my concerns about same-sex "marriage" with what appears to be a standard letter, as she doesn't address the points I raised about teachers losing their jobs, churches being pressured by the ECHR, or priests going to prison. She also didn't bother to explain why this legislation was being addressed when so much else of far more importance was not being dealt with.

I really can't be bothered to type out the whole blurb. The main excuse she gives for voting in favour of the Bill is as follows...

"I understand that this is a sensitive matter... However, my stance on this issue is that I think that people should be treated equally, both socially and legally, no matter what their gender, race, religion or sexuality. My initial view was that the creation of civil partnerships removed the inequalities relating to property and inheritance that used to exist and therefore I was not convinced of the need to go that further step to gay marriage.

"However some very practical differences between civil partnerships and marriage have recently been brought to my attention. For instance, under the current laws relating to pensions, immigration and powers of attorney, people in civil partnerships are not given the same rights as people who are married..."

If this really was the case, it would seem far better to change the law regarding the practical differences rather than trying to redefine an institution which has been understood in the same way for millennia, the consequences of which have not been fully considered and which will lead to the persecution of people with religious beliefs.

Unless, of course, it is the intention to persecute those with religious beliefs...

Hunting Season Resumes...

It seems as if the recent lull in wildlife being brought in to the house may have come to an end...

The snow seemed to have discouraged the kitties from going hunting. It is understandable: the snow was deeper than the kitties are tall. Why get cold and wet when you don't have to?

I was getting ready to go out for tea with Leutgeb this afternoon when a sudden bang of the catflap and a squawk stopped me in my tracks. Miaowrini had her mouth full of pigeon, and was endeavoring to carry her catch through to the sitting room. At first I thought the bird was dead, and would have cleaned up the mess on my return, but another squawk suggested the bird was still alive.

Out came the towel - it calms the bird, which goes quite still when everything goes "dark," and the cat gets confused. I carried the bird to the window and opened the towel. The bird didn't move, and I feared it was so wounded I'd have to wring its neck. However, on throwing it upwards (I'm on the ground floor, I hasten to add), the bird fluttered its wings a bit, landed safely and ran off under a parked car.

As I left five minutes later, I looked for the pigeon, but it had gone - presumably it had got over its shock and flown away.

Miaowrini is still sulking...