tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post5439323220936252743..comments2024-03-25T11:09:41.538-04:00Comments on a minor friar blog: Phase Change IdeaBrother Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-13101751724946713372012-12-19T05:40:41.302-05:002012-12-19T05:40:41.302-05:00I'm in Australia, well and truly in the southe...I'm in Australia, well and truly in the southern hemisphere. (but whether I'm much of a spiritual person - that's a question for God). I can tell you that the seasonal symbolism of the liturgical year is really just lost down here. <br /><br />Placing Lent and Easter where they are seems totally arbitrary. It only <i>really</i> made sense to me when I spent a spring in Ireland some years ago.<br /><br />In Advent, the symbolism around light is equally lost on short summer nights. A couple of years ago my parish organised compline on Mondays during Advent. By 9.30pm, it was dark enough to work. A real treat.<br /><br />Rarely, there is something appropriate for the season. Today's Benedictus antiphon (for 19 December) is probably the most striking I've ever seen: "The Saviour of the world will rise like the sun: and he will come down into the womb of the Virgin like rain gently falling on the earth". Now <b>that</b> says something when the flush of spring green has left and the grass has all turned a summer brown.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-42986860577468505662012-12-17T09:43:33.967-05:002012-12-17T09:43:33.967-05:00I can't exactly be sure if you're serious ...I can't exactly be sure if you're serious about his plan or half-joking, but from somebody who worked 3rd shift for a while, let me strongly caution you against this. When I was in graduate school, I worked overnight for a year, and I thought it would be great: it would free me from having to talk to people, and it would leave me lots of time to do work. I never got used to it, and was constantly tired, thus making my work that much harder to do. I also almost lost my ability to make conversation. I was on my way to becoming like one of those ferral children you hear about from time to time.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621099270590202701noreply@blogger.com