Now, this is not as bad as it looks. Not that my German is good enough to really tell what's going on, but it seems like the Easter Bunny's speech is devout enough, and my best guess is that he is invited to speak after Communion instead of giving the homily, which would be inappropriate. (Bunnies are not valid matter for ordination.) Also, he doesn't give out candy until after the blessing and dismissal, revealing that he respects the integrity of the Mass and the communion fast.
Showing posts with label German. Show all posts
Showing posts with label German. Show all posts
April 29, 2012
Der Osterhase
I saw this over at WDTPRS and couldn't resist the re-post.
Now, this is not as bad as it looks. Not that my German is good enough to really tell what's going on, but it seems like the Easter Bunny's speech is devout enough, and my best guess is that he is invited to speak after Communion instead of giving the homily, which would be inappropriate. (Bunnies are not valid matter for ordination.) Also, he doesn't give out candy until after the blessing and dismissal, revealing that he respects the integrity of the Mass and the communion fast.
Now, this is not as bad as it looks. Not that my German is good enough to really tell what's going on, but it seems like the Easter Bunny's speech is devout enough, and my best guess is that he is invited to speak after Communion instead of giving the homily, which would be inappropriate. (Bunnies are not valid matter for ordination.) Also, he doesn't give out candy until after the blessing and dismissal, revealing that he respects the integrity of the Mass and the communion fast.
March 25, 2011
Lessons from Cinderella
On the long ride to BC yesterday, I was able to finish Aschenputtel. (For German practice, I've been reading in a little bilingual edition of the Brothers Grimm.)
It's another rather gruesome story with a lot of mixed messages. Here's what I learned:
The advice of one's mother is worth heeding.
Fathers cannot be trusted to protect their children from abusers.
Sometimes the pretty ones are evil.
Sometimes you have to put with oppression, but nevertheless you must be on the lookout for a way out.
Prayerful grief at the graves of loved ones is dear to God.
Be modest in what you ask of other people, but bold in what you ask of Providence.
People sometimes make promises without any intention of keeping them.
Lentils are worth the trouble.
The natural world is on the side of the good.
Nice clothes matter for making a first impression, but after that not so much.
Playing 'hard to get' works.
Doing violence to yourself to fit in will backfire, and you will end up crippled and bloody.
Men prefer women with small feet.
It's another rather gruesome story with a lot of mixed messages. Here's what I learned:
The advice of one's mother is worth heeding.
Fathers cannot be trusted to protect their children from abusers.
Sometimes the pretty ones are evil.
Sometimes you have to put with oppression, but nevertheless you must be on the lookout for a way out.
Prayerful grief at the graves of loved ones is dear to God.
Be modest in what you ask of other people, but bold in what you ask of Providence.
People sometimes make promises without any intention of keeping them.
Lentils are worth the trouble.
The natural world is on the side of the good.
Nice clothes matter for making a first impression, but after that not so much.
Playing 'hard to get' works.
Doing violence to yourself to fit in will backfire, and you will end up crippled and bloody.
Men prefer women with small feet.
January 25, 2011
Lessons from Hansel and Gretel
Over the winter break I came across a little bilingual edition of selected stories from the Brothers Grimm. I've been using it for my subway reading as a way to try to learn to read some German. I started with Hansel and Gretel, as it's a familiar story. Or so I thought. Truth be told, it's a rather macabre and depressing business. Not the least trouble is my nagging suspicion that the stepmother and the witch might be the same person, given that mom is announced to be (conveniently) dead after the children return home from Gretel having cooked up the witch in the oven.
However, certain lessons are to be learned from the glorious maladventure of these poor children. For example:
Grownups are not be trusted.
Even the good ones can be nagged and convinced to do horrible things to you.
It's a good idea to eavesdrop on those who are discussing what to do about you.
Make sure nobody locks you in the house.
Faced with mortal crisis, it is important to encourage one another, pray to God, and not to lose heart.
Sometimes sweet things are a trap.
People don't give you pancakes with milk, sugar, and nuts for no reason.
Witches can be recognized by their red eyes. Remember also that they can't see very far, but have a heightened sense of smell, like an animal.
It's not only acceptable to trick and kill those who enslave and try to kill you, it's a moral imperative.
Passive aggression and playing dumb can be powerful weapons in the hands of oppressed persons.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, even if it seems like an unlikely source. (i.e. the duck at the river)
Money fixes problems.
Deaths in families necessitate the reconfiguration of all other relationships.
However, certain lessons are to be learned from the glorious maladventure of these poor children. For example:
Grownups are not be trusted.
Even the good ones can be nagged and convinced to do horrible things to you.
It's a good idea to eavesdrop on those who are discussing what to do about you.
Make sure nobody locks you in the house.
Faced with mortal crisis, it is important to encourage one another, pray to God, and not to lose heart.
Sometimes sweet things are a trap.
People don't give you pancakes with milk, sugar, and nuts for no reason.
Witches can be recognized by their red eyes. Remember also that they can't see very far, but have a heightened sense of smell, like an animal.
It's not only acceptable to trick and kill those who enslave and try to kill you, it's a moral imperative.
Passive aggression and playing dumb can be powerful weapons in the hands of oppressed persons.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, even if it seems like an unlikely source. (i.e. the duck at the river)
Money fixes problems.
Deaths in families necessitate the reconfiguration of all other relationships.
December 1, 2010
Edith Stein
All of a sudden it feels like the end of the semester. Next week is the last of classes. All of my term work is in draft. It's rather uneven, and I'm not even sure how good some of it is, but it all represents a kind of groping and clumsy start at finding some direction in the obedience of this doctorate.
So as time opens up, I can get back to other things I either set aside because of the course work or left for later. But it also means I can find some time for personal reading. Various evidence suggests to me that it might be time for me to read Edith Stein. Does anybody who is better acquainted with her work have any advice? Because of the John of the Cross connection I'm curious about the Kreuzeswissenschaft/Science of the Cross, but I don't know if this is the right place to start.
Thanks in advance!
So as time opens up, I can get back to other things I either set aside because of the course work or left for later. But it also means I can find some time for personal reading. Various evidence suggests to me that it might be time for me to read Edith Stein. Does anybody who is better acquainted with her work have any advice? Because of the John of the Cross connection I'm curious about the Kreuzeswissenschaft/Science of the Cross, but I don't know if this is the right place to start.
Thanks in advance!
October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween
This wonderfully complicated day cannot pass without some tribute to the greatest of Rock and Roll's guilty pleasures, the Misfits, and their eponymous song. Here it is (sort of) in German:
October 19, 2009
Clergy Appreciation Month
I received an e-card this morning for the occasion of "clergy appreciation month." I didn't even know that there was such a thing! So now I'm sending some myself!
My favorite free e-careds are from the Bavarian Capuchins.
My favorite free e-careds are from the Bavarian Capuchins.
June 22, 2009
Little German Breviary
Today the mail brought my latest foreign language adventure, a German breviary. It seems as if it is their equivalent of our Shorter Christian Prayer, and contains Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline. Unlike our short breviary, which is usually in one volume, this seems to be four little inexpensive volumes for--as far as I can tell--Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, Ordinary Time, and then a fourth volume for the sanctoral cycle (which seems odd to me.) I ordered the ordinary time volume. What I really want right now is the Compline. Knowing it well, it's usually where I start when I'm trying to learn to pray in another language.
Anyway, it's an adorable little pocket-size prayer book. Here's the title page and the nice and sturdy Benedictus/Magnificat card:
And now I shall go on a pet rant. Even in this little breviary, as you can see in the picture below, Sunday antiphons for the Gospel Canticles are provided according to the three-year cycle of Sunday Gospels. This is how it is in the typical edition. I have no idea why our English translators didn't see fit to print the whole set for the three hinge hours each Sunday. Instead we get the antiphon that corresponds to year A for Evening Prayer I, year B for Morning Prayer, and year C for Evening Prayer II, which means that the antiphon only fits the Sunday Gospel one out of three times on each Sunday. Come on, guys.
It comes with three ribbons, which is generous for the size of the book. They are the cloth kind, which can't be cauterized with fire, and so have to be either tied or shellacked so they don't unravel.
Anyway, it's an adorable little pocket-size prayer book. Here's the title page and the nice and sturdy Benedictus/Magnificat card:
And now I shall go on a pet rant. Even in this little breviary, as you can see in the picture below, Sunday antiphons for the Gospel Canticles are provided according to the three-year cycle of Sunday Gospels. This is how it is in the typical edition. I have no idea why our English translators didn't see fit to print the whole set for the three hinge hours each Sunday. Instead we get the antiphon that corresponds to year A for Evening Prayer I, year B for Morning Prayer, and year C for Evening Prayer II, which means that the antiphon only fits the Sunday Gospel one out of three times on each Sunday. Come on, guys.
It comes with three ribbons, which is generous for the size of the book. They are the cloth kind, which can't be cauterized with fire, and so have to be either tied or shellacked so they don't unravel.
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