3,000 Suscipiamurs, Plus Gluttony and Sloth

Wonders never cease! This morning there is an essay supporting the Pope in the Washington Post! On the other hand, the Baylor-Maryland women’s basketball matchup we hoped for is not going to happen.

…There are a few prayers of the Holy Mass which the priest prays silently. After the gifts are prepared on the altar, the priest bows and prays:

In spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito suscipiamur ad te Domine, et sic fiat sacrificium nostrum in conspectu tuo hodie ut placeat tibi Domine Deus.

(“In an humble spirit, and a contrite heart, may we be received by Thee, O Lord, and may our sacrifice be so offered up in Thy sight this day that it may please Thee, O Lord God.”)

This morning I bowed and said this prayer for the 3,000th time. May God be praised. Here is the homily I gave, the last in my Deadly-Sins series…

Baylor Rolls

The Baylor men have made it to the NIT semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Kim Mulkey is out of the hospital.

The Lady Bears advanced in the NCAAs.

Baylor could face Maryland in the Ladies’ Final Four in St. Louis.

…Bill Cosby is pretty funny on Noah, too.

Happy Annunciation Day!

Paisans Rule! Plus: Romeo, Juliet, and the Priest

I know that I am risking a few canceled subscriptions here, but…

Methinks Thou Dost Protest Too Much

The equinox has come and gone. Easter will arrive after the next full moon!

“Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ!”

“Praised be His Holy Name!”

This is the exchange I had in the middle of Columbia Rd., N.W. at 8:30 this morning.

The brother was wearing a tanktop with “Jesus is Lord” on the back.

Don’t talk to me about basketball, because…

Christ’s Anger, Cardinal Tumi, and N.I.T. Update

We recently touched on the subject of Christ driving the greedy merchants and money-changers out of the Temple.

An alert P. & B. D. reader sent your humble Preacher an excellent book chapter which deals with Christ’s zeal for His Father’s house. Here is how the author explains the anger of Christ:

While sin and ignorance found Him ever compassionate and merciful, irreverence towards God aroused Him to stern and terrible anger, for He saw in it the subversion of the order of truth and justice. –Rev. Edward Leen, In the Likeness of Christ.

Cardinal Tumi

…One of the prelates who has received our Holy Father in Cameroon is the Archbishop of Douala, Christian Cardinal Tumi.

Cardinal Tumi is perhaps the single most impressive human being I have ever encountered in my life.

He came to Washington to speak at our Eucharistic Congress in October of 2000. He has a prodigious mind. He was born and bred to rule. He is truly awesome. Next year he will turn 80.

…I don’t want to jinx anything, but the Hoyas are off to a good start against Baylor–up by nine points after fifteen minutes of play.

Kim Mulkey

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech finally finished off Duquesne after TWO overtimes!

Who says the N.I.T. isn’t cool?

Your servant is obviously pulling for Georgetown over Baylor. But a guy has to admit that the Baylor Ladies’ coach is awfully easy on the eyes.

She is at courtside for the men’s game, and it will be a shame to see her disappointed…

“Playing in the N.I.T. is not an embarrassment.”

–Seth Greenberg, coah of Virginia Tech.
No one is surprised that the Georgetown Hoyas are nowhere to be found in the NCAA brackets.

It is interesting to note that the Hoyas actually beat three of the top twelve seeds in the NCAA tournament (UConn, Memphis, and Syracuse).

On the other hand, three Big East teams that handily defeated Georgetown were not even invited to the N.I.T. (St. John’s, Seton Hall, Cincinnati).

If I were a St. John’s fan, I would be incensed that the Hoyas are in the N.I.T. and the Red Storm are not. After all, St. John’s beat Georgetown twice in eight days, and that was six days ago.

I searched St. John’s fan-blogs to find the justifiable rage. But the ragtag lot of Red Storm fans are resigned to their fate. Their team is going to the College Basketball Invitational.

At the N.I.T., the following could happen, and it would make life livable again:

The Hoyas beat Baylor, then Virginia Teach, then another team, then Davidson, then Notre Dame!

This dream scenario involves delightful re-matches.* It is also highly improbable.

(* Notre Dame beat us on New Year’s Eve. Davidson knocked us out of the NCAA tournament last Easter. Also, a Georgetown-Virginia Tech game would be great.)

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt has an excellent short speech. Benvolio protests that he has drawn his sword only to keep the peace, and the truculent Prince of Cats replies:

What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. 1.1.67-68

Well, let me say that I hate the phrase “March Madness.”

The phrase is a crass neologism. It is imprecise. It is inaccurate.

I hate the phrase, like I hate hell, all euphemisms, and Duke.

Baylor almost won the Big 12 Championship