Satire

Before Christianity came to Ireland, there was tribal law forbidding the making of a satire against anyone, especially against the King.  If you were judged guilty of doing so, you had to pay an "honor price".   I don't recall what it was, but the point was that paying it (probably in cows, pigs or something like fine cloth) kept you from being exiled, which was a death sentence, or soundly beaten or killed, thus depriving the clan or tribe of your services, and saving your family from poverty and grief. Bishop Cait can correct me if I'm wrong here, but that's what I recall from my studies long ago. 
     Today we might call it sarcasm.  If you are around the culturally Irish you will see them unmercifully teasing one another with a straight face.  They might sound as if they really dislike one another.  But at some point one of them will grin, one will laugh, then all will laugh until they weep and gasp for breath.
    My personal struggle is not to do that with the non-Irish.  Actually hurting feelings by accident is never my intention.  If I wanted to really hurt someone there would be NO doubt about it!  Oh, I made a LOT of apologies once I got sober!!!
     Just babbling today, I guess.  Go read The Onion and laugh!
     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Critical Eye: Only One Story

I have come to believe that there is only one story to be found in the best of fiction and in the best of spirituality.  That is the story of the Christ:  Birth, Death and Resurrection. For example, in the fiction of Louise Penny, in her series about Inspector Gamauche of the Surete in Quebec, popularly referred to as "the stories of Three Pines," the Inspector is the major hero, who is not only flawed, but enlightened.  As in most fiction, all the characters can be seen as aspects of the author, which makes me wish I personally knew Ms. Penny. One of the most admirable aspects of the Inspector is his willingness to walk through the fire to reach the truth, in himself and in others.  The village of Three Pines seems to represent heaven, in a very Celtic Way:  All ground is holy ground, and any ground can be heaven or hell, depending on the awareness of the truth of those who can perceive it.  It seems to exist both in time and outside of time.   T...
Read more

How Then Shall We Live?

Dear God help us.  We live in a world full of ugly, serrated, twisted truths we would rather not face. And a world full of beautiful, courageous, gentle tenderness we pray is stronger than the dark side. It seems to me that I am called to love, as tenderly and gently as possible.  I am expected by my Beloved to treat myself first of all with that gentle love I am shown.   When I am in physical pain, it wears on my patience.  Except when I ride it out on the breath of prayer.  Keep me so close, my dear love, that each heartbeat is from you and for you.   I place myself in your hands.  Let me there rest upon your heart, where I can hear each holy beat giving life and beauty to your world.  Let me not dwell on things too deep or too high or too complicated for me.  I am tired Lord.  Let me rest a while, holding your blessed children to your holy heart.   Heal us dear Christ.  Sing to us our new song.  We love you. In His deep peace, Rev. Patti+
Read more

Tough Day

I am in a lot of pain today.  The temptation is to go back to sleep.  However, I am up, I took my meds and am ready to say mass.  Back later. I have been thinking about communication.  It is so difficult just between two human beings.  We project our opinions and our thoughts.  We have to work so hard to be a loving, open and accepting presence for others.  And yet, if we don't, what hope is there for us?  How grateful we are when someone "gets" us. Having a culture in common helps so much.  Just joking across cultures is risky.  Loving across cultures is much moreso.   Specifically I think of how to heal our own country.  It can only be done by ourselves I think.  And only if we risk giving each other the benefit of the doubt. We all at least try to love our own.  How can we make that include those we are tempted to see as wrong?  I pray for all of us.  Let us make this time of suffering one that transforms us into a strong and gentle people.  Let us not become small and...
Read more