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Daily Scribble

Easter Vigil

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The Church has many masses in a year, the regular Sunday mass, special occasions like church festivals, days of significants, Christmas or Easter.  Among all the masses, the Easter Vigil is the longest mass of the year.  Jesus was crucified and buried, his fellowers is waiting patient for his raise of death.  Unlike normal mass that has only 3 readings, the Vigil has 8 readings and a Gospel.  In additional, new adult Catholics are also baptised in the Vigil after studying the catechism since last September.  The mass is 3 hours long and it’s starts at 10p.m.  I think it’s a small miracle that I did not fall asleep.

Pat is the sponsor for her friend’s baptism.  Since I am married with Pat, I am also a co-sponsor.  Ada is our first god-daughter, although she is only a few years younger than us.  It is a joy to see some one baptism and joined the family of the Church.  When Ada shows up in Pat choir a few years back then, I image she would eventually drift away to join the more youth protestant church.  Somehow to me, she doesn’t look like the type of people would become a Catholic.  The profile does not fit but I guess there are always exceptions.

I felt very peaceful in the Easter Vigil.  3 hours passed surprisingly fast without even feeling bored.  The first 3 readings was in darkness, the ceiling lights are turned off and we can only rely on the candle in our hands.  Watching the candle fire dance in my hand and listening to the Latin chants gives me a mystical experience.  My mind is drawn to the fire along with all my worries and let the worries burn in the flame.  I didn’t pay much attention to the reading nor the homily, athough some words slip into my ear from time to time.  My mind was wandering, thinkings pop up and go.  All my worries, angers, expectations and contemplations flashed across my mind, until all my thoughts are exhausted.  When the priest is preparing the eucharist, my mind was almost empty and sort of in a state of mediatation.  I felt the Easter Vigil had gave me strength to live through the suffering in life.

Announcements

horace.org is having a new look

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Here I present you the new and improved horace.org. The renovation is not merely cosmetic, there are changes under the hook of the pretty face. Other than the new appearance, I also added many new features: spam control, tags, polls, post rating to make my blog more interactive.

I re-sorted the old articles into new categories for easier navigation and introduce some new categories. I will post useful and interesting news articles, links and pictures that I come across on the web under the new reference section. The update to the pages under the page menu on the top is still on the way. Over the next few weeks I will revise the contents and finish, stay tuned.

Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me how you like the new design. You can also vote on the poll on the right side bar.

Daily Scribble

Good Friday Retreat

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I am not a good christian according to the Church’s standard.  I don’t like going to church every week, although I don’t mind.  Actually, I don’t even agree with the teaching that christians should go to church every week.  However, Christmas and Easter are the two occasion that I believe all chritian should go to church.  It is OK not go to church on normal days, but not on these two important days.  That is the mininium requirement of being a christian.

Last night I went to a Good Friday retreat.  The event was for young adults and the topic is on suffering.  Father Justin had a talk on what suffering can benefits us and we can embrace suffering for Jesus.   We listened to a suffering story by surviving POW prisoner in Vietnam and did a group sharing.  Other than the presentation of the core message, there were also the usual activities of any retreat, like an ice breaker, Rosary, praise and worship.

The message of the night is about the usual  fuzzy warm feeling about God’s love.  We did not talk about the question of why suffering exists.  I can see a positive altitude on  suffering can help us coup better with suffering, especially those we can do nothing to change.  It is true that suffering may benefit us, but it still does not explain why it should exists in the first place.  It seems suffering has no intrinsic value but only instrumental value, it only serves the function to bring us closer to God.  However it does not follow that is the only way or the best way.  An almighty God should able to accomplish the same task without suffering.

One popular church saying is that God will not let us suffer that we cannot take.  Maybe those who survived the suffering can thank God for the test to make him a better man, but what about those who can’t make it out.  The POW prisoner did not regret his horrible experience in the POW camp that brings him closer to God.  But what about his fellow prisoners who never get home.  There over 2500 American soldiers captured by Vietnamese, after 5 years of in prison, only 300 are still alive, the mortality rate is over 80%.  It is undisputed that those only who have faith can survive the suffering.  But where is the meaning of the suffering of the dead whose life are lost in vain.

The take home message of the retreat is that suffering can make us a better person and closer to God.  I do agree with this message, especially when it applies to others.  There must some people really bothers you in your life, they did not intended to hurt you but it happens there are faults in their characters.  If they can become a better person and closer to God, their problems, and yours, should go away.  In this case, wishing them to suffer is not out of hate nor revenge, but sincerely for their own good so that they can learn some lessons from God.

Daily Scribble

Alumni Gathering.

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I have been thinking about whether or not I should go to the Appleby Alumni gathering.  I went to this highschool for two years when I first came to Canada.  I didn’t have much tie with the school nor did it leave me a very good memories.  I don’t even keep in touch with any classmates from those days.  Somehow, I don’t feel I like the school very much.

It has been many years since I graduated and the Alumni is having a gathering in Vancouver.  I decided to show up thinking maybe I will make some useful connections.  After all, it’s a school graduated a few Canadian prime ministers, and the alumni network suppose to be pretty useful.  It turns out not many people shows up in the gathering.  Other than the school staff traveling from Oakville to Vancouver on his way to visit his daughter, there are only a few old guys and a lady who is working as a school teacher.  I do met the president of the biggest construction firms in town.  Too bad that I am not a civil engineer.

I have been out of touch with the school and I didn’t make any effort to stay connected.  It is nice to hear some news about my teachers.  Most of them are still around and my least favorite one is gone.  New buildings are popping up here and there.  The dinning hall has become a new library and my old residence has been rebuilt.  Maybe I should pay a visit to the school when I go back to Toronto next month to see how much it has changed.

I enjoyed a relaxing evening with snack and drinks, chit-chating old school days with fellow alumni and listening to life stories of the old men.  The alumni gathering is gives me a different exposure to the many faces of life.  I don’t get to know people from this kind of social circle very often.

電影

Frost/Nixon 驚世真言

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Frost Nixon

一九七四年發生的水門事件﹐美國總統尼克遜在競選期間﹐指派特工竊聽競選對手﹐成為史上唯一下台的美國總統。可是繼任的福特總統﹐撤消控訴特赦了尼克遜。美國人民沒有機會親眼目睹﹐尼克遜在法庭內接受審判﹐為自己所犯下的罪行付責任。這時一個名不經傳的脫口騷主持﹐看中觀眾渴望尼克遜受審的收視市場﹐要讓尼克遜在電視訪問中親口認錯。主流傳媒認為這是一個可能的任務﹐沒有電視台肯出資拍攝。主持只好自抽腰包買下訪問權和播映時段﹐賭上全身家搏節目成功讓尼克遜認錯。這是一場大衛對巨人的舌戰﹐新進主持決戰老奸巨滑的前總統。

電影的劇本改篇自舞台劇﹐兩個主要角色也由舞台劇的演員擔任。電影模仿記錄片的拍攝手法﹐在過場時會安排角色現身說法﹐以當事人的身份在事後評論事件。可能是電影的內容不易明白﹐當中涉及很多傳媒和政治的權力遊戲﹐適當的時候需要為觀眾解畫。電影看起來只是訪問過氣總統的製作特輯﹐若果不明白水門事件在歷史的重要性﹐大慨不會懂得欣賞這套電影。電影中描繪的尼克遜﹐不愧為政壇老手﹐訪問時懂得如何避重就輕﹐輕輕帶過﹐尖銳問題﹐遊花園把話題帶回自己的功績。主持在首三場的訪問零比三大敗﹐訪問變成尼克遜的自我宣傳。若果節目沒有可觀賣點吸引觀眾﹐主持不單賠上投資的金錢﹐還會賠上名譽和前事業。最後一場訪問結果峰迴路轉﹐主持出奇招制勝﹐刺激尼克遜說出總統可以犯法﹐最後迫使他在鏡頭前向美國人民認錯。

看完電影後我上Youtube﹐重溫當年的原版訪問片段。雖然電影用戲劇性的表達手法﹐但並沒有過份跨張失實﹐兩位演員重構當年真人的神髓。唯一與史實不乎的地方﹐是尼克遜喝醉了打電話給主持﹐酒後吐真言讓主持找到突破缺口。現實中尼克遜當然不會犯這種錯誤﹐那有決鬥前把自己弱點告訴對手的道理。雖然那場戲的對白是編劇杜撰﹐我想那有可能是尼克遜的心底想說的話﹐完全演譯出他對權力的留戀﹐以及認為天下人都誤解自己的心態。主持經此一役後聲名大噪﹐不單節目投資回報大賺﹐更成其後平步青雲﹐成為電視史上最傑出的訪問主持﹐唯一訪問過所有美國總統和英國總理的人。不知道何時才會有香港版的驚世真言﹐陳志雲請同樣也是下台特首的董建華上飯局﹐讓他當著鏡頭前向全港市民道歉賠罪。