QUARANTINE BLOG # 351

March 16, 2021

Yesterday the Vatican decreed that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.”  The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions since any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.  The Vatican holds that homosexual people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that homosexual sex is “intrinsically disordered.” Catholic teaching holds that marriage, a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of God’s plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

👉  In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland, and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots – even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible.  The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized.  The European Medicines Agency says there is “no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions.”  

👉  Let’s take a look at some more phobias.  Unless you have “phobophobia” or fear of phobias.

One of my favorite sandwiches is PB&J.  There is just something inherently good about two slices of bread covering generous helpings of peanut butter (choosey mothers choose Jif) and jelly.  But imagine if you have “arachibutyrophobia” – not the fear of peanut butter as an object, but the fear of having it stick to the roof of your mouth (this is not the very serious condition of being allergic to peanuts). 

Another phobia I would hate to have is “chiclephobia,” or the fear of chewing gum, because I am a world champion gum popper (the secret is to get an air bubble in a pocket and then pop it).  If you’re a chiclephobic, you're likely to have a fear of actually chewing gum yourself, coming close to a person chewing gum, or the sight of previously chewed gum.

Here are a few more:

Algophobia – fear of pain (well, duh!).  Amaxophobia – fear of riding in a car (depends on who is driving).  Arachnophobia – fear of spiders (if I get a chance to ask God one question, it will be “Why spiders?” and if He says they were necessary, I will ask for a second question, “Why did they have to be so ugly?”).  Ataxophobia –  fear of disorder or untidiness (no one with any direction connection to 117 Shenandoah Avenue in Loch Lynn, Maryland suffers from this one).  Bibliophobia –  fear of books (several of us have a fear of having too few books; not sure what that’s called – nonbibliophobia?).  Elurophobia – fear of cats (it afflicts no member of the Crew at 2042).  Enough for now.

👉  We haven’t looked at the origin of common phrases for a while, so here’s a couple:

Cat got your tongue – said to someone who remains silent when they are expected to speak.  There are two stories on how this saying came into being.  The first one says that it could have come from a whip called “Cat-o’-nine-tails” that was used by the English Navy for flogging and often left the victims speechless.  The second one is from ancient Egypt, where liars’ tongues were cut out as punishment and fed to the cats.

The walls have ears – be careful what you say as people may be eavesdropping.  The walls in the Louvre Palace in France was believed to have a network of listening tubes so that it would be possible to hear everything that was said in different rooms.  People say that this is how the Queen Catherine de’Medici discovered political secrets and plots.

👉  In QB 347 we played some tunes by Frank Sinatra.  Before we close today, let’s drop a quarter in the jukebox and get some great standards from another member of the Rat Pack, Dean Martin.

First, “That's Amore,” which became a major hit and signature song for Dean Martin in 1953.  The song first appeared in the soundtrack of the Martin and Lewis comedy film “The Caddy.”  It received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song of that year, but it lost to “Secret Love” from “Calamity Jane” starring Doris Day.

Martin recorded “Everybody Loves Somebody” in 1964 when the British Invasion was ruling the U.S. charts.  Martin resented rock n’ roll and he told his 12 year old son, “I’m gonna’ knock your pallies off the charts,” and on August 15, 1964 “Everybody Loves Somebody” knocked The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” off the #1 slot on Billboard, going to the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks.  It ultimately replaced “That’s Amore” as Martin’s signature song. 

John Wayne guests stared on an episode Dean Martin’s TV show and the two of them sang “Everybody Loves Somebody.”  Funny piece.

👉  Pilgrims In A Barren Land.

Psalm 107 gives four unforgettable pictures of the changing circumstances of life.  Each begins with one human predicament, and then proceeds to show the transformation that comes when faith lays hold on God.  And that leads to a thrilling call to praise: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for their goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

The first picture is of people as pilgrims: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in” (107:4).

We look back at the Hebrew fathers, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and the rest and they are all pilgrims.  Life is like that.  We are all travelers through the world, and it is easy to get lost on our pilgrimage.  Life gets tangled and confusing, perhaps no more so in recent memory than the last year.  And occasionally, with or without a pandemic, we ask, “Is this all?  Is this all life is meant to be?”

After the prologue and a call to thanksgiving, the psalmist says, “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses” (107:5-6).

This is a pilgrim whom God can guide.  Almost 300 years ago William Williams wrote the beautiful hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”  The first verse says, “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more.”  The psalmist echoes, “He led them forth by the right way” (107:7).

This is a pilgrim who has God for a guide.  Wouldn’t it be worth while to take time to listen to that guiding voice?

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (107:8-9).

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