I think that I can safely claim the most outrageous headline for any post this year.......and, sadly, it is true.
Let me begin at the beginning.
~After last Saturday's great Mass and blognic involving the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma, I was on a high.
I had been fed a high protein diet of red meat, spiritually speaking.
And so it was I arrived at St James's Spanish Place for the 9.30am Mass the next day, Sunday.
All was good, all was calm. The celebrant (sorry, don't know his name) gave an excellent sermon on the same theme as the one that Fr McHardy had touched upon: we are moving into challenging times and, as Catholics, we must be prepared to stand our ground and not flinch in the face of the enemy.
After Mass, with two daughters, son-in-law, two grandchildren and Mrs L in tow, we opted for a Sunday brunch in Hyde Park, sitting outside a cafe on the banks of The Serpentine.
Again, all was good and calm untill a sudden commotion.
The crowds on the walkway were excited and there was a flurry of excitement and anticipation and then.......they appeared.
About 12 'nuns' surrounding a 'Pope' all running for some cause or another.
Oh, such jolly good fun. Let's ape the Catholic Church and mock the Holy Father.....how extremely witty and novel.
I was incensed (but not in the thurible sense).
Our family peace was disrupted by this rabble and, to make matters worse, much worse, the 'inepte' imitating the Pope was delivering mock (mockery) blessings to the crowd.
Aaaagh! My blood boiled over and I did a very untypical thing and a very un English thing; I bellowed at the top of my voice:
"Do it with a Muslim"
Not very good grammatically, I give you but I only had a split second to respond.
The 'Pope' looked mildly puzzled and the group kept on running but a few folk at surrounding tables seemed to find it amusing, whether in agreement with my sentiment or, more likely, at the fact that I had shouted in the first place, I do not know.
But, I do know that I am heartily sick of seeing such idiots poking fun at my Faith. It provokes a sort of Don Camillo side of my nature and I have to restrain myself from picking up a bench and launching myself at the transgressors.
Of course, they would never attempt such a stunt dressed as Imams with the women wearing hijabs and niqabs.
Why?
Because as well as being morons they are also cowards.
Let me begin at the beginning.
~After last Saturday's great Mass and blognic involving the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma, I was on a high.
I had been fed a high protein diet of red meat, spiritually speaking.
And so it was I arrived at St James's Spanish Place for the 9.30am Mass the next day, Sunday.
All was good, all was calm. The celebrant (sorry, don't know his name) gave an excellent sermon on the same theme as the one that Fr McHardy had touched upon: we are moving into challenging times and, as Catholics, we must be prepared to stand our ground and not flinch in the face of the enemy.
After Mass, with two daughters, son-in-law, two grandchildren and Mrs L in tow, we opted for a Sunday brunch in Hyde Park, sitting outside a cafe on the banks of The Serpentine.
Again, all was good and calm untill a sudden commotion.
The crowds on the walkway were excited and there was a flurry of excitement and anticipation and then.......they appeared.
About 12 'nuns' surrounding a 'Pope' all running for some cause or another.
Oh, such jolly good fun. Let's ape the Catholic Church and mock the Holy Father.....how extremely witty and novel.
I was incensed (but not in the thurible sense).
Our family peace was disrupted by this rabble and, to make matters worse, much worse, the 'inepte' imitating the Pope was delivering mock (mockery) blessings to the crowd.
Aaaagh! My blood boiled over and I did a very untypical thing and a very un English thing; I bellowed at the top of my voice:
"Do it with a Muslim"
Not very good grammatically, I give you but I only had a split second to respond.
The 'Pope' looked mildly puzzled and the group kept on running but a few folk at surrounding tables seemed to find it amusing, whether in agreement with my sentiment or, more likely, at the fact that I had shouted in the first place, I do not know.
But, I do know that I am heartily sick of seeing such idiots poking fun at my Faith. It provokes a sort of Don Camillo side of my nature and I have to restrain myself from picking up a bench and launching myself at the transgressors.
Of course, they would never attempt such a stunt dressed as Imams with the women wearing hijabs and niqabs.
Why?
Because as well as being morons they are also cowards.
