text:
"The Death of the Virgin Mary" by Caravaggio |
"The Assumption", Annibale Carracci of the Western tradition |
"The Dormition of the Theotokos" in the Eastern tradition of Theophanes the Greek |
"The Assumption of Mary" by Juan de Valdes Leal |
"The Death of the Virgin Mary" by Caravaggio |
"The Assumption", Annibale Carracci of the Western tradition |
"The Dormition of the Theotokos" in the Eastern tradition of Theophanes the Greek |
"The Assumption of Mary" by Juan de Valdes Leal |
I love this blog and thank you for your wonderful clarifications of so many things. I always believed that Mary (like Jesus) died before her Assumption. This post explains our beliefs in a most cogent way!
Pax tecum!
In the East the term "Dormition" always refers to the death of a Christian (since "God is God not God of the dead, but of the living", and all the saints are alive in Christ). The Dormition of St. Anne is also celebrated by us, but nobody thinks that her body was assumed into Heaven.
The usual point of disagreement between East and West over this has to do with whether the Theotokos was subject to "original sin". In the East, "original sin" means death - because she was human, and had to possess the fullness of humanity in order to transmit it to her Son, Mary died, and leaving the question open as the West seems to do is not acceptable. For this reason, Orthodox theologians after 1854 will deny the term "Immaculate Conception", although Orthodoxy has always taught the sinlessness and absolute purity of the Theotokos throughout the entire course of her life.
In the West, "original sin" means more like concupiscence, a tendency to sin, and the reatus of Adam's ancestral sin (which the East strongly reacted against when "reatus" was mistranslated "guilt"). This is regarded as being the cause of death, and since Mary was not subject to any of these, she did not "need" to die, but rather chose to in order to unite her sufferings to those of her Son. And indeed some Orthodox saints like St. Dimitri of Rostov will say that Mary died by choice in order to be more like her Son (though it is open to dispute how much he is actually reflecting the Eastern tradition, as if such a thing were completely autonomous, and how much he is reflecting his seminary education in Rome, where many Ukrainian Orthodox priests went to study having apparently not received the memo that they were in "schism").
I would say that in the New Eve, in such a perfectly sinless being as the Theotokos, how could there be any disjunction between her choice and her being? Her death was necessary, and it was also her choice, because she lived in the fullest depth of truth.
Could please clarify if Mary was resurrected or brought back to life. You seem to use these two interchangeably which can be misleading.
Was she brought back life (the same life she had before) and then was taken to heavenly glory, or has she passed on to the New Life, in a glorified body, like Christ, and then was taken up.
Thank you for your comments.
Mary was risen in the same sense that Christ was ... so she was resurrected, as in her body being revived and glorified, then she was assumed into Heaven.
Thanks for the clarification question. +
I think you missed an important point of my article.
You seem to think that the West is more open to the idea that Mary did not die than the East is - this is simply not the case (historically).
The fact is that the West has been much more direct than the East in affirming the death of the Virgin Mary ... since the East generally uses the metaphor (dormition), but we in the West use the direct language of "death".
Thank you for pointing out the tradition of the Dormition of St. Anne, very interesting! +
If the Blessed Virgin Mary indeed suffered death would it not be true also that she elected, as Jesus did, to suffer death since she was preserved from Original sin?
Liam's question gives rise to another. To what extent does the tradition affirm preternatural gifts to Mary?
It is sometimes hard to remember that immortality does not belong, by nature, to the body. It was a preternatural gift. Original sin is first and foremost the privation of the gift of original justice, and secondarily the gift of integrity (by which concupiscence was ordered to reason). The "what it is" of man, his nature in that sense, did not change at all by the fall, as he lost things beyond it.
It seems certain that Mary did not have all the preternatural gifts. For instance, she, like Christ, did not have the gift of impassibility. Not having original sin does not demand the other preternatural gifts (e.g. St. Thomas taught that the children of Adam, if the fall had not happened, would not have the gift of knowledge which he received)
So, it doesn't seem to me that freedom from death had to be granted to Mary.
I don't think the Eastern tradition is terribly ambiguous about her death. It is customary in Orthodox circles to say when someone has died that they have "fallen asleep in the Lord."
M+Some 10 years ago while visiting a Carmelite priest at their international college in Rome, he told me that just prior to the promulgation of the Dogam, a priest of a Marian order, late at night visited Pius XII. The dogma proclaimed the "Death" of Mary," but then changed it to "when she compmleted her earthly...."
I, for one, do not believe Our Lady died...death is the consequence of Original sin, ergo... Fr. Davis
Here is a full description of the Dormition of the Mother of God as found in Church Tradition and preserved by the Holy Orthodox Church. Note that as stated before, "dormition" refers clearly to "death" or to the "falling asleep unto the Lord" as is the term in the East for when any Christian dies.
The Dormition of the Mother of God.
The Most-holy Mother of God after the Ascension of Jesus Christ continued to live on earth several years. One Christian historian says — ten years, and another — twenty-two years. Apostle John the Theologian, according to the instructions of Jesus Christ, took Her into his home and cared for Her with great love as Her own son until the end of Her life. The Most-holy Mother of God became a mother to all twelve of the apostles in general. They prayed with Her with great joy and were comforted to listen to Her instructive conversations about the Saviour. When the Christian faith had spread to other lands, many Christians came from distant countries to see and listen to Her voice.
Living in Jerusalem, the Mother of God loved to visit those places where the Saviour had frequented and where he had suffered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended to Heaven. She prayed at these places weeping, remembering the suffering of the Saviour, and rejoicing at the places of His Resurrection and Ascension. She often prayed that Christ would soon take Her to Himself in Heaven.
One day, when the Most-holy Mary was praying thus on the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her with a branch from a date palm in Paradise and told Her the joyful news that in three days She would finish Her earthly life, and the Lord would take Her to Himself. The Most-holy Mother of God silently rejoiced over this news. She told Her adopted son, John, and began to prepare for Her end. At that time, the other apostles were not in Jerusalem, as they had dispersed to other countries to preach about the Saviour. The Mother of God wanted to bid farewell to them, and so the Lord in a miraculous manner gathered all the apostles to Her, except Thomas, transporting them by His omnipotent power.
Grief befell them over losing the Mother of the Lord and their own spiritual Mother when they learned why God had gathered them. But the Mother of God comforted them promising not to leave them and all Christians after Her death and promising also to pray for them. Then, She blessed them all.
(cont. on next comment)
Here is part II of the story (I apologize if part 1 appears multiple times)
Three days after the burial of the Mother of God, the absent Apostle Thomas arrived in Jerusalem. He was greatly saddened that he had not been able to say farewell to the Mother of God; and with all his heart, he desired to venerate Her most pure remains. The apostles felt so sorry for him that they decided to go and roll away the stone from the tomb to give him the possibility to venerate for the last time the body of the Mother of God. But when they opened the tomb, Her most holy body was not found, but only one piece of burial shroud was there. The amazed apostles returned to the house together and prayed to God to reveal to them what had become of the body of the Mother of God. In the evening, at the end of dinner during prayer, they heard angelic singing. Looking up, the apostles saw in the air the Mother of God surrounded by angels and in the radiance of heavenly glory. The Mother of God said to the apostles, "Rejoice! I am with you always and will pray for you before God."
The apostles exclaimed to Her in joy, "Most-holy Mother of God, help us!"
Thus the Lord Jesus Christ glorified His Most-holy Mother. He resurrected Her and took Her most holy body to Himself and set Her higher than all His angels.
Note: A full description of the Dormition of the Mother of God is found in Church Tradition and preserved by the Holy Orthodox Church.
The Dormition of our Most-holy Lady Mother of God is celebrated by the Holy Orthodox Church as one of its major feasts on the 15th of August (28th of August NS). Preceding this feast, there is a two-week fast beginning from the 1st of August. This feast is called the Dormition ("falling asleep") because the Mother of God died quietly as if She was falling asleep and, more importantly, because of the short sojourn of Her body in the grave. After three days, She was resurrected by the Lord and ascended into Heaven.
Troparion of the Feast.
In giving birth Thou didst preserve Thy virginity; in Thy dormition Thou didst not forsake the world, O Theotokos. Thou wast translated unto life, since Thou art the Mother of Life; and by Thine intercessions dost Thou deliver our souls from death.
I'm fascinated with this tradition and the story is credible. I believe that Our Mother died and was assumed to heaven body and soul.Ave Maria!
An excellent post, Father!
Permit me, though, to respond to the following assertion, which in no way detracts from the quality of your article.
"You seem to think that the West is more open to the idea that Mary did not die than the East is - this is simply not the case (historically)."
The following article from the 1950's names some of the leading Mariologists of the time as supporters of the immortality of the Blessed Virgin Mary (see p. 593):
I think that the death of the Holy Mother of God can be defended without denying that there was, indeed, a sizeable movement within the Latin tradition to defend the idea that she didn't die.
Thank you all for your comments. There is a lot here and I am trying to understand everything.
Seraphim, could you further describe the idea that Mary chose to die? It seems very suggestive in a time where we struggle with the evil of euthanasia
I'm so sorry, in the late of the night I missed pasting the middle of the story. This part follows my first comment. My apologies!
At the hour of Her death, an extraordinary light shone in the room where the Mother of God lay. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, surrounded by angels, appeared and received Her pure soul.
The apostles buried the pure body of the Mother of God according to Her wishes in the Garden of Gethsemane where the body of Her parents and the righteous Joseph were buried. At the funeral, many miracles were performed. By touching the deathbed of the Mother of God, the blind regained their sight, demons were driven away, and all sorts of illnesses were cured. Crowds of people followed Her most pure body. Jewish priests and leaders tried to break up this holy procession, but the Lord invisibly protected it. One of the Jewish priests, by the name of Athonius, ran up, seized and tried to overturn the bier on which the body of the Mother of God was laid. But an invisible angel chopped off both his hands. Athonius, struck by such a wondrous miracle, repented and the Apostle Peter healed him.
Here is the website where you can read it easier (the comments didn't allow me to paste it all in at once and then I missed the middle part - that happens when you have mommy brain!). This account is documented in the early Church, it is for all, Catholics and Orthodox to enjoy and impart to our children.
and yet an additional version of the same exact account:
Fr. Davis (anon 5:00pm),
While I do not believe that the issue is definitavely settled, still I must say that it does not seem safe to assert that Mary did not die.
Those who claim that Mary did not die are really extremely novel and modern in their thinking. They contradict the teaching of all (or very nearly all) of the Church Fathers who spoke to the issue.
They contradict the scholastic theologians (and all the doctors of the Church) who spoke to the issue.
They also contradict the ordinary magisterium of the Church as expressed by Pius XII [consider the numerous citations in my article].
Also, I have never put to much faith in these stories of mysterious "priests of a Marian order" who make "late night" visits to Popes ... which "Marian order?" ... who was the priest? ... how did he gain access to the Pope "late at night"?
In any case, I will trust the Fathers and the Doctors of the Church (and Pope Pius XII, who many times over asserts that Mary did die) over these "late night priests".
Still, to be very clear, I do not say that we are bound to the doctrine de fide ... but I think we owe at least obedience of mind and will.
It is not "conservative", "traditional", or even "devotional" to think that Mary did not die -- rather, it is an extremely modern opinion.
@Vincent and others,
Regarding whether the East believes that Mary died.
I may not have been as clear as I should have been -- of course, the Fathers and theologians of the East have (nearly unanimously) asserted that Mary did die, that her soul was separated from her body, and even that she was entombed.
My point in this article is to stress that this is not simply an Eastern opinion, but is also affirmed by the Western Church. In fact, the West has generally been MORE EXPLICIT in affirming that Mary died, since we use the word "Death" rather than the metaphor "Dormition" ... I only mean to point out that the Latin Church speaks to the matter in a more direct way, though I am quite certain that the tradition of the Eastern Church is equally solid.
Thank you all for your clarifications on the Eastern Catholic tradition!
Peace and blessings. +
Regarding the question of whether Mary "chose to die" in the same manner as Jesus did ...
I think we must make an important distinction: Jesus "gave up his spirit" and died, he laid down his life, not by his power as man, but by his power as God.
Even as a perfect man, Jesus did not have absolute control over his life/death. It was only through his power as God, that he was able to chose (in the fullest sense of the word) to give up his spirit and lay down his life.
Hence, I think we can see that (whatever we may mean talk about the possibility of Mary "choosing" to die) our Lady did not have the same power as Christ of laying down her life at her will.
Hope this is clear ... I think that there is much room for fruitful theological discussion and reflection on this fascinating mystery! +
This is from the Fifth Matins Lesson from the Roman Office for 15 August, promulgated by Pius XII at the same time as he did the Aposotlic Constitution.
From a homily by St. John of Damascus:
**From her true life had flowed for all men, and how should she taste of death? But she yielded obedience to the law established by him to whom she had given birth, and, as the daughter of the old Adam, underwent the old sentence, which even her Son, who is the very Life Itself, had not refused ;**
Now, what is this "old sentence" that even Jesus did not refuse but physical death?
I don't know how human langauge in the Holy Liturgy can be more explicit in saying that the Theotokos did undergo physical death. Her soul did separate from her body--howsoever briefly.
Two more tidbits:
1. One of the hymns chanted in both the Byzantine Office and Liturgy for 15 August is this:
The limits of nature are overcome in you, O pure Virgin. For birthgiving remains virginal, and life is united to death. A virgin after childbearing, and alive after death, you ever save your inheritance, O Theotokos.
So you see two reverences in one hymn about the Theotokos being dead.
2. Echoing St. Louis de Montfort (I think it was), Bl. John Paul II said that the Theotokos did not die as a result of sin, sickness, suffering, old age, or any such thing, but rather yielded up her soul in a transport of love for her Divine Son.
As I recall, there are references in mystical writings in both East and West where the writers described feeling such loving sweetness they thought their souls would leave their bodies.
May such a repose be granted to us all.
Thanks for the many quotations and info ... I think your points show that the truly "devotional" belief is to think that Mary did die a holy and blessed death.
Again, this shows that those who want to say that Mary did not die are not really "conservative" or "devout", but are extremely modern and not well grounded in the tradition.
Peace to you! +
I am responding now to two comments in response to mine.
First, I didn't miss the point of your article; I disagreed with it. The West in its dogmatic definition did phrase it very precisely in order to leave the matter open, regardless of how untraditional or modern the view that she did not die may be; in the East the term "dormition" is not at all ambiguous or indirect but means "death" just as clearly as the word "death" means. I am glad that historically the West was on the same page; I chalk up a lot of deviations from tradition in the West (rejection or ignorance of theosis and of praying facing East, the death of the Theotokos, the inviolability of the hymen of the Theotokos during childbirth, the sacramental nature of iconography, the childhood of the Theotokos in the Temple, etc.) simply to poor catechesis and widespread ignorance.
Secondly, an anonymous commentor asked me to explain better how the Theotokos chose to die. This is my explanation, not that of St. Dimitri's, since I don't remember where he wrote this. She chose to die by uniting her will to that of her Son. It is impossible that one as holy as the Mother of God should be bound and enslaved to matter, something less than her; as the New Eve, she was truly of the Spirit and not carnal in the Pauline sense (I don't really like the terminology because it can easily smack of a Gnosticism I want to avoid, since I have not only the greatest respect but also love for corporeality). Rather, her will was perfectly united to the will of the natural law, the order of creation created by God (including death, the natural consequence of sin). She chose to die because she willed reality into being, co-operating with God in willing the creation of the world and the nature of its denizens (including the consequences they received from original sin). Christ told some saint that He does nothing without asking His mother, and this includes her death, the necessary consequence of the ancestral sin.
It is truly a wonderful thing to will one's own reality. Sartre said that "man makes himself", and Kierkegaard often spoke of man's authenticity, and in the Theotokos we saw the perfect example of this, where will and truth are perfectly united. (I don't Sartre understood anywhere close to the full depth of his words.)
It has absolutely nothing to do with euthanasia, which is a denying and turning away from the truth of things rather than an embracing of it. It has no more similarity to euthanasia than Christ's sacrifice on the Cross does.
Father Davis argued that Mary could not have died because she was not subject to original sin. This is why the East is insistent that Mary was subject to original sin, though as one absolutely free from all taint of sin "even in thought" (according to St. Silouan the Athonite), her dormition was perfectly peaceful. This is not a disagreement with the doctrinal pronoucement of Rome on the Immaculate Conception, only a different emphasis on what we mean by "original sin" (or "ancestral sin", to use the more common Eastern expression). While the value of the Western theological expression is certainly not something I would deny, the Eastern expression does avoid the error of arguing that Mary could not have died. She did die, and this is the extent to which she too was subject to original sin.
When I was received into full communion with Rome (which, incidentally, I should clarify was from high-church Protestantism, not Orthodoxy), the priest told me that while Mary chose to die in order to unite her sufferings to her Son, she did not need to. I cannot see how the choice of the Mother of God could possibly be trivial enough to be something simply arbitrary. If she chose it, it was necessary in the order of things, because she lived deeply enough in the truth that her choices had real gravity, like her choice to bear the Word at the Annunciation, or her choice to begin the ministry of her Son at Cana.
And the fact remains that the West says "death" rather than using a metaphor ... hence, "The Death of the Virgin Mary" is a Latin tradition [which is shared also with the East, though in a less explicit manner].
And Father, I still maintain that in our vocabulary the term "dormition" is not a metaphor or any less explicit than the term "death". Otherwise we would not speak of the dormition of St. Anne or of any other other saints. I am happy that the West uses the term "death", and that the dormition of the Theotokos is therefore a Latin tradition too.
I don't want to belabor this point too much, and I am very grateful to you for pointing out the wide use of the term "dormition" ... but the simple fact is that "dormition" is a metaphor for "death".
"Dormition", in the strict literal sense, means "sleeping". "Sleep" is a metaphor for "death". That is all there is too it. "Sleep" does not mean "death" according to the strictly literal sense, but only according to the metaphor ... hence, when I ask you "Did you have a good sleep last night?", I am not asking you if you died last night.
And, its ok to use metaphors (even in theology), we use them all the time (and so does the Bible) -- and they are part of the broad literal sense; but they are still metaphors and not direct speech.
And I would point out (as I'm sure you are well aware) that many in the East do explicitly say "death" as well ... but the more general term is "dormition" -- which is a metaphor, but which is just as strong and true in affirming Mary's death (though it is not quite as direct, since it is a metaphor).
I hope that makes sense ... It's not meant as a slight to the East.
Peace! +
Unfortunately in the liturgical reform of 1955 the Assumption lost its very ancient (9th-century) Octave. The Matins lessons all through the octave had some very beautiful readings from the Fathers.
Regarding whether or not Mary had original sin.
We simply cannot say that she suffered from original sin, because original sin is the lack of grace (it is being conceived without the state of grace) ... and this would be heresy.
To conflate original sin with death is absurd ... it would mean that Christ had original sin ... what is more, it confuses the punishment for sin (i.e. death) with the state itself (i.e. being conceived without grace).
I'm sorry, but whether you are East or West, you simply cannot state that Mary was subject to original sin and that this is why she died ... else, we would have to say that Christ too was subject to original sin since he too was able to die.
It seems most likely that she simply gave up her spirit to the Lord. She prayed the Lord to allow her to die in imitation of her Son, and the prayer was granted.
I am reading a beautiful book: "The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos" from Holy Apostles Convent. It is written within the context of Holy Orthodox Tradition, but I'm sure many Catholics would enjoy the contents, even if there are differences in theology between Catholics and Orthodox. It's an extensive book which draws from Scripture and ancient writings, many from the early Church Fathers such as St. Ignatios of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus of Lyons and St. Hippolytos, as well as other righteous ones up to modern times. It draws from the rich hymnography of the Church and iconography; the hymns and icons narrate and amplify the Gospel and Holy Tradition. I will quote in the next comment what it says about Immaculate Conception.
From the aforementioned book, quoting St. John Maximovich: "If the Theotokos (God-bearer in Greek) was preserved from this "original sin", that would make God unmerciful and unjust. If God preserved her, why then does He not purify all men? But then that would have meant saving men before their birth, apart from their will. This teaching would tehn deny all her virtues. After all, if Mary, even in the womb of Anna, when she could not even desire anything good or evil, was preserved by God's grace from every impurity, and then by that grace was preserved from sin even after brith, then in what does her virtue consist? She would have been placed in the state of being unable to sin. The Virgin as a true daughter of Adam and Eve, also inherited death. She was not in a state of never being able to die. Thus St. John of Damascuas writes on the occasion of her Dormition, O pure Virgin, sprung form mortal loins, thine end was conformable to nature. Blessed Archbishop John Maximovich continues to comment that the Virgin was not placed in the state of being unable to sin, but continued to take care for her salvation and overcame all temptations. The righteousness and sanctity of the Virgin Mary was manifested in the fact that she, being "human with passions like us," so loved God and gave herself over to Him, that by her purity she was exalted above all creatures. Mary was to become the Mother of God, the Theotokos, not because she was to give birth to divinity, but that through her the Word became true man, God-man.
@Alexandra M.G.
John Maximovich is not recognized as a Saint in the Catholic Church.
I think that quote is a good example of pelagianism ... the idea that God cannot give grace until we do something.
In fact, the point about "why didn't He purify all men?" is very very poor theology ... it would mean that neither our Lord nor our Lady could have received any special graces ... excepting insofar as they "earned" these graces ... again, patented pelagianism.
Oh dear, the Orthodox theologians are terribly terribly confused ...
The Latin Church too believes that Mary was CAPABLE of sin - she had a free will, and, as the New Eve, was placed in a situation (the Annunciation) where she was offered a choice to accept God's will or say no. (It was not a temptation from Satan, however, but a choice presented to her freedom and rationality by the Archangel Gabriel.) So they would agree with you and with St. John Maximovitch about her taking care of her salvation and overcoming all "temptations" (they simply were not temptations that side-stepped her noetic integrity as they do with us; she knew what she was doing and what the choices she was offered with were).
Both the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches agree on the utter purity and sinlessness of the Theotokos. I quote St. Silouan the Athonite, as quoted by his disciple Archimandrite Sophrony:
"In church I was listening to a reading from the prophet Isaiah, and at the words, 'Wash you, make you clean,' I reflected, 'Maybe the Mother of God sinned at one time or another, if only in thought.' And, marvelous to relate, in unison with my prayer a voice sounded in my heart, saying clearly, 'The Mother of God never sinned even in thought.' Thus did the Holy Spirit bear witness in my heart to her purity."
That's the Roman Catholic dogma in a nutshell.
For an Orthodox perspective on the compatibility of Orthodoxy with Rome on this (partisan polemics notwithstanding), Fr. Lev Gillet ("A Monk of the Eastern Church", author of classic books on "The Prayer of Jesus" and "Orthodox Spirituality") wrote an article on it republished at this blog:
Fr. Gillet was following the arguments of earlier Orthodox theologians like Polotsky and Amfitreoloff, in turn following the Greek Fathers who argued for the sinlessness of the Theotokos on Christological grounds. (As St. Proclus of Constantinople said, "As He formed her without any stain of her own, so He proceeded from her contracting no stain.")
Have a blessed Nativity of the Theotokos.
In peace,
Fr. Erlenbush,
All Orthodox saints are on the Eastern Catholic calendars and can be publicly venerated during Liturgy; I've even been told that St. Alexis Toth (who led an exodus of several thousand Ruthenian Catholics into Orthodoxy) has his troparia during Liturgy at the Russian Catholic parishes in California since they use the Orthodox Church of America's synodikon, and if so St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (St. John Maximovitch) would be one of the more prominent saints venerated there. His relics are kept nearby.
This does not mean that many saints venerated in Catholic churches did not succumb to anti-Catholic polemics and cheap argumentation in order to trump of a heresy (as St. Jerome predicted they would) in order to preserve some superficial image of Holy Orthodoxy as untainted by Romanism. St. Gregory Palamas (celebrated in all Eastern Catholic churches on the Second Sunday of Great Lent as the continuation of the feast of the Triumph of Holy Orthodoxy, as well as in his own feast in November) and St. Photios the Great engaged in anti-Latin polemics too. This doesn't detract from their authority as saints and theologians; it only means that they must be understood in context (of their polemical shortcomings).
Orthodox tradition should be judged according to its teaching throughout the centuries, which was always strongly in favor of the sinlessness and purity of the Panaghia. As my favorite troparion (sung during Orthros/Matins in Great Lent) reads, "To your protection do we fly, O Mary Theotokos; despise then not our cry. From every peril shelter us, for you alone are immaculate - the Mother of our God."
Father, forgive me, I've obviously upset you. I am surprised that you would call Eastern Church heretical and confused. Especially since there has been great effort by the West to make ammends with the Eastern Church. I have a hard time with Catholic doctrine that is introduced so late in time, with lack of clear evidence in the writings of the early Church Fathers. The Orthodox Church does not introduce new doctrine, if it isn't broken, it doesn't require to be fixed. Which is precisely the case with the Immaculate Conception. This doctrine then causes confusion with Catholics on the concept of Her death and whether She died and why she died. You go through great lengths to say why the Catholic usage of the word "death" makes it clearer, yet your article deals with confusion among Catholics as to whether she died or not. This confusion simply doesn't exist in the East. As for your name calling, pelagianism was condemned as heresy in the Council of Carthage in 418AD. St. John of Maximovich is an American Orthodox Saint whose incorrupt relics can be venerated today in the San Francisco Cathedral, "Joy of All Who Sorrow."
Here is a short description of pelagianism, couldn't be farther from Orthodox doctrine: Pelagianism views humanity as basically good and morally unaffected by the Fall. It denies the imputation of Adam's sin, original sin, total depravity, and substitutionary atonement. It simultaneously views man as fundamentally good and in possession of libertarian free will. With regards to salvation, it teaches that man has the ability in and of himself (apart from divine aid) to obey God and earn eternal salvation. Pelagianism is overwhelmingly incompatible with the Bible and was historically opposed by Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo, leading to its condemnation as a heresy at Council of Carthage in 418 A.D. These condemnations were summarily ratified at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431).
I admit I usually don't participate on Catholic blogs! So please forgive me for any offense. My Catholic sister and dear friend forwarded me this link. Her and I have the greatest respect for each other's faith, despite our differences. May God bless us all with peace and understanding.
@Seraphim, Thank you for the clarification to the effect that the Eastern Catholic Church does venerate St. John! What a joy for me to discover another saint! +
@Alexandra M.G.,
I am not at all upset ... I am only writing clearly, directly, and concisely. Please do know that this discussion can be very profitable and need not be overly polemical (I will do my best to avoid the polemics as well!).
Still, the essence of pelagianism is that we earn grace through our works ... that seems to the the essence also of your earlier quotation ... that Mary had to earn her graces, and therefore could not have been conceived without sin.
This is very very wrong, on many levels.
Peace to all! +
Father, if I might clarify a better-phrased version of the recent Orthodox theolegoumenon formulated in opposition to the West's definition of the Immaculate Conception, it is usually said that the Theotokos was sanctified and perfectly divinized and made free of all sin at the Annunciation when the Incarnation took place, the rationale being that man cannot become God until God has become man. However, she was saintly and pure even before the Annunciation, just not perfected. Her perfection thus was not something she earned (in the Pelagian manner), but a grace given through the Incarnation.
To this argument (which was presented to me in private correspondence from an Orthodox priest, Fr. Borislav Kroner), I would respond that one needs the Incarnation to be sanctified and made holy (even imperfectly holy) no less than perfect and free from all sin, and that there is no reason why she could not have been sanctified by the Incarnation even before the Incarnation happened, because God works outside of time. (Adam and Eve, whom both Orthodox and Catholic dogma teaches were in the state of grace or divinization, also could only have been divinized by the future Incarnation, which is why the East is more skeptical of the Thomist argument that Christ would not have become man if the Fall had not happened; my personal view, which strives to preserve both that argument and the Western liturgical formulation of "O felix culpa," is that the Fall happened and any discussion of "what if" is more or less meaningless, since God is outside of time and does not need to wonder about future possibilities.)
Seraphim, thank you for this clarification, I found it very helpful in understanding the differences and commonalities between the two Churches. And yes, a blessed and joyous feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos to all!
Fr. Ryan, I don't see it as Mary having to earn her grace, I see it as accepting God's will perfectly. We glorify her as the Immaculate One, all pure and sinless, because she had free will, yet always did God's will. If she was conceived without sin, then it wouldn't have been her choice. The fact that her will was God's will (yet she had the freedom to choose) exalts her even more. Thank you for the post!
Please see my above comment for an explanation of a better Orthodox objection to the Immaculate Conception. I do think that the phrasing of St. John Maximovitch was guilty of Pelagianism, inadvertantly as it may have been. He was a holy bishop and missionary (as evidenced by the incorruption of his relics), but sometimes quite a bit sloppy as a theologian, a fault more of his intellect than of his sanctity. The same fault was shared by his disciple, Blessed Seraphim (Rose) of Platina, who was also incorrupt and whose body gave off the fragrance of roses after his death, but who has been heavily and justly criticized by other Orthodox for undue influence from Gnostic traditions.
And for the historic acceptance of the phrase "Immaculate Conception" by the Orthodox Church, especially by the Ukrainian saints of the Kyievan Baroque (who formed lay brotherhoods named the "Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception"), including incidentally a different St. John Maximovitch (ancestor of the one you were quoting), see the article by Fr. Lev Gillet that I linked.
There is a lot of Patristic support for the dogma in the Latin Fathers, whom I'm not as familiar with as the Greek. St. Proclus of Constantinople whom I quoted was a 5th-century Father.
Here are a handful of quotations from the Fathers that I could find, some Latin and some Greek:
"This Virgin Mother of the Only-begotten of God is called Mary, worthy of God, immaculate of the immaculate, one of the one." (Origen, Homily 1 [A.D. 244]).
"Come, then, and search out your sheep, not through your servants or hired men, but do it yourself. Lift me up bodily and in the flesh, which is fallen in Adam. Lift me up not from Sarah but from Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled but a Virgin whom grace had made inviolate, free of every stain of sin." (St. Ambrose, Commentary on Psalm 118:22-30 [A.D. 387])
For later Patristic teaching of the Immaculate Conception, you'll find it in Cyril Loukaris' homily on the Dormition. And St. Gregory Palamas went even farther and taught the progressive gracing of the entire ancestry of Our Lord, so that by the time the Theotokos was conceived without any stain of original sin whatsoever it was the consummation and fulfillment of a long, gradual process of sanctification. And here are some quotations from sources I happen to have on hand:
"Earth she [Mary] is, because she is from earth; but she is a new earth, since she derives in no way from her ancestors and has not inherited the old leaven. She is… a new dough and has originated a new race." - St. Nicolas Cabasilas, Hom. In Dorm. 4; PG 19:498, quoted in Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology, 148
"The grace of God delivered her [Mary] completely, just as if she had been conceived virginally [sic]… Thence, because she was completely liberated from the ancestral guilt and punishment - a privilege which she is the only one of the human race to have received - her soul is altogether inaccessible to the clouds of [impure] thoughts, and she became, in body and soul, a divine sanctuary." - Gennadios Scholarios, Oeuvres completes de Georges Scholarios, ed. J. Petit and M. Jugie, II:501, quoted in Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology p. 148
"The fact that her will was God's will (yet she had the freedom to choose) exalts her even more."
Alexandra, thank you for that beautiful and succinct sentence - it speaks many lyrical volumes!
Alexandra, You still have the idea that Mary had to choose before God would work his grace ... this is quite a dangerous thought ... the simple fact is that God can remit sin in a child without the assent of the child's will ... not that God works AGAINST our free will, but simply to say that the child has no use of free will and is yet sanctified by grace ... such was the case when Mary was Conceived Immaculate.
Peace. +
Fr. Ryan, the only danger here lies in my inability for lack of time or knowledge to convey most accurately what the Orthodox Church teaches about the Blessed Mother. "Rejoice O Virgin Theotokos, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. For thou has born the Saviour of our souls." If I failed to convey the importance of grace in prior posts, perhaps I felt like it was obvious. Nothing about the Virgin Mary is without the Grace of God. Through the grace of God, Joachim and Anna conceived her in their old age. Through grace, Mary chose (her own free will) to live a spotless life. It's a mystery to me where exactly the two, Grace and Free Will, meet. We cannot comprehend everything - this is why some things are left a mystery, especially when it comes to the Virgin Mary.
Just as we don't earn our Salvation, Mary could never earn her role in the universe. Our salvation is given to us by the Grace of God. Therefore, the Virgin Mary by Grace of God, was who she was, however, she cooperated (and we cooperate too, but by Grace we are saved - we don't even meet God half way, not even close, but we accept His Grace and do good works to increase our faith to be closer to God). The Virgin Mary is exemplary for all Christians; God bestowed His grace on her and she accepted her role (the Annunciation) and always made her will one with God's will. Again, a mystery beyond human comprehension, which is why the Eastern Orthodox Church does not try to explain in doctrine the inexplicable, but instead to glorify and be in awe of the Queen and joy of all who sorrow.
I had never heard that St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco was sloppy as a theologian - I understand that you put it in the context of intellect, not sanctity - yet still I never heard that I will follow up with my priest. I have heard of him as a wonderworker, clairvoyant and prophetic. He is much loved in the Orthodox community, as is Fr. Seraphim Rose. Below are some excerpts from an article by St. John. We could probably go on and on with quotes, but I thought it was worth including a few and the link. I really am thankful for your insight into both Western Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, the Eastern Catholic Church fascinates me. It is my understanding there was contemplation among the Early Church Fathers (and later theologians) as to whether the Virgin Mary was untainted by original sin, but I also understood that there was a consensus among them that she was conceived like the rest of mankind. The first is by the Western theologian, Bernard of Clairvaux, a doctor of the church especially devoted to the Blessed Mother.
to be cont....
To Seraphim,
here are some quotes:
".....Bernard, who is acknowledged there [in the West] as a great authority, wrote, " I am frightened now, seeing that certain of you have desired to change the condition of important matters, introducing a new festival unknown to the Church, unapproved by reason, unjustified by ancient tradition. Are we really more learned and more pious than our fathers? You will say, 'One must glorify the Mother of God as much as Possible.' This is true; but the glorification given to the Queen of Heaven demands discernment. This Royal Virgin does not have need of false glorifications, possessing as She does true crowns of glory and signs of dignity. Glorify the purity of Her flesh and the sanctity of Her life. Marvel at the abundance of the gifts of this Virgin; venerate Her Divine Son; exalt Her Who conceived without knowing concupiscence and gave birth without knowing pain. But what does one yet need to add to these dignities? People say that one must revere the conception which preceded the glorious birth-giving; for if the conception had not preceded, the birth-giving also would not have been glorious. But what would one say if anyone for the same reason should demand the same kind of veneration of the father and mother of Holy Mary? One might equally demand the same for Her grandparents and great-grandparents, to infinity. Moreover, how can there not be sin in the place where there was concupiscence? All the more, let one not say that the Holy Virgin was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man. I say decisively that the Holy Spirit descended upon Her, but not that He came with Her."
"I say that the Virgin Mary could not be sanctified before Her conception, inasmuch as She did not exist. if, all the more, She could not be sanctified in the moment of Her conception by reason of the sin which is inseparable from conception, then it remains to believe that She was sanctified after She was conceived in the womb of Her mother. This sanctification, if it annihilates sin, makes holy Her birth, but not Her conception. No one is given the right to be conceived in sanctity; only the Lord Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and He alone is holy from His very conception. Excluding Him, it is to all the descendants of Adam that must be referred that which one of them says of himself, both out of a feeling of humility and in acknowledgement of the truth: Behold I was conceived in iniquities (Ps. 50:7). How can one demand that this conception be holy, when it was not the work of the Holy Spirit, not to mention that it came from concupiscence? The Holy Virgin, of course, rejects that glory which, evidently, glorifies sin. She cannot in any way justify a novelty invented in spite of the teaching of the Church, a novelty which is the mother of imprudence, the sister of unbelief, and the daughter of lightmindedness" (Bernard, Epistle 174; cited, as were the references from Blessed Augustine, from Lebedev).
"As for other men, excluding Him Who is the cornerstone, I do not see for them any other means to become temples of God and to be dwellings for God apart from spiritual rebirth, which must absolutely be preceded by fleshly birth. Thus, no matter how much we might think about children who are in the womb of the mother, and even though the word of the holy Evangelist who says of John the Baptist that he leaped for joy in the womb of his mother (which occurred not otherwise than by the action of the Holy Spirit), or the word of the Lord Himself spoken to Jeremiah: I have sanctified thee before thou didst leave the womb of thy mother (Jer. 1:5)- no matter how much these might or might not give us basis for thinking that children in this condition are capable of a certain sanctification, still in any case it cannot be doubted that the sanctification by which all of us together and each of us separately become the temple of God is possible only for those who are reborn, and rebirth always presupposes birth. Only those who have already been born can be united with Christ and be in union with this Divine Body which makes His Church the living temple of the majesty of God" (Blessed Augustine, Letter 187).
This teaching contradicts also Sacred Tradition, which is contained in numerous Patristic writings, where there is mentioned the exalted sanctity of the Virgin Mary from Her very birth, as well as Her cleansing by the Holy Spirit at Her conception of Christ, but not at Her own conception by Anna. "There is none without stain before Thee, even though his life be but a day, save Thee alone, Jesus Christ our God, Who didst appear on earth without sin, and through Whom we all trust to obtain mercy and the remission of sins" (St. Basil the Great, Third Prayer of Vespers of Pentecost). "But when Christ came through a pure, virginal, unwedded, God-fearing, undefiled Mother without wedlock and without father, and inasmuch as it befitted Him to be born, He purified the female nature, rejected the bitter Eve and overthrew the laws of the flesh" (St. Gregory the Theologian, "In Praise of Virginity"). However, even then, as Sts. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom speak of this, She was not placed in the state of being unable to sin, but continued to take care for Her salvation and overcame all temptations (St. John Chrysostom, Commentary on John, Homily 85; St. Basil the Great, Epistle 160).
So long as we understand that Mary did not have to "choose" in order to be given the unique grace of the Immaculate Conception.
Neither need there be anything in Mary (as a creature) to justify God giving her and her alone this unique grace.
The generous will of God can give Mary special graces which she did not earn -- and, although he does not give the same graces to all, this does not contradict justice.
It was on these two points that I rejected St. John M's comments.
Fr. Erlenbush,
Given that "...the definition infallibly declared by Pius XII does not explicitly state that the Blessed Virgin suffered death", are Catholics obligated to believe that Mary died before her Assumption?
If so, under what theological grade of certainty are we obliged to believe that Mary died before being Assumed?
Though it is not a de fide definition, it is a matter of the ordinary magisterium and therefore must be held and respected by all Catholics.
It is a "sententia certa" -- theologically, we are certain that the Virgin Mary did die.
Peace! +
Fr.Erlenbush, how did the Virgin Mary die if she was conceived without the stain of original sin and did not commit sin? Natural death is strictly a consequence of sin. I look forward to your reply! God Bless you for your service and promulgation of orthodoxy!
Another good piece is by Lawrence P. Everett, C.Ss.R., S.T.D. at http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=469
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This style is MADE TO ORDER.
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Fez-o-Chapeau - 1 color on Black
By popular demand our favorite tiki bar in Tacoma Washington now has an official Fez-o-chapeau!
The Devil's Reef Sigil Chapeau features the original protection sigil I created for Robyn and Jason for Devil's Reef, embroidered on our unisex "demi-fez".
Protect yourself from the mysterious elder beings of the deep as you traverse the cursed seas to get to this tropical oasis, and when you are safely there, enjoy the fantastic food and refreshments the crew at Devil's Reef serve up.
We will be making these as orders come to get them shipped out as quickly as possible. Please allow extra time for your order to be produced and shipped.
For tassel colors we recommend Red or Black.
This fez features a Black Chrome tassel-grommet and is pictured with a standard 6" Red tassel.
More info can be found on the Size tab.
Size Chart
Head Measurement |
Then you are most likely a | |
Inches |
Fez size: |
Chapeau size: |
22″ |
Small |
Small |
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23″ | Large | Medium |
24″ | 2X | Large |
We can also go 'outside' the norm when it comes to making either extreme size fez – from XXXS to 7XL. However, these can be done only for current production designs, and we do need a tad bit of lead time. Send us an email and we'll see what we can do.
For more info on how to properly measure your head [click here]
Each fez or chapeau comes with one 6 inch tassel included, the option to purchase a second tassel if desired, and extra tassels can be purchased separately on their own. Tassels are easily removed and replaced. We recommend removing tassels before cleaning your fez. Tassels are susceptible to high humidity and have very poor defenses when attacked by cats.
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Need to let off a little steam? Optional mesh vents can be added to the top of your fez at the time of purchase. Vents are sold in pairs, so buying 2 sets will get you 4 vents on the fez (chapeaus can only fit one pair of vents). Vents come in 3 finishes and we will install the one that matches the tassel grommet already installed on the fez. Vents cannot be removed and any hat customized with vents will not be eligible for a full refund if returned.
Our fezzes can either be shipped:
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All shipments from Fez-o-rama are sent with a signature required for delivery. There are a few scoundrels and nasty rascals in the world that have absconded with our shipping llamas (and their shipments of fezzes) - the signature prevents that from occurring.
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Current shipping times (business days) based on recent orders:
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Note: If you are wondering why we are only using the slightly more expensive international shipping methods – well, we've been made aware that there are some unsavory types out there that really enjoy our fezzes – just like you do… and they have on occasion, intercepted our delivery llamas. The new transport methods protect us, and you, in case of loss.
Bigger note:
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Read this if you are NOT in the USA – it's really important! *seriously*
Here's what's going on for those of you in certain countries with Import duties and VAT.
When we ship internationally there's a form that gets filled out that shows what the items are in the order and how much an 'average' price for that item is. I can tell you that one fez is over that amount for packages going to the UK.
When the package gets to your country, your customs house will look at that form and if the amount is above 'some' amount they've decided on – it varies by country - you'll be sent a notice for a VAT/Import tax due. This may delay your order from being delivered.
What does this mean if you've ordered Expedited shipping – this means that your package will get into the country very quickly, and straight into the arms of your Customs house. We have no control of what happens at this point. If the package gets delayed for a long period of time we can open an inquiry through our Post, but we suggest the first step for you would be to contact your local post delivery person.
A little bit more on VAT/Import duties:
The recipient (buyer) is the importer of record and must comply with all laws and regulations of their local government. Orders shipped may be subject to import taxes, customs duties and fees levied by the local Country. The recipient of an international shipment may be subject to such import taxes, customs duties and fees, which are levied once a shipment reaches the recipient's Country. Additional charges for customs clearance must be fulfilled by the recipient. Fez-o-rama has no control over these charges.
We also encourage shipping multiple fezzes in one package – that way you and your friends can split the VAT charge.
If you have any questions on International shipping, please write us!
- Joe
Head Shipping Llama Wrangler
Good News Everyone…
Now then – you may be asking yourself, "Self – I wonder what happens if I measured, ordered, my fez arrives via the shipping llama… and it doesn't fit!" Well – look in the mirror… and blame them. Yep – your evil other-dimensional twin did it!
If after all the careful re-measurements, the thoughtful contemplation, and the dog stops laughing… feel free to contact us and let us know. Our exchange policy is pretty liberal as long as the design is 'current' we should be able to exchange for your proper size within 90 days of purchase. This is all based on the fact that you tried on the fez and didn't wear it out on the town or to a bachelor party.(read as: not worn)
Exchanging the fez then continues by shipping it back to us at our Fez-o-rama address – the same that's on the shipping box, which you could use as well. (just fold the flaps the other way to hide our label and *poof* instant box!) Once we receive the fez, we'll send it through to Inspector 23, (Inspector 12 retired in 2015) and they will give it the once over. We will then ship the replacement as soon as humanly possible.
For fez accessories, the same applies - if an 'oops' occurs, we will work with you to remedy the situation.
If the mistake is ours we will gladly pay the shipping costs, as we only like insanely happy customers, however; if we crossed our 't's and dotted our lower case 'j's – the exchange shipping cost will be your (the customer's) responsibility. Sound fair?


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Featuring 14 new illustrations by Jeff Conway (pushingnormal), Unlost is an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories with a flamboyant sense of the absurd that dips into the lives of masturbating surrealists, blind fantasists, sadomasochists and provocative pickpockets.
Contains adult content.
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Now streaming on:
Very few horror movies would last past the second act if the characters in these films were actually fans of horror movies.
Some time after the first occurrence of Scary Old Timey Music Wafting Through the Vents, after Creepy Bugs Fluttering Inside the House and certainly by the time of the "Accidental" Fall That Sidelines a Key Character — well, that's when any red-blooded, movie-going individual would run out the front door and never look back.
To the credit of director Andy Muschietti, his co-writing team and a first-rate cast, "Mama" succeeds in scaring the wits out of us and leaving some lingering, deeply creepy images, despite indulging in many of the aforementioned cliches — and about a half-dozen more. (Executive produced by horror master Guillermo del Toro, "Mama" is a feature-length expansion of a three-minute short that Muschietti made with his sister Barbara.)
In addition to at least three or four jump-in-your-seat stingers, we get some of the most creatively chilling nightmare sequences in recent memory. A stylized dream (which is really a transferred memory) set in the 19th century, in which we see a crazed young woman creating bloody terror before leaping off a cliff with her newborn, all of it shown from the madwoman's point of view? That's a lot more innovative than anything we're likely to see in yet another film about a plodding behemoth in a mask chasing after dumb teenagers through the woods.
In the prologue to "Mama," we learn of a shooting at a financial firm after an economic crash. A distraught executive named Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from "Game of Thrones") arrives home, quickly collects his two young daughters, Victoria and Lilly, and speeds off. They wind up in an abandoned house deep in the forest, where Lucas apparently intends to shoot his daughters before he can kill himself.
That's not quite how it works out.
Flash forward to five years later. Lucas' brother Jeffrey (also played by Coster-Waldau) has never given up hope. His team of searchers finally stumbles on to the very abandoned house we saw a century ago in the nightmare. Dad's long gone, but the girls are still there — covered in mud, making strange noises, crawling on all fours in rapid fashion like wild animals. How could they have survived on their own?
The girls are kept in isolation for a few months as Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) records their every move while ostensibly helping with their assimilation. Given that Victoria keeps making cryptic references to an unseen "Mama" and Lilly sleeps under the bed, gnaws on fruit, twigs and the occasional bug, and screams whenever anyone tries to touch her, the girls hardly seem ready for ice cream, pajamas and bedtime stories, but Jeffrey is determined to give them a normal life.
So Jeffrey and his rocker-chick lover, Annabel (Jessica Chastain in a black wig and a tattoo sleeve), take the girls to their new rent-free home, provided by the ever-lurking Dr. Dreyfuss, who wants only to keep studying the little ones.
Let the chills and spills begin. As Dr. Dreyfuss investigates some long-ago murders at a facility just a few miles from the site of that house in the forest, Jeffrey is sidelined by an "accident," leaving the reluctant Annabel in charge of the girls, who are still a long way from being invited to anyone's play group. (Not that we ever see a hint of even one neighbor on the block. Does no one hear all the shaking, rattling and rolling going on in that house where the rocker chick lives with those scary little girls?)
For the longest time we don't see much of the ghostly Mama, who apparently has been alternately caring for and terrorizing the girls all these years and has made the trip with them to suburbia. She flashes by the screen, or we see just the top of her head as she zips about the house. Once we do see her, yipes. Thanks to a combination of CGI and a performance by the extremely thin, extremely tall Spanish actor Javier Botet, this is one frightful Mama.
The real mother in the story is Annabel, who slowly sheds her tough-talking, who-gives-a-bleep exterior as her nurturing instincts take over. It's worlds away from Chastain's Oscar-nominated turn in "Zero Dark Thirty" and further proof she's one of the finest actors of her generation.
Some elements of "Mama," including the dream sequences, are reminiscent of Japanese horror films. There's also some dark and wicked humor, as when Lilly plays and giggles with an offscreen Mama while Annabel goes about household chores, oblivious to the insanity occurring just around the corner. Coster-Waldau is solid in what turns out to be a supporting role, and Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse are terrific as the little girls.
Movies like "Mama" are thrill rides. We go to be scared and then laugh, scared and then laugh, scared and then shocked. Of course, there's almost always a little plot left over for a sequel.
It's a ride I'd take again.
100 minutes
Jessica Chastain as Annabel
Megan Charpentier as Victoria
Isabelle Nelisse as Lilly
Daniel Kash as Dr. Dreyfuss
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Lucas/Jeffrey


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Screwed! But Sparky and Esteban Save the Day
Meet Sparky.
He's my new bed and blanket companion. Looking at him makes me smile. After the fall- there's an awful lot of imagery, sensation and emotion refracting inside this more-than-slightly addled post hip surgery brain of mine (this is a thinly veiled mea culpa for any bad writing that follows) but I wanted to send out a heartfelt thanks- lickity split!- to all of you, for your kind notes and sweet messages. I cherish every one.
My world has been whittled down to a queen size bed and some 800 square feet of floor space. I must keep- totally- off my left leg for a minimum of eight weeks to give my fractured femoral neck (screwed back together with three titanium screws) a fighting chance.
If you're a betting soul, here are the odds of me keeping my own hip: 50/50.
If we can keep the bone alive- we're golden. Which means, Babycakes, no funny stuff. Which means I have to be willing and compliant and allow others to do for me. Meh. Which means I have to practice patience (I'm not particularly gifted). I must also practice the art of surrender (I'm modestly better at surrender; pregnancy and giving birth seeds that particular gift).
Most of all I must learn to simply and consciously wait.
All this because celiac disease weakens bone integrity (not exactly a minor side effect, I'm finding out at the tender age of 53). How did this happen? A certain individual thought placing two small audio system speakers on the floor would improve the dialogue clarity on an older Richard Gere DVD. Yup. Not an obviously terrible idea, exactly.
Until said individual decided to hop up and make a mug of tea in the middle of the movie and snagged the sneaky speaker wire with her cotton socked foot which sent her careening sideways into the kitchen with alarming speed, smacking the saltillo tile floor with her left hip joint. An impressive dead fall any stunt woman would appreciate. There was, indeed, a distinct sensation upon impact- somewhere between snap, crackle and pop.
And my surprised husband?
As screenwriter Paul Weitz wrote about marriage, you just pick the right one to be in the foxhole with. And if you're lucky, Dear Reader, he will make you a meatloaf pie with roasted garlic and dill smashed potatoes on your first day home from the hospital. And he will buy you butter-soft yoga pants and a tube of your favorite vanilla hand lotion and an adjustable height commode to keep your hip from hurting when you lower and perch on one leg to pee.
He will tell you how beautiful you are when your unwashed hair is stuck like a squirrel to your head. He will pat your bare ass as you lean on crutches at the bathroom sink wearing nothing but a stinky Buddha t-shirt, brushing your teeth in codeine induced slow motion. And you will smile.
Because love isn't grandiose. It isn't purple tinged prose. Or self-inflated misty-eyed sentiment. Love is someone who gets you, first of all. Someone who sees you for who you are with all your oddities and little fears and still thinks you're sexy even when you're broken and injecting your cesarean-scarred abdomen with Lovenox and wondering out loud, Can we bake some molasses cookies today?
That person- the one opening the pantry to look for molasses?
He is love.


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A case for judicial activism
The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity, and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex. - James Madison
The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity, and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex.
- James Madison
Federalist 48
But under today's regulatory state, the legislature, although still a source of much mischief, is not the principal threat to liberty. Suppose a federal executive department flagrantly abused its regulatory powers to suppress truthful speech that annoys the government. If you assume the Supreme Court would rectify this assault on the First Amendment's core protection, you would be mistaken.
The government has done this and the court has declined to enforce constitutional limits. Herewith an illustration of why conservatives must abandon their imprecise opposition to "judicial activism" and advocate for more vigorous judicial engagement in protecting liberty from the regulatory state.
Spirit, Allegiant, and Southwest are low-cost carriers that have thrived since the deregulation of the airline industry, which began in 1978. The government retains a narrow authority to prevent deceptive advertising practices. But as the airlines argued in petitioning the Supreme Court to hear their case, the government is micromanaging their speech merely to prevent the public from understanding the government's tax burdens.
The government's Total Price Rule forbids the airlines from calling attention to the tax component of the price of a ticket. The rule mandates that any listing of the tax "not be displayed prominently and be presented in significantly smaller type than the listing of the total price." The government is trying to prevent people from clearly seeing the burdens of government.
These low-cost carriers compete for the most price-conscious travelers, and want to tell those travelers which portion of a ticket's cost the airlines control. The government, far from regulating to prevent customer confusion, is trying to prevent customers from understanding the taxes and fees that are about 20 percent of the average airline ticket.
Timothy Sandefur, of the limited-government Pacific Legal Foundation, notes that decades ago the Supreme Court, without justification in the Constitution's text, structure, or history, created a binary First Amendment. So today the amendment gives different degrees of protection to two kinds of speech - strong protection to political speech, minimal protection to commercial speech.
The court has never clearly defined the latter but has suggested that commercial speech proposes a commercial transaction between the speaker and the audience. And the court has held that freedom of commercial speech cannot be abridged if the speech is neither false nor deceptive nor related to an illegal activity.
Note two things. The airlines' speech the government is regulating would be protected even if it were just commercial speech. And it actually is political speech: It calls its audience's attention to, and invites disapproval of, government policy.
In permitting the government's regulation of this speech, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held, 2-1, that the Total Price Rule "does not prohibit airlines from saying anything; it just requires them to disclose the total, final price and to make it the most prominent figure in their advertisements." But this ignores the government's obvious purpose of preventing the airlines from drawing attention to the government's exactions.
In their brief asking the Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit's decision, the airlines noted that the government is forbidding them to do what virtually every American industry does - advertise the pretax price of their products.
Circuit Judge A. Raymond Randolph, in dissent, asked: How can the government's supposed interest in consumers having "accurate" information be served by requiring "significantly smaller" typefaces for taxes and fees that make up a larger share of the prices of the low-cost airlines than of the older airlines? Randolph said the government's purpose is "to control and to muffle speakers who are critical of the government."
Government is violating one of the natural rights that the Founders said government is "instituted" (the Declaration's word) to protect. This episode confirms conservatism's premise that today's government is guilty of shabby behavior until proven innocent. Conservatives enable such behavior when their unreflective denunciations of judicial "activism" encourage excessive judicial deference toward the modern executive's impetuous vortex.


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Doberman Pinscher
22 months
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Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance
2013 Ozone Season Recap
The Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection has concluded the 2013 ground-level ozone air pollution "season" which runs from April 1st through October 31st each year.
This year's ozone season was rather uneventful, with the lowest ozone levels observed since daily air quality forecasting first began in 1997. Only one ALERT day (where ozone exceeded the Air Quality Index (AQI) threshold of 100) was observed on May 15th. In fact, this was the only exceedance across the entire state of North Carolina during the ozone forecasting season, which is another first time record.
A combination of factors contributed to the lower ozone readings. Ozone production across the Triad and the entire state of North Carolina was much lower due to a weather pattern throughout the summer months that was cooler and wetter than normal. In addition, emissions from mobile sources continue to decrease due to a steady turnover of older, more polluting vehicles to newer more fuel efficient vehicles, cleaner fuels and heightened public awareness.
Challenges still exist though. 2014 may bring about a change and potential lowering of the ozone standard. Lowering the standard could mean more ozone ALERT days, depending on the weather pattern. While more ALERT days are possible, it is important to note that it doesn't necessarily mean the air quality is getting worse. Changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are based on scientific research to ensure the protection of public health.
This Office will continue to produce a daily air quality forecast throughout the winter for particle pollution. Typically, particle pollution levels remain low (code GREEN (GOOD) or YELLOW (MODERATE)) throughout the fall, winter, and early spring months. Daily ozone forecasts will resume on April 1, 2014, and are applicable Triad-wide.


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Well, before all else, I'd like to thank all the original-flavor Sons for inviting the three of us newbies into the fold. This place is remarkable in a lot of ways, starting with the guys that brought it all together. I'm profoundly flattered to become part of that. I'm also compelled to give some well-deserved praise to my fellow Stepsons Dusty Baker and Nomo, who helped change the game threads from something I read and enjoyed into something I actively participated in on game nights.
When I first started posting here, it was a combination of the puzzles and the irreverent commentary that drew me in. I'd been a regular over Jon Weisman's Dodger Thoughts when it was hosted by Ken Arneson's (sorely missed) Baseball Toaster. While I stayed a reader once he moved on to bigger and better things, I found that I lacked a place to hang my metaphorical hat. I eventually found Sax, Orel, AC, and Delino (not to mention the dearly departed) here running just that sort of operation.
As I'm sure regulars are all-too-well-aware, I have a bit of a sardonic streak. While this has been eminently useful during the last few lean years, I ultimately prefer to look at things from a more balanced perspective. I've always stuck with the boys in blue, whether they be bombers or bums and I've been coming to Dodger Stadium since I was old enough to see over the back of the seats, so I've seen my share of each, and everything in between. The greatest virtue of a community like we have here is that it makes those victories sweeter, but it also makes any defeats much more endurable.
So, what can you expect from me? I'll be taking the helm of the PCS and various other frivolities. If it's silly and/or trivial, Stubbs is your guy. But don't think I won't throw in the occasional game thread or diatribe on occasion, just to keep you guys on your toes. In short, it's an honor to be included here, and I look forward to enjoying the SoSG experience from within the gooey, creme-filled center as much as I did as part of the crunchy candy commenter shell.