Padre Mickey has nominated this silly spot for a most gracious award. As you read the blurb below you may well wonder how anyone so cantankerous and given to public rants and demonstrable lack of charity could be named for an Emmanuel Award.
Well, the answer is grace. And the blessed and astonishing fact that God comes to us in all our oddness, sin, stubbornness, folly, and illusion. Our sacred tradition is replete with tales of failures and scoundrels and fools through whom God brings saving grace.
The award, so far as I can tell after back-clicking a few times, originated with Marie and Ginny, and how very gracious it was of them to encourage us this way.
On behalf of reprobates and fools for Christ everywhere (if I may make so bold), I say, Thank you, Padre Mickey. Thank you, Sweet Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lifegiving Spirit. Thank you, Mary, Mother of believers. Thank you Cuthbert, Guilhem, Julian, Magdalen, Raphael, and all the communion of saints. Thank you, all blogging friends (saints here on earth) for visiting, commenting, sharing, and companioning me on our journey.
Emmanuel Award
"God With Us"
In a consumer society it is a blessing to read blogs where the writer's main focus is God. Where they express their love for their faith so visibly and joyfully.In a cynical world it is refreshing to see so many blogs which are generous, giving, who care about others and demonstrate what being a Christian is about, loving God and loving our neighbor.
Through their faith, lives and spirituality, they bring God to us, they in essence make God visible, 'God with us.'
This Award goes to all the faith filled blogs who make evident 'Emmanuel'- God with us, with Joy in their hearts.
Please share this Award with Christian blogs that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior.
Peace, JOY & Merry Christmas
Jesus comes to me through many but assuredly through Mimi and Tobias. So I nominate for the Emmanuel Award Grandmère Mimi at Wounded Bird and Fr. Tobias Haller, BSG, at In a Godward Direction. My thanks to them for their thoughtful posts (and for Mimi's comments here) and to all my blogging companions.
--the BB
12 comments:
Great choices, Padre; both were on my short list, too!
Well! Only on the short list for Padre Mickey! But you came through for me, Paul. Thank you. I am honored, but not worthy, surely. I trust that I am to pick two among my favorite blog friends - only two? Yikes! - and nominate them. This won't be easy.
So then, I load the picture and choose my two? I don't know if I can do that - choose only two, I mean.
Good choices--and you reminded me that I've been neglecting to respond to getting the same thing. (You clearly deserve it, and you were one of those whom I thought of as well. I truly didn't--but so many in my circle, do.)
Congrats!
Grace is never about deserving, it flows freely and with shocking progligacy. As Caminante said, all we can do is say Thank You. Choosing two is hard but we all know about exponential expansion.
There is that.
Thank you, for the grace that flows through you--to me and to all of us reprobates. :-)
Paul, I don't know how to say this. I am so grateful to you for selecting me for the Emmanuel award, but I can not move it further along. Not because I can think of no one, but because I think of too many, un embarras des richesses, and I cannot choose. I am totally blocked, mon cher. Tu comprends?
Please, if you'd like, select someone who will continue and make choices for the award.
Again, I am most honored and grateful.
Mimi, I cannot unsay what I have said. But there is NO rule that one must pass it on. It is there to be shared. (And no matter what we litugists may say, even several occurrences do not yet constitute tradition. And you know I am not above breaking with traditions in any case. So, you are absolved of any responsibility to pass it on. I don't believe in chain mail or its equivalents and, though the Bishop of Rome disagrees, a certain bishop did ordain me and commission me to set free. You are free of any obligation with respect to the Manny.
Now, bask in the fact that many of us find you a channel of grace and let it go. As the youngsters so irritatingly say, It's all good.
Big hugs!
Your faithful reprobate in Christ,
Most worthy choices all. :)
Lovely all around. You deserve this and your choices are excellent
Your blog is such a gift Paul and I am grateful to have connected. And Grandmere, well do I love that blog and that great woman!
Mimi is terrific and I am so grateful to have met her, and so many of y'all, online. Thanks, FranIAm.
Excellent choices Paul..on my list as well...of course, you were ALL on my list!
It's nice to be able to say something nice...
Too true, Eileen. We kvetch a lot about the world's ills but we need to speak and hear more that is, like Mary of Galilee, full of Grace. Lovely to have occasions to do so and wonderful people to say it about.
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