Ho hum

Not much new to report here in Athens, except that I seem to be hitting a patch of procrastination. So what else is new, har har.

Thursday at Mass a lady came up to me and introduced herself; her name was Blaine, and yesterday at Mass another lady came up and introduced herself, and her name was Ann(e). My my, aren't I getting popular? ;)

I didn't do any reading before church today, so I was surprised when my priest came out in brilliant red vestments. D'oh! Yesterday was the feastday of a Pope and a bishop, two martyrs, Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian. Cornelius was the Pope, who was beheaded in 253; Cyprian was a bishop who was executed under the Roman Emperor Valerian in 258. Since they endured martyrdom, the vestments the priest wore today were red, in honor of the blood they were willing to shed for Christ.

A "red" martyrdom is one in which you literally die for Christ, a "white" martyrdom is one in which you patiently endure, for all your life, pain for being despised on account of your faith, and suffering because of your devotion to God. I always say that I would prefer a "red" martydrom to a "white" martydom, because, to quote Amy Welborn's quotation of Flannery O'Connor, "She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick." Of course, all I have to do is read about some of the horrible ways the "red" martyrs were killed (being slowly crushed to death etc.) and I think to myself, "Be careful what you wish for ... "