This and that. New recipes here and here. This week’s Lenten message. Banning words. Free stuff. A constitutional crisis is brewing. Kintsugi 3/17/25
TODAY IS THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
The reading for today pits Herod, “that fox,” against a hen wanting to protect her chicks. Three years ago, I wrote one of my favorite-ever Cottage essays on this same passage. I commend to you “The Vulnerable Jesus.” Luke 13:31-35. Today’s story from Luke offers a stark choice: Will you surrender to that fox, Herod, the strongman, or are you willing to be embraced by Jesus, the mother hen? That’s it. That’s the story.
“Right now, many Christians in my own country are not willing to be embraced by a vulnerable God. Indeed, they are so terrified of vulnerability, so fearful of being embraced by God, that they have created Jesus in the image of Herod, making him an icon of the very Caesar he rejected in the wilderness of his own temptation. We have a new Imperial Jesus, The Jesus of MAGA.” writes Butler Bass.
I had some of the best food in my life in Sonora, Mexico.
I got an email from Southwest Airlines saying they will start charging for checked bags. Assigned seats. Checked bags. What’s next?
With Deportations, Trump Steps Closer to Showdown With Judicial Branch. “The Trump administration moved one large step closer to a constitutional showdown with the judicial branch of government when airplane-loads of Venezuelan detainees deplaned in El Salvador even though a federal judge had ordered that the planes reverse course and return the detainees to the United States.” wrote Mattathias Schwartz.
I never understood “cancel culture” until now. These words (and many, many others) are being limited in their use or not used at all in federal public-facing websites, or other materials (including school curricula) where they might be included. When did we start banning regular, everyday words?
Getting a head start on the week. Lots to talk about: Women’s History Month, Lent, sex toys, food, music, politics, money, news. Lots to do, i.e change those rogue clocks. Lots to not take seriously: politics. Want to do something about our political reality? Check out these classes. Eating 1 egg instead of 2 these days. Mouth filter is clogged, so I’m throwing it away. Pat Carter, see what I’m reading now!
Interested in international news from a non-USA perspective? Here are some sites, although some are USA-based, like the NY Times, Associated Press, CNN, and NPR:
Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is for everyone.
For too long, Africa’s history has been dominated by Western narratives of slavery and colonialism or simply ignored. Now, Zeinab Badawi sets the record straight.
In this fascinating book, Badawi guides us through Africa’s spectacular history—from the very origins of our species, through ancient civilizations and medieval empires with remarkable queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. Visiting more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and local storytellers, she unearths buried histories from across the continent and gives Africa its rightful place in our global story.
The result is a gripping new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet told through the voices of Africans. (amazon.com)
TODAY IS THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
The traditional reading for the day is Luke 4:1-13, the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Instead of the usual “spiritual” or allegorical interpretation of this text, I chose to read this story in the context of the news. “One of the temptations of the Temptation passage is to read it as a personal and spiritualized invitation to enter into our own “wilderness” and wrestle with the sins that beset us. Such readings de-fang this story — which, at its heart, is a call to resist imperial delusions and political empires.” writes Diana Butler Bass. She continues, “Three years ago, I wrote about this same text on the first Sunday of Lent. Then, I argued that the three temptations — of bread, power, and protection — were actually a single lure. Through these three, the devil enticed Jesus to make himself a new Caesar. In 2022, these words were directed toward some theoretical “Caesar” and a nonliteral sort of “empire.” Little did I imagine that three years later we’d be living in a world where actual Caesars stride across the planet enacting plans for their empires.”
Subscribe to Diana Butler Bass’ Substack “The Cottage” here.
One of the three media witnesses to the execution of Brad Sigmon in South Carolina on Friday describes what he saw. Jeffrey Collins wrote, “I’ve now watched through glass and bars as 11 men were put to death at a South Carolina prison. None of the previous 10 prepared me for watching the firing squad death of Brad Sigmon on Friday night.” Read more here.
Did you know that …
If you plan to fly anywhere, you should know that there are some important changes to TSA procedures coming in 2025. BTW, you must have a Real ID or passport to fly after May 7, 2025.
