So E.J. doesn’t like capitalism, and he hears his heart’s song resonating in the Pope’s message. The word “enlightened” always engenders the pricking of my thumbs; as it’s availability has increased, it’s value has dropped. I’m looking for something a little less expensive, but not as cheap.

These are some of the features of Grace, from the human discomfort perspective. But of course we want the Comfortable life. So we make False graces; erzatz ones that are easier. We define the ones we want and how they are to be.

We are all hypocritical just as we all have toe-nails – but some insist on painting their toe-nails and strutting them down the street.

Hypocricy at a low level is one of the banes of everyday existence in our skins. It is one of those stains on the soul’s clothing that we have to rub and scrub periodically. Expunge with spiritual ‘Cold Power’. But some instead raise it to a tie-dye Art, displaying them as smart-arse slogans on ‘distressed’ jeans.

Some flaunt non-existent ‘Empathy’. Better when they can flaunt it to show up others and equally falsly claim that they have none at all. Some just ‘Love’ so much that it spills over onto the decor of their rooms or a shop window shoe display.

The most difficult of all the real Graces is Unconditional Love. It is rarely inflicted on people by a God who loves us too much to make many bear it. Yet there are those who claim it and confer it upon themselves as though it were something grand to have. Again, the major use of erzatz unconditional love is to deride all those who one percieves as lacking it and make them see just how ‘good’ we must be compared to them.

Most people today find ordinary everyday love to be too hard. They claim it anyway and proclaim it endlessly to banal tunes.

I wonder how many so called Christians, those Sunday seen at church and monday cheat, lie, slander, corrupt, will actually listen to Benedict. How many will actually try Christianity one day.

After, there was Laughter, Music, Whine.
High pitched.
So much fun. …..

No one noticed Love fall to her knees.
Her calls for help were drowned by song.
Trampled to death under dancing feet.
The last to succumb.

The Princess of Lies rides
over barren lands.