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translations and impact

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Ihave long thought that the NAB (official bible translation in the USA) is a little bit dumbed down. Take the epistle from a few weeks ago. The NAB reads
Colossians Chapter 3:1-11
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.
Because of these the wrath of God is coming (upon the disobedient).
By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Here is the New Jerusalem translation.
Colossians 3:1 - 11
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

the New Revised Standard edition
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your* life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.* These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.* But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive* language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal* there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
The Vulgate
# igitur si conresurrexistis Christo quae sursum sunt quaerite ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens
# quae sursum sunt sapite non quae supra terram
# mortui enim estis et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo
# cum Christus apparuerit vita vestra tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria
# mortificate ergo membra vestra quae sunt super terram fornicationem inmunditiam libidinem concupiscentiam malam et avaritiam quae est simulacrorum servitus
# propter quae venit ira Dei super filios incredulitatis
# in quibus et vos ambulastis aliquando cum viveretis in illis
# nunc autem deponite et vos omnia iram indignationem malitiam blasphemiam turpem sermonem de ore vestro
# nolite mentiri invicem expoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus eius
# et induentes novum eum qui renovatur in agnitionem secundum imaginem eius qui creavit eum
# ubi non est gentilis et Iudaeus circumcisio et praeputium barbarus et Scytha servus et liber sed omnia et in omnibus Christus


Of interest is that one word is translated "fornication" In every translation EXCEPT the NAB. I wonder why? Is it that the word no longer means anything to the average English speaking american?

As it is written, or Me and Books

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I am an admitted bibliophile - mayhap more of an addict. When I was young, if my parents needed to leave me unattended but safe, they would leave me at the library and know that I would not stray. Books R us, yet lately I have had a really rough time reading. It has been humbling to me. I used to be able to read 1000 words a minute with 95% comprehension but lately I think that I am down to closer to 700 WPM. And I have less 'free' time to read now than I have in a long while.

Still, I am dangerous in a bookstore with a gift card or credit card. For example, I had a $100 gift card for Barnes and Noble and it was gone within a 20 minute shopping trip. Borders keeps sending me emails with coupons and reminding me that I have a personal shopping day. Amazon.com sends me teasers, and I have the occasional publisher who has found me via the blog, asking me to read and review something. I'm not getting the level of "read me"s that Julie D does, but there are a few here and there.

Listening to Relevant Radio (another plus of moving here, Catholic radio in the car!), I learned that there is a fairly new Catholic bookstore in the area - well more or less in the area. We take a trip every few weeks to the nearest CostCo and Trader Joes, which happen to be a mile from each other in Algonquin/Crystal Lake. The bookstore mentioned happens to be just between the two of them, so of course we had to check it out.

The store, As It Is Written is tucked away in a strip mall. Both google and mapquest gave wrong directions to find it! But we did the homework to find their under construction website, which at least had accurate directions. If you live in the area, you might want to check it out. Faithful to the Magisterium, with a limited selection of very good books, CDs, DVDs, and devotional items. Also good for adding to the pile of books. I did mention the pile of books?

Since we moved to a place with a very small master bedroom, the computers are no longer in the bedroom. We converted what is probably meant to be a formal dining room into our office, and put bookshelves on 3 walls. We don't have bookshelves in our bedroom at all - a first in our nearly 33 years of married life. But that doesn't mean that there aren't books in the bedroom. For one thing, the headboard is technically a bookshelf. And of course, there is the dressertop next to each side of the bed. I just inventoried the pile on my side.

Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace by Scott Hahn

More Than a Hobby by David Green
The Thrill of the Chaste by Dawn Eden
Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
Variable Star by Robert Heinlein/Spider Robinson
Why is that in Tradition? by Patrick Madrid
The Kinsey Corruption by Susan Brinkman
How to do Everything with your Palm Powered Device
Curious Notions by Harry Turtledove
Catholicism: Now I get it by Claire Smith
JP II for Dummies by Fr.John Trigilio
Don't know much about Catholic History by Diane Moczar
Catholic Matters by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
and floating around the house and in my purse
The Apostle of Common Sense by Dale Ahlquist
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
And on my desk, a review copy of Confessions of an Amateur Believer by Patty Kirk I've been told that, as I like Kathleen Norris, I would also like Patty Kirk's writing. But I admit that, on first glance, her faith journey still seems terribly incomplete, and I haven't been able to get very far in her book either.

I've dipped into a few of the books on the pile. I'm actually making the effort to read Ordinary Work, The Apostle of Common Sense, and Thud!. But what books have I actually finished since the first of the year? Do you really want to know? I'm almost ashamed to admit that here is it the 26nd and I have only read 2 books - and I don't think that they really count. And the main reason that they have both been read is so that I could send them on to the children who would like them.
I confess - the two books were
The Machine's Child by Kage Baker
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson Braun

So what does that say about me?
I guess it's that I'm only human, and that I make choices. Some days, I am so tired that I would rather just play Scrabble online or on my Palm, and not exercise my brain cells to read anything of depth and substance. Somedays, I choose to read blogs rather than print.

I chose to move here to a job that takes almost twice as much time in the office and hospital (but 5 % of the time on the road!) as my previous jobs. And to be someplace where my faith is respected rather than rejected, where I am valued not just for what I do but for who I am. I've caught, so far, 23 babies since I came here. Not bad for just a few months. And I've taught more than a few patients the basics of NFP in the office. I've been able to challenge some teens about their choices - while they can choose to ignore my advice at least they can hear the other side of the story from what the popular culture tells them. So I guess it isn't all bad that I haven't been reading all that much.

And of course, I have been able to listen to my dear husband reading to me from what he has been going through - a wonderful book that is chock full of nuggets of wisdom and insight.
Moral Darwinism by Benjamin Wiker. He has really been working through the books, as well as reading from the liturgy of the hours on a daily basis. I love it that he reads to me even when I am not paying real close attention.

I have coworkers who swear by books on CD - but I find that the ones I want to listen to don't exist! And with a 5 minute commute.......

quiddity

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Word of the Day for Thursday December 29, 2005

I subscribe to this but usually already know the word - however here is something new to me (and it looks like a great Scrabble word!)

sorry about that

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the post below wasn't saying that I, personally, won't blog again till I get ten comments - I was just pointing to Jim's post about what looks to be a great book by Russell Shaw.
I haven't been posting much myself because I have been very busy, having been midwife for 6 babies since Wednesday morning. Each labor and birth had its own set of heart wrenching moments (as usual) and I spent most of today after Mass catching up on lost sleep.
No, I don't personally have a manuscript looking for a home! I have a few books sketched out in my brain but I haven't gotten around to writing them yet. I'm not sure I have the discipline to actually write them. Getting my articles done for Spero Forum has been challenging enough.
However, I probably would settle down and write seriously with the right incentives. I would love to write a textbook for midwives that has both NFP and the Catholic worldview integrated into the text. Similarly a book for expectant families - I personally despise the current best selling What to Expect When You are Expecting. Maybe I can take my Spero articles when and work them into that book.
It's taken me years to realize that I am not able to actually write fiction, at least not the kind of fiction that I like to read! I admire competent fiction writers, even those who end up doing hack work after a while. It is a struggle and a discipline that isn't well appreciated.

language is power

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I think it was in the novel 1984 that language was used as a tool, through newspeak and doublespeak. I get very perturbed at the phrase "right to die". We all have the right to die, indeed the duty to die - what we don't have is the right to choose the circumstances and the timing for ourselves or for others. Normally, choosing the time and method for the death of another is considered murder, or at least manslaughter.
Over at Fathers Know Best, my dh has posted a few musings about legalism, TOTB, and Terri. I have a few vagrant thoughts of my own, but I probably won'tget them posted until much later, given that this is Holy Saturday which means 1) a long Mass tonight and 2) Easter (with food and all) tomorrow.

vocabulary maven time

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Bob the Ape sent me to take The Commonly Confused Words Test.
It thinks I'm a genius.
If so, why can't I figure out how to fromat my posts so that the blockquote tags work properly?

am I really?

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Quiz via Kiss me, I'm Catholic
Brainworks Profile
(Click here to test yourself) Your Brain Usage Profile:
Auditory : 26%
Visual : 73%
Left : 42%
Right : 57%
(I would never have put myself at being that visual - but I am certainly not auditory so I guess they are right on that one. I would rather read than listen, that is for sure)

Language is Power

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twenty minutes/ one thousand words

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My eighth grade English teacher did something that I hated at the time, but have since come to realize was a valuable gift she gave to all of us. Every Friday at the end of the day, she would put a topic up on the chalk board, hand out lined paper, and tell us to write an essay on that topic. We had 5 minutes to think about it, and 20 minutes to write about it, and she expected one thousand words, more or less. We were graded on content, organization, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and penmanship - in that order.
I am offering to you, my readers, the chance to challenge me in a similar way. If there is a topic you would like to see me tackle, send me an email and I will take it under consideration for a similar extemporaneous essay.
And those of you who are home schooling, might I suggest that you also set up a similar writing challenge?

dictionary.com's word for the day

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