Cover: Honda 750 Four; Road Test & Technical Analysis: Honda 750 Four; Road Tests: Jawa 402 Gelandesport, Greeves Griffon 380 & 250; Competition: Nazareth, Pa., West German Grand Prix; AMA Stars to England?; History Revisited: Tora! Tora! Tora!; more

1969 August Cycle World Motorcycle Magazine Back-Issue – Honda available at www.DadsVintageAds.com in the “ Motorcycle Magazines” category

Search our Magazine Back Issue Index for more old Motorcycle Magazine Back Issues for sale.

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Matthew, an apostle

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

– “‘Heart’ of the Beatitudes,” BIBLE, recorded by Matthew (Mat 5.6-8).

(Matthew, born at Nazareth, Israel – died [tradition] at Nadabah, Ethiopia)

Converted to Christ, at Capernaum, shore of Galilee   

Sanctified, in Upper Room, Pentecost, Jerusalem

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –As readers of this column will have surmised by now, my husband and I are keen concert-goers. Israel abounds in opportunities to attend inspiring orchestral concerts, uplifting chamber performances, and impressive solo recitals. We try to attend as many of these as our energy and pocket allow, and these almost invariably leave us agape at the wealth of musical riches with which this small country is blessed.

Thus, in the summer we attended a gala concert given in the open air in Tel Aviv, at which Daniel Barenboim conducted the orchestra, choir and soloists of Milan’s La Scala in a stunning performance of Verdi’s Requiem. It was attended by thousands, and was well worth enduring the heat and discomfort of Tel Aviv.

A few weeks earlier we attended a weekend devoted to Beethoven in a hotel in Nazareth. The hotel, which afforded a magnificent vista over the Jezreel Valley, was comfortable and could easily accommodate the four hundred or so Beethoven aficionados who had come to be regaled with lectures about the composer and recitals of his work. The organizer and star of the weekend was Gil Shohat, a strapping young man of thirty-five who, as well as playing four of the most difficult Beethoven piano sonatas by heart that weekend (Pathetique, Moonlight, Waldstein and Apassionata), spoke about and demonstrated various aspects of the composer’s genius. Gil also composes and conducts on a comprehensive scale, and was recently made a Companion of France’s Legion d’Honneur, a signal recognition for any Israeli, and especially one so young. Now we are eagerly awaiting the next such weekend.

Not long after returning from Nazareth we caught a Saturday lunchtime concert in the Scottish Church, a fine building of Jerusalem stone dating from 1927 and overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem and the Valley of Hinnom. At the entrance to the church is a plaque commemorating ‘the Liberation of Jerusalem on December 9 1917’ which was laid by ‘Field Marshal the Viscount Allenby G.C.B., G.C.M.G. on May 7 1927.’ Inside the cool interior of the church, which is built in modern Romanesque style, plaques commemorate fallen soldiers of Scottish brigades who fell in both world wars. The text on one of them reads: ‘Sacred to the memory of Alistair, Captain, the Black Watch, who fell in the defence of Crete on May 28^th 1941, aged 27, only son of Brigadier-General J.G.H.Hamilton of Skene, and of Mungo, Captain, the Black Watch, M.C., who died on December 14^th 1941 of wounds received at Tobruk, aged 26, only surviving son of Col. Sir George Stirling, Bt., of Glorat. They worshipped together in this church, November 1937 – June 1940.’ One can only imagine how much grief and heartache is embodied in this inscription.

But that is not all the history that this church embodies. As you leave the building and look out over the walls of the Old City, another small plaque catches your eye. This one, headed ‘A Fragment of History,’ mentions the two tiny silver scrolls from the 7^th century BCE discovered by archaeologists a few years ago in the valley below and usually on display in the Israel Museum. The ancient scrolls contain the priestly blessing, the form of words which Moses instructed Aaron and his sons, the priests of Israel, to use when blessing the people. The plaque quotes the text, which anyone who attends the Shabbat service in synagogue hears pronounced by the Kohanim, and obligingly adds its English translation as it appears in the Authorized Version of the Bible.

It’s impossible to take a single step in Jerusalem without encountering one aspect or another of our history.

*
Shefer-Vanson, a freelance writer and translator based in Mevasseret Zion, can be reached at dorothea@shefer.com This article initially appeared in the AJR Journal, published by the Association of Jewish Refugees in the United Kingdom.

   I know this madness – I want to drop it out in the night forever …

James, bishop of Jerusalem

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. – “Invitation to ask,” BIBLE, recorded by James (Jam 1.5).

James, ½ brother to Jesus, born Nazareth (?) – died Jerusalem (?)

Converted to Christ sometime between Joh 7.5 and Pentecost

Sanctified, in Upper Room, Pentecost, Jerusalem (Act 1.14, if literal)

Depois do grande sucesso do Rebolation mendigo (quem nao viu é só clicar no link) achamos agora um guitarrista mendigo, cantando “Love hurts – Nazareth“. Enjoy

Lã Rããh, ai lãav, ai bíí, ai lãav…

System function 9, blue screen of death, 86, paper weight, art box diorama and a million other references to burning out.

I am running out of ideas. I feel it creep upon me. I had such witty responses for other past entries, but now I feel like I am repeating myself and carrying on in an unurbanesque manner.

Reflecting is not always the best way to learn. I am a audible learner. Everything I hear, for the most part, I remember. My writing is horrible and I can never read any of the hastily scribbled notes. What’s helps me to learn is to talk about it after the fact. I make the connections with the life around me and those who are willing to listen to me ramble.

But for the most part, these blogs have been the most enjoyable part of the semester. I have had a place to kind of rant and rave in my own voice and things that I am kind of interested in and reflect…sigh…on my past media studies path. I feel old.

Blogs have a power. A power of format. Blogs have a voice….but who is listening. Blogs make writing easier to accomplish, shift click+function+alt and all my formatting issues are a thing of the past. I love it though. I can’t stop writing…sometimes. But how to get the kids to want to do the same thing is the question. If I am at the point where I am getting bored with writing then something has to change.  How am I going to modify this strategy to enhance my classroom?

Maybe using different tasks for each blog entry. Give the students a document that tells them that 3 entries must be reflection, 1 must be creative writing and the then the last a new paper type like article. Having a couple of suggestions can help students come up with their own ideas in the long run. Give the man a fish and teach him to leave you alone. Move on to the more important parts of the process. Students are going to figure out what you of them and then take it to the next level. Be sharp and ready for the next unexpected question.

I guess what I am saying is that I could use a little push in a different direction. Maybe if there were more response to my post or more of dialogue going on, I would be more into the process. Cuz right now it feels like my audience is only you and I…. few others, tops.  Maybe less blog entries and more responses and discussion posts? Maybe what I should do is try looking to see who else is out there and comment on their posts. Expand my audiance per say. Once time is not a factor I will try that. These are all issues I will be working out as I implement a blog in my classroom. I am going to use it for sure, but I want to tweek what I want the students to do. I also want to write in the good old composition books. Sometimes immediate response is what I want to check….instant creativity is going to get cha.

Web 2.0 also scares me. Is this the next Big Brother? What if I join a social network that connects me to my address book, phone, TV, email, facebook, ning, wordle, digg, oatmeal and other non adult sites and can contact me at any time for updates and subscriptions reminders? DO I want that? DO I want to be connected to the world around me that much? DO I want live in the real world or cyber world? Paper or plastic? Do I want to write like Emily Dickenson? Would L allow this iphone app to use my corrent location?

Now I am listening to really spacey music. I don’t know what the future holds for writing. Pretty soon we will be able to writing on invisible screen that appears at arms length away and write novels that are projected on the walls. Dictation is going to be the wave of future once the computer can transcribe our words and edit on the go. Do we lose something in this transaction? Do we lose part of the creative spirit by giving into the convince of the modern world?  What would Therou say about that? He would probably jump in and drown himself in that pond of his and be done with it.

This has been a stream of concious blog entry. Granted, I did have to go back and edit some of the bad bits out, but for the most part I got what I wanted out of it. Faulkner, eat your heart out. As I lay Dying my ass. As I Try Blogging is more like it!

I’m out…..(dropping the microphone on the ground in a gansta like manner).

Here are 5 great duets (more duets on the way…):

1. “God Only Knows” — Beach Boys Cover by Mandy Moore & Michael Stipe

2. “Love Hurts” — Everly Brothers/Roy Orbison/Nazareth Cover by Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice

3. “Anyone Else But You” — Moldy Peaches Cover by Ellen Page & Michael Cera in Juno

4. “Sometimes Always” — The Jesus and Mary Chain

5. “Delaware” (Acoustic) — Wesley Jensen and Christie Dupree

créditos: Danilo

It hasn’t been widely reported, but an important beatification took place in Nazareth yesterday.

Maria Alfonsina Danil Ghattas (1843-1927), co-founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary in Jerusalem, was beatified in the Church of the Annunciation. The Catholic News Service has an excellent report.

Photo: A priest with a portrait of Maria Alfonsina Danil Ghattas on his vestments attends the beatification Mass (AP Photo/ Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Luke 4: 14-30

I know I missed about 4 days. I got very busy which is no excuse. So I need to either learn how to organize my time better or become better disciplined. Probably a little bit of both. When you sidetracked the only thing you can do is find your back and continue where you left off. So that is what I am doing.

24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

After reading Wesley’s commentary on these verses it said that God goes to the Israelites, his chosen people first. If they choose not to listen and reject him then he will go to the gentiles, non-Israelites, and see if they will accept him. I learned two things from this. 1. If you are witnessing to someone and they are rejecting your witness leave them alone for a bit and come back another time to try again. Much like God did with Israel in the Old Testament. Second, even though Israel is God’s chosen people God did not forget the rest of world and that we are included in the big picture. Just like Jesus was telling the Samaritan woman how he came not only to the Jews but to the whole world.

The Athletics and Events Center will paly a significant role in the campus community at Ithaca College, serving multiple purposes for multiple different teams. It will not be the first of its kind in the Empire 8 however. Here’s a look at the current athletic facilities used by the Bombers’ conference rivals.

Alfred University

• Home to: Alfred Saxons
• Merrill Field; Football, Lacrosse, Soccer, Intermural Sports
• McLane Center; Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming and Diving
• Jericho Hill Fields; Cross Country
• Tucker Field; Practice field for Football, Soccer and Lacrosse

Alfred has its own tennis courts and the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center. For its men’s and women’s alpine skiing teams, there is the Swain Ski and Snowboard Center.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

• Home to: RIT Tigers
• Clark Gymnasium; Basketball, Wrestling
• Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena; Ice Hockey
• Judson Pool; Swimming and Diving

The Gordon Field House and Activities Center has a 60,000 square foot field and event venue, an aquatics center and a 16,00 square foot fitness center. The facility was an alternate site for the 2004 Presidential debates and has hosted the Monroe County Special Olympics, Empire State Games and the Deaf Olympics. RIT also has its own separate fields for baseball, softball, and track and field.

Hartwick College

• Home to: Hartwick Hawks
• Wright Stadium; Softball, Baseball
• Elmore Field; Soccer
• Binder Hall; Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo, Swimming and Diving

You can take a virtual tour of Hartwick’s updated athletic facilities here.

Nazareth College

• Home to: Nazareth Golden Flyers
• Robert A. Kidera Gymnasium; Basketball, Volleyball
• Golden Flyer Stadium; Football, Soccer, Lacrosse

Saint John Fisher College

• Home to: Saint John Fisher Cardinals
• Growney Stadium; Football, Lacrosse, Soccer
• Dugan Yard; Baseball
• Bobby Wanzer Court at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym; Basketball

The Cardinals have practice grass fields that are also used for softball and even a nine hole golf course for the men’s and women’s golf teams.

Stevens Institute of Technology

• Home to: Stevens Ducks
• Walker Gymnasium
• DeBaun Field

Utica College

• Home to: Utica Pioneers
• Gaetano Stadium; Field Hockey, Football, Lacrosse
• Clark Athletic Center; Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming and Diving

The Clark Athletic Center also includes men’s and women’s saunas, racquetball courts, free weight rooms, a dance and aerobics room, an athletic training room and other athletic offices.

Podcasting is very cool. I have been into this since it came out and have seen a lot of great podcasts and some that were not so great, but that’s what you get with any form of media. I believe the first podcast I ever saw was the Tikibar show where two guys and a girl put on goofy little skits that center around making different mixed drinks. The production wasn’t that great, but that’s not the point. The point is that anyone can make a podcast about anything that they are interested in without a big budget or even talent.

Using podcast for education is a great idea. The place down south where kids get to listen to podcasts on the bus is fantastic! What a great idea as long as the kids don’t walk off with the media players. This is a great way to get additional education, but there must be some quality control. Some kids could just listen to their own ipods or zone out and not absorb any other the information. A refection of some sorts or little quiz might be in order to ensure that kids are actually using the technology. Because if they are not, what is the point of spending the money on media. If the program is just for enrichment, then no worries all around. It would be nice to give students the options to choose what they want to listen to peek their interest and get them learning on their own.

I participate in a podcast that my old boss from ElementK started a while back. It’s called Your Travel Show -its your show so don’t screw it up! – and we talk about different travel experiences, news and lots and lots of joking around. The problem that we are having is generating an audience. I know that there are people out their listening because of the logs, but we never get any phone calls from listeners to add to our show. We haven’t done that much promotion either. But this has been a great introduction for me in creating my own podcast….

I am currently in the process of learning how to get a website and set up my own podcast. I have a couple of friends that have expressed interest, but I am going to be the main developer for the site. My main concern is finding a place to host the website and a server to store all of the posts. I have no clue how to create a website, but I have some friends that are going to help out and I will learn on the way. I really want to learn HTML so I am going to combine both of the projects together. It will get better as I learn more.  SO…my podcast is going to be a reflection on modern day life, technology and impromptu script readings of favorite cult classics. I am going more for entertaining and fun for my friends over education for this podcast. But once I have practiced with the generation and formation of this project, I will be able to transfer this to my classroom. Giving students the opportunity to read out plays and their own stories to present to the class or add to their blogs is a great way to get them interested in English Language Arts. Who knows what they will discover!

On a different note, I just got WordPress on my iPod touch! Now if I have a constant wifi connection I can blog whever I am choose! This is going to come in handy if my new podcast ever picks up steam!

L’air de rien. Ce sont des jours qui se traînent, avec leur lot d’heures dénombrables et d’heurts indénombrables ; de ces minuscules contrariétés qui arc-en-ciellent un quotidien à force de nous en montrer de toutes les couleurs.

Des réveils importuns et lourds, une froidure nouvelle de l’autre côté de la couette, des pommeaux de douche échappés qui s’écrasent sur des orteils mal réveillés. Des transports bondés ou des écharpes qui grattent ; un coup de pied involontaire au détour d’une rue. Des trottoirs souillés par des soirées étudiantes. Un dossier qui se trouve en retard à force d’urgences, une commande qui n’arrive pas, des enveloppes qui ne collent plus et la Poste qui ferme bientôt. Des autorisations chiffonnées, des coups de fils agacés, des questions de dernière minute qui remettent en cause les dernières heures passées. Une eau qui a un goût bizarre. Quelques courriels trop secs pour être agréables ; deux ou trois conversations “mises au point” à la chaîne (quelques larmes sitôt esquissées, sitôt effacées). Une messe à laquelle on n’arrivera jamais. Un coup de fil, un texto, une remarque qu’on ne saura pas comment prendre. Un déménagement : cartons de livres trop gros, coin de meuble légèrement abîmé dans la camionnette, visions différentes du rangement, canapé qui ne passera jamais dans l’escalier mais qui finit par passer malgré tout. Bref calcul pour s’apercevoir qu’on est en train de dépasser le poids maximum de l’ascenseur ; à trois. Sommeils écrasés. Au milieu de tout cela, un livre terminé qui n’a pas encore trouvé de remplaçant. Du chauffage, pour la première fois de l’année. Toujours pas eu le temps d’aller refaire des photos d’identité.

Passé un certain âge, il y a des personnes qui ne répondent plus “Ça va”, mais “Ça se maintient”. J’aime bien l’idée.

Évidemment, toutes ces couleurs seraient salement mélancoliques si elles n’étaient pas nuancées par un peu de profondeur. Appelons cela des ombres portées.

La lumière blanche et claire de l’hiver, qui révèle le jour et les contours. Le plaisir des lampes, en fin d’après-midi, des éclairages qui étoffent l’air de halos doux et réguliers. Un couteau suisse retrouvé, un rire d’enfant si particulier, un défaut de prononciations que l’on ne sera pas pressé de corriger. Jus d’orange, thés glacés, tisanes, cafés, kirs, bordeaux et San Pelegrino. Des signes d’achat d’une nouvelle paire de chaussures ; quelques fins de journées flânées d’une librairie à l’autre, sans perdre l’espoir d’y débusquer une envie ou une curiosité. Un long texte qui échoue dans la boîte aux lettres et déroule une histoire sans fioritures, terrible et fidèle. Le plaisir d’un stylo neuf, une lettre inattendue soudain indispensable. Un geste de dépouillement ordinaire, qui se donne dans toute l’humble violence de sa gratuité. Au terme d’une journée de travail et d’échanges, remerciements contre gratitude. La paroi brûlante d’une tasse de café, alors qu’on découvre une réponse qu’on n’espérait plus, et le sourire de ceux qui savourent ce moment. Gâteaux de chez Picard ; épinards. Des sifflements dans la bouche du fleuriste, en passant. Une satisfaction inédite devant un travail accompli, en contemplant le résultat, accompagnée de ce picotement de fierté que ne remarquent que ceux qui n’en abusent pas pour eux-mêmes.

Parfois, au quotidien, je ne sais plus bien où j’en suis. Dans ces moments-là, je me souviens que Dieu se fait tout petit à côté de moi, qu’il est le Dieu de l’extraordinairement ordinaire, le Sauveur de tout cela. Alors je me rappelle : je suis à Nazareth.

Very attentive pilgrims

Today we went to the Basilica of the Annunciation to meditate on a few things.

We considered three points:

1. Our Lady welcomed the Archangel Gabriel here with perfect humility.
2. God became man in our Lady’s womb right here.
3. He lived most of His human life here–His hidden life, the life He has shared with every human being.

On Mt. Precipice in Nazareth (see Luke 4)

II.
To be at the place where God became one of us recalls the teaching of the Second Vatican Council which Pope John Paul II repeated over and over again:

The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light…Christ fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.

It is only by that light of Christ that we can make sense of ourselves. Our hearts are tortured and confused, our pathways are often dark. We can only figure life out by gazing upon Christ. He, and He alone, is the key to the mystery of life.

We are not wastrels in a cosmic kabuki theatre routine. We are not dazed and confused with no idea where life is headed. We are not trapped in the pit of selfishness that modern life can open up before the human soul.

Finally got a Maccabee beer

III.
To be at the place where the Lord lived–His quiet family life with His Mother and St. Joseph–to be here fills us with gratitude for the beauty of the family.

Here is what Pope Benedict said when he was here in May:

All of us need, as Pope Paul VI said here, to return to Nazareth, to contemplate ever anew the silence and love of the Holy Family, the model of all Christian family life. Here, in the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we come to appreciate even more fully the sacredness of the family, which in God’s plan is based on the lifelong fidelity of a man and a woman consecrated by the marriage covenant and accepting of God’s gift of new life. How much the men and women of our time need to reappropriate this fundamental truth, which stands at the foundation of society, and how important is the witness of married couples for the formation of sound consciences and the building of a civilization of love!

…Nazareth means all these things and many more. May the Lord help us to savor them all, with loving, open hearts.

Raouf with bas-relief of Barluzzi above

The church encloses the rock on which the Lord Jesus was transfigured.

Moses and Elijah appeared.

Sts. Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of the divine glory of their Teacher and Master.

The church was built by Antonio Barluzzi (click the link for pictures and information).

Fr. Golas loves to Skype

We have arrived in the city where our Lord was conceived in His mother’s womb, and where He grew up.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and good wishes. Be assured of our prayers for you here in this holy place.

We just watched the sun set over the Jezreel Valley. The Kishon Brook runs through this valley. Elijah took the priests of Baal to this brook after his triumph over them.

More to come…

   Ceva pentru o seară nostalgică de toamnă .

Kanadalainen Bonnie Dobson loi kyseisen laulun kohta viisi vuosikymmentä sitten ja sen jälkeen se on levytetty kymmeniä kertoja. Olen kuullut ehkä kymmenen versiota mutta Nazarethin ja varsinkin Blackfootin  erilaiset versiot purevat  aina vain. Nazarethin versiossa vokalisti Dan McCafferty malttaa pitää äänensä kurissa ja saakin sen kuulostamaan hyvältä. Blackfootin mainio versio löytyy  Spotifystä.

Recently, John MaCain introduced a bill to congress that would effectively allow Internet service providers to slow down or block Internet content or applications of their choosing. The Internet Freedom Act would allow the big Internet providing companies, such as Time Warner and Comcast, to charge for the amount of bandwidth that individuals use. MaCain believes that by the government interfering with the Internet, it will stifle growth and take jobs away from people. Granted, having the government involved with business is not always a good idea, but aren’t there government regulations on how food is handled and other such areas that I am drawing a blank on.

But in this instance, the government wants stop ISP providers from slowing down or blocking content that put a strain on the network or charging different rates to users. Is that a bad thing? Why would the consumer be upset about having the government step in a stop ISP providers from tiering their services. The FCC is actually trying to protect the Internet!

If it does come down to where companies start tiering there services, then in my opinion, those companies are doomed to fail. New smaller companies will pop up and start offering cheaper services for what the Internet was like when it was free and open to all. So let the ISP companies try to do their worst, because John MaCain might actually be in right in the fact that other companies will come in a steal those dissatisfied customers.

PC Magazine recently had an article about the 5 biggest hopes for Net Neutrality. In order for all of this wonderful Web 2.o stuff to work, the Internet needs to remain free and open to any type of users that are out there. Whether you just use the net for checking the email, skying friends all over the globe or big time gamers that download tons of content the Internet is there for us all. Who knows, one day you may want to start having Skype conversations in class, but you can’t because you can not afford the rates from the ISP providers.

Now I am no expert on this issues, but I have started looking into it and want to know more about what is going to happen down the road. It’s wise to know both sides of the argument and make the best decision there. I kind of feel the MaCain is just trying to throw a curve ball to Obama and mess up his agenda (Gotta love the two party system, but that is a whole other issue). Mark Cuban offers a strange insight on Net Neutrality saying that is will actually benifit comcast, but I can’t follow his analogy of a busy street without the cops to NN. The Internet as we know it may not be around as long as we think. What can we do to make sure there is a change for the positive? How can we help? Cheers!

Skrót drugiej walki Omara Chaveza z Marco Nazarethem. Pojedynek odbył się 18 lipca 2009 roku. Dla Nazaretha było to ostatnie starcie w karierze. Marco zmarł 4 dni po walce w wyniku obrażeń mózgu.

Nowości w sklepie Pretorian – sprawdź teraz!

Halloween morning dawned slowly. Early drizzles were soon swept away by a warm drying breeze.  Flame colored leaves blew from the trees.  Promises of a fair day for folks young and old to march in Nazareth’s Halloween Day Parade. All in all, a good morning for breakfast at a restaurant named the Harvest Grill.

As we entered, we spied a couple seated on a couch and chair near the front window.  Deep in conversation, they seemed to enjoy their leisurely breakfast.  We walked on into the elegant décor.  Earth-toned granite tile floors and salmon-hued walls gave the whole restaurant a solid, classic look.  We chose a corner table near the front.

A pleasant young waitress delivered breakfast menus and took our drink orders. Coffee and iced water, as usual.  As we waited, we scanned the menu.  Many favorites to choose from but today it just took a minute or so to decide.  When our fragrant coffee arrived in over-sized white mugs, we placed our orders.  Eggs Benedict for M. while I chose Strawberry Stuffed French Toast.

We sipped our coffee, as flavorful as the aroma.  Chatting idly, we paged through the Morning Call and Express-Times, skimming articles ranging from the latest on the flu to the upcoming election. Tuesday, November 3rd – remember to vote!

Our food arrived looking exquisitely delicious on the large white plates.  Chef Bob certainly understands presentation! The waitress asked if I wanted syrup then brought a small pitcher.  I didn’t need it.  The thick French Toast was spread with cream cheese and strawberries, delightfully rich and sweet.   M. enjoyed his Eggs Benedict, every bit as tasty as it looked.  Although the food arrived hot, the one improvement, he said, would have been pre-warmed plates.

Our total bill including tax came to just under $20 (plus tip) for Stuffed French Toast, Eggs Benedict including home fries and fruit, with a side order of bacon, and two cups of coffee with ample refills.  Our food was of good quality, service was excellent, and the atmosphere inviting.  It’s worth a visit!

The Harvest Grill is located at 4062 Easton-Nazareth Highway, at the intersection of Highway 248 and Main Street in Nazareth, PA.  610-365-2964.  There is adequate parking at the rear of the restaurant, and limited parking along the east side.  They are open Tuesday through Sunday.  Click here for hours. Dinners allow for BYOB.  The Harvest Grill also caters, and is available for private parties.

Sara

The scriptures say as a baby, Jesus was laid in a manger, yet it also mentions that the Wise Men saw Him in a house. Is this a contradiction?

When Jesus was born, the SAME night shepherds were given the news by angels. “And there were in the same country shepherds day in the city of David a Savior” (Luke 2:8-11). That very day the shepherds saw Christ in the MANGER (Luke 2:15-16). The need for a manger was due to the temporarily crowded conditions.

Several weeks after the visit of the shepherds Jesus was taken to Jerusalem by His parents. “And when the days of her [Mary's] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22). According to Leviticus 12:2-4, Jesus was taken to Jerusalem nearly six weeks after His birth. “If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man-child: then she shall be unclean seven days. And she then will continue in … her purifying three and thirty days.”

When Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem they then moved into a HOUSE, where the Wise Men finally saw Jesus for the first time. “And when they (the Wise Men) were come into the HOUSE, they saw the young child with Mary his mother” (Matt. 2:11).

So now we can see that the Wise Men and shepherds did not visit Jesus at the same time. They saw Him weeks after the shepherds did, and therefore visited Jesus in the house.

As further proof that the Wise Men saw Jesus after His parents took Him to Jerusalem, we find that Joseph in a vision was ordered to go into Egypt as soon as the Wise Men LEFT (Matt. 2:12-14). Therefore they saw Jesus sometime after He returned with His parents from Jerusalem, and just before they fled to Egypt. Upon their return to Palestine from Egypt, Jesus’ parents resided at Nazareth, not Bethlehem.

So now all the Christmas myths of Jesus in a manger being visited by the wise men can be laid to rest!

I am ashamed to admit that I am just now getting around to reading all the homilies and speeches our Holy Father gave when he was in the Israel in May.

When he was preaching in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Pope made a remarkable observation.

He was recounting what happened at that spot, when the Archangel Gabriel awaited the Blessed Virgin’s response:

The narrative of the Annunciation illustrates God’s extraordinary courtesy. He does not impose himself, he does not simply pre-determine the part that Mary will play in his plan for our salvation: he first seeks her consent.

In the original Creation there was clearly no question of God seeking the consent of his creatures, but in this new Creation he does so.

Of course it is a beautiful thing to see the Archangel waiting on Our Lady’s free response–to see the Lord waiting on it, all creation waiting on it.

Pope meditating during Vespers in Nazareth

In the original Creation there was clearly no question of God seeking the consent of his creatures.

Of course there wasn’t. He created us out of nothing. You can’t ask nothing permission to create it, because there is nothing to ask.

You can only seek the permission of a free person who already exists. Existing is a given–literally. God gave us ourselves.

Then, He asks us to give ourselves back. Freely giving ourselves back is the one and only way for us to deal with having ourselves in the first place.

It is pointless and absurd to fuss about existing, because it never was, and never could have been, a matter for advice and consent.

But offering oneself back to God as an oblation of love–now that is something to fuss about…

My brother Ben

…P.S. Just in case you were looking for White in the Grey Lady recently, Ben White has moved on from the NYT and is now contributing to a daily briefing on politico.com called “Morning Money.”