rambling from a Rainbow


 

The rainbow is gone now, but I got a few shots of it, both outside on 7H porch and from here sitting in my chair by the Bay. 


That's a Navy craft in the second picture, a diver tender on the way out into the Gulf, I suppose for diver training exercises. There are two, and the first one is already out in the Pass.

Navy divers are my lifelong heroes, along with Army Rangers and Navy SEALs and anyone in the U S Marine Corps and Eagle Scouts. I knew a Navy diver years ago, Eddie was in our 1953 graduating class at Bay High, then he and Andrea were stationed in Japan while we were there (1963-1966) and we had supper at their home once. Unlike us in Navy housing, they had a Japanese house, "on the economy" was the term as I recall, a charming place, classical, traditional, beautiful, ancient. While the wives were visiting, Eddie took me for a stroll through the surrounding property, wooded, and I suddenly came up against an enormous garden spider in the center of its wide stretching web. Confronting it less than six inches from my nose, I recoiled, but Eddie exclaimed, "Isn't she beautiful!" He gave me a new outlook on other creatures and things of nature. As did Anthony, a fellow priest I worked with nearly half a century later. 

I asked Eddie about the beauty of diving, and he said almost all of it was in pitch dark murky water, with zero visibility. Life savers for us, Navy divers circled the hull of our ship all night long, against sappers, the times we were tied up at the pier in Danang, winter and spring 1970.

The last time I saw Eddie was at a Bay High class reunion, maybe 2005 or so. Our mothers were friends, and Eddie was a kind, thoughtful person all the years I knew him. 

A check on White Pages just now shows me that he and Andrea are still living in Fairfax, Virginia. I pray they are well and best.

Rainbows take me to Noah, and his Ark, and the Promise, God's solemn vow. And brings me back to our Propers, what we will be reading in church on Sundays for the next few weeks. King David, and Ephesians, and the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to John.

Here's our gospel reading for this coming Sunday:

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.


Proper 12

(17th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Sunday between July 24 and July 30 inclusive2 Samuel 11:1-15Psalm 14Ephesians 3:14-21John 6:1-21
2 Kings 4:42-44Psalm 145:10-18
Proper 13

(18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Sunday between July 31 and August 6 inclusive2 Samuel 11:26-12:13aPsalm 51:1-12Ephesians 4:1-16John 6:24-35
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15Psalm 78:23-29
Proper 14

(19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Sunday between August 7 and August 13 inclusive2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33Psalm 130Ephesians 4:25-5:2John 6:35, 41-51
1 Kings 19:4-8Psalm 34:1-8
Proper 15

(20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Sunday between August 14 and August 20 inclusive1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14Psalm 111Ephesians 5:15-20John 6:51-58
Proverbs 9:1-6Psalm 34:9-14
Proper 16

(21st Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Sunday between August 21 and August 27 inclusive1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43Psalm 84Ephesians 6:10-20John 6:56-69