Hilltowns Senior News for Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute here. Of course I know what a devil’s advocate is; he’s the guy who argues against something just for the hell of it. Yeah, but do you know who signs his paycheck? Strangely, his boss is not the devil, it’s the pope.
You see, in the old days (I mean the really old days, like the 11th Century), any bishop who wanted to could have someone declared a saint if the folks in that locality wanted it. They would then share their declaration with other local churches, and presto! A new saint.
Unfortunately, this process became a bit unwieldy and unreliable as politics, money, and personal agendas began to creep in. To correct these abuses, Pope Sixtus V created the position of Defender of the Faith. The defender was supposed to “defend” the church against spurious proclamations of sainthood, thus keeping the church pure and untainted. It worked pretty well, so Pope Urban made the position mandatory.
That way, nobody could be elevated to beatification (the step just before sainthood, or canonization) without being questioned about the actual life and holiness of the candidate. In addition, only the pope could declare someone a saint. Centralized government rather than home rule. Sounds familiar, no?
The Defender of the Faith opposed the Defender of the Cause, who was promoting the sainthood. It was very much a quasi-legal proceeding. Since a lawyer is an advocate for his client’s position, the Defender of the Faith became known as the devil’s advocate, because he tried to raise all the objections there might be to sainthood, thereby weeding out pretenders and local wannabes. His job was to put forth every question and argument that the candidate, while perhaps being a nice guy, was just an ordinary dude, and not anything that special.
So the guy raising the objections was doing so to keep the process honest, and assure that the final decision made was the right one. The idea was that God was acting through these “lawyers” to guide the pope into the correct and infallible decision.
Fast forwarding, the backlog of cases became unbearable, and lagged on for decades. At one point, there were over 1,000 cases in limbo, so to speak. In 1983, John Paul II took drastic action to streamline the pathway to canonization, thus opening the floodgates to hundreds of new saints, and abolishing the position of devil’s advocate. The process became more of an academic endeavor than a judicial one.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the sword always has two edges: by limiting dissent and open discussion, you get a simpler process, but you potentially increase the possibility of error. It’s just like government. In an open system, like democracy (from Athens, Greece, to Athens, Georgia), the voice of the people, and their questions, makes the system inefficient but honest.
Censoring newspapers and arresting dissenters (as happens in some places), gives you a one-sided but more efficient operation. Remember, they always said that Mussolini made the Italian trains run on time.
Now, don’t jump all over me for making an unfavorable comparison. I think Francis I, the current pontiff, is the greatest thing in centuries. I have always been a big fan of the original Francis, even though I suspect that he might have been a few angels short of a pinhead.
I wouldn’t want to try to solve the tangled mess that John Paul inherited, and, obviously, some changes were necessary. But I really miss the devil’s advocate. In a strange way, his existence was what kept the rest of us thinking. Maybe I should pay closer attention when somebody disagrees with my politics, or my opinions.
Coming up
However, there is no dissent over the upcoming Hilltown Seniors anniversary dinner at the Settles Hill Tree Farm on Sunday, June 5. There will be a roast-beef buffet, and the cost is $10 for members, and $25 for non-members. Call Claudia at 872-1361 right now if you want to attend.
The senior lunch program will host a session on a “Fruits and Vegetables: Nature’s Medicine” on Friday, June, right after lunch at the senior center. Come for lunch, and stay to learn a 10 Easy Tips to “Eat More Every Day.” There will even be a cooking demo and tasting during the presentation.
Statewide Senior Action Council will be conducting a telephone teach-in on a “How to Compare Nursing Homes” on June 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. Call 1-800-333-4374 to reserve your spot and get the call-in numbers. Personally, I plan to continue getting much older, so I want to learn now what I may need to know in the future.
There is a trip planned to Turning Stone Casino on Thursday, June 23. The cost is $30, but you get transportation, $25 in free play, plus a $5 meal coupon. Theoretically, you get your bus ride for free. Checks are payable to Linda Carman at 872-2448. The bus will leave the Berne Senior Center at 9 a.m., Schoharie Park and Ride at 9:15 a.m., and will head home from the casino at 5 p.m. This is a popular trip, so sign up now to be sure of a seat.
Summer lunches
Summer is coming, but the Senior Meal Program will still be having hot meals. We tried a summer sandwich and salad for Fridays, but the vote is in, and it’s a good, tasty hot dinner that the lunchers have elected.
Remember, there is no lunch on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30. Get out and watch the Berne parade. May 30 is also Mint Julep Day.
May is National Egg Month, and National Vinegar Month (pickled eggs, anyone?).
June is Adopt a Shelter Cat month, Audio Book Appreciation Month (go to the library!), and Country Cooking Month.
June 1 is Buddha’s Birthday, and to give equal time, it is also Oscar The Grouch Day. Then June 2 is National Rotisserie Chicken Day. June 3 through 5 are Horseradish Days, and June 4 is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD), and The Wicket World of Croquet Day.
Menu
Enjoy a lunch with friends old and new. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. We have games and cards on Mondays and Tuesdays, and live music by Nancy Frueh on Fridays.
— Monday, May 30, no lunch (Memorial Day);
— Tuesday, May 31, orange glazed chicken, orzo pasta, zucchini and tomato, whole-wheat bread, appe juice, milk, and tapioca pudding; and
— Friday, June 3, lemon pepper chicken, sauteed kale with tomato, garlic-rosemary roasted red potatoes, whole-wheat bread, milk and fresh pear.
Please call 24 hours in advance to 872-9400 to reserve lunch. E-mail , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or email her at , and put volunteer in the subject line.
Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The Hilltown Senior Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.