Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and Maryland Day

While we will not know what any of the Apostles or earlier followers of Christ actually looked like until we join them in the Kingdom of Heaven, I like this portrail of Saint Bartholomew. His eyes seem kind.

Like so many of his time, we do not know exactly how he died or why he was martyred. There are three oral accounts of Bartholomew’s death: Kidnapped, beaten unconscious and cast in to the sea to drown. Crucified upside down (like Peter) and finally the most gruesome of all, that he was skinned alive. This final brutal death seems to be the most popular, depicted in statues and paintings such as Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment.

As for the why, faith is the reason. He believed in Christ as the Messiah. And he knew his mission was to share the truth, and the Good News of the Gospel with others. What we don’t know is who he managed to anger along the way. There are many possibilities from Kings to Romans to Anti-Christian Jews.

Perhaps it’s me, but I find it a little twisted that Saint Bartholomew, a man said to have been skinned alive, would one day be the patron saint of butchers and tanners. So many of the early followers were willing to sacrifice everything, including their own lives, for the Glory of God and fidelity to His word. We should count ourselves blessed that we need not make such a sacrifice today. Yet there are places in the world that still persecute Christian believers to the point of death. These are saints in the making, no doubt.

Today is also National Maryland Day. Somehow it is oddly fitting that the Feast Day of one of the Chosen and Maryland Day are one and the same. In 1633 the First Lord of Baltimore instructed settlers to practice religious tolerance. He hoped that Catholic and Protestant settlers might be able to co-exist. His instructions became a part of the first laws passed in Maryland, known as the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649. Under the law, Protestants were to be tolerant of their Catholic neighbors, while Catholics were to not make public displays of their faith in order to avoid antagonizing the Protestants. It doesn’t really seem like tolerance to me. This period of tempered tolerance did not last. By 1692 Protestants gained control of Maryland, banning those of Catholic Faith the right to vote. Slavery isn’t the only stain on the soul of our nation. A country founded on the belief of Religious Freedom barred Catholics from public worship. I cannot begin to express the irony of this simple yet often hidden truth in our history as a nation. Rather than sweep it under the rug and pretend ignorance didn’t exist beyond the sin of slavery, we need to remember and never do this again. Today Catholics, and most Christians are under fire because of our stance on abortion, euthanasia, family values and a whole host of other issues the “woke” find offensive. If we are not careful, sins of the past will be repeated.

That’s my rant for the day. I pray that we learn to love one another as God loves us. I pray that we allow people of different thoughts and beliefs from our own to speak up without the fear of reprisal. The real threat to the American Dream is silence.

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Let us celebrate this day with a supper the family is sure to enjoy. Even now, all these years later, I can still hear that precious little girl with the cute southern accent correct her dad “It’s not fired, it’s shake and bake and I helped.” This adorable ad premiered in 1968 to introduce a way to bake chicken in the oven that was “just like frying”. When first introduced, there were three flavors made for chicken and one for fish. The southern drawl was to convince all of America Shake and Bake produced an authentically fried chicken, pork or fish supper. After all, who knew more about fired foods than the south?

An interesting side note: When I was ready to shake my bootie with the Shake-n-Bake, Hubby was in the next room listening to music. Just as I began to shake, Garth Brooks began to sing Ain’t Goin’ Down till the Sun Comes Up. Talk about some shaking inspiration!

Shake and Bake Mac and Cheese Supper
Pork Chops
8 thin Pork Chops
1 box Shake-N-Bake Original Pork
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Heat oven to 425-degrees or as directed. Lightly spray a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.

Trim any fat from the chops. Thin mustard with a little water, then brush the chops lightly on both sides with Dijon Mustard.

Pour the Shake-N-Bake mix into the provided plastic bag. Working with one chop at a time, place the chop in the bag. Hold the bag closed then sake, shake, shake your pork chops.

Arrange the chops on the prepared baking rack. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Turn half way for even cooking.

Mac and Cheese
8 oz Elbow Macaroni
8 oz Share Cheddar Cheese
Splash Milk
1 tablespoon Butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni until tender, about 10 minutes or so. Drain well, return to the pot.

While the macaroni cooks, finely grate the cheese, set aside.

Once the macaroni has been drained, return to the pan while still hot. Scatter cheese over the pasta and stir to blend. Add milk and butter. Heat over low heat until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from heat; cover and let the remaining residual heat from the noodles finish melting everything together. Stir until smooth.

For a comfy complete supper, serve alongside Steamed Green Beans and Southern Sweet Tea.

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Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let Your faithful ones bless You.
Let them discourse of the glory of Your Kingdom
and speak of Your might.