With 27 days until The Predicament turns 39, we thought we'd start a countdown of sorts. The goal? Take each day's readings and find a way to apply one of the passages to the life of Lino Rulli. And then, we have something VERY special waiting for Lino on October 26...and no, it won't require a restraining order. Yes, we would have done a 39-day countdown since he'll turn 39, but we're not paid for this, and as such, we show signs of laziness now and then, much to our amusement Lino's annoyance. Enjoy!


Luke 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.


What a fitting reading the day before Lino Rulli Day. Everywhere Lino goes, it seems as if he's very well received. In Rome, they put him on Vatican Radio. In Las Vegas and New Orleans, he gets really nice rooms. He gets cheered by thousands at the Papal Youth Rally in Yonkers, N.Y.


Lino certainly had it better than Jesus.


That's not to say that Lino's success and popularity shouldn't be looked down upon. It's just a friendly reminder that so many times as Christians, we have it a lot better than Christ and his disciples did 2,000 years ago. To my knowledge, they haven't ran Lino out of any town he's visited. And just like Christ, Lino has journeyed to yet another village where he can spread the love of God.