Steven Riddle: December 2002 Archives

Found this inkblot test

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Found this inkblot test via Father Jim's blog.

Here are my results. The test itself was fascinating and better executed than a great many of these kinds of things.

My Results from Inkblot Peace

You are driven by a higher purpose than most people. You have a deeply-rooted desire to facilitate peacefulness in the world. Whether through subtle interactions with love ones, or through getting involved in social causes, it is important to you to influence the world.

You are driven by a desire to encourage others to think about the positive side of things instead of focusing on the negative. The reason your unconscious is consumed by this might stem from an innate fear of war and turmoil. Thus, to avoid that uncomfortable place for you, your unconscious seeks out the peace in your environment.

Usually, the thing that underlies this unconscious drive is a deep respect for humankind. You care about the future of the world, even beyond your own involvement in it. As a result, your personal integrity acts as a surrogate for your deeper drive toward peace and guides you in daily life towards decisions that are respectful toward yourself and others.

As with all of these predictors, analyses, etc., I hope that what it says is true. I certainly see elements of it. However, you will see elements of anything anyone suggests is true. Perhaps that's why it's important to listen to what Jesus and God have to say to you. Psalm 8 would make a good starting point. And then the Gospels--particularly verses such as, "God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever should believe in him shall not die but have everlasting life." Enjoy the silly, fun diversions, but believe and find yourself reflected in the truth of the Bible.

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On The Fight Club The

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On The Fight Club

The blogmeister of Mysterium Crucis has an admittedly not very Nietzschean, but vastly entertaining and insightful series of observations on The Fight Club. I have to say, very frankly, that I enjoyed this film tremendously, even while finding what it had to say somewhat disconcerting. The blogmeister's interpretation of events int he tale differs markedly from my own--he sees the primary theme as fatherlessness--I see it as addiction and obsession/compulsion. In fact, the entire film is a paean to OCD (and I'm not talking about the sister branch of my own O.Carm.). The entire film centers around compulsion and a reckless nihilism that supposedly ultimately gives meaning to life. The ultimately destrcutive activity of the main character is finally revealed to be self-destructive, and the final scene basically gives us a "Waiting for Godot" kind of climactic frisson of meaning that is ultimately meaningless. This is Becket for the Space age--nothing has meaning except violence which is shown to have no meaning because it is ultimately self directed.

What is fascinating about the film is the way it contradicts and undermines itself resulting in both a possible nihilistic interpretation, or a very profoundly moral vision which shows that the ultimate end of all violence is toward the destruction of the perpetrator--it annhilates understanding, meaning, and interpretation.

The Fight Club is ultimately a vision of the abyss that does not really understand WHAT the abyss is or where it is to be found.

Well, there's another thought about it. I do recommend, however, that you see what Mysterium Crucis has to say about it.

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Happy New Year A bit

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Happy New Year

A bit early, but if I'm up, I don't plan to be blogging. May your new year be blessed with a fuller knowledge and far greater love of our Lord and God. Thank you all for stopping in as often as you do.

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St. John of the Cross

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St. John of the Cross

For my Carmelite Community I have written a brief study guide for reading the very first part of the Ascent of Mount Carmel. The process of preparing the guide was simple enough, but it is amazing what you learn when you open your mind and heart. Now the problem is to maintain this open posture. How does one open oneself consistently to God's action. Well, that is part of what St. John of the Cross teaches in his major works.

As we have spoken before of spiritual reading, it is interesting to note here that while I cannot claim always to have understood St. John of the Cross, his language and his stance appealed to me. I have longer for what he describes. Similarly, I now long for a spiritual director who is not afraid to direct. These must be the rarest of the rare. I know that others out there have such directors as I have read reports from them of their directors. Unfortunately, I have yet to find one. One person I visited seemed to spend much of her spiritual life in the hinterlands of the New Age movement--she wanted to walk labyrinths and do enneagrams. I don't know whether or not these things are bad in themselves, but they certainly didn't strike me as the Christ-centered direction I wanted to take. I've had other "directors" who largely talked about the Church and the state of the world and the current crisis (whatever it may have been at the time). Better no director than such as these--while their talk is undoubtedly elevating, interesting, and enlightening, it doesn't function much as direction. One director I visited spent all of the time talking about Our Lady of Mudjegorje (please forgive any misspelling). Devotion to Our Lady under any of her titles is a commendable thing, but again, I didn't really want to hear about listening to visionaries, particularly if we weren't going to get around to prayer. This director would probably be enormously helpful to others more attuned to the message that meant so much to him; unfortunately, I was not that individual.

Father Dubay emphasizes the incredible importance of finding a competent spiritual director to help the beginner along the path to proficiency. In section four of the prologue, St. John of the Cross writes:

Ascent of Mount Carmel Prologue 4 St. John of the Cross Some spiritual fathers are likely to be a hindrance and harm rather than a help to these souls that journey on the road. Such directors have neither understanding nor experience of these ways. They are like the builders of the tower of Babel. When these builders were supppoed to provide the proper materials for the project they brought entirely different supplies because they failed to understand the language. And thus nothing was accomplished. Hence, it is arduous and difficult for a soul in these periods of the spiritual life when it cannot understand itself or find anyone else who understands it.

It seems that above all, one must exercise caution in whom one asks to be a director.

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Alexander Schmemann--Found Via Surfing

First the site and then the prayer:

Thank You, O Lord! Alexander Schmemann

Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy.

Thank You, O Lord, for having accepted this Eucharist, which we offered to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and which filled our hearts with the joy, peace and righteousness of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for having revealed Yourself unto us and given us the foretaste of Your Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having united us to one another in serving You and Your Holy Church.

Thank You, O Lord, for having helped us to overcome all difficulties, tensions, passions, temptations and restored peace, mutual love and joy in sharing the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Thank You, O Lord, for the sufferings You bestowed upon us, for they are purifying us from selfishness and reminding us of the "one thing needed;" Your eternal Kingdom.

Thank You, O Lord, for having given us this country where we are free to Worship You.

Thank You, O Lord, for this school, where the name of God is proclaimed.

Thank You, O Lord, for our families: husbands, wives and, especially, children who teach us how to celebrate Your holy Name in joy, movement and holy noise.

Thank You, O Lord, for everyone and everything.

Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your deeds, and no word is sufficient to celebrate Your miracles.

Lord, it is good to be here! Amen.

in The Orthodox Church, Vol. 20, No. 2, February 1984, p. 1:1

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A Rare and Wonderful Delight--The

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A Rare and Wonderful Delight--The Diary of Samuel Pepys

For fans of the seventeenth Century, someone is putting up an annotated entry from Samuel Pepys's diary for each day of 2003! Huzzah! (Found via Ms. Welborn's blog). The annotations include the original footnotes from the paper edition, a list of "people in the diary" and of "Places in the diary" and annotations added by others on such points as might be obscure to modern readers. The one "Place" entry thus far has a superb map to identify the location of the place--Axe Yard. This promises to be almost as wonderful as my superbly annotated Thucydides of three or four years ago.

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Request for Your Contributions

Continuing to think and write about Spiritual Reading, I'd like to compile a list of A-1 Moderns. Many will note that in my previouslist there are few figures of the Twentieth Century and almost none from the latter half. I know that sometimes works must be tried by time in order for their efficacy to be tested. However, I also know that there are probably a great many writers of recent days that I am missing out on because of my own ignorance.

I will start with a modest contribution, but one that has radically altered the way that I have perceived the world--Fr. Thomas Dubay. I find his works highly intellectual and supremely spiritual. You cannot hurry through them, or, if you do, you have not really read them. I have benefited from every work of his that I have read because of his seemingly endless knowledge of spiritual direction and profound aspects of prayer life. This is the man I would choose (if possible) as a director.

I am also very fond of Thomas Merton and Anthony DeMello. But because of warnings issued on the latter, hesitate to recommend him. I know whereof the Vatican was speaking and the reason for the warning, but I did not find that DeMello's eastern influences unduly disorienting. There are also a great many Merton detractors out there, largely for the same reason as DeMello--many argue that his later work was corrupted by Asian influences--and it may well be true, but I never see him turning to the nothingness of the Zen Buddhists with whom he corresponded. I have not read all of his later works, so this may be true. But the power and the faithfulness of The Seven Storey Mountain The Sign of Jonas and many other earlier works certainly must be considered when looking at Merton--should they not?

One person recommended Sister Faustina, who still doesn't quite make it into the second half of the century. I believe Dylan Recommended Carlo Carretto, an excerpt of whose work he has blogged today. I can't find his original list on his site, so I'll go back and look through the archives here to see what other suggestions emerged.

But I'd really like to here from all of you about life-changing spiritual works of the late Twentieth Century.

Oh, and for you Carmelites out there (or the Carmelitically inclined) Pere Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus--I Want to See God, I Am a Daughter of the Church and Under the Torrent of His Love.

For those better acquainted with their works: what about Balthasar, Lubac, Speyr, Hildebrandt, Gilson? Are these all deep philosophical tracts or is there something an ordinary person can read and carry away with him? Garrigou-Lagrange? Early Rahner? Haring? Are any of these works worthwhile. Vann? (I've read a bit, and recommend what I've read, but I have no great acquaintance with his work).

I guess I'm asking for opinions about the great spiritual masters of the Late 20th and Early 21st centuries.

Keating? Green (again, I've liked what I have read, but thought that it might be rough-going for a great many)? Please name them, and a key work in spirituality, spiritual direction, and I'll try to compile a reasonable list.

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Guidelines for Joy Dylan calls

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Guidelines for Joy

Dylan calls them rules for living, but his lovely post strikes me more as guidelines for consistent, growing, wonderful joy. Read them and incorporate the spirit of them if not the actual rules. His important point, the final line, I would elaborate on by truncation: "Cultivate gratitude." A wise Jesuit Priest was fond of saying (and I believe it to be true) that a truly grateful person cannot be unhappy. This makes sense to me. If you are thankful for everything, there is no time to be miserable. It explains the "paradox" of the "happy poor." Thank for the reminder Dylan.

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On Mistry's Family Matters Okay,

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On Mistry's Family Matters

Okay, because it was due at the Library and could not be renewed, I blitzed (well, actually crawled) through Rohinton Mistry's marvelous new work, Family Matters. There are points in the book with which I must disagree, if the author truly supports the contentions of his characters; however, here are some varied insights from the remarkable work.

from Family Matters Rohinton Mistry Sometimes when Mr. Kapur spoke about 1947 and Partition, Yezad felt that Punjabi migrants of a certain age were like Indian authors writing about that period, whether in realist novels of corpse-filled trains or in the magic-realist midnight muddles, all repeating the same catalogue of horrors about slaughter and burning, rape and mutilation. . . (p. 130)

"This beautiful city of seven islands, this jewel by the Arabian Sea, this reclaimed land, this ocean gift transformed into ground beneath our feet, this enigma of cosmopolitanism where races and religions live side by side and cheek by jowl in peace and harmony, this diamond of diversity, this generous goddess who embraces the poor and the hungry huddled masses, this Urbs Prima in Indis, this dear, dear, city now languished--I don't exaggerate--like a patient in intensive care, Yezad, my friend, put there by small, selfish men who would destroy it because their coarseness cannot bear something so grand, so fine. (p. 138)
*****
Would he, he wondered? What folly made young people, even those in middle age, think they were immortal? How much better, their lives, if they could remember the end. Carrying your death with you every day would make it hard to waste time on unkindness and anger and bitterness, on anything petty. That was the secret: remembering our dying time in order to keep the stupid and ugly out of your living time. (p. 310)

One must have a certain amount of respect for an author who can deliver such a magnificent off-hand slam against Salman Rushdie and his much lauded, nearly unreadable opus.

If I were to fault Mr. Mistry for one thing, it would be that he assumes too much acquaintance with Parsi ritual, food, and life. Parsi is the Indian, and perhaps larger modern name for Zarathustrians, the name by which what we might term Zoroastrians may prefer to be known. Sometimes there are insufficient hints of what is going on for it to be clear. For example, one must go outside the book to discover what the "Towers of Silence" are and what is involved in a Parsi funeral and burial. Almost none of the food is described, and that puts one at a distance.

But if he has a virtue as a writer, it is his humanity. There is no one in the book who is utterly deplorable. People do awful things to one another, but you find it hard to dislike any of them.

I compare this book to another in which one of the central figures has Parkinsons--Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. In Franzen's book the family is largely dysfunctional (as it is in Mistry's). There is not a single likable character in Franzen's book--they are all cases of immature arrested emotional development (which judging from the author's reaction to Ms. Winfrey's handing to him of several million dollars by her recommendation, might characterize the author himself). In Mistry's book every character is human, if not likeable. Even those you are inclined to dislike, you come to understand in the course of the novel and you have genuine compassion for the situations in which they find themselves.

This family struggles against things that we in the comfortable nations of the west can only begin to imagine. For example, they cannot afford the medications for their father's Parkinsons without themselves having to eat little but onions and potatoes. Mr. Mistry does a superb job of making your aware of what life-on-the-edge means--how uncertain everything is. I cannot make this more clear except by spoiling the novel for those who have not read it, so I instead encourage everyone to read it and begin to understand what it means to be part of the impoverished in underdeveloped countries.

As with A Fine Balance I left the book uplifted and with a clear vision of some of the things that infiltrate and affect the lives of all families. A beautiful, humane, and ultimately kind book--very highly recommended.

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St. Thomas Aquinas, redux A

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St. Thomas Aquinas, redux

A superb post and exposition of the Summa and its virtues from the blogmeister of Minute Particulars. He will hear no disagreement here. As I have said before, I will be among the very first to acknowledge the greatness of St. Thomas Aquinas. He is a gift to the Church and to all of us, and everyone should read some of St. Thomas. Whether that "some" should include the great Summa, or even its cousin, is up to the discernment of the individual and his or her spiritual advisor. But the greatness of the work, the profound impact it had on philosophy, and indeed on its times--one might look upon the Summa as the true beginning of modern ways of thinking, cannot be denied. In fact much of the history of ideas post Summa is a reaction to it and to the "scholastic" thought which it supposedly inspired. (Scholastics are in no way the fault of St. Thomas Aquinas and it is unjust to attribute the worst of the excesses of that school to the Great St. Thomas).

Anyway, please go and enjoy. As always, the commentary at Minute Particulars is incisive and insightful, balanced, just, and truly Christian. Please, if you are following this thread, this commentary is one to read.

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More on Spiritual Reading

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More on Spiritual Reading

I really like much that is said at The 7 Habitus, for example:

In any case, at various times, I have tried to read both Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, without much success. I have to admit I can’t make heads or tails out of St. John and reading St. Teresa brings it’s own problems for me. First, there is the guilt that I feel for being such a spiritual slug in the face of such holiness. Then, there is the heightened tendency to selfish introspection (“Let’s see, am I in the first mansion or can I claim to have progressed to the second mansion?” And “Will I ever be able to make it to the third mansion?”) that is not at all healthy. I view this inability to read these two great saints as a grave personal shortcoming, but there it is.

It so amply demonstrates my point re: St. Thomas Aquinas. I, for one, do not see this a grave shortcoming--I see it as a manifestation of God's grace. Jesus told us "My Father's house has many mentions." God doesn't want to put us all into a cookie press and squeeze out identical cookies--rather, we are gingerbread people, each exactly equal in His eyes, but carefully, deliberately decorated with grace--some of us like chocolate, others (yes, I gasped when I discovered this reality) do not.

I do believe that St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila present insuperable difficulties to a great many people, even to Carmelites. That is why my Carmelite group is reading St. John of the Cross together. Forty minds puzzling away with guidance and help are far more likely to come to some comprehension of the work than a single mind on its own. But, being confused and led astray by entry into these wilds is not a personal shortcoming--it is rather a sign of God's particular will for us. For example, I have a personal distaste for many of the legends that surround St. Francis of Assisi. I can't tell where the truth is in that bramble, and so, rather than denigrate the Saint and many of his followers, I conclude that I have absolutely no inclination toward Franciscan Spirituality--it is confusing to me. This isn't a shortcoming, but a clear signpost that God has granted that says simply--don't go here--it is not, for whatever reason, for you.

That is why I don't see that my impression of St. Thomas Aquinas is particularly deleterious. There are those who are called to him, and others who are warned away.

And here is another important point, which if I read correctly, confirms and supports all that is said above:

So there are saints that we might have great difficulty reading or might never be able to read and appreciate, depending on our spirituality. But you see, we don’t have to read St. Teresa, we don’t have to read St. Thomas, and we don’t have to read St. Francis to be good and faithful Catholics and Christians. We can understand that they all have something to teach us about the truth of our faith, and they have given the Church the great legacy of their individual wisdom, but not all of us will be able to read all of them with the same benefit. Each of us is different and drawn to God in a certain way and it is important for each of us to try to discover that way and do our best to grow within it.

Absolutely true! In fact, for some of us, as I said, we may be warned away from some of these. And it may be that with time we grow into approaching them. For the longest time, the prose of St. Louis De Montfort, the seeming excesses he describes, and just his mode of expression was so utterly aliment to me that I couldn't read more than a sentence or two without revulsion--yes, very strong reaction, but remember I had a long road to walk from being a Baptist to acknowledging any sort of Marian Devotion. However, with time, God led me to a place where I not only see the value of St. Louis, but I recommend him highly to those trying to learn more about devotion to Mary.

So--spiritual reading, as with all things in the spiritual life, is a matter of careful discernment. One does not plunge willy-nilly into anything and everything. In fact, often reading can be used as a substitute for the more important matter of prayer. We become attached (to use St. John's terminology) to spiritual reading, and thus what can be a very good thing becomes a barrier in the way of God's grace for us. Anything to which we become attached--blogdom, books, a certain kind and place of devotion, a certain church--literally anything that we are not willing to let go with joy, becomes a roadblock on the way to God. These seemingly minor things serve as well as great sins to keep us from approaching God. After all God is the All in All, to want anything less is to completely miss the point. Spiritual Reading should not become a way to sidestep correct prayer and contemplation of God. Spiritual Reading should always lead us TO Christ, not just BY Him.

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Books in Progress A list,

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Books in Progress
A list, to be updated intermittantly as the thought and fancy take me:
-Ron Hansen Hitler's Niece
-Rohinton Mistry Family Matters Mr. Mistry is rapidly becoming my favorite modern author. I look forward to every new work with great eagerness.
-Donna Tartt The Little Friend
-Isabel Allende Daughter of Fortune, Eva Luna
-Nathaniel Hawthorne House of the Seven Gables
-Thomas Dubay Seeking Spiritual DirectionThough I hate the subtitle that uses an incorrect mood of the verb "to grow" common in New Age neologisms
-St. John of the Cross Ascent of Mount Carmel
-J. R. R. Tolkien Fellowship of the Ring
-G.K. Chesterton Heretics
-Joseph Pearce Wisdom and Innocence

Upcoming on the list
-Paul Claudel
-Josef Pieper
-Gertrude Himmelfarb
-Elizabeth Fox-Genovese

This is an ASYC (as if you care) entry to my blog. But perhaps it will be something interesting for me to look back upon in my blog.

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Mr. Moffat's Comments Redux Mr.

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Mr. Moffat's Comments Redux

Mr. Moffat has asked me to call him Ron, and therefore I shall from henceforth, except for my titles, etc. However, he has delivered as promised a thoughtful and thought-provoking response to an ongoing discussion--nearly all of which I agree with. Most particularly I liked:

First, I too, do not consider St. Thomas “spiritual” reading, at least in the sense that I would look, say, to the Summa Theologica as a source of inspiration for prayer or meditation. I would be much more likely to look to Scripture or something from another saint, for example, St. Francis or St. Francis de Sales or St. Augustine, or any number of other saints or spiritual writers. St. Thomas is not what I would call “spiritual” reading. But, St. Thomas, even with his 13th century knowledge of science and technology, has a great deal to say to us today concerning the nature of man and his relationship to God. These things do not change over time; truth is not a function of time. This is why I would, and do try to read St. Thomas at least from time to time.

With which I agree for the most part--although as I delineated in a previous post, I have a broad view of what constitutes "Spiritual Reading," and so I probably do think the Summa falls within that realm, although I have a lot of sympathies with the viewpoint expressed here.

I think he has largely restated what I have intended in almost every particular. I do not think we differ so much--however, I am perhaps just a bit more timid, but take refuge in another clause: "As I have said in other posts, to seek the truth is to seek Christ, to deny truth is to deny Christ. To the extent that there is truth in St. Thomas, and to the extent that we are able and so inclined, we should read St. Thomas. " Able and inclined--perhaps part of my reaction is that I am not so inclined--that lack of inclination the blossom on the flower of pride as it were--better to pinch off the sick rose and save the plant, than to allow that bloom to open and poison the entire plant and the atmosphere around it with its sickly stench--for that is where pride will lead.

One other point of mild demurral--I do not think St. Thomas is necessarily the best place to seek the truth about humankind. While he did dissect and lay open much--there are other sources (most notably the Bible itself) that tells us much, if not all, that we really need to know of humankind. St. Thomas did not so much discover much new in the truth, as lay open for us what was already clearly present. In a sense St. Thomas's work is a demonstration and proof of the concept of "development of doctrine." And St. Thomas himself with his final words on writing makes clear the recognition that his contribution was not in the realm of innovation so much as it was in the realm of explication.

These small points aside, Mr. Moffat and I agree in words that differ. I read nothing there that was either antagonistic nor even largely at odds with what I believe and, I hope, have expressed if at too much length.

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On Kubrick and Cinema Transcript

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On Kubrick and Cinema

Transcript of an exceedingly long comment Chez Dylan, revised for commercial blogdom here:

Kubrick has the famed attraction of the cobra that supposedly hypnotizes its potential victims before striking.Some Kubrick movies I like, a lot--Paths of Glory, Spartacus, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, The first half of Full Metal Jacket. Others I find either unwatchable or just uninteresting--Lolita (objectionable, and I thought the same of its literary progenitor. I don't care what the reason the subject is deplorable), Barry Lyndon (dull beyond words), Eyes Wide Shut (a panoply of every one of his perverted obsessions trotted out one after another).

One thing I can say for all of them--they fail to inspire any emotion at all, except perhaps horror. I do not laugh at "Strangelove" though I know some who do. I am not worried or engaged by Cruise in "Eyes Wide Shut," Alex and his droogs largely leave me terrifyingly cold. Kubrick did not inhabit a normal emotional space--his points of confluence with normal emotional life as represented by his films are few and far between.

I don't know whether I would call him Nietzschean or simply sociopathic/misanthropist. He mocks everything because he values nothing and he values nothing because he is locked out of converse with the normal world. Even Hollywood threw him out, and given whom they have embraced, it's hard to figure what has driven them.

There are modern-day Capras. The director of a small film titled "The Spitfire Grill." There are other warm and engaging moments in Cinema--but they are admittedly intermittent and often decried by Hollywierd as they do not tend to make money.

Oh well, too much and too long. Suffice to say, largely in agreement--although I do see some profound merits in some of Kubrick's statements. The warnings of Spartacus and A Clockwork Orange are salutary reminders of where we head when we are in charge. I think of Kubrick as a cinematic T.H. White whose most remarkable statement concerning humanity I find true--90% are sheep, 9% are blackguards, and the 1% fit to lead know better. After all, we're talking the race that gave you the Crucifixion, Leopold X of Belgium, Armenia, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and apparently blooming elsewhere in Africa--Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. If that is all that you look at, Kubrick's films begin to make a whole lot more sense. A man driven by despair is unlikely to see much of redemption.

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A New Entry One that

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A New Entry

One that I've wished to add for sometime, having seen references elsewhere, but never having encountered a link, I hope that I do no injustice by placing the link to Chirp here and in my left-hand column. Enjoy

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Speaking of Mr. Moffat You

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Speaking of Mr. Moffat

You may all want to pay Mr. Moffat a visit at his site The 7 Habitus and give him a bit of encouragement. It looks like it may well develop into a favorite.

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On the Intellect

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Mr. Moffat commented below, and his astute observations are such that I felt needed to address them lest there be a primary miscomprehension of what I have been trying to say.

Mr. Moffat's Comment I too suffer from what you call "the temptation to pride" in intellectual matters, but I wonder if denying a gift given to us by God, or trying to suppress such a gift, is not in itself a form of pride? I do struggle with that question, this is not an accusation, just something I ponder regularly.

This is a wonderful comment because if there is anything Catholicism doesn't need more of it is anti-intellectualism. If my posts re:Thomas Aquinas are read as some sort of crypto-support for the anti-intellectual crowd, then my words need clarifying. We are to use the gifts God gives us, and use them in humility and in His service. We should not attempt to "suppress" the gifts, just as Mr. Moffat states. Such gifts are positive goods.

However, sometimes we take a gift and development to the detriment of other aspects of ourselves, aspects that God has also gifted. Sometimes we allow the intellect to dominate the spirit and the emotions. Sometimes we develop one at the cost of another. We should not therefore eschew the intellect, but we would do well to direct our attention to other gifts--diamonds we have too long left in the rough. That would be my explanation for joining the Carmelites. I have long felt that God gifted me with a great brain--no greater than that of the vast majority of people out there, but He also gave me the impulse to focus on the intellect. I spent so much time in my head that perhaps I neglected my heart. I struggle now daily to have the heart of Jesus for His entire creation. I struggle to grow spiritually. My comments re: Aquinas are simply to say that that path holds many dangers for me.

I do not think that St. John of the Cross is any less "intellectual." Many of the things he has to say are very deep theology and very difficult to understand in sheer thought. But St. John of the Cross feeds my heart and encourages me to Love rather than to think.

Aquinas and Augustine defined two ends of a spectrum--"First I know, then I love," "First I love, then I know." I have tried knowing first, and it has been partially successful--I will only grow if I try loving.

But that doesn't mean that suddenly I should become an empty-headed follower of everything, that I should abandon all critical faculties in favor of visions, locutions, and other consolations. In fact, the intellect becomes even more important as one of the guardians of the spirit--advising and recommending what to read, what to do, how to react, where to seek Him.

We must use all of the gifts with which God has so generously graced us, and we must use them in a careful discerning manner. They are all lenses to focus the light of God. We need to adjust them to make the light clearer and more universal, not use them to burn and destroy.

Mr. Moffat, thank you so much for the comment. One of the strains of Catholicism that I find most trying is that which says we should abandon all of what God has given us and "love" in the sense of emotion more often than in the sense of an act of will accompanied by a positive action. I hope this has helped to clarify how I think of these matters.

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The Two Towers: Not a

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The Two Towers: Not a Review

I have seen it, though given my bent of mind in these intercalary days, I perhaps would have done better to have waited. Nevertheless it is done, and I do not intend to regale you with a review of the film. There are other, better venues to learn of its accuracy (or lack thereof), its beauty, and some of its stunning imagery.

Instead, I wish to reflect on something that touched and indicted me--the likeness of my house to that of Theoden in Thrall. Many glamours blind me to the duties that I owe family and friends. I occupy the throne but I do nothing. I simply fill a place, and in filling it without action, allow others to fill the place instead. This is the plight of Theoden, and of many of us who attempt to run households, raise children, encourage spouses, support friends. We live in thrall. We are in thrall to our sinful nature, which like Theoden enthralled, disfigures us and paralyzes us, we whisper and our minds cannot follow a thread of a thought. The merest breath from someone who advises, but is not perhaps worthy of the position, and we obey. No, we are not like this always, but too often the sceptre is wrenched from our grasp by a lack of focus. We have forgotten that God is the ruler, and His is the Kingship. We occupy a usurped throne and listen to the enemy of goodness as he directs us in ways that will not raise up our family and friends, but which will, too often crush them. Our unkind words, our subversive actions, our self-serving thoughts and deeds. We are indeed enchanted, and there is no Gandalf to walk in and open our eyes. Or rather, that One came some two-thousand years ago, and until our eyes are firmly fixed on him, the scales will cling to them and we will live in our blindness. Jesus Christ, yesterday, today, and forever. He is the only cure for the mind-sickness that comes from living too close to the world. He is the only release from the prison bars we have taken upon ourselves. As the young woman (whose name I never could make out) says in the film, when asked what she fears, "A cage that we have lived so long with that we cease to see the bars that hold us in." Our patterns of sinfulness are just such.

I suspect there are a great many Theodens out there. But one of the great messages of the film is that the glamour cannot hold against a greater power and that greater power stands in wait for us to fix our eyes upon Him. He alone is our salvation, our armor, our shield, and our strength. He alone is the fortress that stands against the surging tides of this time and all times because he stands outside of time and over all time as its Lord. Turning our gaze upon Him will help to clear the vapors from our mind, help to break the spell that lulls us insensibly into death and danger. Jesus Christ, King and Lord, Who was and is and is to come, is our release from prison. He alone makes straight what has been set wrong. We need not wait any longer, but we can embrace Him in love and in joy.

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Thanks to Mr. O'Rama

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Thanks to Mr. O'Rama

For this reminder from Fr. Thomas Dubay. Visit and read--it is powerful, life transforming, and (obviously) true.

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Marian Doctrine The blogmeister at

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Marian Doctrine

The blogmeister at Mysterium Crucis has a brief remark on Scott Hahn's books of Marian doctrine. His post inspired two thoughts.

I am reading The Lamb's Supper and while I do appreciate some of the insights and thoughts found therein, I do find the endless punning titles both distracting, and ultimately lending to an air of levity inappropriate to the content. It is so off-putting as to have caused me to throw the book across the room on at least one occasion; however, I feel what is being said is so important that the book is worth reading. If anyone knows Mr. Hahn well, please advise him to lay off the puns--they are neither engaging nor particularly astute, further they detract from the main point of the work and make light of mysteries that it is perhaps better to regard with a certain gravity, not to say solemnity.

Second, the Blogmeister has requested more substantial books of Marian Doctrine. I was able to tell him some fairly good works regarding Marian Devotion, and Alphonsus di Liguori's The Glories of Mary which indeed has substantial Marian Doctrine. I did not (how remiss of me) mention the Catechism's extensive section(s) on Mary, so I add those to this list, and I invite those more knowledgable in the ways of doctrine and dogma to offer suggestions here or at Mysterium Crucis. I, too, would be interested in expanding my horizons with respect to this aspect of theology.

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New Year's Plans Other than

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New Year's Plans

Other than Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, I've been thinking about ways to ring in the New Year on a very positive note. The following occurred to me:

A trip to the beach for New Year's day--maybe a little wading, perhaps some shark watching. Definitely watching the brown pelicans--striking figures, so much out of the Mesozoic, one thinks immediately of the glide of Pterodactylus. And away in the distance the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) for the Space shuttle, and the launch pad. Perhaps, as cool as it is, we will have more of a chance to see the alligators sunning themselves.

Or maybe trip up to Blue Springs to see the annual manatee retreat to the springs. Every year between fifty and a hundred seek refuge in the relatively warm waters of the springs. The are enormous grey, masses of flesh--the prime excitement of watching them comes when one pushes briefly to the surface to snort and breathe. Or perhaps one pushes her baby to the surface probably to make sure he breathes--these are not some of the great intelligences of the animal world.

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On St. Thomas, Redux Mr.

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On St. Thomas, Redux

Mr. da Fiesole has some interesting comments with regard to St. Thomas Aquinas here et seq. The discussion and points made are worth following. I will refrain from further comment because my point is made and argumentation does not change personality--I fundamentally distrust anything that is wrong in major points regardless of the reasons for the inaccuracy. That is part of my makeup. However, I also can overcome that distrust through trust in Him who is greater than all physical things. Further, I acknowledge that whatever fault is associated with this is not that of St. Thomas, who was, after all, a product of the best teaching and best science of his age, but my own entirely. I am responsible, and my warning is to those who are tempted to react to the works in the way that I would, not to people not otherwise subject to these temptations to pride. (One must know that I delight in "solving" mysteries before the author reveals the solution to me, and speeding through the NY Times crossword puzzles on a timed basis--rooting out mystery and resolving apparent inconsistency gives me great joy and a bloated head.)

Thus, my profound, deep, and abiding respect for St. Thomas, and my acknowledgement of him as one of the greatest minds in History. I have no doubt that such a deep thinker today would rival all of those that we hold up as icons of intelligence. His great work, the Summa is undoubtedly tremendous, helpful, and powerful reading to those differently constructed. However, one of the reasons I turned to the Carmelites was the enormous temptation to pride and to envy presented by indulgence of my "intellectual" side. I needed to move to a place where I could still be intellectual, but the spirituality focused on letting God take the driver's seat--where the temptation to intellectual pride is perhaps less severe. Again, personality--and no argument, no matter how clear and cogent, no matter how reasonable, can efface the temptations we all are visited with. So, for those constituted intellectually in a way similar to me, my warning stands. For those with no such hesitation, I cannot possibly recommend highly enough the Summa and its companion pieces. For me, wisdom says, get thee to an advisor who can help (not even a spiritual advisor, but perhaps merely a lay O.P. group, or a class with Professor Kreeft or McInerny, or a reasonably good and intelligent guide such as Father Farrell's or Josef Pieper's brief guide. All of these can help steer away from the temptation) before pursuing this in any serious way.

Similarly, St. John of the Cross presents a certain kind of temptation to those so inclined. One can read his works and interpret sheer spiritual laziness as a "dark night of the soul." Without a good guide there are some pools into which certain souls should not dip their toes. However, I believe that both the Bible and The Imitation of Christ are relatively free of the possibilities found in other works. So too, St. Thér*egrave;se of Lisieux and other simple works seem to present less of a problem in these ways. It seems the greatest temptations come from the works most rarified and most focused.

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Conversation with Fr. James V.

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Conversation with Fr. James V. Schall

For those who have not yet received the e-mail (I frankly have no idea of why I did, but I'm glad that I did), you may be interested in the Claremont Institute two-part conversation with Fr. James Schall. I know Father Schall as a columnist in Crisis and as the author of numerous articles of G. K. Chesterton and other famous Catholic Literary figures. I do not always see eye-to-eye with him (oh, what a shock); however, I always find what he has to say most interesting.

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Mysterium Crucis I must admit

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Mysterium Crucis

I must admit to being charmed by the way the author of this new blog introduced himself:

Due to the most recent provisions in Canon Law, no literate person in the process of conversion to Catholicism can refuse to start an online journal and incessantly prattle on the minutae of his spiritual growth to a surprisingly receptive clique of lay intellectuals. Not one to disobey, Will launched this blog.

Good fortune and blessings to the blogmaster, and a promise of my prayers as he continues along the path to full initiation into the Church.

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On Aquinas as Spiritual Reading

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On Aquinas as Spiritual Reading

In my long blog below and anonymous commenter questioned the absence of the Summa in my list of spiritual reading, and my response was that it simply didn't belong in the category of spiritual reading about which I was at that time preoccupied. I've decided to show my hand with regard to Aquinas.

While I acknowledge Aquinas remarkable achievement and powerful argument in the Summa (or both Summas) I would say that Aquinas may be one of the single most dangerous influences possible for the intellectually inclined Catholic or Christian. I can say with all truth that approaching Aquinas alone nearly caused me to "lose my faith." (By which I mean, get lost in myself and my own reasoning). Aquinas proposes many questions and provides a great many analogies and answers from nature and scripture. The problem is that a great many of these analogies from nature are simply incorrect. Aquinas simply wasn't in a place to know what we presently know and understand about the natural world. However, what happens as one reads these, unless one quickly slams down the "metaphorical" shield is that one begins to doubt the centrality of Aquinas's arguments.

Thus, I do not recommend the Summa as spiritual reading for those who have training in the empirical sciences. I do not tell anyone to avoid it either. I simply point out that there are pitfalls to the unguided--very serious, very real pitfalls. I recall a very good Jewish friend of mine saying that the great pitfall of Judaism is that there was a powerful belief in the education of children, and the children were often so educated that they ceased to have any real faith. This is the trap for the unguarded, lone explorer.

On the other hand, for the person sufficiently prepared, sufficiently steeped in Catholic doctrine, sufficiently skeptical of the promises of empiricism, Aquinas offers a bounty of apologetics fodder, and some very profound, powerful spiritual reading.

For myself, I stay away from the Summa, the temptation to pride is far too great--the ability to lord it over one of the great minds of all times due to the limits of his times is overwhelming. I approach St. Thomas in his wonderful commentaries on the Scriptures, in his profound hymns, poems, and meditations which are often overlooked in the rush for the Summa. But St. Thomas has something for every believer, and much of what he offers is profound food for thought, for faith, and perhaps even for contemplation (for those with a mind so suited.)

Therefore, I will leave further commentary to those better acquainted with him and those who are better able to guide and to teach than am I. I respect St. Thomas, and even love him profoundly for the great Saint and example he is, but I tread very softly and very carefully about his works.

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After the Fact--About Santa Claus

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After the Fact--About Santa Claus

I loved this note at Minute Particulars, so reasoned and quietly stated. Until I had children I swore that I would have nothing of the Santa-thing in my house. And still, we do not decorate with Santa or encourage him overtly in our Christmastime musings. But having a child really does put a different spin on matters, and my present spin is not so much to discourage Samuel from believing, but to try to see what he sees and believe what he is actually believing. That is to say, in some remote way, I think the story of Santa taps into the understanding that the world is not the mundane place empiricists would have us believe. The sheer joy of expectation from beyond is a lesson we could all do well to internalize.

I suppose this is a way of saying that living with a little one helps put one in touch once again with those hopes, fears, and simple joys that come when the world is not all flat and decided, all sharp edges, corners, and spiny areas. For me, I have come to believe once again in Santa Claus, who is, after all, merely a personification of the virtues of generosity and gratitude. Thus, in a very real way, Santa Claus is real and promotes real values long after reality intrudes. Yes, eventually children will understand that there is no "physical Santa Claus" but at that time they are ready for the news that nevertheless he exists in hearts and minds attuned to God's Holy Spirit. Generosity, gratitude, self-sacrifice, and benevolence exist in all who call upon the name of Jesus and in that name they will grow.

No, I've chosen my battles, and it is the Easter Bunny whom I adamantly oppose. In my household we do have Peter Cottontail, harbinger of spring who arrives along about the vernal equinox to announce the change of seasons (although here in Florida, Mr. Cottontail can be seen at just about any time you care to name). This year he may even arrive with a basket of goodies, but he has nothing whatsoever to do with Easter.

I guess I believe that these old stories, even after exposed as "untrue," helped to put me in touch with the realities that lie behind the physical world. I have been able to put aside the empiricism demanded of the intellect and engage in the understanding that things lie beyond, behind, and beneath what is seen on the surface. The belief in the supernatural is an absolute essential for those who will learn to love Jesus Christ.

I understand that many will disagree, but I will point out that several, perhaps many generations of children have been raised with the belief in Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or some other Christmastime entity, and the vast majority of these children have come to no harm through these simple beliefs. If they had, they would have eschewed them themselves in subsequent generations. There is something that speaks to all of us in these stories, and when we tell them, we are transformed. They are no more lies than the tales of Odysseus or the Märchen of the Brother's Grimm. They embody a necessary and salutary truth, a joy and an exuberance that as adults we tend to have had pounded out of us. That joyful expectation of a visit is indeed what we should all be experiencing as we go to Mass throughout the season of Christmas--remembering the incarnation and looking forward to the time when Christ will return. A child's view and love of Santa Claus is a window into this mystery for us. (Or so I have found for myself.)

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Intercalary Days I see many

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Intercalary Days

I see many are back blogging, returned to the routine, as it were. We have skimmed by the solstice, celebrated Christmas and entered the ill-omened intercalary days of the Aztecs and Mayas. These peoples constructed a calendar on a base 20 system with 13 monts of twenty days and then 5 or so "intercalary days" so ill-omened that people were encouraged not to leave their homes for any reason.

From the earliest I can remember I have felt this way about the end of the calendar. I know we're in the Christmas season, but whatever chemicals the sun produces for brain happiness are at an amazing and destructive low and so all I feel like doing is going to bed and staying there--which is why I make a practice and discipline of doing something each of these days. Thanks to blogging I have a new way to communicate to the world and to put out sensors to see if it really is normal and not completely transformed by virtue of its position in the calendar.

Well, enough of that, I hope the celebration of Christmas was wonderful and blessed, and may the remainder of the Christmas season be a source of hope and joy to all (myself most especially included).

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A Quiz Result I Actually

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A Quiz Result I Actually Liked

Now, whether or not it is true, is another matter.

all%20is%20calm%2C%20all%20is%20bright
What Christmas Carol Are You?

brought to you by Quizilla

Merry Christmas everyone. May you holiday be blessed and bring you closer to God.

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Another Gift From Project Canterbury

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Another Gift From Project Canterbury

I share an excerpt of this sermon of Edward Pusey--a sermon on Christmas Day. I somewhat doubt I shall be blogging early tomorrow, though as evening approaches it is just remotely possible.

from Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for Our Times"-- Sermon 40--"Christian Joy"--Preached on Christmas Day Edward Pusey The indispensable source of energy and renewal, when frailty and weakness increase, is the encounter with the living Christ, Lord of the Covenant. This is why you must develop an intense spiritual life and open your soul to the Word of life. In the depths of the heart the voice of God must be heard, even if at times it seems to be silent, in reality it resounds continually in the heart and accompanies us along the path that can have its burden of sorrow as happened to the two travellers of Emmaus.
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Words of Wisdom for

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Words of Wisdom for the Day

Rejoice, for the Lord is come!

from an Address to the Pontifical Council for the Family His Holiness John Paul II

The indispensable source of energy and renewal, when frailty and weakness increase, is the encounter with the living Christ, Lord of the Covenant. This is why you must develop an intense spiritual life and open your soul to the Word of life. In the depths of the heart the voice of God must be heard, even if at times it seems to be silent, in reality it resounds continually in the heart and accompanies us along the path that can have its burden of sorrow as happened to the two travellers of Emmaus.

Encounter Him today with a mother's eyes--pray the Rosary!

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From Oswald Chambers Yes, I

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From Oswald Chambers

Yes, I know, not a Catholic Source, but nevertheless, there are some profound insights and some beautiful reflections through the book.

from My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. When He says - "Let not your heart be troubled," if you see Him I defy you to trouble your mind, it is a moral impossibility to doubt when He is there. Every time you get into personal contact with Jesus, His words are real. "My peace I give unto you," it is a peace all over from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, an irrepressible confidence. "Your life is hid with Christ in God," and the imperturbable peace of Jesus Christ is imparted to you.

And today it (your life) is hid in the person of a infant given once for all. "For unto us is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord." If so, what have we to fear?

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Another Innovation I'm going to

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Another Innovation

I'm going to have to try this out a little while. It seems a bit jarring upon entry--on the other hand, I rather like it. You have your choice of Daily Promise, Psalm, Proverb, or Verse. I've chosen verse, though I may switch to promise. Others are doing a much better job at Psalms and such and proverbs bother me in some way I can really account for. Let me know what you think. I may be able to adjust border to make it a bit less of a lump in the middle of the page. But I do like the idea and I know that I can't do it myself, so. . .

Got the link from this green-light recommended site. There appear to be a number of useful resource including a blog with a reflection on each day's psalm. I'll be checking it out for a few days before I decide about it.

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Another Interesting Siting via El

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Another Interesting Siting
via El Camino Real. El Camino author, Mr. Culbreath refers us to a specific chapter of the work, but there appears to be a good deal of considerable interest here--including articles on Orestes Brownson, among other tidbits. Variations on a Theme subtitled "Portraits of a Continuous Pattern of Accommodation to American Culture and Its Principles by the Catholic Church in the United States of America, Op. 45." Appears to have much of interest to those of us fighting the culture wars.

The link is to a site The Charles de Nunzio Review. It's own description--"An Independent Journal of Commentary Reflective of Catholic Orthodoxy & Tradition Established the 25th of July 1996." I don't know what to make of this considering how many claim Cahtolic Orthodoxy and Tradition, but further reading will tell. Nothing there set off any alarms so far--although the open letter on golf was a rather jarring entry.

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To quote Dante speaking of Dame Fortune. And the change for today is to add to the ever expanding minor column the Anthology. The Anthology will prove a double blessing. For those remotely interested, it will connect you to my poetry on this site. For others, it will spare you the repetition of that which you have come to dread. So, let's have a little round of applause for this "accomplishment." I hope to add shortly an "Anthology" of the poems by other authors on this blog. Problem there is to figure out the best means of succinct citation. But, when it happens, I'll also connect to all of those.

The anthology should work so long as direct linking works. If you use it and find something that doesn't work or link to the correct place, please leave me a note or drop me an e-mail. Thanks.

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Spiritual Reading

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Yes, we're back to this topic, and I want to thank the few people who ventured some suggestions for a Spiritual Reading list. I'd like now to propose my own and a sort of careful parsing of what we mean by "spiritual reading."

Spiritual reading seems to come under a number of categories. The list I shall prepare will be the aspect that most concerns me--becoming a contemplative and growing in union with God. However, there are other matters as well--there is spiritual reading for apologetics, defense of the faith, and growth in knowledge of the faith. There is spiritual reading simply to remind one that this world is not the final destination and important things exist beyond the surfaces. There is spiritual reading that simply supports us by reminding us that we are not alone. Many of the suggestions from others fall into one of these three latter categories--by no means less important than the one that I choose to focus on; however, being a Carmelite, I choose Mary's part, not Martha's and these latter three, while good and worthwhile seem to be more Martha than Mary. I welcome other conclusions.

My list of A-1, must-read, literature for the nourishment of the contemplative consists of the following works:

(1) The Holy Bible--in any translation that fosters your own reading of it. As I have said many times here, I have my own favorite, but it does not appeal to all for any number of reasons. The best translation is the translation that invites you to read. And I would encourage reading of the Bible that extends far beyond the daily Mass readings. I would encourage systematic, daily, and complete reading of the Bible, Old and New Testaments. But for prayer, meditation, and the encouragement of contemplation, I would encourage the reading of the Gospels. It would seem that you could follow a yearly reading plan and use each pericope for a daily hour of prayer, or perhaps you could invest the time to read one gospel a month in rotation, thus immersing yourself in the story of Jesus twelve times a year--three times for each gospel. As this percolates down into the soul, it effects a transformation that transcends anything you can begin to imagine.

(2) As all the great saints and contemplatives seem to recommend it, and my own reading has shown it to be a powerful influence, The Imitation of Christ is second on my list of required works. The remainder of my corpus of recommendations must necessarily be ranked third, without fine division between the works; however, this work seems to have fostered much of the work that follows. It was instrumental in the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and of a great many others. It is written in a brief aphoristic style that allows one to take a single section, paragraph or phrase and use it for meditation and daily living. If one could live out the recommendations given in this small volume, one would be well on the way to sanctity.

(3) The following works all seem to be useful for the nourishment of the contemplative within and for approaching union with God.

The Way of Perfection St. Teresa of Avila's small book of advice to her nuns. I would recommend the study edition available from the Institute for Carmelite Studies (see left-hand column). This edition provides extensive notes and questions that help an individual make sense of what St. Teresa is telling us. One complaint about some spiritual works is that they don't seem to speak to us today in our own language. The times seems to have overrun them and we have trouble penetrating the writing and the metaphor to make sense of what the author is trying to tell us. The study edition will help. The Way of Perfection is by no means the best of St. Teresa's work--it is digressive and the line of thought seems more like a bowl of spaghetti than a line. But along with the Autobiography it makes a very good starting point for understanding St. Teresa's "method" of prayer. After finishing this at some time, both the Autobiography and The Interior Castle are necessary works. I would recommend the translations from ICS, as the older, E. Allison Peers translations tend to preserve archaic words and some very convoluted sentence structures that make the work more obscure and difficult than it need be.

St. John of the Cross--quite simply--everything. Get the ICS translation by Kiernan Kavanaugh and Ottilio Rodriguez, or, if you are in the fortunate position of reading Spanish fluently, read them in the original. San Juan has not been named the national poet of Spain for no reason. The ICS translation has a useful introduction that list a recommended order for the works, but a short start might be The Sayings of Light and Love These aphorisms are tightly compressed sayings, much like those of the desert fathers, that focus the attention on necessary motions of the spiritual and sensual life for the increase of contemplation.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul. Again, the ICS translation is superior to any other translation available. It preserves the original order of the work and defines it by its three stages of development and growth. The introduction and notes throughout help enormously in understanding why this little Flower is a Doctor of the Church. If you are fortunate enough to read French fluently, there is an electronic edition available on-line (see left-hand column). I found the French to be fairly crisp and readable and having the advantage of being in French where some of the locution and metaphors seem more natural. One complaint often levied at the work is that St. Thérèse tends to be saccharine in her writing, and by implication in her spirituality. At one point in the work she describes herself as "Jesus's toy." Such metaphors are disorienting in nearly every translation I have seen except for the complete one available from ICS. St. Thérèse's sister, Pauline, did an unfortunate job of bowdlerizing the original work for publication shortly after her death. Many translations follow some portion of this evisceration, resulting in a picture of St. Thérèse as a holy wimp. Believe me, that is not so. Any young woman who could do what she did before pope Leo XIII in defiance of all convention and rules could hardly qualify as any sort of wimp.

The Way of a Pilgrim is a work of Eastern Spirituality, and thus a trifle alien to those of us in the West; however, it is a powerful work that tells the story of a man who seeks union with God and is advised to pray constantly. The prayer recommended is the Jesus Prayer and the Pilgrim's advisor means literally constantly. I do not know the efficacy of the method as a lifestyle, but I do know that I employed some part of its technique for a period after 9/11/01 as I attempted to say a prayer for every victim of the tragedy and all the potential victims of its aftermath. This was the time during which wore out my chotki and have yet to replace it. (Sharon, if you are reading, thank you very kindly for the gift of that original--it served long and well.)

Now, without the long digressions--which are to come later--the following list encompasses the remainder of my recommendations for top-notch spiritual reading for the contemplative life:
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Attend the long retreat if you have an opportunity--or get Thomas Green's work from Ignatius Press A Vacation with the Lord
St. Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life
St. Louis de Montfort True Devotion to Mary
Jean-Pierre de Caussade Abandonment to Divine Providence
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection Practice of the Presence of God
Fr. Augustine Baker Holy Wisdom
St. Catherine of Siena Dialogue
Walter Hilton Scale of Perfection
St. John Cassian Conferences
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Lives of the Desert Fathers

This list is the starter. It has left off a great many works of Eastern Spirituality as they tend to be alien to us Latinate types, but they are well worth reading. It has also left off a great many useful and powerful works. I shall add to the list as soon as I am able to annotate this portion. I have already tried your patience with this ever-increasing list of opinions so I will not trouble you longer. I welcome response, dialogue, and comment as I cannot and do not claim to be anything approaching a final arbiter, much less a true expert in these matters.

Oh, and for those who prefer works on the lighter side that still provide something of an uplift and example, you cannot do better than the fictionalized biographies by Louis de Wohl. My favorites include Lay Siege to Heaven (St. Catherine of Siena), Set all Aflame (?) Afire(?) (St. Francis Xavier), and The Spear (Cassius Longinus). Others cover the lives of St. Ignatius, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Paul, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. But we'll talk about some of these when I digress on the question of Catholic Fiction and the much-maligned and redefined "Catholic Novel."

All of our reading should be of the very best. We have no time to waste on anything less than that which uplifts us and focuses us squarely toward Our Lord and God. Still, reading even B-list books is better than even a smidgen of television. So, overall better (and I sicken to say it) Tom Clancy than Dharma and Greg or (with a visible shudder) Friends.

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Something a Bit Challenging Here's

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Something a Bit Challenging

Here's something that struck me as I resumed perusal of a book I had dropped some time back:

The Contemporary Challenge of St. John of the Cross Leonard Doohan.

Some writers suggest, for example, that those well-intentioned Christians who constantly desire to adapt liturgical and ecclesiastical externals to their own temperaments are like John's "spiritual beginners." They seem unable to deny themselves anything for the sake of love alone; they lack an ability to really choose; they show inconstancy in their own duties; and their attitude toward the externals of faith is often childish. Some of these signs are negative, but the increased attention to religious matters is a step forward. It shows that the individual is thinking in a new way, but also needs guidance to enter the night ahead.

I know it challenged me to think about the ways in which I demand things conform to my vision of the world. Hardly, I expect, what Jesus anticipated when He instructed us to "follow Him." Often it seems we are trying to head Him off at the pass or cut Him off in traffic. We are not willing to follow because we are the essence of self-will. St. John of the Cross has a great deal to teach us about abandoning self-will and assuming God's higher will as our own path in life. More of that later.

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Anne Catherine Emmerich I don't

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Anne Catherine Emmerich

I don't know how you all feel about the Blessed Anne Emmerich, but thanks to Mr. Gonzalez (at fotos de apocalipsis) we have this link to her meditations on the passion of Christ. Thank you so much Mr. Gonzalez!

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Talk About Your "Momentary

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Talk About Your "Momentary Taste of Being From the Well Amidst the Waste. . ."

Samuel is our own such well--a well-fed spring of God's grace and enlightenment. I'm sure everyone who has children recognizes what a gift they are--but they are also a means of God's self-revealing. Children have not put up some many barriers, they have not declared so many conditions. In short, they do not fight grace or impulse, and thus are more pure channels of both. Sometimes grace and impulse coincide, as in this little incident from last night:

I was going into an ice cream shop. My wife stayed in the car with Samuel. Apparently Samuel asked her about all the traffic that he saw out on the street. My wife explained that some people were going to work, some coming home, some were going shopping, some were going to Church. Samuel announced, “I want them all to stop so I can give them all hugs.” So, from Samuel to everyone out there, hugs.

What a wonderful, delightful, frightening, enlightening, exciting, surprising, and touching moment with Jesus in the heart of the family. Thank you God for the gift of family and of love.

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Samuel's Report to His Mother

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Samuel's Report to His Mother on the Afternoon's Activities

Samuel needed to tell mommy about his activities. The summary went something like this, "We had a great time sprinkling and toothpasting the cookies. That was really good toothpaste."

With the taste of some of that frosting, not all that inaccurate.

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A Christmas Gift from Project

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A Christmas Gift from Project Canterbury

And a lovely one it is, too. A PDF translation of the York Missal, from which the following excerpt--a confessional prayer:

I know to God full of might, And to his mother Mary maiden bright, And to all souls here, And to the father ghostly, I have sinned largely, In many serious sins, In thought, in speech and in delight, In word, in work, I deserve to be punished, And worthy I am to blame, Therefore I pray Saint Mary and all holy souls, Here in God’s name, And the priest to pray for me, That God have mercy and pity, For his manhood, Of my wretched sinfulness, And give me grace and forgiveness Of all my misdeeds.
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Gingerbread Cookies Okay, I'm not

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Gingerbread Cookies

Okay, I'm not much of a homemaker type, and even though we have one of those huge manglers that some call mixers, I knew that I just didn't have the ingredients for gingerbread. So instead of trying to figure out what to get, I bought pre-formed men. With a 4 year-old this seems ideal. I am spared the ordeal of rolling and cutting and rerolling ad infinitum, but he gets the delight of decoration.

Well we decorated a dozen, and they make me wish I had a website to store images on because some of these beasts redefine wretched excess. We ate one because he was losing his head and the rest we save until Mommy gets home so she can look at our efforts. Overall, a success I think.

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More Books Went to the

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More Books

Went to the library yesterday and found a book titled Triumph. It's a history of the Catholic Church that is being heavily advertised in all of the very traditional/orthodox mags about. Picked it up to see what it might be like.

Related to the entry on Shakers, our meager library system had a copy of Ronald Knox's Enthusiasm: An Episode in the History of Religion. I'm uncertain about what the book deals with, but it may have much to do with the relgious "revivals" of the 17th and 18th century, including "The Great Awakening," about which I know relatively little.

Also among books delivered in the past couple of days was Balthasar's "Theology of Karl Barth." As if Barth isn't difficult enough on his own, we have Balthasar attempting to talk about how to engage in theological dialogue with Barth. I flipped open to a page with such a thoroughly impenetrable paragraph as to make me doubt my ability to read more than a page.

Finally--also got some books by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, who is one of my favorite writers on feminism. Feminism Is Not the Story of My Life and Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South. Should make for interesting reading over the next couple of weeks.

I thought I was going to be dreadfully bored by Josef Pieper, and am pleased to report that is not the case. The book on Phaedrus is sufficiently interesting to make me consider reading the actual dialogue. I've never been a Greek Philosopher fan, I've read The Symposium and wished I hadn't, and a few scattered bits of Aristotle when I couldn't otherwise avoid it. Mostly I find philosophical reading a vast waste of energy. But there are times when something worthwhile pokes through. If one consider Aquinas philosophy (some do and some don't), he might be an exception. Even so, I recognize that my mind simply isn't bent that way--I find the puzzles of hard-core science and mathematics far more interesting than philosophical fal-de-rol. (I guess Paul de Man, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault will do that for you.

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Book Group The Catholic Book

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Book Group

The Catholic Book Group meets this morning. We'll be talking about God Among the Shakers by Suzanne Skees. It was one of the more interesting books I've read in a while. Ms. Skees has a Catholic Background. She spent some time after the birth of her third child with the Shakers of Sabbathday Lake, Maine. This is the last extant Shaker community. The Shakers seem to be a co-ed, protestant, monastic community with some really odd theological elements. (For example they consider their founder Ann Lee to be a kind of female second coming of Christ. When speaking of God they say consistently Father/Mother.)

What is most interesting is that despite the odd theological elements, the ground of being is oriented largely in the way many other Christian monastic communities are. Until reading this book, I was under the impression that the Shakers were Christian. Now, I am less certain. I suspect that there is much that is Christian, but the theology of sin and redemption seems so far removed from Christian understanding as to move them into one of the Christian spin-offs or vaguely allied movements. They strike me more as theistic Unitarians than Christians. Their belief in God is solid, down to earth, and pervasive in everything they do.

Anyway, if you're interested in history of religion or even just some aspects of American History, you'll find this book fascinating.

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Our Lady of La Leche

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Our Lady of La Leche

A previous post inspired my interest and I went to see if the Mission Nombre de Dios had a web-page. Indeed they do. For those interested in Catholic History, in Florida history, or in Our Lady of La Leche, this is a good start. If you're in the neighborhood sometime, it is a wonderful place to visit--very close to the Castillo de San Marcos and Old Town St. Augustine, but easy to miss if you aren't looking. I know, I overlooked it on four different trips before I finally found it.

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Prayers, We Need Prayers Mr.

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Prayers, We Need Prayers

Mr. Kairos Guy and his wife request prayers. Further information here. Please remember them daily. Possible intercessors--St. Gerard Majella and the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe (at least here in Florida she is often so invoked). Probably not bad to consider Our Lady of La Leche as well. Thanks to all who will help.

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Recipes Abound Today Run to

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Recipes Abound Today

Run to Ms. Kropp's place and find a recipe for Hot Toddy. Then, even if you're not quite over the sniffles, get a dose of the best medicine with Mr. Miller's patent recipe for dissent. Scroll down and you'll even find some proto-heavy-metal lyrics for advent songs. A heady and, methinks, a combustible mix.

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A Rashomon Experience

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A response to a comment below provoked this phrase. For those unaware of it Rashomon is a relatively early film by Akira Kurosawa, a master director of Japanese Cinema. (He gave us Ran, Kagemusha, Throne of Blood {a Japanese Macbeth}, The Hidden Fortress, The Seven Samurai {and its American Counterpart The Magnificent Seven} and a host of other very fine films.) Rashomon was adapted from a short Story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, often considered the finest writer of pre-war Japan, and sometimes considered the Edgar Allan Poe of Japan. The story as told in the movie centers around four different tellings of the same event from the viewpoints of four witnesses. (The recent novel by Iain Pears, An Instance of the Fingerpost does something somewhat similar but more expansive). These four different views bear very little resemblance to one another, even though all four people observed exactly the same event.

So too one of the strengths, aggravations, and joys of blogging. By reading sundry blogs, I find that I get more than one view. Often I find views notoriously annoying and shortsighted (but then, if they were to look back at my own view, should I make it public, they might claim I was so open-minded my brains spilled out somewhere along the way.) But most of the time such a diversity of viewpoint becomes a training ground for charity. One comes to realize that it is possible for very well-intentioned people to hold diverse views on a given topic and still be acting in goodwill with malice toward none. One example I can think of is when I posted a reference to some less-than-kind remarks regarding one of our Archbishops. One intrepid and very kind blogger rushed in to inform me how mistaken my view was of this man. This gentle correction forced me into looking carefully at how I formulated opinions, most particularly with respect to the hierarchy, and also forced me to see that these are not ordinary men. Yes, they are fully human, but they have, by the grace of God, been put into positions of spiritual leadership, and whatever their failings as people, as managers, even as Christians, many have come to regard them as spiritual leaders and to love them deeply for the guidance and the pastoring they bring to their office. That was simply one "Rashomon" experience among many. And I cherish each one of them because they all help me learn and teach me both charity and humility--lessons sorely needed.

So, when I reflect on this last half-year since I started blogging, I thank God for the many people who are out there helping us all to become better Christians and better Catholics. I thank God for voices like those of Fr. Keyes, C.PP.S., Ms. Knapp, Mr. White, Mr Cahill, Mr. Culbreath, Mr. da Fiesole, Mr. Gil, and many others you can find in the side-column that give me much to think about, much to reflect upon, and much to help me grow as a Christian. I thank wonderful voices like Ms. vonHuben and Mr. Miller, who help me maintain a balance and a fine charity of humor when faced with many of these overwhelming events. I thank voices like those of Mr. Abbott, Mr. Bell, Mr. Kairos, Ms. Kropp, and Ms. vonHuben again for sharing images and events that allow me to understand how others live a Christian life in family. I thank Dylan, Ms. Lewis, Mr. O'Rama, and the authors of Minute Particulars and A Catholic Point of View for their views on everything from the Arts and Poetry to current trials and victories.

My thanks to everyone who takes the time and the energy to bless us all, a community in cyberspace. I know I have been blessed and have become if not a better Catholic, at least one who understands better the ways some people react to things. I hope this has helped to make me more understanding in my everyday life. But I did want to make sure that everyone I mention in my left hand column knows how deeply I appreciate their work and their writing. And I want to encourage everyone to continue to bless us all with all that you do. God has given you the means and opportunity, and I know that I have been deeply blessed. God bless us, one and all.

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A Quotation for the Day

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A Quotation for the Day

"Well, what shall we hang? The holly or each other?"

Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine--The Lion in Winter

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Some Observations on An Insight

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Some Observations on An Insight for All Time

This from Josef Pieper.

from Enthusiasm and Divine Madness: on the Platonic Dialogue Phaedrus
Josef Pieper

Thus, in the first lines of the dialogue, Plato evokes the atmosphere in which these young Athenian intellectuals live. Theirs is a world of sophisticated irreverence and detachment, of enlightened health doctrines and simultaneous depravity. And in the midst of these poisonous fumes we find. . . (p. 7)

. . .everybody. Boy, that really hit me. A better description of present time would be hard to come by. Utter irreverence, to the point where religion is considered at best an intrusion and at worst a potential threat and usurper. And what is the one crime anyone today might commit--to smoke in the presence of others or to condone or otherwise support smoking. Or, heaven forbid--to be overweight. Or not to jog in the morning. Or to eat fatty foods. We are those Athenians and we desperately need to listen to our Socrates, the one man who keeps calling for a sane, humane, and human society--our dear and beloved Pope. Viva il Papa!

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Some Thoughts on the Professio

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Some Thoughts on the Professio Making the Rounds

At one time I considered doing this, and after considering some well-reasoned statements pointing out why that might not be the better thing to do, I decided otherwise. I have enormous respect for those who publish this, and my heart is with them, but I think I will stand by my previous decision for a while until I have considered all manner of things that whirl about in my head and God ultimate convicts me that this is the right and proper course of action.

However, that aside, I wanted to share a reflection that many will probably consider ill-advised.

I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed by that same church definitively with regard to teaching concerning faith or morals.


What is more, I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman pontiff or the college of bishops enunciate when they exercise the authentic magisterium even if they proclaim those teachings in an act that is not definitive.

This is part of said professio. And I wished to add my own clarification of terminology. Not only to I adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to teachings, I am also willing to lend my consent to many merely prudential judgment made in matters that I have neither time nor wherewithal to consider. When a body, such as the Bishops, in solemn assembly declare something, whether definitive teaching or no, such declaration demands my utmost respect, and I believe, if I am not willing to go through the rigorous analysis of all of the data to determine the actuality myself, my consent until such time as I do so. In other words, I may not merely gainsay the body of bishops on my own say-so. Now if a single priest or Bishop should make a pronouncement on an issue, while I still owe respect to the opinion, I do not regard it with the same deference as any pronouncement made by an assembled body.

No, I do not worship the hierarchy, but I do tend to trust the thought of many focused on a single issue more than I trust my own instincts and feelings that too often have led me astray.

Another point I wish to make is more a question. If I question interiorly whether what is taught is true or not, but give no voice to it outwardly, and when asked to reflect upon the issue from a Catholic Point of View, I say simply what the Catholic Church teaches, am I giving true consent of the will, if perhaps not of the intellect? There are points of Church teaching with which I struggle on a nearly daily basis. I trust the Church, and I pray God for the struggle to end. Nevertheless, some matters are less than settled in my perfervid brain. Am I in less than complete submission, or does my silence on the matter and the interior struggle mean that I have chosen to act and behave as though I believe even though I am uncertain? Let's take a ludicrous example--Let's say that for some reason I struggled mightily over the question of whether the Blessed Virgin was really the Immaculate Conception. But let us say that I observed the Feast Day, I taught my children and all who would listen only what the Church says and I pray for conversion to what the Church teaches. Am I acting in conformity of will and intellect or is the intellect in rebellion? And if it is in rebellion, if the intellect is not in submission, when does submission come? Must everything be absolutely settled with no recurring questions?

I guess you can see why I don't really feel capable of posting something so definitive. I state once again what I have said a great many times. The Holy Catholic Church is the universal teacher of God's will and plan for salvation. All that she teaches I hold to be true to the extent that I can, practicing it and teaching it faithfully. I refuse to be lured into dissent, having walked that path before and I struggle mightily to bring into submission those stray thoughts and notions that occasionally may arise and bring forth doubt and question. But somehow I feel I fall short of the perfect submission professed by some, and that disturbs me greatly. (The word "professed" is used not to convey doubt to indicate the intent of the person who has posted or spoke the words--I do not doubt their good will and their adherence to what they have said. It's a shame lawyerese has drained some words of their right and proper meaning so that now saying someone "professes something" is indicative of doubt about their veracity. I have not such doubts.) I have no doubt that in God's good time He will show me the truth of all of these teachings, but until then, I fear I am a terribly conflicted, but terribly hopeful soul. I do not believe however, that a company so professing can accept me as a member, and I find that regrettable (for me). I grapple with these issues and am lost before them. Fortunately, I am a subject of the Good Shepherd who will come and look for those who are lost.

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My Apologies to Mr. Rothwell

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My Apologies to Mr. Rothwell

At about the time I meant to add The Contrarian to my side column there were pronounced inclinations on the part of its owner to have done with blogging. Thus I did not add. However, not adding meant that while I thought about it, I made it real in my mind, and thus never did it in reality. Now I intend to make it real in fact, not merely in the castles that fill my heavy head of an evening. My sincere apologies.

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Christmas Quiz This is a

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Christmas Quiz

This is a toughie. I got 12 out of 15, mostly by inference. I'm hearing an average of about 8, but even my twelve resulted in tatty tinsel.

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Venus's Flower Basket For the

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Venus's Flower Basket

For the blogger who was seeking Venus's Flower Basket, this comment: excellent taste in invertebrates. A most lovely siliceous skeleton.



This magnificent sponge (Euplectella aspergillum) comes from the seas of Japan and the Philippines.
Information from the Natural History Museum of Florence.

Go here for other very interesting information regarding the cultural significance of this invertebrate.

Interestingly, very similar types of sponges (actually sponge skeletons) can be found preserved in rock from Cambrian age on here in the U.S. Amazing that so delicate a creature can find its way through time for us. I never seem to see the end of the riches of God's bounty and grace.

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A New Carmelite Monastery Via

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A New Carmelite Monastery

Via Inn at the End of the World, this website featuring the most recently erected and dedicated Carmelite Monastery in the country. My thanks to the bagpiper.

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A New Blog from the

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A New Blog from the Director/Manager of Project Canterbury

There's not much there yet, but if Little Gidding lives up to its progenitor's site, it will be well worth your attention. Keep an eye on it. (And who can resist the boldness of such a title?)

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Something from Germany

Unfortunately, I do not read German. Those of you who do might wish to visit a blog titled Credo ut intelligam. Mentions of Kairos's blog, Alexander Schmemann, and Cardinal Ratzinger suggest that this may be good Catholic blog. Let me know if so, I'd like to add it to the side column so that we can become a truly international community--even if many of us must participate through the crude aegis of web translators.

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A Mere Occasional Poem

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Not as bad as many, not terribly good as it stands, but worthy of work and therefore of any comment. Ignore the spacing troubles--notoriously difficult to get right in html--the indents should align just after the last character of the previous line.

On a Blossom of Hibiscus

This hibiscus flower flutters open
here in the bright sun, orange folds expand
and remind me how much good that I have
now is due to others.

                         All I have built
kingdoms of the mind unimagined in my
youth, has been sweetened by waters many
others have drawn, brightened by the sunlight,
undimmed even by my own reluctance,
fear, anger, and sheer sloth.

                         Look and see the
orange flower in open-faced surprise
rippling in the wind’s cool embrace. What joy—
being where this is a commonplace, where
every breath is a breath of the sea, where
I can hear in bird-call and in storm winds
not only the voice of nature but the
glorious chorus of all those who knew
how to teach me to see, to hear, to know.

Each bloom, each surprised face a lingering
revelation of the light that charges
everything and transforms all living things.

© 2002

Note: The poem is an acrostic and though written for an occasion, I hope transcends the event and speaks to issues beyond the isolated event.

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Important Issues of the Day

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Important Issues of the Day

I've had inquiries (We get letters, we get letters) as to why I do not see fit to comment on important issues of the day. Don't I care about Cardinal Law? Don't I care about Iraq? Don't I care that the Church is sliding down the slippery slope to perdition and there is but a small band of the intrepid there to haul her back up from ignominy?

I do care deeply about all of these things, and THAT is why I refrain from comment. No one would benefit from one more person airing what are substantially incontestable, nondebatable opinions. No matter what may be said in response to them, little is likely to change them. But there is another deeper reason I don't often write about these things. Ultimately they do not engage me in the way that God's beauty and power engage me. The fate of Cardinal Law is in God's hands, He will prevail. The war with Iraq (impending or otherwise) is in God's permissive and providential will--better that I pray about it than spend my time commenting on it. And ultimately, frankly, I don't believe the Church is sliding down the slippery slope to perdition. And if it were, my weak person would not be the one to save it through my own power. Christ is in control. He has promised, and I believe, that He established this Church and the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it. The statement of our Lord is sufficient for me. He has promised--it will be, without question.

No one really wants to hear one more person saying something that much resembles the comments of a thousand other people. My comments on the news would neither enlighten you nor entertain you. I have nothing of any note to share in the realm of opinion on matters of the day. I am not a terribly deep and insightful thinker on these matters. Instead of asking all of these whys, the inquirers should be daily thanking God that I am not trotting out the infinitely boring drivel that would be the hallmark of any such commentary that I might share. God has blessed me with negligible political saavy and intelligence, so wisely, He leads me down different paths. From time to time I will comment elsewhere, and I am often stunned by the banality of the comment. The merciful Lord sees fit to protect you all from my political insights (for the most part).

Later Addendum: It occurred to me reading this somewhat later that some might infer from it that I look down upon all such commentary. Not at all. I think that there are deeply insightful, very interesting commentators out there, many of them noted in the column to the left. Let us just say that I am not particularly adept nor particularly charitable when I begin to comment on such things. Please do not infer that I do not enjoy the work of others. One last point--I must say that I would regard political commentary as a real chore--not the pleasurable work that I do here in spare time.

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Christmas Break Reading As usual

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Christmas Break Reading

As usual I haven't taken enough time off during the year and it all comes down to about two weeks at the end of the year that I fill up with potential reading (only while Boy is asleep, of course.) Today I received from the library my ambitious charting for this season--four books by Gabriel Marcel, four by Gertrude Himmelfarb, and four by Josef Pieper. I'm thinking that with Marcel I may start with Being and Having or Creative Fidelity, Himmelfarb--I've chosen On Looking into the Abyss although One Nation, Two Cultures is tempting, and the Pieper, influenced by the list of classic spiritual reading, I'll probably start with On Leisure as the Basis for Culture. Now, I'm not listing all titles here, but do you all have any other suggestion as to where to start with these? Or should I start at all?

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On Sartre I've always had

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On Sartre

I've always had a lot of difficult with Sartre and the atheistic existentialists as a whole. I have a remote sense of respect for Camus, a sort of lame chilly filling about Beckett (who went existentialism one better and wound up with nihilism). But this quote posted in the comment box for this post chez Kairos has once again opened my eyes to the tremendous mercies of God. As I commented in answer to this quote--at least with an Atheist, He has some faith to work with--it's the hard-and-fast agnostics that give Him the hardest time. (What would you do if your beloved didn't merely say, "Prove you love me" --hard enough in itself--but "Convince me you exist.")

And then Sartre, the prophet of unbelief, underwent a mysterious transformation. In a published dialogue with ex-Maoist Pierre Victor, Sartre confessed the impossible. He had come to believe in God. The following sentence sums up one of the oddest spiritual journeys since St. Paul's. "I do not feel," Sartre wrote, "that I am the product of chance, a speck of dust in the universe, but someone who was expected, prepared, pre-figured. In short, a being whom only a Creator could put here, and this idea of a creating hand refers to God." [National Review, June 11, 1982. p. 677. Article by Thomas Molnar.]

- from 'Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions', by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. Paulist Press, 1987. Page. 30

I put it here again, because I want the reminder and I don't want to lose track of this. Thanks to the Anonymous poster who was so kind as to share this.

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Piquant Observations Quote like these

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Piquant Observations

Quote like these are one of the reasons I regret the vanishing for so long a time of "Inn at the End of the World." I'm glad I found it again.

As for me, my major influences have been My Man Godfrey and every other screwball comedy of the 30's and 40's. I wasted an awful lot of time waiting to be pursued by a madcap heiress.

And here I am thinking that I was the only person on Earth who anxiously awaited the appearance of My Man Godfrey, Libelled Lady and The Lady Eve on DVD.

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The Reality is "Outside of

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The Reality is "Outside of God, Nothing is Real"

I love the way the aphorism above can be read. It reminds me of a story by Stanislaw Lem in which a robot invents a device that can make anything beginning with a certain letter. When assigned the letter N, it sets about making all manner of "n" things--nuts, notions, nabobs, etc. Finally, winding down, it begins to make Nothing.

God is all in all. Only outside of Him is Nothing real. And it is into that nothing that our steps too willingly lead us, if our eyes are not firmly fixed on the center of reality--Jesus Christ. In Him all that is is held together. Through the thought and love of the Holy Trinity all that is exists and continues to exist. Outside of Him, NOTHING exists. And there is something so terrifying in this nothing that we cannot even really understand it.

So truly our time is well spent contemplating not the nothingness and emptiness within ourselves, not our condition of impoverishment with respect to the Divine Riches, but the richness of Love Incarnate that makes all that is and that holds together the warp and weft of reality in a tableau of magnificence that we can just barely comprehend.

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A Poem for the Morning

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Once again I thrust upon my unwilling audience an observation of the moment, an image caught in rapid transit. In other words a poem. Those highly allergic would be wise to skip this entry and move on. Otherwise, enjoy.

Lady of the Lake
Steven Riddle

These grey fingers rise--
the grey of morning frost,
the tendrils of vines
that will wrap around
the day--from the smooth
looking-glass of Her dark lake,
and give notice that She lives
and stirs still. She speaks
and Her voice starts as mist
and thickens to fog so dense
and deep, that when she walks
she is seen as simply shadow.
Her tread upon the ground a lambent
cold that tickles the bones
of Earth. Where She rises the sun
does not set, but human eyes
fail to see. Where she walks
a million follow in Her steps
neither knowing Her name
nor the lake from which she came.

© 2002

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New Additions While I am

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New Additions

While I am concerned that my list of places to visit does not extend to the edge of eternity, I have decided to add two more and reinstate one that seems to have dropped off the end of the world. Please welcome Confessions of an Accidental Choir Director, Bellocian, and Inn at the End of the World

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From Project Canterbury

Project Canterbury is rapidly becoming one of my favorite sites. Odd that one can go to an ostensibly Anglican site and find the truths of the Catholic faith. But nevertheless, there it is. These articles in particular seemed usedful to the present audience.

The Effect of Reservation on Character, By the Rev. A. R. Sharpe

How to Use the Mass, By the Reverend Frank Lawrence Vernon, D.D.
Rector of St. Mark's, Philadelphia, and a nice picture of him too

Some Difficulties in the Practice of Frequent Confession and Communion Two Instructions Given in a Retreat, By Fr W. H. Longridge, SSJE

Please let me know what you think of these. I enjoyed them very much and found them wonderful food for thought and reflection.

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A Fan Club? I honestly

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A Fan Club?

I honestly do not know enough about Cardinal Ratzinger to call myself a fan. I may be--I certainly like much of what I have read of him and heard of him. It little matters. There are apparently enough people out there who think well of our good Cardinal to have a fan club dedicated to him. I'd greatly appreciate it if those who know the Cardinal's work better than I do could advise as to whether the site does him justice. I hope so. I'm thinking of adding it to the side column--a lot of that going on recently.

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The Divine Ms. K (Again)

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The Divine Ms. K (Again)

There is simply not enough of Ms. Knapp to go around. Witness this succinct, much needed, wise entry on her remarkable blog. Then make her blog one of your daily stops. She exposes one of several different kinds of cancer than can afflict the body of Christ.

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El Camino Real scores more

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El Camino Real scores more points

Mr. Culbreath at El Camino Real wins kudos for being the second person in the world to mention the sublime work noted in this quote from his site:

It may not be springtime in Christendom, but my hunch is that winter is slowly receding. The Orthodox composer John Tavener is evidence of this, and his "Akathist of Thanksgiving" is one of the most sublime works of music ever recorded. Even more sublime are the words of this hymn, which were discovered in the possession of a Russian priest who died in a Siberian concentration camp. (My personal favorite is Ikos 10: "Glory to Thee for thwarting my useless intentions" , which Tavener renders "Glory to You for ruining my unprofitable plans" !)
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An Interesting Album in St.

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An Interesting Album in St. Blog's

I didn't realize Mr. Lams did music. Via Davey's Mommy--here's the link to a really interesting page which includes a couple of real player tracks. Soft jazz with some interesting vocals. Sounds a bit retro--a little lounge--I really, really like what I've heard. I'm averse to internet commerce as a general thing--but this may just tempt me. I won't say it's beautiful, but I really like the blend. The title track has little sense of the B-52s with a laid back jazzy track. Robot Love--who would have guessed. My sincere thanks to Mr. Lams for making a difficult day a little brighter.

Later: Released Christmas of 2000--hardly recent news--guess it just takes me a while to catch on. Well, thank goodness I have.

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Prayers and Sympathy My prayers

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Prayers and Sympathy

My prayers for Cardinal Law and the people of Boston, and my heartfelt sympathy and prayers to all of those who today have felt they lost a father and leader. God's will in accomplished even in the difficult things and this trial has reached one end. My prayers that it is soon laid to rest and God will turn all mourning into joy. I pray also for all who rejoice at what might be viewed as calamitous, may God be with you all and help you to help your wounded brothers and sisters recover from this trial. May God's peace be with all and may the comfort of the Child who is to come from the Virgin's womb blanket all in peace, serenity, and love.

Advent is a penitential season and events of the day have given us much to think about and cause for close examination of ourselves and our reactions. May God be your help in this labor.

"For behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all peoples, for unto us is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord."

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Response to a Discussion

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Response to a Discussion Elsewhere

In other arenas, there is a heated discussion going on regarding comments made about one or another of blogdoms many personalities. Here is a response I have posted.

In any blog course correction is needed. I too infrequently visit these most popular of blogs because I tire of the endless allegations, attacks, and insinuations against the Holy Father and the Bishops.

One blogger may have been overheated in his rhetoric, and that is unfortunate if true. But sometimes when the heat is applied the flames spread. Perhaps it is time to give the whole set of issues a rest until we actually know something. The media light a fire and many of us run to throw gasoline. It's a fault, but it is very human.

So let this be the end to escalation. No one need know this blogger said anything about another had it not been stirred up to the top. Those of us who read these notes would have noted and either tsk-tsked or nodded our heads and moved on.

The art of blogdom often seems to be the art of stirring up trouble where none need be. My opinion of you, or any other blogger is just that, an opinion, unsubstantiated by close acquaintance and therefore made on the basis of words alone--often a faulty indicator of real feeling. I suspect that if we were to gather all the antagonists in a room and talk it out we would find underneath a great deal more agreement than disagreement. Blogdom does not really make that possible as we read the words in the isolation of our rooms without body language or other signals and then tend to impute motivation or meaning.

Peace to everyone. All of these things, even the seemingly most earth-shattering are things of the moment. They are straw for the fire--spoken and then vanished, done and then lost. They do, however, have echoes and ripples in eternity. Rather than amplify the damage, isn't it better to let those slights pass and move on--not sowing the wind to reap a whirlwind?

However we may feel, charity is always the best resolve. If the attitude of one blogger toward another needs to change, isn't prayer and private conversation a better first step than public stockading. Doesn't the Bible tell us to correct our brother in private first? We need not make a public spectacle of every errant opinion, and we better serve one another when we choose not to do so.

We need to be quieter, more temperate, kinder, and more Christ-like in our dealings with one another. True, there are pharisees, but I rather think the misled outnumber the pharisaical by a large majority and it is better to presume the lesser crime to start. Those who are misled should be corrected, gently, without overt provocation. This is not simply a lesson for blogging, it is a lesson for life. We are called to be peacemakers (in the nondiplomatic sense of that word). We are called to help each other achieve sanctity. How do we do that with endless sniping, complaints, and impugning. All the world is dross and all that happens in it fleeting and momentary. To use the language of the civil-rights era (and before) we need to walk forward our eyes on the prize--eternal life with God.

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Spinning a Metaphor--Potential Energy

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T.S. O'Rama in a most excellent post on his site, gives me an opportunity to spin a metaphor than may or may not work. We'll see.

A Baptist pastor continually preaches the following thing on the radio (I don't have a specifically Catholic radio station in tuning distance so I listen to the local Christian one):


"Christians have to spend more time remembering their position in Christ, not their condition."


In other words, focus on who you are - God's - and not your condition, which is often disconcertingly poor. It is interesting to this cradle Catholic that even Protestants have problems with legalism and "position vs. condition".

Now I want to show how incorrect the Baptist Pastor is in this saying. An object has energy by virtue either of movement of the body (kinetic energy), movement of its constiuent particles (thermal energy) or by its position and/or condition potential energy. It is this last that I want to use as a metaphor for the Christian life.

Too often we have great stored energy in Christian life. We make no harsh commitments, we don't drive ourselves too hard, and we don't really challenge ourselves in the things that matter. As Dubay and others have pointed out, the harsh reality is that We are not saints because we have not yet chosen to be. By that, all the writers mean that we have not made up our minds to let God's will be our will and to live our lives in that reality.

That is where potential is. We are all potential Saints. Thus we must move from potential to actual. And our potential is precisely in both our position in Christ and our condition in obeying God's word and will. If we are remiss in the latter, our position in Christ imparts some energy toward our sainthood--but we are like a loosely bound spring sitting on the ground. When we spring up, our motion is done, feeble and not enough to move us very far. However, if we change our condition, we may also change our position in Christ. Right now we wait on the ground near his feet. But as we obey we become like springs more tightly wound and compressed, and God lifts us up. From a height, when the tightly bound spring is released, the energy is much greater, the potential becomes powerful kinetic energy and we are suddenly transformed in Christ and become signs for all people. We are Saints.

Sainthood is possible for each one of us. Not only is it possible, it is necessary. Too often we excuse ourselves saying, we are not like St Therese, or St Teresa. But the reality is, God already made a St. Therese, he doesn't need another. He already has a St. Teresa, a St. John of the Cross, a St. Philip Neri, a St. Swithun--He has no need of more. But what He does need and what He wants is a Saint Steven Riddle, a Saint _______________ (put your name in the blank). We have no excuses for not responding to God's need. We are simply lazy people. We think that Heaven will come to us if we wait long enough.

Now, please bear in mind, though this was spawned by some thoughts at Mr. O'Rama's site, this is in no way a particular indictment of him. It is an indictment of every one of us (myself included) who has not yet made up their minds to be Saints and to tread whatever path God has laid out for us in that direction. I long for Sainthood, but I want it to be easy. It's time to change my position or my condition, because I'll need all the extra energy I can get from that stored potential to overcome the inertia that I allow to keep me in my deadly, ungodly path.

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Another New Blog Mr. Culbreath

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Another New Blog

Mr. Culbreath has won my attention both with the name of his blog, El Camino Real and with his mention of one of my present favorites Mr. Dana Gioia. Go and enjoy. (Link found via Nihil Obstat).

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More from Fr. Dubay, S.M.

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More from Fr. Dubay, S.M.

Father Dubay is a treasure to those of us seeking closer union with God. He speaks clearly, if at a very high level, about the necessities and the realities of the spiritual life. Witness this:

from Seeking Spiritual Direction Chapter 2: The Key Priniciple of Mediation Father Thomas Dubay, S. M.

Anyone who is moderately attuned to the things of God knows from experience how we resist personal change for the better. Perhaps we do not set our minds explicitly to a refusal, but we nonetheless cling to what we are in the spiritual life. If the reader has any doubt about this general trait, a simple question might shed some light: "Am I significantly better right now than I was a year ago? Have I made any concerted effort to improve, to get rid of my faults?. . . What has this to do with spiritual direction? People find the path to God only if the really love truth, if they shape their minds and wills to moral rectitude, if they follow the light wherever it leads, if they embrace reality revealing itself, even when the embrace implies hardship, suffering, and unpopularity.

Hard words for hard times. Or is that hard words pointing the way to better times? Only in the pursuit of God does life begin to have meaning. Only in the realization that every moment is permeated with grace, with gifts, with opportunities, and with His presence can we begin to understand the shape of our existence. Life is at base meaningless if God is not the end-all, be-all. Everything else fades and vanishes. Treasures here on Earth are for the moment only, on loan from God not merely for our own betterment, but for the betterment of every person we meet. When we fail in this, we fail in the only important thing we have to do in life. And such failure is bitter, bitter fruit.

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A Salutary Admonition From the

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A Salutary Admonition
From the Author of The Imitation of Christ these words:

Imitation of Christ Book 1 Chapter 1 This is the greatest wisdom -- to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. •It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. •It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. •It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. •It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. •It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. •It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.

In short, it is vanity to sit safe and secure, surrounded only by the tattered finery of self and believe that salvation will stop by and knock on the door.

Twice in the past day I have been reminded that Jesus told us "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads unto salvation." Too often I forget that. I lean on the mercy of God, in which I believe, but in addition to relying upon it, I should be demonstrating that mercy to others. We are all called to serve and the terms of service are non-negotiable. God is to be our All, and if He is anything less, then He is nothing at all to us.

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A Morning Illusion My recent

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A Morning Illusion

My recent trip to NoVA intruded into my morning commute in a magnificently pleasant way. While driving to work I thought I could smell the scent of boxwood along the route. As there is nothing remotely resembling boxwood anywhere along my route it was a wonderful, heaven-sent reminder of the time I had recently been able to spend with family and loved ones in NoVA. We are told not to look for consolations in our prayer life, but what can you do when God literally showers one with them every day, every hour, every moment of life? After all simply drawing one breath after another is a profound and beautiful gift from a loving God. Everything in the world points to Him, why do so few choose to look?

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Some Response, But Encouraging More

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Some Response, But Encouraging More

To the post below about spiritual reading. Please contribute your thoughts, ideas, notions--already I'm seeing a wonderful diversity of thought about spiritual reading and am formulating a number of ideas about how it divides which I will share with the world once I can formally articulate them.

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Some Thoughts on Blogs and Blogging

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Thanks to Mr. Gotcher, I found this set of comments by Mr. Hand (?) which provide much food for thought regarding what we are doing on our blogs. Are we here to show off, to make a stand, to be a community, to simply repeat news heard otherwhere?

The explicit goal of this blog is to talk about matters of prayer, spirituality, and Church Doctrine in a non-confrontational way. One of the ways I would like to guide this ship is by the star of Church Teaching and Love of God. I acknowledge that I often fail in charity and in substance--many times inconsequential trivia fill the blog channels. But I trust others to let me know when I have failed in charity and when I am overly shortsighted. I also trust others to lead me back on track eventually.

The philosophy and theory that drives everything I put here is that "all the earth is God's and the fullness thereof." So every subject is a right and proper subject for conversation, but always in charity, humility, and accordance (as far as I understand it) with the magisterium of the church. I do not wish to be the center of this blog--or only wish to be as example of what NOT to do (much of the time). The point of blogging is (1) to preach to the converted--we all need it (and I speak of and to me as much as to anyone else--a good teacher learns much preparing for his students) and (2) to glorify Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit for the many blessings and mercies they have showered upon the world and on me.

More than anything else, I desire "to sing of the glories of the Lord forever." My Lord, My God, My King, My Heart, My All. With Augustine--"My heart is restless O Lord, until it rests in thee."

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Classic Catholic is Back

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Classic Catholic is Back

Perhaps only for the season, but Mr. Gotcher's Classic Catholic Blog is back on-line. Sorry it took me so long to find out.

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On Blogging, Journalism, and Writing

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On Blogging, Journalism, and Writing

Ms. Kropp of More like Mary, Less Like Martha fame, has two marvelous posts regarding the relevance of the Holy Father's comments on journalism to bloggers. (Link goes to first post, scroll down for the second.) I do not blog like many others, but I hope that the Holy Father's comments serve to inform this blog in the best way possible.

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Available at Blackmask The Webmaster

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Available at Blackmask

The Webmaster at Blackmask has been working overtime and he has recently provided for us a wonderful little book by Charlotte Yonge, John Keble's Parishes: A History of Hursley and Otterbourne. Keble is a remarkable man. Some of his work is available at the Anglo-Catholic Project Canterbury site. You would do well to seek it out.

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On William Law I bring

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On William Law

I bring up William Law in the light of my last post and in light of the fact that Dylan of recent date has very generously provided some excerpts of his work .

Law was tutor to the children of the notoriously anti-Christian Edward Gibbon, who found much to recommend about Christianity in the person of this tutor. His works tend to be Anglo-Catholic/Catholic Friendly, or perhaps better stated, "Mere Christianity." And his insights are the insights of the ages, of mystics and of saints who have grown close to God through prayer and trial. Were he not of another communion, it is likely that Mr. Law would be considered a blessed or perhaps even a Saint of the Catholic Church. I encourage all to read the excerpts provided, and if they appeal, one can partake of complete works at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (The entire Christian Community owes a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Harry Plantinga for the effort that went into producing this wonderful site. Mr. Plantinga is one member of a very distinguished family of (?)Evangelical Protestants that includes Alvin Plantinga--a philosopher (some of his work is available through the LeaderU site), and Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. (author of a magnificent book, Not the Way It's Supposed to Be subtitled A Breviary of Sin)).

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On Spiritual Reading

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On Spiritual Reading

Thomas Dubay, a writer I much admire and am much in awe of, wrote a book some time ago that it has taken me a while to get hold of. While at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, I stumbled across it and knew that among the many treasure there, this was one that I had to have for my collection. The book, published in 1993 is Seeking Spiritual Direction and it is filled with the usually profound, subtle insights that mark all of Fr. Dubay's work.

I rarely read a nonfiction book completely linearly, and spiritual books are such that I find myself dipping in at intervals even as I read straight through. Last night I looked up a subject of particular interest to me--Spiritual Reading. After a great deal of very interesting, helpful discussion Fr. Dubay gets to the "short list" of what he calls A-1 reading. His point throughout is not to waste your time on "mediocre" spiritual reading--the stuff of much of the marketplace now--but to confine spiritual reading to the A-1 tried and true proven classics. He implies that the longer the list of spiritual reading, the more likely that less worthy works are somewhere on it. Father Dubay's Short list follows:

from Seeking Spiritual Direction--"Can I Direct Myself?"
Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.

Input on contemplative prayer is essential. Ordinarily, one begins with one or two sound introductory works and proceeds on to the masters. At the head of a short list of masters would be Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, probably in that order. somewhere early in one's serious pursuit of God should be read Imitation of Christ and the major classics written by other saints: for example, Augustine's Confessions, Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God, Thérèse of Lisieux's The Story of a Soul, Newman's Sermons, and French spiritual writer Dom Chautard's Soul of the Apostolate Periodically one should intersperse among didactic works the lives of the saint for all the reasons we shall now consider. (pp. 145-146).

This list certainly seems a worthy starting point for great spiritual reading, and everything on it certainly seems required reading for those actively seeking closer union with God. (One note: the Bible is, of course central on this list, but it is treated much more fully elsewhere in the book). But I am certain that it is not the complete list of helpful reading. What I would like to solicit is discussion on what might constitute a fuller reading list. I still want only the A-1, best of the best, top of the line classics. If you would be so kind as to leave a list of two or three books that have profoundly moved you and helped you toward a closer walk with God and a brief description of the contents thereof, I would like to compile these into a longer list.

Additionally, please help with any insights as to where to start with writers for whom Fr. Dubay has indicated an Opus, but not identified a "starting work." For example, those better acquainted with Newman could help all of us with suggestions as to which group of sermons to start with. I will be happy to provide some insight into which works of Teresa and John I would recommend, as well as which editions might best aid the reader.

Later I will add to Fr. Dubay's list works from the protestant tradition that everyone of solid Catholic Background could easily profit; however, for the time being, let us consider only mainline Catholic works and their influence on you. Thank you so much for any contribution to a project that I think would benefit the entire community of St. Blog's.

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New Blogs Added Today To

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New Blogs Added Today

To my lefthand column: welcome to De Fidei Oboedientia, and the tenors/baritones/basses of the Kropp Family Singers--Mr. Larry Kropp of On the Ragged Edge and husband of Ms. Amy Kropp of More Like Mary, Less Like Martha, and Mr. Jerome Kropp of Discipleship of Letters. Blogs to watch as they grow

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A Word to the Wise

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A Word to the Wise

Part I
I hope you all have been stopping by Mr. Mooney's place Xavier+. In the last several days he has posted a wonderful poem by Milton (Lord, I know I'm aging when the words "wonderful" and "Milton" occur in the same sentence) and a reflection by Rabbi Heschel. Both of these (as well as much else) are well worth your attention.

Part II
I really love Conversations That Matter. Indeed, the only conversations that do. St. Blog's Blurb typifies this as a communal Lectio and, indeed, it is, in all the best meanings and senses of that word. This is another place one would do well to visit AND be guided by the four movements that regulate the posting of all the members:

1. What did I hear? What did he say that affected me? What did I hear for the first time? What leapt off the page at me? What word or phrase is important? 2. How does this make me feel? No thoughts, opinions or judgments. If you can use the words, I think... intelligibly in the sentence it is not a feeling. Stick to feelings. Maybe start the sentence with I am... 3. What will I do? How does the gospel call me to live? No plans, hopes or dreams; what concrete action will I do this week? 4. How shall I pray? Prayers, litanies, tropes, and other forms based on the readings may be posted.

Once again, deepest thanks to Father Keyes C.PP.S. for maintaining this worthwhile and impressive (if perhaps underused) blog.

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An Amusement from Quenta At

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An Amusement from Quenta

At the suggestion of Fr. Tucker at Dappled Things, I was perusing some of the "back issues" of Quenta Nârwenion and I came upon yet another quiz, the results of which appear below, and except for the diagnosis, don't much miss the mark. We were VERY amused.


Which Personality Disorder Do You Have?

brought to you by Quizilla

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On Sin Dylan blogged a

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On Sin

Dylan blogged a link to Jesuitical apologia for all things sexual which paralleled a line of thought that has recurred for some time. Since the time Kairos made some oblique comments on the issue (probably months ago--didn't mark the particular comments.) A pertinent excerpt of this venture into the brave new world of reformed morality follows.

Bearing one another's burdens and respecting one another's experience and insight should mark, quite decisively, both the mode and the content of ecclesial teaching. One might ask whether, as a Church, we "have shown partiality in [our] instruction" by investing so much of our teaching energy and authority, and over so many years, on sins of the flesh. One wonders whether a more impartial (and effective) approach might, for example, be more concerned about, and more decisive in response to, the production of land mines or the exploitation of the poor all around the globe.

First a comment on the quote--the whole article, summed up in this paragraph strikes me very much as "methinks the lady doth protest too much." If the church has already embodied too much of its teaching in sexuality, why do we need more of it from a faction that, if not in dissent, is certainly standing at a distance from concurrence? The whole article reeks of what I have come to term the Jesuitical betrayal. Unfortunately, this betrayal is a result of the central strength of the Jesuits, a remarkable training in intellectual battle. It seems that when the mind and ego are given precedence over spirituality, the result is ever so. There are a great many loyal Jesuits, I am certain; however, the voice that dominates is ever the one in disagreement. (And not to slight the Jesuits, the same seems to be true of many of the Old Orders--witness Joan Chittister, Richard Rohr, and others too numerous to detail.)

Now to my main point. I had been wondering about the huge emphasis on sexuality in Church teaching. Part of my reason for wondering is purely selfish--such teaching gets in the way of what I want. The other part is simply seeking to make sense of it all.

After some thought, it occurred to me that the preponderance of teaching on sexuality is necessary because this is the weakest front in the battle against Satan. We look at our highly sexualized society today as some sort of aberration. In fact it is consistent with the long line of human civilizations. We laud those societies that are not so sexually charged--but, in fact, there are no such societies. The Islamic requirement of purdah is an acknowledgement of the fact that sexual urges are the least governable and the only way to restrain them is to do everything possible to dampen them. Victorian society for all its renowned repression, was in fact every bit as sexually charged as modern day society. The Church teaches much on sexuality because it is protesting against the "exploitation of the [morally] poor" and the "production of [spiritual] landmines."

We are sexual creatures. I cannot speak for the female side, but I feel at times very Augustinian--"Lord make me chaste, but not yet." I must admit to the attraction/distraction presented by an attractive female--attractiveness consisting of more than mere surface beauty. But even mere surfaces can be very distracting. From other men I've talked to and shared with, this seems to be a universal problem. I don't know if it is as pervasive on the female side, though I tend to think that the relative absence and poor performance of the female equivalents of Playboy and its ilk, that it may not be directly. Perhaps it takes a deeper form that looks more to the attractions beyond the superficial.

No matter, it seems from discussion and implication that many American men would agree that the greatest temptations they face are sexual temptations. True, many are lured by money and power and the glamours of those intangibles. But for those of us in the middle ground who wouldn't mind having more money but don't particularly relish the notions of power, it seems that the easiest way through the relatively tight armor of God is through the sexual impulse. Paul acknowledged this when he stated that it was better to be unmarried, but it was far better to marry than to burn. Now, I find this particularly Pauline teaching particularly onerous and atraditional diverging strongly from the traditional practices of the Jewish people and from the Old Testament command to "be fruitful and multiply." It smacks of a certain element which, when distorted, becomes Manichaeism. But what Paul is acknowledging is the tremendous, overwhelming power of the sexual impulse and its ready exploitability by the Powers and Principalities for their own purposes.

The Church teaches on sexuality because the battleground for most ordinary people (or at least most ordinary men) is centered in this integral part of our humanity. We go long distances out of our way to justify any number of practices or diversions in this realm.

Sexuality is a great gift and a great burden. As Jesus promised, "To whom much is given, much is expected in return." A gift of this magnitude--the ability to engage in the act of creation as the instruments, as it were, of God's creation on Earth, is overpowering. Thus the temptations to abuse the gift is also nearly overpowering. We are expected to be good stewards of all the goods granted us. Thus the Church speaks frequently on the matter of sexuality, keeping a balance between Manichaeism and indulgence, pointing out the right use, and more importantly the right way of thinking about and viewing this tremendous gift as signposts along a path bestrewn with landmines.

Thus, whenever I begin to question the wisdom of the Church in these "difficult" or to some "insupportable" teachings, I am certain that I am speaking and not some revelation from above. For my own ends I am capable of distorting the clearest truths. Acknowledging this, I may also humbly submit to the Church's teachings in the matters, and for an hour or a day at time beat back the barbarians at the gates.

Sexual sin is not the worst sin, but it is nevertheless sin. It is falling short of the glory that God has imaged for us and which we are to reify. And any such "missing the mark" is a grievous offense both to God and to our fellow human beings. For often sexual sin is simply a matter of making a person into an object of desire. In so doing we demean ourselves and the object of our affection.

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Delightful Surprises To my mind,

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Delightful Surprises

To my mind, there is nothing more delightful than when someone does something utterly unexpected and "out-of-character." It's a very humbling experience because you begin to understand, "My ways are not your ways" and you are faced with the fallacy and hypocrisy of judgmentalism. On my vacation my Father-in-Law did at least one such thing.

In the course of the vacation we were talking about movies. Now this is a man whose collection consists of every film John Wayne ever made, and almost all the other westerns and similar films you can name. His idea of a perfect day is Tora! Tora! Tora! followed by The Longest Day.. So imagine my shock when he said of Roman Holiday, "You know, that is my favorite movie." Now I largely trust my wife in matters of light romantic dramas/comedies and pretend no expertise. I had never been enticed by this title as my wife had never given it much of a review. So, hearing this stunning bit of news, I popped his tape of it in and watched it.

I won't say that it is now my favorite film, nor anything close to a favorite, but it was a wonderful film. I am ever grateful for having been introduced to it, and even more grateful for having been introduced to this hidden aspect of my Father-in-Law's character. A man who was already great in my estimation became a mite more interesting in this sudden revelation.

If it is true that you do not merely marry a spouse, but a family, I have been wonderfully blessed by these members of my family. I thank God for them daily and I thank God for the enrichment and joy He has seen fit to provide me through the aegis of my wife and her wonderful family. I cannot possibly say enough good about these people who have, from the beginning, accepted me and taken me in as one of their own. We are quite different in many respects, but the difference is always polite and always respectful. Once again, what a tremendous, wonderful family and God-given blessing. I hope all of you who are married might experience the same for yourselves.

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Truer Words Were Never Spoken

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Truer Words Were Never Spoken

T.S. O'Rama blogs with respect to my comments on the weather:

Sounds like my base state of being. What is ironic is that I've often felt like a good move would be from Ohio to Virginia, and to thus shorten and de-sting the winter and also to enjoy the surreal beauty that covers much of that state. Steven Riddle wants none of the cold of Virginia. But if you are used to Florida I can see how Virginia looks chilly, just as the Minnesotans must grin at my Ohio complaints. It does wear off eventually - my Maine friend, after eight Ohio winters, is no longer laughing at the mild winters.

I moved from Virginia to Ohio, and those were miserable winters. I spent ten years longing to leave Ohio, and when I did so, I moved to Florida. The first winter we were here, we were in short sleeves and shorts throughout December and January. We laughed at those who bundled up in parkas and gloves. The second winter, we too were in overcoats (though not parkas) and gloves when we went up to see the Manatees at Blue Spring, and we understood the poor creatures' seeking warmer climes. I sometimes swear I am not far enough south yet. As it happens, I am not particularly affected by warm weather--and it doesn't get as hot here as Ohio and Virginia can get. In seven years I haven't experienced a single day that touched 100 degrees.

So weather really is relative--but I have never, never liked the cold, and moving from Virginia to Ohio felt like moving into the deepest arctic territory. However, the reverse move would hold for a couple of years, and then the teens and twenties that fill much of a Virginia winter would begin to chill as much as the zeroes and minuses that I remember from many of my Ohio years.

All of this simply makes me reflect on the marvels of humankind. It brings to mind, for no reason at all the following reflections from Act II Scene ii of Hamlet (note particularly the last third):

I have of late but wherefore I know not lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire why, it appeareth no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
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On Gunston at Night

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On Gunston at Night

Gunston Hall is the magnificent Georgian Home of George Mason, father of the Bill of Rights (as he is often called), abolitionist, and one of the chief architects of the Constitution as it stands now. Last Night I went to an evening dinner and candlelight tour of the grounds. I was bowled over.

Unlike Mount Vernon, which has more extensive grounds and funds, Gunston Hall is a relatively small operation. However, there was much more to do at this tour than at Mount Vernon. After dinner, we (my MIL, my Son, and me) went out into the balmy evening (20 degrees or so) and toured the house. We saw three scenarios--dancing in the parlor, a display of colonial delights in the dining room, and a surgeon removing a tooth in the downstairs bedchamber. On the back porch George Mason greeted his visitors. Samuel, of course, gave him a hug and thanked him for the dancing and the eels.

We followed up the brief house tour with a short carriage ride, laprugs and all. Then we retired to the kitchen yards where open hearth cooking was demonstrated. They had available for sampling, pork, eel, and Great Cake (a forty egg cake the size of normal people's kitchen tables). The laundry workers were also demonstrating their work. In addition they had warm cider and ginger snaps for everyone to eat.

Overall, this was a spectacular display for a relatively small, lesser-known attraction. Those who live in the area would do well to avail themselves of this opportunity in future years. We tend to grow myopic regarding the wonders that are near us. When I lived in Virginia, I never gave these places much thought, they were always nearby, and I could go at any time. Living at some distance, I now prize each opportunity to visit these historic places. By such visits, if you carefully ignore the scripts of many of the docents and ask the right questions, you can restore a proper historic perspective unalloyed by the idiocies of multicultural demands for people to not be people of their times, and PoMo victim theory. You can recapture the spirit of the times and realize how incredibly miraculous our present government and way of life are. God has been very gracious to us as a nation. Indeed, God has "shed his Grace" on us. At one time, we were a Godly people, following Him and relying upon Him to a degree not fully understood today.

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Reflections Inspired by Cold Weather

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Reflections Inspired by Cold Weather

It amazes me that anyone likes cold weather. I get slow, stupid, relucant to do anything, and terribly anxious. Oh wait. . . I'm describing my base state of being. Cold weather simply forces me to abandon the mask that I too often wear in warm and temperate climates.

I have long considered that I would like to move back to Virginia in (as they say) the fullness of time. On his trip, I have decided otherwise. Despite the plethora of wonderful historical activities and sites, the cold shuts me down. I find it hard to pray, hard to think, hard to do anything other than to curl up in a ball and stay warm. Thus, I think I am not cut out for these climes. What a grace God has granted me--not to long continually for what is realistically out of my control anyway. Such longing is utterly destructive and soul-destroying.

Isn't God amazing?

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Meditations and thoughts for Advent

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Blogging Prospects A little today,

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Blogging Prospects

A little today, and none tomorrow. We make our fourteen or so hour trek back home. Hopefully the roads in N.Carolina will have had sufficient time to clear a bit--unclear about the extent of the ice storm--so we may be on the road a bit longer than usual in our homeward travail.

Please remember us in your prayers. Much thanks to those who have been praying, my wife is somewhat better.

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What About Jesus? Kairos has

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What About Jesus?

Kairos has provided us with a wonderful list of self-help books following on the current fad of wondering what Jesus would do. Read these titles and find out.

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Request for Prayer Yesterday the

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Request for Prayer

Yesterday the area I am in was said to have had 10 inches of snow, though it didn't look like it to me. I am hardly an objective viewer. Also yesterday I needed to try to find medical care for my spouse who was having multiple infections of bronchii and sinus. Today I may be wandering around looking for same for son.

Let me tell you, a bit of snow in D.C. area and everything shuts down. So we ended up at a hospital emergency room. What fun.

So, I request your prayers for health for my family and for safe and swift travel on Sunday when we need to make our way from Virginia to Florida. I don't dare even think about trying to go earlier as the condition of the roads, even main roads in N. Carolina and Virginia is likely to be prohibitive.

Thanks to everyone.

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On St. Francis of Assisi

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On St. Francis of Assisi

The complete work is available here.

The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi Father Candide Chalippe

Produced by Scott Pfenninger, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF FATHER CANDIDE CHALIPPE, O.F.M.

REVISED AND RE-EDITED BY FATHER HILARION DUERK, O.F.M.

Imprimatur FATHER SAMUEL MACKE O.F.M. Min. Prov. St. Louis September 1, 1917

Nihil obstat ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D. Censur Librarum

Imprimatur JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY New York

This Jubilee Edition of the Life and Legends of St. Francis of Assisi is Respectfully Dedicated to all Members of the Third Order in the City of Cleveland and Vicinity, above all, to the Nobel Patrons and Zealous Workers of Our Tertiary Branches.


INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Life and Legends of St. Francis of Assisi by Father Candide Chalippe, O.F.M., need no apology. The work was first published at Paris in 1727. It is not only well written and reliable withal, but also instructive, elevating and inspiring. The facts and legends mentioned are drawn from the oldest and most reliable sources. The abundance of incidents and anecdotes not to be found elsewhere make the volume eminently interesting, while the reflexions and applications which the author now and then interweaves with the narrative are so replete with practical hints on spiritual life, that they will undoubtedly produce the best spiritual results in the reader. The style though simple, at times graphic, is very pleasing; the narrative flows on with equal ease and freedom.

In 1852 a priest from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri made a translation into English from what was then the latest French edition. This French edition came from the press in 1850. With the English translation the original work appeared in an abridged form. The original work is divided into six books, the English translation contains but half of these, so rearranged for the sake of clearness that they form five books. Most elucidations of the original work regarding characteristics of St. Francis, events and dates that are doubtful, are omitted, likewise most of the writings of St. Francis. The former were and still are undergoing changes, owing to new historical researches and discoveries made by students of Franciscan sources, while the latter were but lately again newly translated into English and edited as completely as possible with many critical notes and references of great value by the scholarly Father Paschal Robinson, O.F.M.—The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi by Father Paschal Robinson, O.F.M. The Dolphin Press, 1906.

The marvellous progress the Third Order of St. Francis is making in this country causes the story of the life of St. Francis that is herewith presented to the public in a newly revised edition to be especially welcome. For all Tertiaries know that mere devotion to St. Francis is of itself not sufficient to acquire the spirit of their Seraphic Father; all are aware that membership in the Third Order does not necessarily argue the possession of this spirit—and yet, every real Tertiary desires nothing more than to acquire the poor, humble, loving spirit of St. Francis. This spirit can scarcely be acquired, unless the life of St. Francis be well known, meditated upon and imitated as far as practicable. The Life and Legends of St. Francis of Assisi by Father Candide Chalippe, O.F.M., is peculiarly adapted to help Tertiaries to perform this task; the spirit of St. Francis breathes in every page. Not once, but several times may Tertiaries read this book to great advantage. With every reading new items of interest will be discovered, new lessons will present themselves to be learnt, new inspirations will be imparted to the soul from above. The more this book is read, the more it will be loved; the more it is studied, the more it will be admired. For Tertiaries a book of this kind is a necessity; it is as necessary for them as a text-book is for a scholar.

May this wonderful work spread in the future even more rapidly than before, may it receive the hearty welcome it deserves among the innumerable Tertiaries and clients of St. Francis of Assisi and be to them a sure guide to God's abundant graces in this world and to life everlasting in the next.

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On Samuel Johnson By one

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On Samuel Johnson

By one who seemed not over-fond of him:

EPITAPH ON DR. JOHNSON

Here lies poor Johnson. Reader, have a care,
Tread lightly, lest you rouse a sleeping bear:
Religious, moral, generous, and humane
He was, but self-sufficient, rude, and vain;
Ill-bred and overbearing in dispute,
A scholar and a Christian—yet a brute.
Would you know all his wisdom and his folly,
His actions, sayings, mirth, and melancholy?
Boswell and Thrale, retailers of his wit,
Will tell you how he wrote, and talked, and cough'd, and spit.

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Pedro Calderon de la Barca

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Pedro Calderon de la Barca

An interesting translation of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's play St. Patrick's Purgatory. Enjoy.

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Followup on Catholic Curiosa Found

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Followup on Catholic Curiosa

Found this article about Catholicism in Virginia. Excerpt follows:

Bloody Beginning for Catholics in Virginia Clare MacDonnell

It was a bloody beginning for the Roman Catholic Church in the colonies at the end of the 16th century. In 1570, Jesuit Father John Baptist Sequia and companions were brutally killed after they were betrayed by their guide in the Virginia wilderness, near what is now Fredericksburg.

Although the Jesuit expeditions had ended, Catholicism in Virginia was revived when Gov. Giles Brent of Maryland and his sister, Margaret, arrived in 1647. They settled in Aquia Harbor, near the Spanish missionaries’ settlement. The Brents had been forced out of Maryland because of their religion and politics, so they maintained Aquia as the first Catholic settlement in Virginia, embracing religious tolerance in the community.

It was not until Thomas Jefferson’s Act for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1785, which decreed that Catholics were free to worship openly in the Old Dominion, that the Church began to flourish in the area.

Gen. George Washington was a key figure in establishing the first Catholic Church in the colony — St. Mary Church in Alexandria built in 1795. Col. John Fitzgerald, a Catholic and aide to Washington, spurred the fund raising campaign for the church. St. Mary Cemetery, the state’s oldest Catholic cemetery, is where the original church stood.

A few years later, in 1789, the Archdiocese of Baltimore was founded as the nation’s first diocese with John Carroll as its first archbishop. Archbishop Carroll, who has been called the founding father of the American Catholic Church, was the grandson of Charles Carroll who emigrated to Maryland from Ireland and served as Lord Baltimore’s attorney general. His son, Charles, founded the Baltimore Iron Works and his grandson Daniel signed both the Articles of Confederation and the federal Constitution and helped frame the First Amendment. Charles Carroll, John’s cousin, was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.

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More Catholic Curiosa This morning

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More Catholic Curiosa

This morning took a spin south to Fredericksburg to tour Kenmore again (more of that later). Returning, I asked wife if she would like to go back by a slower route--Route 1. She said sure, had to be more scenic than 95.

Well, scenic it was. I won't mention all the wonders along the route, but I thought everyone might be interested in one particularly noticeable display. We were headed North and had just passd through the town of Aquia. On the right there is a Roman Catholic Church with the unlikely name of St. William of York (never heard of him, but have no doubt that someone can tell me all about him.) Just a little pace north of that, we came upon an enormous (fifteen or twenty foot tall) crucifix, corpus and all, right by the side of the road. Now, I'm used to the little displays that mark the scene of an accident, and even of the larger three-cross displays, the meaning of which I am uncertain. But this was far more ornate and far larger than any such display.

Well, we had encountered, according to my wife who had the chance to read it, the site of the first Catholic Settlement in Virginia. Had I not been tooling along at quite a clip, I might have paused and returned. (I have to admit also, since moving to Florida, the antifreeze has been drained and filled with e-z freeze and the weather in NoVA has not been conducive to extensive exploration outdoors.

Anyway, just though you all might like to know. Those of you in the area might want to take a look someday.

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It's Great To Be Missed

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It's Great To Be Missed

Mr. O'Rama at Video Meliora asks if my silence is of the penitential sort. Oh no. Not at all. I feel that if I am penitent everyone ought to be, so I do my best to bring penance to all. No, silence resulted from events of yesterday. My FIL, an avid geneologist discovered a treasure trove of relatives all of a sudden and spent much time documenting the event. Then, before I could post a thing, I was out to a local Vietnamese Restaurant to celebrate the birthdays of three family members. So now I'm back. Thanks for missing me.

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Really Tough for a Florida

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Really Tough for a Florida Boy

. . . but worth it. The family packed into the motorized chariot last night and trekked our way out to Mount Vernon where we spent the better portion of the evening doing a candlelight tour of the house and grounds. Now, this tour consisted mostly of waiting. (Something one grows used to if one frequents the amusements near my home). The first stretch in a tent with hot cider and ginger cookies, next near a stage with two performers giving sense of some Revolutionary Era amusement and around bonfire singing Christmas Carols. Finally the tour begins, and it was quite lovely. Walking up the grat oval loop toward the house, you could see the candle (real candles) coachlights lining the lesser-oval drive in front of the house. We were greeted by one of the "Mansion Guests" who were spending the Christmas season visiting the Washingtons, and then volunteers explained the house and grounds as we walked through.

I've been in Mount Vernon countless times. (Every time I visit home, I visit Mount Vernon at least twice.) This may have been the loveliest visit of all. It also gave a very clear sense of what life in the time might have been like. It would have been more accurate had the rooms and passages been heated only by the fires in the fireplaces, but for reasons of preservation, one can easily understand why that bit of reality was not injected into the visit. The tour concluded with a visit to the major nearby outbuildings.

If you live in the area and have not treated yourself to this experience, you should really consider it. But then, in case you haven't guessed it over the past week or so, I am really a history buff--enjoying to the maximum visiting old homes and famous places.

Oh, and even Samuel enjoyed it. He asked everyone dressed in period clothes if they were John Adams, George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson. Early on, when we first visited, Sam had asked where George Washington was. My reply (after a futile attempt to explain the reality) was that he was with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Having a mind like a steel trap, he retained this datum. The last person we met, he started the usual litany of questions, "Are you George Washington?" The Man responded, "No, I work for General Washington." Samuel must have misheard him and gave him a big hug--much to the man's surprise--and said, "I love you, George Washington." Quite amusing and I hope heart-warming for the person thus addressed.

A similar experience plus dinner is planned for later this week at Gunston Hall, home of George Mason. I regret I am not going to be here for the Woodlawn Candlelight tour. Oh well--it will be good to get home.

We'll also be visiting Kenmore (George Washington's Sister's Home in Fredericksburg), the Smithsonian a second and perhaps a third time, and possible Stratford Hall (boyhood home of Robert E. Lee and Family Seat of Lighthorse Harry, and Richard Henry).

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On the Most Common Form

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On the Most Common Form of Modern Slavery

I was graced by the understanding of slavery granted me as I toured Mount Vernon. The enormity of the crime overwhelmed me. And as Franklin cogently notes below, physical, obvious slavery is only scratching the surface of the horror.

The most common form of slavery today as in the past are the shackles that we embrace. We put them on willingly and we are utterly reluctant to remove them. In fact, we do all that we can to preserve these shackles inviolate--the shackles of Sin.

C.S. Lewis had a wonderful description of the difficulty of removing these in The Great Divorce, A man is seen by a friend to have a lizard companion. When the Angelic friend asks him to give up the lizard there is a long struggle which ends only when the man says something like, "Take it quickly, do away with it before I change my mind." That is what sin is--it is behavior that has grown into habit, into character, and finally into addiction. We fear withdrawal, we fear the emptiness of its absence, so we gladly tighten the chains and shackles around us.

As we enter into Advent, it is a good time to consider the evils we have grown into--evils that have acquired our shape as a well-worn couch--evils that we have settled into and now give no notice. They may be small, they may be enormous, but they are always all-encompassing. We cannot give them up. Or so we think. But we turn to Jesus and gazing at Him, taking one step at a time, we CAN and will walk away from them. His grace makes it possible. His grace makes it necessary. His blood is the price paid so that we may walk away from the "fleshpots" of Egypt and enter the true land of "Milk and Honey." What a shame if His purchase is not received in full in the Kingdom of Heaven. Better to wear His yoke, than the one that we no longer even see.

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The Worst Day in Recent

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The Worst Day in Recent American History

Dylan offers responses to the question "What was the darkest day in American History between the Assassination of Kennedy and the present." The most prominent answer is hardly a surprise coming from the loyal audience that it does--go and see. However, one answer that is missing, and for which I was too lazy to look up the date, and thus did not comment is notably lacking. Such lack, I think is remarkable and ominous.(I tried to respond in his comment box, but AOL is about fifty percent so far in response to java-script stuff--no comment survived, and so I reproduce in part, and elaborate in large part, what I said there.)

The day that I would choose looms large in memory and mind because we have not seen yet the full play of the consequences. That was the day that the full Senate refused to remove the master of malfeasance from office for strictly concerns of convenience. I will admit that I probably emitted a sigh of relief that the whole ordeal was over, but when Clinton was ultimately allowed to retain office, we officially abandoned all principle in favor of expedience. True, the House found him guilty of the crimes with which he was charged, thus he was impeached; however, by not removing him from office, we said, in effect, "Yes, it's true that he is a criminal, but the economy is good, there will be state disruption, and we just don't think that what he did was that bad."

Suborning perjury, perhaps committing perjury himself, and using the office in ways to protect himself and others in their criminal activities, is a serious, very serious offense. We let ourselves down, and the Senate of the time let us all down for not upholding the dignity of the office and demanding that the person in it rise to that dignity.

We, in effect, acknowledged that what is expedient must rule. Principle is meaningless. We moved truly into the world of PoMo government, in which everything is relative and the only thing important is to preserve the status quo or the present power base if such base assures that we can continue to believe that everything is relative.

We have not seen the end of this dire day We have not sen play out the full implications of our repudiation of principles, and God willing, I pray that we never will.

However, this dire day is certainly one that we need to examine more thoroughly for its utterly repugnant sensibility and for what it says about us as a people.

Advent is a pentitential season. As we wait for the coming of the Kingdom and as we look to the Coming of our Savior, let us examine not only our hearts, but also what we permit by our actions. We as a people made possibly the triumph of King Herod (or should I say King Ahab), and for that many of us hold some portion of corporate guilt. It is time that we act on what we say we believe--"Truth is truth. It is absolute and uncompromisable." If so, then we should behave as though we believe what we say.

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A Dialogue/Commentary on Slavery

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Please forgive me for simply repeating the contents of one of my comment boxes here; however, I feel the words important enough to rest at the upper level of an archive and not to rely simply upon the vagaries of commenting systems to survive or die. Many commenters have made very cogent remarks regarding a post below, and I would like them to be prominent and useful for the future.

Thanks for your indulgence.

Steven,

Thank you for sharing your insights. Slavery is a tough one; it existed when Jesus was alive (as human) and He didn't do anything about it.

Pax,

Katherine
*****
Dear Katherine,

True enough, but neither did Jesus say a word about procured abortion, which, while not as prevalent as it is today, was still common enough practice to be denounced in the Didache.

His silence does not indicate approval, merely that there was limited time in His mission to say all that was essential to carry the world forward in pursuit of God.

In addition, the Old Testament Levitical regulations certainly indicated that no person should be kept in permanent bondage (one of the purposes of a Jubilee year).

Thus I see a two-fold approach--we look to the wisdom of the old Levitical law and we use that, in part as a basis for moving forward in pursuit of God.

Surely if we follow Jesus we cannot allow that He would have whole-heartedly approved of slavery. He might have noted that the slave was in a better position to access God than the person who "owned" him. (Perhaps this is one of the reasons why, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. . .")

In sum, I think the issue may be easier than we make it out. We are not supposed to "make our treasure here on Earth" but to "store up treasure in heaven." By this reasoning, we certainly should not be in the position of owning people.

Perhaps Jesus did not comment directly, but I believe His instruction and his attitude are quite clear in the words that are left to us.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to elaborate on this very important thought. We must never allow a similar system to crop up here again, and justice demands that we work to the best of our ability to abolish this practice wherever it may exist in the world today. Call it what you may--reste-avec, slavery, it cannot but be clear that persons must never be regarded as objects to be owned and used at will.

(By the way, I know that you did not imply any of this in your reply--I do not impute these thoughts to you. But I do thank you.)

shalom,

Steven
*****

Steven,

I for one do not think that slavery and freedom can be defined by the presence or absence of chains, fences, concentration camps, and other devices that commonly come to mind when these words are used. Such devices delimit forms of physical slavery, which indeed may never exist again in this country, but that is not the only form of slavery. There is slavery that can be mental, emotional, psychological, and against these forms, which are debilitating to the mind and soul if not the body, I think we are still struggling.

We enact laws to proscribe the outward forms of slavery, but our laws are powerless to affect the workings of the human heart. We can prohibit someone from legally owning another, but we have not the means to prevent someone from seeking to subjugate another's will to their own. And conversely, we cannot force freedom on someone who does not fully desire it.

The mistake I think many people make is to assume that since the signs of slavery are no longer evident, we need be concerned about it no longer. But if by slavery and freedom we mean something more than the physical and the legal, then we need to look a bit deeper into what we are seeking to avoid and what we are seeking to promote. But such an effort is today complicated by the fact that slavery and freedom are emotionally-loaded words, and rational discourse on such subjects is frequently difficult.

Everybody nowadays "knows" that slavery ended a long time ago, and also "knows" that as a consequence everyone is now free. But ask them what they mean by "free" and more likely than not you'll get them upset. This may be because thinking with catchphrases is easier than defining one's terms. But I think it is also due in part to chronological snobbery, the attitude that ours is the first generation in human history that had everything figured out, and the vast bulk of humanity were all unwashed heathen, whom time and death have cast into the outer darkness to wail and gnash their teeth.

This attitude scares me, because it entails scorn and derision for our ancestors and their beliefs and traditions, and raises the distinct possibility that we will most likely be condemned to repeat history, since we lack the humility to learn from it. No, I don't think we'll resurrect the plantations, but there are more invisible and consequently more effective forms of slavery.
Franklin Johnston
*****
I think the important point about the Revolution is that the founding fathers had the right words and the right goal: endowed by their creator with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and freedom. What they lacked was the intestinal fortitude and the follow through on the "for all." They did, however, fight with their lives and livlihood for fuller embrace of these principles. Sadly, it took much too long and much too much blood.for the fullness of these words to achieved for people of all races. Yet, these failings to attain a full embrace of this noble goal should not diminish the courage it took to gain what was gained. What truly diminishes us as a nation, is that we, in this time of plenty and wealth unimagined, are consciously choosing to RETREAT from these these noble goals. Our mantra is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- for all races, religions, creeds, sexual orientations as long as you happent to be economically viable and not a resource drain on society or your family and friends. In other words, the unborn, the chronically ill or disabled, and the dying are excluded from these inalienable rights. This truly is sad. It is one thing to have the most noble of goals and fail to attain it; it is another to achieve the most noble of goals and then repudiate it.

Anonymous
*****

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you, well spoken and quite poignant. Agreed and seconded in all points.

Dear Franklin,

[post edited to reflect the fact that in my haste to comment, I simply repeated what Franklin says above, implying that he did not say that Slavery may return and those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.]
However, slavery is NOT gone from the world--and that is a tragedy that must be addressed. In Haiti they have the institution of the Reste-avec (means Stay-with) in French, which is ostensibly a servant, but in all practicality a slave. I do not know that the hacienda system is completely dead everywhere in the world--but to be owned by the company store is slavery. I do not think we should suggest that the scourge is eradicated. Because it does not exist here does not mean that it does not exist.

However, the thrust of what you have to say is extremely important. Such attitudes and trends make possible atrocities beyond our ability to conceive. T. H. White's dictum, which I am fond of quoting notes that 90% of humanity are sheep; 9% are blackguards and knaves; and the 1% fit to lead, know better.

As long as we are sheep to fashion and the world, we are in danger. It is only in becoming the sheep of Christ that we have the power to resist the glamours of the world.

shalom,

Steven
*****

Such thoughts and words should not be allowed to vanish into the dim depths of commenting archives where they may or may not survive. I love good dialogue about important issues, and this issue has stirred a great deal of very good thought. Thank you all for contributing and thank you for helping me to grow in understanding and in my walk with Christ--for it is only in facing the truth squarely that we begin to see His face in the events that surround us each day.

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About this Archive

This page is a archive of recent entries written by Steven Riddle in December 2002.

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