I just indexed the three extant parts of the Study Guide. I intend to add to the index commentary on St. John of the Cross as it has occurred at the blog. (This is one reason I'm convinced that Movable Type would probably be a smart move for me--the indexing alone is worth a fortune to those of us with Librarian Minds.) To the Left-Hand Column grows by leaps and bounds. Please pardon our dust.
Wiping a small tear from my eye, I say, "Yesterday, I had the most hits ever in one day at this site. And yet... and yet...most of them were looking for Galileo."
Then a thought occurs. Perhaps one or two of the hundred or so that visited, maybe only one, but perhaps someone saw something in their search that might serve as a proper instrument to bring them to the Lord. Hallelujah and cheers. A demain, Tristesse, open the door to joy!
The Pope has hailed the internet as a great tool of evangelization, which is why it is so critical to make a comfortable, welcoming presence on the web. I hope that in the course of their travels yesterday one or two found such a home and will stop in at more places in St. Blog's. May the Lord use our words to bring Souls to Him.
Addressing Disappointment
Thanks to everyone for the kind words in my post below about disappointment. But I really wasn't fishing for comments. I was merely reflecting on the fact that the post on the Little Flower (which was kind of a rapid knock-off to encourage those alienated from her to try to find a way to speak with her) had received several comments; whereas this much more elaborate post had received relatively few.
But then, isn't that an indication of where the Holy Spirit is speaking in a person's life? So, my disappointment isn't anyone else's problem, and perhaps it is indicative of the fact that as a new "convert" to the admiration of the Great St. Therese, I should perhaps write more about her.
As I said in the original, I do not criticize, and I do deeply sympathize with those who have some difficulty connecting with her. As some have pointed out, the prose is sometimes an obstacle, her followers can be seriously off-putting, and the aura of "magic" about her can be very disorienting.
Anyway, perhaps I should pay better attention to very obvious signals that are sent from the readership and not worry so much about whatever message I may be trying to get across. Surely these comments are in some sense an indication of where God would have me be. And wasn't that the point of the post over which I was lamenting?
So, someday soon perhaps--more of St. Therese and a lot more of St. John of the Cross (although every post concerning him seems to stun people into aphasia--possibly due to the fact that I complicate him more than explicate. But I'll work on that.)
In the near future I shall post reviews of two books: Conclave by Greg Tobin, a potboiler, but fun, and Lying Awake by Mark Salzman, read at the suggestion of Kathy the Carmelite (mixed reviews, mostly good). Continued commentary on St. John of the Cross and a studied disregard of nearly everything of moment happening in the world today. Queries to the world about Walter Ciszek (most particularly to his noted Partisan at De Fidei Oboedientia). And other things too trivial to contemplate at the moment.
Everyone who visits here is a blessing to me. Everyone is welcome, and everyone is encouraged to comment, and correct. I would hope that I do not err so badly as to provoke incivility (it hasn't happened very often--once that I can think of, some time ago). (From the tenor of this one might conclude that I was Episcopalian--the most gracious and most civil and pleasant of all of the faiths--but I'm not.) There is ample room for serious disagreement and serious engagement. And I promise all of you that I will do my very best to treat you all as the Lord has commanded, with respect, with love, and with tender care for your dignity and persons. If I am angered or otherwise aggravated, I will contact you privately and I will not make a public spectacle of it. I want this to be a place of serenity and even of some mid-level disagreement over things that are not central to our faith. And if I have offended by word or deed, first accept my sincere apologies, but also feel free to let me know by e-mail, it will go no farther than myself, and being one seeking detachment, I will appreciate the lesson in humility. (See, you have a Golden Opportunity to be Our Lord's instruments of Mercy.) I've already had several, and I will need countless more. And I want everyone to feel at home and feel comfortable talking to me as they see fit. I'm actually relatively difficult to offend so long as you aren't hawking anti-Catholic wares--so please, pull up a chair, pour yourself whatever you're drinking and rest awhile. I'd like to think that we have here "a momentary taste of being from the well amid the waste." Or at least a second-rate watering hole.
Our Lord's Shalom to all who visit.
