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The Life of the Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation by A Religious of the Ursuline Community
The Jesuits In North America In The Seventeenth Century by Francis Parkman
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A Poem Remembered from Childhood and Only Now Rediscovered
I found this browsing through the new books at Blackmask. I recall it from long ago, but being here in Virginia puts me in mind of these things again, so I offer it for your delectation.
MOLLY MAGUIRE AT MONMOUTH WILLIAM COLLINS
[Sidenote: June 28, 1778]
The battle of Monmouth was indecisive, but the Americans held
the field, and the British retreated and remained inactive for the
rest of the summer.On the bloody field of Monmouth
Flashed the guns of Greene and Wayne.
Fiercely roared the tide of battle,
Thick the sward was heaped with slain.
Foremost, facing death and danger,
Hessian, horse, and grenadier,
In the vanguard, fiercely fighting,
Stood an Irish Cannonier.Loudly roared his iron cannon,
Mingling ever in the strife,
And beside him, firm and daring,
Stood his faithful Irish wife.
Of her bold contempt of danger
Greene and Lee's Brigades could tell,
Every one knew “Captain Molly,”
And the army loved her well.Surged the roar of battle round them,
Swiftly flew the iron hail,
Forward dashed a thousand bayonets,
That lone battery to assail.
From the foeman's foremost columns
Swept a furious fusillade,
Mowing down the massed battalions
In the ranks of Greene's Brigade.Fast and faster worked the gunner,
Soiled with powder, blood, and dust,
English bayonets shone before him,
Shot and shell around him burst;
Still he fought with reckless daring,
Stood and manned her long and well,
Till at last the gallant fellow
Dead—beside his cannon fell.With a bitter cry of sorrow,
And a dark and angry frown,
Looked that band of gallant patriots
At their gunner stricken down.
“Fall back, comrades, it is folly
Thus to strive against the foe.”
“No! not so,” cried Irish Molly;
“We can strike another blow.”* * * * *
Quickly leaped she to the cannon,
In her fallen husband's place,
Sponged and rammed it fast and steady,
Fired it in the foeman's face.
Flashed another ringing volley,
Roared another from the gun;
“Boys, hurrah!” cried gallant Molly,
“For the flag of Washington.”Greene's Brigade, though shorn and shattered,
Slain and bleeding half their men,
When they heard that Irish slogan,
Turned and charged the foe again.
Knox and Wayne and Morgan rally,
To the front they forward wheel,
And before their rushing onset
Clinton's English columns reel.Still the cannon's voice in anger
Rolled and rattled o'er the plain,
Till there lay in swarms around it
Mangled heaps of Hessian slain.
“Forward! charge them with the bayonet!”
'Twas the voice of Washington,
And there burst a fiery greeting
From the Irish woman's gun.Monckton falls; against his columns
Leap the troops of Wayne and Lee,
And before their reeking bayonets
Clinton's red battalions flee.
Morgan's rifles, fiercely flashing,
Thin the foe's retreating ranks,
And behind them onward dashing
Ogden hovers on their flanks.Fast they fly, these boasting Britons,
Who in all their glory came,
With their brutal Hessian hirelings
To wipe out our country's name.
Proudly floats the starry banner,
Monmouth's glorious field is won,
And in triumph Irish Molly
Stands beside her smoking gun.
What better tribute to her slain husband than this? What a heart of courage. I've been told that there were actually several "Molly Maguires" and "Molly Pitchers" throughout the revolutionary war.
Thinking About House of the Spirits
I haven't finished it yet, and I know that it is old news, but Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits evokes thought similar to those of all works of magic realism. I'm not sure House of the Spirits qualifies for the genre in the classic sense; however, it certainly partakes of the atmosphere that lends Latin American Fiction a perfervid clarity and brilliance lacking in nearly all other fictions of the time. There are exceptions, but they are few.
It strikes me that there would be a certain physical satisfaction living in such a metaphysical reality. The scales of karma would be immediately visible and you could watch as they tip. You would see the realities of spiritual laws clearly delineated in the physical world. Many people do not believe in spiritual laws, but I am certain beyond possibility of conviction that they are real and operative here and now. Enlightened self-interest suggests that "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is the only viable way to live a life. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," is an absolute immutable reality and we experience its truthfulness in our recidivism as we head to confession. How often do we find ourselves confessing exactly the same sins that we committed the previous week? That recidivism is a sign in concrete reality of what happens in the spiritual world when we hold on to our grudges and hatred, we drag about a huge stone that serves only to roll down and crush us at intervals. Believe it or not, that too is God's mercy, a continual reminder of what we must confess and lay before God before it is too late, and a constant reminder that we are forgiven in the measure that we forgive.
Glorious Autumnal Shade
Looking out the window this morning a single reflection:
If the skies in Florida looked like this, something would be falling from them.
In Virginia, you may vary color without the need for leaking fluids.
Reflections on Slavery at Mount Vernon
When I first went to Mount Vernon some years ago, slavery was unapologetically acknowleged. There was nothing made of it, nor was it denied. It was simply a non-issue. There were no displays, and if slave's names were known, nothing much was done with the information.
Today it is quite different. There is a great deal of information about slaves and discussion of slaves as one tours the plantation. This is true in nearly all the great houses of the south.
Today, it was brought home to me powerfully as I toured the grounds. I saw an African-American family, Mom, Dad, three kids, walking behind the greenhouse where there is a long row of exhibits that discuss aspects of slaves lives--maintaining the fires for the greenhouse, shoe-menders and maker, and a room with ten bunk-beds representing the lodging of the slaves. Suddenly, I realized that these people before me, ordinary in every respect, could not have the same access to Mount Vernon that I had (and I consider this revelation a gracious gift from God). Surely, the African American family probably recognized that this was the house of the Man who jump-started the republic in which we now live--not so much in deed but in example. But the awful reality was that when they looked into these rooms it was possible that some distant ancestor occupied them. The whole crushing weight of the reality of slavery visited me for a moment. I visit Mount Vernon and see a monument to a man who helped to make a nation. Others may visit this same home and see only another link in a chain of oppression. They may be reminded that great-great-great-great-grandfathers and grandmothers were regarded as another person's property.
At Woodlawn Plantation the lady giving the tour informed us, "At the age of 12 or so, each of the children of the house were given a slave of the same age who accompanied them through life." What an utterly appalling notion. I do not convict these people of the past for not breaking out of their own bondage of time and ignorance; however, if I were one whose ancestors served on these plantations, might I not feel otherwise?
These questions are hard questions to answer, but I'm glad to see that they are finally being asked.
At the time of Washington's death he owned 317 PEOPLE. The law observed his "right" to control the lives of 317 individuals. To Washington's tremendous credit, he released his slaves in his will (but only upon Martha's death). In addition he set aside funds to care for the elderly among his slaves and for the education of the young. In a quotation of 1786, Washington wrote, "There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for [its] abolition." A laudable sentiment that met with an unfortunate silence. I strongly recommend the chapter of "Founding Brothers" titled "The Silence."
I don't know what to make of this ramble except to say that God in His providence granted me a moment today to realize what the reality of slavery COULD mean even today to some people. I do not know that this could accurately represent anyone's thoughts but my own, but we all carry, to some extent, a weight of the past. I exult in all things colonial and Revolutionary, and I am dragged down by all things related to the WoNA or to give it a name less controversial and incendiary, the War Between the States. (And no, I won't spell out the acronym--them as know, know, elsewise it isn't important.) The seeds for said war were set in the earliest times and the necessity for the eradication of the great evil of slavery (not the fullness of the reason for the war) undeniable. However, when I am at Chancellorsburg, or even driving by the sign that announced the exit to the Cold Harbor Battlefield, I feel a tremendous sense of sadness. I tend to think that many are moved in similar ways by different things. And it seems that we do an injustice not to recognize that a sizable minority of this great country have access only to this memories and hints of the great indignity foisted on one people by another. Not all, by any means, and this by no means rationalizes any violence committed in the name of past injustices or excused on that basis. However, I am not privy to the powerful feelings that could be conjured up in thinking simply of family stories.
My prayer is that a great many can take away from such places a similar sense of the past, and a deep understanding of some of the sorrow, horror, and anger that must fill many. I pray for a continued understanding and compassion when it comes time for me to tell my son about these things. I pray that they light the way for the future--understanding, compassion, sympathy, and a willingness to listen to stories without judging. There is no question in my mind that we have become a people more aware of injustice and more aware of the indignities suffered by many. May God use each of us as a vehicle of understanding and solidarity. May we acknowledge the sins of the past and strive to help heal the wound of psyche that must still exist. May we learn how to open the doors of communication without opening the sluice gates of useless guilt-induction and guilt-raking. As a loving people, we must be ever more welcome to stories that differ from our own and be willing to make them part of the great tapestry of this nation.
I look to Mount Vernon and other exhibits that feature the lives of slaves, and I rejoice in these good fruits of "multiculturalism." For a very long time this voice was silent, and a large minority of people in the United States lived with an unspoken, and sometimes largely denied history. Multiculturalism, despite its ridiculous excesses, forced this door open, and we have been enriched in our understanding as a result.
We do well to take steps to make this story known--not for the sake of guilt, but for the sake of the future--that it may never take root in any form in our country today. Praise God for His eternal mercies--"He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree." We should know the names and the places of the Slaves of Mount Vernon. We should still love and respect Washington for all that he was and all that his legacy left to us. But we should also recognize his limitations as a person and realize that people worked, and lived, and died at his word alone. I do not know if anyone ever was whipped or killed at his command. I hope not. But I do know that even if it did not happen, the circumstances of the time would have allowed for it, and that is something that must never happen again in any way, shape, or form.
Drawing Aside the Curtain for a Moment
A interested reader wrote and asked a question that normally I probably would not care to answer. However, the particular individual is one for whom I have deep respect, and over the years, I hope a certain kind of friendship, so I feel that I owe a reasonable answer to his inquiry.
Well, I dunno if I'd be classified under "choirs of angels" but I'm curious to know *your* take on Hillary, having mentioned this:"My Father-in-Law is an amazing man with amazing taste in reading. He reads profoundly interesting conservative materials and holds staunchly conservative views--you would blanch to hear him talk about HiIlary Clinton. "
Never let it be said that I discouraged curiousity. My comments may not satisfy it, but then, it would be a shame to discourage by satisfaction.
Ms. Clinton is precisely what one would expect of Herod's wife. As such she is a deeply deluded, deeply dangerous woman in desperate need of all of the prayers we can muster in her favor. Given the potential for destruction that lies in power, the good people of New York would do well to repudiate their selection of this candidate, and we would all benefit from her retirement from public life. I believe that she is a deeply deceiving, frightening figure in American Politics. I do not care for her views, and I am not completely certain that there are not certain very dark marks on her past record. I pray that I am wrong particularly on this latter front, but I harbor my doubts and pray about them.
I hope that I have said that gently enough not to hurt people who stop by and who may admire many aspects of this woman's character. She is a strong woman, with strongly held views, and were those views more in line with Phyllis Schlafly and her ilk, I would find much to admire. As it stands, I believe that her plotting and deceitfulness exceeds that of her two biblical analogs--Jezebel and Herodias. May God have mercy on us all and protect us from her gentle ministrations. May God have mercy on her and show her the profound errors of her actions, words, and thoughts.
Now let the curtain fall back into place, and please--"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
Clarification on my Statement About the Bishops
Many seem to take exception to what I consider remarkably unexceptionable in my comments about the Bishops. If so, I have clearly not expressed my intent clearly. I pull out of the comment boxes one of the interchanges that I feel makes clearer what it was I intended when I originally wrote.
StevenBasically I agree with you. We need, however, to be vigilant ourselves to ensure that what seems to be teaching is so. For example, the recent uproar about the Catholic/Jewish paper recently released by a committee is NOT a teaching but, the press would have us believe it to be so. We have been presented with the "fact" that we are not to share the Messiah with His own people!
Pax,
Katherine,osb
KatherinePosted by Steven Riddle at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)
Wise People Are Doing Better Things with Their Time
Than reading this on Thanksgiving day; however, it doesn't prevent me from writing it. Awakened early by a coughing child with nothing much else to do, I blog. Hope all is going well for you all today. When I go to mass, I will remember all in my prayers.
Happy Thanksgiving.
On the Teaching of the Bishops
I guess I am just completely stupid, will-less and spineless, and ready to be led about by the nose. However, when the Bishops speak on any matter, I rejoice. I remind myself of the infinite confusion from which I escaped--the morass of protestantism where the preaching of one pastor or elder had every bit as much authority as the next and none of them were binding on any believer who, supreme in their own consciences and in the "priesthood of the believer" had to weigh between all these various sayings and find out where the truth lay.
Here, the Catholic Church offers authorative, official teaching, even if not binding, and there seems to be slew of people saying, "We don't want the Bishops to say anything about matters in which they have no expertise" (which by the way includes everything except and extremely narrow and defined set of theological propositions.)
Thank God the Bishops speak, and thank God that we are required and encouraged to consider it very carefully, even if it is not infallible. Thank Goodness the Church speaks with one voice and we can go somewhere for guidance. I don't know about you all, but the swim through the sea of Protestantism made me thoroughly ready for a landfall on concrete teaching. Maybe they are wrong--but I'm willing to bet that the teaching is better than that of thirty random protestant ministers.
I encourage you all, no matter how you feel about the teaching, to remember that at least you have a church that does have the authority to teach and that does take that authority and responsibility seriously. The Bishops may produce flawed work, but they at least consider it important to speak and to teach and I am certain that they do not undertake the office lightly or frivilously. I'm also certain that collectively they have given more thought to an issue than I am willing or able to give it.
I may not always agree with the teaching. But normally I discover my disagreement revolves around my misunderstanding or misconstruction of their actual statements. It would absolute hubris for me to assume that I know more than the collective intelligence of the American Episcopacy.
But perhaps mine is a view that can only come from having escaped from a religion in which when you asked any given question your would receive nine or ten best answers and no one spoke with any real or binding authority at all. (Although there are claims to the contrary--for example the Southern Baptist Convention whose rulings are supposedly binding on the member churches--but that is as may be.)
Thank God for the teaching authority of the Church. Thank God for even this fallible guidance, for it is far better than no guidance at all. At least some of the groundwork of the thinking is laid out. Thank God for the courage of beseiged Bishops, still willing to speak out and to try to guide their flock. May God make me responsive to His Word through their lips!
Wishing You All the Very Best of Thanksgivings
May the day be blessed in the company of your loved ones in the beauty of God's grace and in the warm embrace of the Holy Spirit. May you all come forth strengthened, enlivened, and ever more grateful for the sheer bounty of God's insuperable grace.
On Peter Kreeft
I cannot explain why, but Peter Kreeft is one contemporary author whose nearly every work appeals to me. The exceptions (a couple of books about the Bible, and one or two others) are books for which I am very evidently not the intended audience. The books on the Bible seem very elementary and not particularly insightful, but I doubt they were written for a dyed-in-the-wool former fundamentalist, even so, they seem to lack some of the insights that Mr. Kreeft's work usually carries. I have also written to Mr. Kreeft about his seeming preference of Huxley over Orwell as predictors of the future. He seems to think Orwell's totalitarian state passe--I believe it is still a terrifying possibility, and the more I hear of our media people, the more I become convinced that somewhere in the U.S. a minispeak and a minitruth are both live and well.
However, while at the Basilica Shrine, I purchased another IVP title (to which I would otherwise have little or no access as it falls perfectly between the normal stock of the Catholic Bookstore and that of the "Family Christian Bookstore" which tends to be highly suspicious of things that reek of Catholicism.
This work, How to Win the Culture War made for some interesting subway reading on the way back home. There are many insights, and I'll start by sharing just a taste.
from How to Win the Culture War Introduction Peter Kreeft It's loud and crude, and I'm not sorry. For it is written on a battlefield, in the heat of battle. It is written for soldier or potential soldiers, enlistees. It is therefore not a carefully nuanced, politely academic argument. It is not a sweet violin; it is an ugly, blarng trumpet. On a battlefield, a trumpet works better than a violin.Here is a preiew and summary of the book in one page.
To win any war, an any kind of war, the nine most necessary things to know are the following:
1. that you are at war
2. who your enemy is
3. what kind of war you are in
4. what the basic principle of this kind of war is
5. what the enemy's strategy is
6. where the main battlefield is
7. what weapon will defeat the enemy
8. how to acquire this weapon
9. why you will win.
Now, I must say as a crypto-pacifist, I find this kind of language very disturbing. On the other hand, I sense deeper than the disturbance the truth of what is being said. More than that, I realize that we are talking about a war which we must win and we must win not with battle in arms, but with battle in the spiritual realm. I have always regarded Paul's words about the real battle as a fundamental and central truth of the Bible--"We battle not against the powers of this world, but against the powers and principalities, thrones and dominions of the spiritual world." (Bad paraphrase, but you get the idea.) And I have always wanted to do my part in this battle. Once again, one of my favorite writers is there to encourage me. I owe Mr.Kreeft a great debt of thanks for this wonderful work. I will share more later.
First, Some Thanksgiving
My sincere thanks to Therese for the metro stop. Thanks to those great instructions I had no problem getting to the Shrine today. It's amazing. It has an interesting dome, but seems mostly unimpressive when approached from CUA; however, once inside it is absolutely overwhelming. Attended mass and purchased a couple of books that I would otherwise have to order through Amazon (against my distributist leanings) about which, more in a moment.
Thanks to God for fair weather despite the terrible forecasts.
And thanks to all the pleasant, caring, cheery, delightful people of Washington D.C. for making the experience so warm and fuzzy. (Actually one lady in a Metro booth was both extraordinarily helpful and tremendously pleasant. And most of the people I intereacted with in the course of their employment. What was nearly unendurable was the general mass of humanity, which would give one a good view of why Christianity is undoubtedly true.
I Have Been Vouchsafed a Glimpse of the World to Come
And I truly repent. Yes, the wonders of Chuck E. Cheese's emporium of fun can be likened to the whirlwind that Dante places the Lover's in (Circle 2, I believe). This place just begins to give me a sense of what it must be like and it is horrifying. The swirling progressively louder, nearly infinite activity. Oh well.
Tomorrow is likely a first trip into D.C. It may be a revisit (solo) to Mount Vernon (one of my favorite places on Earth). Samuel continues to ask where George Washington is, and why is picture is all over the place (quarters and dollars).
Anyway, no profound insights to share. Reading Suzanne Skees God Among the Shakers which is very interesting, and House of the Spirits for which I am slowing acquiring a taste. As with much that partakes of magic realism, it is, at first disorienting.
More later.
Quote from a Book in my FIL's Library
My Father-in-Law is an amazing man with amazing taste in reading. He reads profoundly interesting conservative materials and holds staunchly conservative views--you would blanch to hear him talk about HiIlary Clinton. As these books are either not stocked in local libraries, or I am in such profound ignorance of their authors that I have not sought out their work, I often peruse them in off-hours at home. (There are not many of these because my Father-in-Law is an inveterate story-teller, with a true story-teller's voice, rhythm and expressions. I'm hoping to record a passle of these stories while we are here and MP3 them as a gift for family members. See my post elsewhere about the "buy-nothing" Christmas) Here from the Cal Thomas introduction to Marvin Olasky's Fighting for Liberty and Virtue a wonderful insight.
from the "Introduction" to Fighting for Liberty and Virtue Cal Thomas Sadly, the closest we get to history today is the instant replay. A generation of baby boomers, who mostly discarded the past as morally inferior to the present, has mired us in a cultural goo from which it is extremely difficult to extricate ourselves.If we are to be liberated from this mire of our own making and find true freedom, I am convinced our emancipation will not come by external means--that is, by government, no matter which party or philosophy is in power, or by "values" imposed from the top-down. "Trickle-down" morality won't work. We must pursue "bubble-up" morality--that which flows from the people, upward. Historically, the quality of leadership has reflected the quality of followership. When ancient Israel was obedient to the law and the will of God, they generally enjoyed righteous leadership.
Thank God for the Catholic Church!
Back when I was Baptist, travel carried with it a certain kind of pain. You would leave your own comfortable church home and venture into new territory, missing for the time you were away the Pastor's ruminations on the Letter to the Romans (a seventeen week series) and joining momentarily reflections on Isaiah's messianic prophesies--if you chose to go to church in your temporary abode. Many times I simply preferred not to because nothing seemed to be standard. Everything seemed different, even if there were certain constants--"altar call" and the monthly "Lord's Supper" outside of regular service.
Here I am and the Catholic Church is here and it is like stepping right back into the home routine. I go to Church, and here rather than Morning Prayer we have a Rosary and Novena, but the Mass is the same. I know the parts and the readings join me to the pulse of the universal Church.
I was impressed this morning with the wonderful Novena at "Our Lady of the Angels." I'm going to ask for a copy for home. It was a Novena based on the beattitudes, and I had never encountered it before. I don't know if it is acceptable for private devotion, but my assumption is anything okay for public recitation must be okay for private reflection. Isn't it normally interdicted the other way round?
Anyway, in addition to all these marvels--they have 24 hour perpetual adoration except for an appropriate period from Saturday at 5:00 pm to Sunday at 7:00pm (vigil to final Sunday Mass). What a treasure!
Since I'm in the area it would be great if I could attend a Latin Mass (there is no Latin Mass (not even Novus Ordo) anywhere within a hundred and fifty miles of home. I'm hoping that in this more cosmopolitan area I might encounter at least the possibility.
More later, but I am in constant prayer of thanksgiving to the gracious God who gives us the gift of the Church!
A Pseudo-indulgence of Another Enthusiasm
Yes--unapologetically--I am a profound enthusiast for all things colonial and revolutionary. Being here in the right part of Northern Virginia for a relatively easy hop down to Mr/Pres./General Washington's beloved abode, we made our first sojourn today. My four-year-old was beside himself with excitement at getting to go to "George Washington's House." He asked several times where Washington was. We finally explained that Mr. Washington would not be at home, he was at present visiting with a few close friends--Sally Fairfax, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson (assuming Washington was more flexible and forgiving than the American Sphinx--who held some rather unflatter opinions of the Father of our Nation.).
Later this week we will journey to Gunston Hall, the former residence of the redoubtable George Mason, a founder, who like George Wythe is too often overlooked and too readily forgotten.
We will probably visit the Smithsonian--most particularly the "bone-man dinosaurs" favored by my son. (And of course not to be overlooked by his paleontologist Dad, although my taste runs more to the Burgess Shale exhibition.)
More perhaps later. Now on to another subject.
Some Catholic Curiousities
Just going to Mass this morning, I was astounded by the curiousities I ran into. Here, declaimed from the pulpit was week four of some sort of instruction on the Liturgy, none of which I have heard in my diocese. In addition, this is a church (Our Lady of the Angels) run by a group of Stigmatine Priests. I had never heard of Stigmatine Priests before this. In addition to that there were extensive resources supporting the mission of some group called the Mercedarians--another I had never heard of. Finally, before leaving home, I had received a magazine from a group called Campos, which I guess represents the group of Brazilian Priests formerly of one of the separatist movements (SSPX?). The claim within the magazine is that the reunification represented the vindication of Archbishop Lefebvre. Does this seem a reasonable interpretation? Does it matter?
My conclusions is that the depth of spirituality in the Catholic Ocean is so great that we can only sample a little bit of the uppermost of that abyssal depth. We are blessed with an abundance and an overabundance of spiritual resources with which to bring proper praise and acclaim to God. Is there anything at all like it? Are there any depths greater?
It would seem to me that this is one of the most obvious arguments for the truth of the claims of the Catholic Church. Perhaps not, it little matters, for on the Solemnity of Christ the King, He in His mercy has seen fit to grant this servant a glimpse of the vastness of His Kingdom here on Earth.