Flos Carmeli

A New Entry One that

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

Speaking of Mr. Moffat You

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.

On the Intellect

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.

The Two Towers: Not a

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.

Thanks to Mr. O'Rama

Thanks to Mr. O'Rama

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

Marian Doctrine The blogmeister at

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.

New Year's Plans Other than

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.

On St. Thomas, Redux Mr.

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.

Conversation with Fr. James V.

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.

Mysterium Crucis I must admit

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.

On Aquinas as Spiritual Reading

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.

After the Fact--About Santa Claus

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.)

Intercalary Days I see many

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).

A Quiz Result I Actually

A Quiz Result I Actually Liked

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

What Christmas Carol Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

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

Another Gift From Project Canterbury

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.

Words of Wisdom for

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!

From Oswald Chambers Yes, I

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?

Another Innovation I'm going to

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.

Another Interesting Siting via El

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.

Her Changes Change Her Changes Constantly

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.

Spiritual Reading

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.

Something a Bit Challenging Here's

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.

Anne Catherine Emmerich I don't

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!

Talk About Your "Momentary

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.

Samuel's Report to His Mother

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.

A Christmas Gift from Project

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.

Gingerbread Cookies Okay, I'm not

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.