Our own Venerable TSO writes
One of the things that fascinates is the diversity among St. Blog's and the different approaches taken. There are intensely personal blogs and less so. My temptation is to think of those bloggers who never met a personal pronoun as minor saints. Certainly Donna Marie Lewis is the Cal Ripken of bloggers when it comes to that. A possible drinking game is to pick a month in her archives and take a drink every time she posted about Ven. Newman or St. Philip Neri. And I admire her for it because it's difficult to imagine saying things that Cardinal Newman didn't say better. Video meliora... Still, I'm not sure it's necessary to give up the personal even though narcissism is to blogs what hot air is to popcorn. The way I look at it writing is a form of therapy and much cheaper than a $100 an hour analyst.
And I too much admire Ms Lewis's blog, not entirely for lack of personal pronouns, but for many of the good things she posts. Being the Anti-Lewis and the master of personal pronouns, I feel called upon to expostulate and deliver orotund wisdom about the felicity of doing so. But the reality is that I learn from the mistakes I make. I learn from the mistakes others make. Venerables and Saints are too distant and unapproachable to me until I know where they failed. So I gladly parade my failures for everyone to see that they might say, "Well, at least I'm not like that Pharisee over there." Or perhaps one soul somewhere might better recognize the Devil's Snare I got entangled in and dose it with about 20 billion lumens of SonLight.
But I will continue to make know to the world my many failings and foibles in hopes that everyone might garner from them some sense of "Receive Hope All Ye Who Enter--I've Been There, Done That, And Come Back to Tell You ALL to Stay Away." Yep--TSO is right--cheap therapy.
Indeed your trials are accessible to me and a source of inspiration, as I blogged last week. There's a good mix of the personal and quotes from our betters here and you are in no sense an anti-Lewis. If any one can lay claim to to that title it's moi, given my fictional asides and silliness, and hence that post. And your intercessory prayers remind us what we're here for - to pray for each other.
What is Ms. Lewis' blog called? I don't think I have been to her's before and it sounds like I should make a visit.
Dear Laura,
I'm sorry. I often think that all the places I visit are common knowledge, I should know better. Ms. Lewis is found at Quenta Nârwenion. She is only one of the very good places to go--From the Anchor Hold, The New Gasparian, are examples of other very, very fine places to find much in the way of spiritual sustenance. (See left-hand column of blogs).
shalom,
Steven