The Large Cat

The Large Cat by Cornelis Visscher, 1657.
via J.R.'s Art Place

I like cat pictures. And this is a great one.

Notes on Mark: Real Defilement Comes From Within

Martyrdom of the seven Hebrew brothers, Vatican Library, around 1450

MARK 7:14-23
It is such a common idea these days to define someone's actions by their intentions rather than what they eat or wear or other such customs. Barclay reminds us how very unheard of that was in Jesus' day. I really enjoyed his references to Maccabees. Those books are some of my favorites of the Old Testament. The stories of the widow and her sons as well as one of an old man who refuses to give up his faith even though urged to because of his age are some that have really stuck with me. The speech that the old man and the widow each give are really beautiful examples of witnessing to faith.

Although it may not seem so now, this passage, when it was first spoken, was well-nigh the most revolutionary passage in the New Testament. Jesus has been arguing with the legal experts about different aspects of the traditional law. He has shown the irrelevance of the elaborate handwashings. He has shown how rigid adherence to the traditional law can actually mean disobedience to the law of God. But here he says something more startling yet. He declares that nothing that goes into a man can possibly defile him, for it is received only into his body which rids itself of it in the normal, physical way.

No Jew ever believed that and no orthodox Jew believes it yet. Leviticus 11 has a long list of animals that are unclean and may not be used for food. How very seriously this was taken can be seen from many an incident in Maccabean times. At that time the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, was determined to root out the Jewish faith. One of the things he demanded was that the Jews should eat pork, swine's flesh but they died in the hundreds rather than do so ... Fourth Maccabees (chapter 7) tells the story of a widow and her seven sons. It was demanded that they should eat swine's flesh. They refused. The first had his tongues cut out, the ends of his limbs cut off; and he was then roasted alive in a pan; the second had his hair and the skin of his skull torn off; one by one they were tortured to death while their aged mother looked on and cheered them on; they died rather than eat meat which to them was unclean.

It is in the face of this that Jesus made his revolutionary statement that nothing that goes into a man can make him unclean. He was wiping out at one stroke the laws for which Jews had suffered and died ...

With one sweeping pronouncement Jesus had declared ... that uncleanness has nothing to do with what a man takes into his body but everything to do with what comes out of his heart.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

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Sources and Notes Index      

How do you feel about spiders? Julie's going exploring. Scott's keeping near the shuttle. Nothing is getting Rosamund Hodge to set foot on that planet.

 We discuss Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky in our opener for Season 16. This was selected by special guest Rosamund Hodge who joins us for a discussion that is chock-full of spiders. No one wanted to fall in love with a spider, but we did anyway.

The Japanese Scroll

 

The Japanese Scroll by James Tissot

This is via Lines and Colors where it is pointed out how skillfully Tissot suggests the upside down and backwards contents of the Japanese scroll the woman is admiring. I'd never have noticed that in a thousand years. But I love it!

Sin is always an offense that touches others

It must once again be stressed that no human being is closed in upon himself or herself and that no one can live of or for himself or herself alone. ... Human beings are relational and they possess their lives — themselves — only by way of relationship. ... Sin is loss of relationship, disturbance of relationship, and therefore it is not restricted to the individual. When I destroy a relationship, then this event — sin — touches the other person involved in the relationship. Consequently sin is always an offense that touches others, that alters the world and damages it.

Cardinal Ratzinger, In the Beginning ...

That point about us possing our lives only by way of relationship is revelatory. How do we see ourselves in relation to others? How do they touch our lives and what does that mean to our journey through the day, the month, the year, to the end of our days?

Sin has become a suppressed subject but everywhere ...it has nonetheless remained real.

People today know of no standard; to be sure, they do not want to know of any because they see standards as a threat to their freedom. ...

Thus sin has become a suppressed subejct, but everywhere we can see that although it is suppressed, it has nonetheless remained real. What is remarkable to me is the aggressiveness, always on the verge of pouncing, which we experience openly in our society — the lurking readiness to demean the other person, th hold others guilty whenever misfortune occurs to them, to accuse society, and to want to change the world by violence.

Cardinal Ratzinger, In the Beginning ...

This was a superb, thought provoking book and it should have been on my Best of 2025 list. However, you can enjoy this bit in the fullness of the times in which we live. It was written in 1995 and, sadly, seems even more applicable now than then.

After Christmas

After Christmas” by Fritz von Uhde
via J.R.'s Art Place

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Baptism of Christ. 1844-45

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord. This brings to an end the season of Christmas. The Church recalls Our Lord's second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to beget sons of God. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity intervenes.

Read more about this feast day at Catholic Culture.

Christmas - finishing the season

Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for -- I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times.

Kate L. Bosher

Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

Giovanni Baglione, Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

Best of 2025 — TV

 Here are my top picks from our year of TV viewing. Our television viewing was not extensive but we discovered some that were pure gold. In no particular order.

I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..." 

 

 

2025 BEST TV

Only Murders in the Building
(Seasons 4 and 5)

Most people know what to expect from this mystery series about three misfit friends and their true crime podcast. We were impressed that season 4 (a movie about the podcast?!) and season 5 (the old/new mob in New York) still hold up so solidly. This is a great team on all fronts.

Lupin

(Season 3)

Not as many people know this French series. Lupin is a French mystery thriller series starring Omar Sy in the role of Assane Diop, a man who is inspired by the adventures of master thief Arsène Lupin. As with Only Murders in the Building, the storytelling, production, and acting remain solid. It kept us running solution ideas up until the very end. And Omar Sy. Enough said.

Taskmaster

Five comedians are set tasks challenging their creativity and wit. The tasks are supervised by Alex Horne but the Taskmaster, Greg Davies, gives points based on his own personal, occasional whimsical criteria. Genuinely funny.

(My review here)

Korean Odyssey

A stylish urban fantasy about the Monkey King, a powerful immortal banished to the human world, and a young woman who can see ghosts and spirits. Tons of fun and we really grew to love the characters.

(My review here)

Beyond Evil

As a killing resembling a cold case resurfaces in a small town, the chase for the truth falls on two policemen who each harbor secrets of their own. This morphed into a multi-layered investigation into much more than a serial killer, which I didn't expect.

(My review here.)

Good Cop, Bad Cop

We love police procedurals and this is a good one — a fun, quirky show that wasn't too over-the-top while providing a murder-of-the week. Lou and Henry, an odd couple sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force, must contend with colorful residents, a lack of resources, and their own complicated dynamics.

(My review here.)

Devil Judge

My favorite series of the year. I was drawn in by the name but found more than I expected. Set in a dystopian version of South Korea, this multi-layered, fast paced story kept us talking about it in the days between watching episodes. At the heart of this exciting drama is justice — from a wide variety of vantage points. Is Judge Kang Batman? Or The Joker?

(My review here.)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Luc-Olivier Merson, Rest on the Flight into Egypt

I love this imaginative flight. It never would have occurred to me to put the Holy Family together with the Sphinx.

Christmas with Charles Dickens - again!

What better way to wind down our Christmas season than with a quote from Dickens?

I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.

Charles Dickens

Best of 2025 — Movies

 Here are my top picks from our year of viewing around 130 movies.   We continued in our Oscar winner/nominees series and, as always, there is a generous dose of our Indian and Korean discoveries. All are listed in the order we encountered them.

As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new this year. In no particular order.

I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..."

2025 BEST MOVIES

Raat Akeli Hai
(The Night is Lonely)

A truly classic style noir that reminded us irresistably of Chinatown. With a subplot of the mother trying to find the detective a bride which made it truly Indian. Featuring one of our favorite actors, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. A real gem.

Cinderella (1950)

The original animated classic, which was considerably enhanced by watching it with our 5-year-old grandson. I saw this so long ago that it might as well have been new to me.

Kai Po Che!
(I've Cut the Kite!)

I don't usually like coming of age stories but this was simply delightful as we saw 3 friends drawn to what they cared about most, finding ways to follow their dreams while making a living. And while remaining friends. Real historical events disrupted their lives but we also see how those are handled and the difference they make in the young men's decisions.

Thelma

When 93-year-old Thelma falls prey to a phone, she sets out to reclaim what was taken from her. This was a delight. Thelma being inspired by Tom Cruise to track down the scammers who tricked her into sending cash is just the first level.

(My review here.)

Noryang: Deadly Sea

The last in the trilogy about naval genius Admiral Yi. The director brilliantly manages to show huge sea battles in a way that conveys the incredible chaos while making the strategy crystal clear. That's important because Admiral Yi's genius only becomes clear as the battle proceeds. Not to be missed.

(My review here.)

Hi Nanna!

An ill child, her protective father, and a mysterious woman journey through love, parenthood, and destiny. Against all odds I loved this film, especially with the insane number of plot twists in the second half. Read the review to get the vibe.

(My review here.)

Chhaava

Indian historical movie about the Marathis battling to save their land from the Moguls. The link between the king and his wife along with what we know of his lifelong question about his mother add depth to the love of country and devotion to the gods. This was really well done and surprisingly moving at the end. (Not for beginners to Indian movies.)

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days

And I thought Dante's circles of hell were bad. In The Two Worlds, we follow a soul on trial as his three accompanying guardians defend him through the Buddhist circles of hell. This is a really entertaining fantasy. The imaginings of the hells were wonderful and probably would really resonate with those who know Buddhism basics.

The Last 49 Days is essentially the second half of the story and, as such, is a strong finish.

Frankenstein

Director Guillermo del Toro somehow managed to stay true to the book while whirling around with his own different details a lot of the time. Best of all, the point of the story was articulated enough to be sure that we really got it. Really good.

(My review here.)

The Host

Really solid monster movie although, as is often the case, it is more about the people than the monster. It holds up wonderfully for a 20 year old film, helped considerably thanks to our experience with Covid.

Good Ol' Freda

This was a gentle, sweet look at the Beatles' 10 year run through the eyes of their secretary, Freda.

Wake Up, Dead Man

The latest in the Knives Out mystery series by Rian Johnson. Best depiction of a modern priest since Calvary. Also a pretty good murder mystery with everyone's favorite detective, Benoit Blanc. Clearly Rian Johnson was interested in religion and, as from my vantage point as a Catholic believer, he gets it right.

Almond Boneless Chicken

 It's how we started the New Year! Truly delicious — check it out at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Flight Into Egypt - Icon

Flight into Egypt (detail of the icon Nativity, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai)