And the Winner Is — 1946

  Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since some films are hard to find. 

The nominees were in no way equal to the winner and we generally didn't like them much.

WINNER

The desparate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout. This combines a riveting story with authentic behavior and, despite my expectations, was fantastic. Deserved the win.  My review is here.

 NOMINEES

Two sailors on shore leave head out for four days of partying – only to become involved in the affairs of an aspiring singer and her precocious nephew.

Never was going to beat the winner but it's a good time watching it. A Movie You Might Have Missed #10.

This psychological thriller follows an amnesiac impostor suspected of murder and the psychoanalyst who tries to unlock his mind.

It doesn't age well but was probably a worthy nominee for the time when people would have been really fascinated by all the psychobabble.A Movie You Might Have Missed #74.

A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.

Ugh. Mildred's motivations were baffling. Imitation of Life did it much better. Watch that instead.

A priest and a nun, despite their good-natured rivalry, try to save their parochial school from being shut down.

Fun enough in it's way but no Oscar contender.

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All the Oscar viewing is here.

Starry Night Over the Rhone

Van Gogh, Starry Night over the Rhone, 1888

This just feels like summer to me.

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus

This has long been Saint Martha's feast day in the Roman rite, but Pope Francis made it a memorial for the whole family. I think that is simply wonderful because the traces of stories about Jesus with them shows a side of love, friendship, and familiarity with God that is priceless.

Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary by Tintoretto, 16th century
It is hard to find a painting of all three with Jesus
but I feel as if Lazarus is at the end of the table listening.

 

After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, they gave a dinner in his honor at Bethany — and Martha served at table.

Mary took a pound of costly perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus.

cf. John 12:1-3

The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1517–1519, Sebastiano del Piombo
It is obvious who Lazarus is here, but I think maybe we see Mary and Martha
between him and Jesus, one kneeling, one standing.

There is a new liturgy written for this but it hasn't been translated into English yet. Here is the decree with which this memorial was created. It says it all quite well, of course!

DECREE
on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus
in the General Roman Calendar

In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death.

The traditional uncertainty of the Latin Church about the identity of Mary - the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven - which resulted in the inclusion of Martha - alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times, as attested by the current Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and Lazarus on that day. Moreover, in some particular calendars the three siblings are already celebrated together.

Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Pope FRANCIS, considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life, and accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that 29 July be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

The Memorial must therefore appear under this title in all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the variations and additions to be adopted in the liturgical texts, attached to the present decree, must be translated, approved and, after confirmation by this Dicastery, published by the Episcopal Conferences.

Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.

From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 26 January 2021, Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops.

Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect

It never occurred to me to wonder why the whole family wasn't included with Saint Martha but the points about the uncertainty about Mary's identity having to be cleared up first are fascinating.

I have meditated upon my dear patron Martha's personal journey as shown through the gospels and you may read that here.

Please Allow Me to Bend Your Ear About St. Martha, My Patron

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, Jan Vermeer

I wrote this some time ago when Saint Martha's feast day didn't include the whole family.  I still have not written anything I like better about her than this piece. Since she is my patron saint, I present this in loving tribute to my journey with her intercession and support.

It is no secret that Martha is my patron saint. I chose her because she is the patron saint of housewives but it soon became clear that it probably was God who chose to put us together. I relate to Martha in so many ways and her life stands as a measure of the person I work toward becoming ... a faithful servant who loves Jesus and is his good friend.

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."

The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Luke 10:38-42

This is the story about Martha that springs to mind for most people and this is the first time (chronologically) that we hear her mentioned. We have all heard variations of the basic message about this passage of keeping your mind on Jesus no matter what else you may be doing and to listen before acting. I also recently heard Bishop Barron speak about N.T. Wright's comment that only men would normally act as Mary is doing, so Martha is also asking for a return to cultural norms. Which is a fascinating point also.

However, we also see the confidence Martha shows when approaching Jesus with her complaint. What good friends they were for her to feel so comfortable coming to him like that. Jesus' affection is clear as he answers her much more gently than he often does his disciples.

For us, it also is a lesson in the fact that there is nothing too small to go to Jesus about. He will always help us with anything, even if it is something like helping give the right perspective.

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him, saying, "Master, the one you love is ill."

When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you."

John 11:1-5, 20-28

Again, a familiar story featuring Martha though more often it is told from the point of view of the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead. First of all, we may wonder how Martha knew that Jesus had arrived when Mary didn't. What it may make us think of is someone who is attuned to all the little details even in the middle of her grief. Perhaps there was a flutter of unusual activity that clued her in, so she went to investigate.

When we examine Martha's conversation with Jesus, we see again how familiar and friendly she is with him. She doesn't hesitate to say that she is disappointed that he didn't save her brother. How can one not love the confidence and trust that shows?

Martha also shows her great faith and understanding in unmistakable terms: I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. What an amazing moment that must have been between Jesus and Martha. Yet, after such a moment, she also doesn't forget her sister, Mary, who is still at home mourning. Martha is both loving and practical to the bone.

We have an unmistakable example of that practicality when Jesus is getting ready to raise Lazarus from the dead and we are told: Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days" (John 11:39). Martha's unwavering, housewifely, detail-oriented common sense is used to emphasize the greatness of Jesus' miracle. The corpse is well into decay and yet he will still be brought back to life. How like God to use the mundane and practical moment to catch our attention and bring it to an even greater realization of His glory and love for us.

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus 2 and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

John 12:1-3

Through watching Martha's progression in the previous Scripture, this very simple mention speaks to the difference between the first time we saw her and now.

Martha served.

That is all that needs to be said. Nothing about needing help is brought up now or comparing another's service to her own. Mary serves Jesus in her way while Martha serves Jesus in hers. Together they complement each other as both have chosen the better part. A beautiful end to a beautiful journey of faith.

I pray that my own journey may prove as fruitful as my dear St. Martha's.

Julie's talent is daydreaming about dreamy pirate captains. Scott's talent is predicting which sock will go missing in the dryer.

 They aren't sure how these talents will help the fleet, but they stand at the ready! Episode 384: Talents, Incorporated and A Matter of Importance by Murray Leinster

Home Cooking

It is the food of the high places, of the foothills, pine barrens, and slow brown rivers. It is not something done by the great chefs of Atlanta or Birmingham for people who spend more on a table for four than a working class family spends on groceries for a month. It was never intended for everyone, but for people who once set a trotline, or slung a wrench, or rose from a seat in the ciety auditorium to testify during an all-night gospel singing.

Rick Bragg, The Best Cook in the World

As I've mentioned before, this is one of my favorite comfort books.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot

Jupiter's Great Red Spot, NASA

(March 1, 1979) As Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter, it captured this photo of the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is an anti-cyclonic (high- pressure) storm on Jupiter that can be likened to the worst hurricanes on Earth. An ancient storm, it is so large that three Earths could fit inside it. This photo, and others of Jupiter, allowed scientists to see different colors in clouds around the Great Red Spot which imply that the clouds swirl around the spot (going counter-clockwise) at varying altitudes. The Great Red Spot had been observed from Earth for hundreds of years, yet never before with this clarity and closeness (objects as small as six hundred kilometers can be seen).

The climate has never been better - for faith

"When human thinking has come to a dead end and can see no way out of its problems," sais Pastor Fritz calmly, "then the faith is able to spread its wings. The climate has never been better - for faith."

Edna Hong, Bright Valley of Love

Ain't that the truth?! Written in the 1970s and here we are again, in full blown chaos.

Roast Beef — Medium by Edna Ferber

With one hand on her sample case and the other fending off advances from salesmen, hotel clerks, and other predators, Emma holds on tightly to her reputation: honest, hardworking, and able to outsell the slickest salesman.

Saratoga Trunk by Edna Ferber is one of my favorite books. However, every time I tried one of her other big books like Giant or So Big I never liked them. Then I discovered the first book of this trilogy — Roast Beef-Medium — at the podcast Love's Tender Flame (season 3). The podcast features gentle, sweet romances from the early 1900s. I like books from this time period although Edgar Wallace's thriller/mysteries usually are the ones that attract my attention. And I recommend the podcast and others where Mardell reads. I guess Ferber can write other books I like!

Roast Beef-Medium follows Emma McChesney who is a top-selling female "drummer" (traveling salesperson) in a time when they are definitely a rarity. Divorced 10 years before this book begins, she's also a single mother. Most of all, Emma is a delightful character who is intelligent and brimming with common sense. You never know what situation she'll find herself in but she's always going to come out on top.

I also tend to enjoy books about working women in this time period in general. Lady Molly of Scotland Yard is also good, by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Baronness Orczy

Evening in Marshlands

 

"Evening" ("Marshlands"), Józef Rapacki, 1891

Somehow this evokes summertime for me. I can almost hear the frogs croaking, the whine of insects, the night birds.

Saints Joachim and Anne

I love the point that is made by our focus on this married couple, these parents and grandparents. 

Here we celebrate Mary's parents, Jesus' grandparents — Joachim and Anne.

I am including the summary from Catholic Online because it was the best (and most succinct) I found. Also — I absolutely love the point made about the way they raised Mary that helped to form her faith and trust to become the Mother of God. It is a good way to recall that we can't foresee the ripples our own actions cause in our marriages and families.

Emphasis added is mine.

By tradition Joachim and Anne are considered to be the names of the parents of Mary, the Mother of God. We have no historical evidence, however, of any elements of their lives, including their names. Any stories about Mary's father and mother come to us through legend and tradition.

We get the oldest story from a document called the Gospel of James, though in no way should this document be trusted to be factual, historical, or the Word of God. The legend told in this document says that after years of childlessness, an angel appeared to tell Anne and Joachim that they would have a child. Anne promised to dedicate this child to God (much the way that Samuel was dedicated by his mother Hannah -- Anne -- in 1 Kings).

For those who wonder what we can learn from people we know nothing about and how we can honor them, we must focus on why they are honored by the church. Whatever their names or the facts of their lives, the truth is that it was the parents of Mary who nurtured Mary, taught her, brought her up to be a worthy Mother of God. It was their teaching that led her to respond to God's request with faith, "Let it be done to me as you will." It was their example of parenting that Mary must have followed as she brought up her own son, Jesus. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed her to stand by the cross as her son was crucified and still believe.

Peshawar

Peshawar by Charles W. Bartlett

If you are inspired to take on a worthy project, don't hesitate.

I would not hesitate to do anything the Beloved [God] asks, regardless of its difficulty. Experience has taught me that when I accept a challenge for his sake, a gnawing doubt regarding my ability to perform will bless me. When the work is finished, the reward is high satisfaction This is a reward we receive her and now rather than in heaven.

The only ones who can understand what I am saying are those who have also tasted these sweet pleasures. I have been through this many times.

Sometimes an assignment has far-reaching implications. In such cases, I will give you my best advice: If you are inspired to take on a worthy project, don't hesitate. Have no fear that you may not be able to accomplish it. Turn yourself over to God. Take yourself out of it. You need not be afraid you can't do the job. God can do all things.

St. Teresa of Avila

This has also been my experience since I came to know the Lord.

The children and Aunt Enid

I am sorry that the first thing you should hear about the children should be that they did not care about their Aunt Enid, but this was unfortunately the case. And if you think this was not nice of them I can only remind you that you do not know their Aunt Enid.

E. Nesbit, Wet Magic

E. Nesbit is so funny and this sense of humor is strewn through all her children's stories.

The Golden Temple, Amritsar

The Golden Temple, Amritsar by Charles W. Bartlett