What Will We Do in Heaven? Part II

Peter Kreeft has an interesting answer to yesterday's question. It is one of intertwined goals. Not only does it make sense, but he even makes it sound like something I'd look forward to; like a giant house party where everyone is having the most fascinating conversations. This is heavily edited to make a readable length for the blog but I highly recommend reading the whole thing for yourself in Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven, but Never Dreamed of Asking.

... First we review our past life with divine understanding and appreciation of our past life with divine understanding and appreciation of every single experience, good and evil: we milk all our meaning dry. Then we do the same to others' lives from within. We know them more intimately and completely than we could ever know our most intimate friend on earth because we share God's knowledge of each one. When these two preliminary lessons are complete - when we know, love, understand, and appreciate completely by inner experience everything we and everyone else have ever experienced - only then we are spiritually mature enough to begin the endless and endlessly fascinating task of exploring, learning, and loving the facets of infinity, the inexhaustible nature of God.

The idea is not new, for it corresponds to three traditional doctrines: Purgatory, the Communion of Saints, and the Beatific Vision. But each is given new life by being related to the others in this sequence. Purgatory turns out be part of Heaven rather than a distinct place, and consists of moral reeducation rather than mere punishment, rehabilitation rather than retribution. The communion of Saints is rescued from a vague, philanthropic goodwill and made as interesting as human love and communion on earth; getting to know people is in one way or another the only thing we find inexhaustible here as well as there. Finally, the contemplation of God is not boring because it is done with souls matured by the first two tasks. The difference this maturing makes is as great as the difference between a dying saint and a newborn baby...

What Will We Do in Heaven? Part I

Here's a common question. First of all, why do we care? Isn't it supposed to be perfect? Secondly, there's never a really satisfying sounding answer. Peter Kreeft tackles this in Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven, but Never Dreamed of Asking.

Nevertheless, though the question "What do you do?" is not primary, it is important: first, because what we do flows from and reveals what we are; second, because what we do also flows into what we are, helps construct our selves. Third, creative work is a primary human need, and our conventional pictures of heaven are boring partly because they do not fulfill that need. Playing harps and polishing halos is an obviously bad answer to a good question. A second answer, the more philosophical alternative of an eternity of abstract contemplation of changeless truth, moves only philosophers (and even among them only the minority). The third, biblical answer, the enjoyment of God (Psalm 27:4), is true but must be fleshed out by the imagination. The mere words "the enjoyment of God" make sense only to those who already enjoy God; the vast majority of us seem to enjoy the vast majority of things vastly more than we enjoy God. (In fact, it is only God in these things that we enjoy, but we do not recognize that.)

We may even fear Heaven, consciously or unconsciously, because we fear boredom. Then death is truly terrible, for it offers only the two hellish alternatives of boredom or agony. Earth seems much more interesting than Heaven because there seems to be nothing to do in Heaven. What work needs to be done in a world of eternal perfection? Yet how can we be happy without creative work?

The answer to what we'll do coming in Part II.

Bounty Hunting Was Never So Fun

THE STEPHANIE PLUM SERIES by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum, a laid-off lingerie buyer in Trenton, becomes a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinny. She always is in the wrong place at the right time. This makes her one of the luckiest and funniest characters to come along in a long time. Evanovich has a definite formula for these books, a mixture of serious crime fighting and 30's screwball comedy, but somehow she keeps each book fresh and funny. These books have enough suspense to keep me reading past bedtime while making me actually laugh out loud.

You know that each book will have Stephanie stubbornly pursuing a very serious criminal while filling in time tracking down a host of quirky small-time criminals. She'll be stopping by her long-suffering parents' house at least once a week for Sunday dinner ("They're hiring at the button factory, Stephanie") and taking Grandma Mazur to a viewing at Stiva's Funeral Home. Lula, an errant file clerk, has become her gun-toting side kick as the series has developed. Watching them try to take down a criminal is something like watching Abbott and Costello. One of the main suspenseful elements is watching Stephanie trying to decide between Italian cop, Joe Morelli, and exotic bounty hunter, Ranger. I have been somewhat tired by Stephanie's indecision recently. However, Evanovich seems to have put some of that to rest in the latest installment, Ten Big Ones.

If you haven't read these, you are in for a treat. Pick up One for the Money and get ready for a wild and hilarious ride.

Slavery and Abortion: Two Sides of the Same Coin

We're starting to see the comparison of abortion to slavery become more common. It makes sense. Slavery is another moral issue that only Christians cared about at first, divided families and friends, was legal until enough people put their feet down, and destroyed people in the name of "ownership." Recently I have seen it specifically mentioned in two places.

Patrick Madrid at Envoy magazine's blog, Envoy Encore briefly discusses Biblical principles against abortion and opens the article with this reminder.

NOT SINCE THE CIVIL WAR crisis over slavery has a controversial moral issue so divided Americans and roiled society as has abortion. The deliberate killing of an unborn child through an abortion, though currently enjoying the "legitimacy" of legality in this country (just as slavery was once also legal), is, nonetheless, a grave evil that must be opposed.

The Mighty Barrister dissects a recent interview of John Kerry by Peter Jennings with his usual style and pointedly makes us aware of the parallels.

There was a period of time in the life of this country when another group of human beings were not considered persons. See, for example, Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 U.S., 1856, where the Supreme Court announced that slaves were not "men" as defined in the Declaration of Independence, and were not "people" as declared in the Constitution, stating, "When the Constitution was adopted, they (blacks) were not regarded in any of the States as members of the community which constituted the State, and were not numbered among its 'people or citizens.' Consequently, the special rights and immunities guarantied to citizens do not apply to them."

You can't ignore the obvious parallels between the way the unborn are treated today, and the way Americans of African lineage were treated 150 years ago. And you can't ignore the fact that John Kerry uses practically the same language to describe the unborn as white racists used to describe blacks -- they're not "people."

This may be the startling idea that is needed to shock sense back into pro-abortion people. The same sorts of arguments were used to support slavery as to support abortion. If nothing else, these comparisons should give renewed energy to pro-life supporters. Slavery was big business and entrenched in Western civilization at one time. It was only by tenacity and sticking to what they knew was true in the face of any other arguments that Christians got the ball rolling for stopping slavery. We can do the same.

An excellent resource for finding out about the role of Christians in ending slavery (and other positive impacts of Christianity on our society) is Christianity on Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry by Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett.

UPDATE: I can't believe I missed this as I am a dedicated Catholic Analysis fan but Oswald Sobrino wrote a fabulous article about this just yesterday. He points out all the parallels between the struggles faced by Abraham Lincoln and George Bush. Thanks to Jeff Miller for pointing this out.

Feasts and Banquets, Part II

LUKE 14:15-24
The common way that people were invited to banquets in Jesus' time would be hard to handle today. It required the person to hold themselves in constant readiness on the day of the party. That in itself is an interesting commentary on how we are expected to hold ourselves ready for God.

In Palestine, when a man made a feast, the day was announced long beforehand and the invitations were sent out and accepted; but the hour was not announced; and when the day came and all things were ready, servants were sent out to summon the already invited guests. To accept the invitation beforehand and then to refuse it when the day came was a grave insult.

Something that never occurred to me is the type of excuse that the invited guests are offering for skipping the party. They can be viewed as broad categories and then it is easy to see that they are exactly the sort of reasons we give today for not leaving any time for God. In fact, one is a totally legitimate excuse but still not good enough. Nothing must get in the way of God. We have to keep the proper perspective and not let the things of the world crowd God from our lives.

The first man said that he had bought a field and was going to see it. He allowed the claims of business to usurp the claims of God. It is still possible for a man to be so immersed in this world that he has no time to worship, and even no time to pray.

The second man said that he had bought five yoke of oxen and that he was going to try them out. He let the claims of novelty usurp the claims of Christ. It often happens that when people enter into new possessions they become so taken up with them that the claims of worship and of God get crowded out ...

The third man said, with even more finality than the others, "I have married a wife and I cannot come." One of the wonderful merciful laws of the Old Testament laid it down, "when a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army o be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, to be happy with his wife whom he has taken." No doubt that very law was in this man's mind. It is one of the tragedies of life when good things crowd out the claims of God. There is no lovelier thing than a home and yet a home was never meant to be used selfishly.

Ingredient Alert

Let me just say that if anyone has a chance to try a Flavor Burst Pluot they should grab it. They are well named ... the closest thing to a Sweet Tart in a crisp, fruit form that I've ever had. Ours came from the Central Market but I'd bet they can be found at places like Whole Foods also.

UPDATE: I just remembered these actually are called Flavor Grenade Pluots ... all the more reason to try one, eh?

I, Robot

The book and the movie have three things in common: robots, the three laws of robotics, and their quality ... not great but pretty good. (I speak as a long-time Asimov reader. I am not talking about the two "robot" mysteries he wrote ... just the "I, Robot" book of short stories.) It was a typical big-budget, action movie with the plot twist at the end, albeit with robots instead of monsters or men as enemies. Will Smith and his female costar (name?) were both effective. Sonny was a viable third character and not a bad action hero either, all things considered. The girls and I really enjoyed Will's love for his pie-baking GG and the way he saved that cat when the house was being demolished all around him. Hey, what do you want me to say ... we're a bunch of girlie-girls here!

Freed Italian Hostages Credit Padre Pio

Padre Pio is one of my favorite saints and I see that I'm in good company. John Allen reports that Italian devotion to Padre Pio is reflected by three Italian hostages who were freed by U.S. Special Forces in Iraq on June 8.

On June 23, all three men, accompanied by their families, made a pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo, the chief national shrine to Padre Pio, in order to give thanks to the Capuchin saint ... The three told reporters they had prayed to Padre Pio during their captivity and promised to make this pilgrimage if they survived.

"I'm very devoted to Padre Pio and I prayed often during our imprisonment," Cupertino said. "They too," pointing to Agliana and Stefio, "were united with me in prayer because they know Padre Pio."

In another twist, Cupertino's 10-year-old cousin Carmelina, after going with her parents to San Giovanni Rotondo on May 31, apparently returned home and wrote "freed" on a calendar hanging above the family telephone on the date of June 8 - exactly the day the Italians were liberated. She says the date came to her in a dream.

Feasts and Banquets, Part I

LUKE 14:15-24
Jesus tells the parable about the man who invited a lot of people to a banquet only to find that they all had lame excuses for not attending when his servants showed up to fetch them. The man then told the servants to go out and invite every downtrodden person they found. Obviously this is a parable about the nation of Israel declining God's invitation to Heaven. Therefore, God opens everything up to sinners, outcasts, and gentiles.

Why Jesus tells this parable is not obvious until we have a greater understanding of mindset of the Jews in Jesus' time. The parable is prompted by a statement made by another guest.

One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God."

William Barclay tells why this comment made Jesus start talking about the kingdom of Heaven.

The Jews had a series of ever-recurring conventional pictures of what would happen when God broke into history and when the golden days of the new age arrived. One of these was the picture of the Messianic banquet. On that day God would give a great feast to his own people ... It is of this banquet that the man who spoke to Jesus was thinking. When he spoke of the happiness of those who would be guests at that banquet he was thinking of Jews, and of Jews only, for the average, orthodox Jew would never have dreamed that gentiles and sinners would find a place at the feast of God. That is why Jesus spoke this parable.

Poor Man's Lord of the Rings

KING ARTHUR
It wasn't a bad movie but it wasn't one of the greats either. Realizing that no one really knows the legend of King Arthur, the movie makers lifted a few names, put their story in England and named it "King Arthur." The "R" rating saved me from having to take Rose to see "Troy" and if there was any consistency in the rating system, this would have been "R" too, if only for Arthur and Guinivere's little triste. I thought the one redeeming thing it had was some pretty good looking guys ... until I watched Tom Cruise in the Last Samurai and realized I was settling for way too little in that department. Clive Owen, eat your heart out.

These excerpts from King Arthur in 15 Minutes (registration with livejournal.com required) take care of my review (which says a lot right there).

Historical? No.

VERY SERIOUS TEXT: Recent historical evidence suggests that Arthur was actually some Roman guy named Arturius. This, therefore, is a completely historically accurate movie, because God knows you can count on a Bruckheimer flick for your history lessons.

Predictable? Yes.

LANCELOT: Whatever. Clearly I'm going to die in battle, and I'm really hoping it's not going to be this one, but when I die, don't bury me on this stinking island. Burn me and cast my ashes to the wind.

ARTHUR: Awww, dude! Look what you went and did!

LANCELOT: What?

ARTHUR: Now you're totally going to have to die, so we can dispose of your body in that precise manner. It's like, a rule.

"PG-13?" No way. Try "R".

GUINEVEIRA: *pulls up her skirt and pushes Arthur's hand under*

ARTHUR: Baby, I'm Clive Owen. I think I know where it is.

MOTHERS IN THE AUDIENCE: OMG this movie is so not PG-13!

DAUGHTERS IN THE AUDIENCE: SHUT UP, THIS IS THE GOOD PART.

SOMEONE IN THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT: *actually digs up a Celtic porno sax*

Thanks to Cleolinda Jones, genius writer of the 15 Minute Movies, for making this review so easy. 'Nuff said. Next movie!

That Special Bond

There is something so special about the bond between a father and daughter. Not only is it important on a personal level but how will tomorrow's women know what a good man is unless they spend time with one? Like any hard-working father, Tom has to make a significant effort to squeeze in the time so that he really knows the girls. For some time now, he has been driving Hannah to school every morning just to get some of that one-on-one time. When he runs errands on the weekends, he makes sure Rose is invited as she just loves riding in the car and that becomes "their" time.

Tom and Hannah are in San Francisco right now for a special father-daughter celebration of her 16th birthday. We had a lot of AAdvantage miles so she got to pick anywhere in the continental U.S. Wise girl, she chose San Francisco.

They have been scouring the DK Eyewitness book for the perfect activities ... our St. Francine (aka Hannah) is hoping to see sea lions on Fisherman's Wharf, as a long time lover of all things Asian she wants to scour Chinatown's alleys for the really authentic shops, Tom has planned a drive to Bodega Bay and along High 1, reservations have been made to tour Alcatraz.

It touches my heart to think of the special memories they are making, memories that I hope last a lifetime ... which is the real perfect activity of this trip.

Groovin' to the Oldies

Tom was in Houston this weekend so the girls and I took the opportunity to have our own Numb-Butt-A-Thon (a la Ain't It Cool). Hey, its Texas in late July ... we're gonna stay inside anyway. Surprisingly, everything we chose to try was old. I'm assuming most everyone knows the premise for all these; if not, check the link for a basic description.

GODSPELL
Watching "groovy Jesus" in The Gospel of John, made me think of "Godspell", the original groovy Jesus movie. I saw part of this musical based on the Gospel of Matthew when I was in high school on late night TV and figured it probably didn't age well with the "flower children" disciples and music dating it beyond belief. Then the girls discovered that Jesus was portrayed by Victor Garber, the much admired "coolest old guy on TV" as Jack Bristow in Alias. Now we had to see it. I figured that it only would take half an hour before they gave up were laughing hysterically and quit watching. Not so. We watched it twice because we all liked it so much.

It is dated, but when you get past that to the basic show, "Godspell" is a wonderful entertainment. First, and most often mentioned by everyone, is the amazing location photography. You have to see it to appreciate it. Next is the music which is really good, a little 70's musical style but that's no big deal. Best of all was the joyfulness and exuberance which gets lost in way too many religious movies. Young Victor Garber showed that he was a great actor even 30 years ago. The second viewing made it easier to get "Jack Bristow" out of our heads, although Rose delighted in pointing out the same sensitive expressions she's seen on Alias ("Sydney, I'm sorry about involving you in Project Christmas. I was trying to protect you..."). This was the surprise movie favorite of the weekend.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
I like Tim Burton's movies but never was interested in seeing this one. I really had a hard time watching it because I was filled with such pity for Edward the entire time. Not only was he stuck with those scissorhands but it was all too clear where the story was going. The story was really one dimensional with a sad ending that did nothing to redeem it ... and no one really learned much. Oh, Edward and Kim both learned what it is to love and lose but it was handled so superficially that there seemed to be no point to it. Rose liked it better than I did but agreed it seemed unredeemably sad.

It was interesting to watch as an early Tim Burton movie, though. I could see elements that he used in Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Big Fish. Any of those movies were better and more complete than this one, though. Johnny Depp was excellent, as were the rest of the cast, but that wasn't any surprise. Certainly it was not worth the agony that it was for me to sit through this movie.

LA FEMME NIKITA
I always heard this was a great series but we don't have cable (yes, our house is in the Stone Ages). We rented the first two DVD's from the first season and set out to see if Nikita can hold a candle to Alias' Sydney Bristow. Pffft! Of course not!

However, "La Femme Nikita" does have a charm of its own. It is much more of a "typical" TV show with each plot ending within each show however it shows a little more reality than Alias. I liked the fact that Nikita had a run in her stocking halfway through her first shootout ... that her hand shook so much on her first few times to try to kill someone ... that her across the hall neighbor is astute enough to notice that Nikita has to take off each time she answers the phone. Also, the level of angst is handled a little more quietly, with Nikita having wet eyes rather than being as dramatic as Sydney over her problems. I was relieved to see that, although it was created for cable, there wasn't an extreme level or sex or violence. In fact, it was tamer than many regular network thrillers. We also kept reminding each other that this series is from 1997 and probably influenced Alias creator J.J. Abrams. We liked it enough to watch 6 in a row (numb butts for sure!) and definitely will keep renting and watching Nikita's adventures.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Actually, we watched "The Magnificent Seven" a couple of weeks ago so we rented "The Seven Samurai" to see how close the two movies were to each other. Unfortunately, the DVD was so scratched that we didn't get very far into it before it would freeze up. So we will watch it another weekend when Tom can see it with us. However, just a word about "The Magnificent Seven". I had forgotten what a really great, classic movie this is. Westerns just don't get much better than this. How can you not love watching something that has the Magnificent Four in it? Of course, I'm talking about Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn. Oh, right, there were other magnificent actors but that's not the kind of magnificence I'm talking about ...

Nothing New Under the Sun

LUKE 13:31-35
In this section of Luke, Jesus is warned by some Pharisees of Herod's plan to kill him. Until going through Luke bit by bit I never noticed this part. It is surprising to see that not all the Pharisees hated Jesus. Except for Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea we always get a very one dimensional picture of the Pharisees. There were both good and bad among the Pharisees in Jesus' time ... and the people knew it well. William Barclay tells us more.

The Jews themselves knew very well that there were good and bad Pharisees. They divided them into seven different classes.

The Shoulder Pharisees. These wore their good deeds on their shoulder and performed them to be seen of men.

The Wait-a-little Pharisees. They could always find a good excuse for putting off a good deed until tomorrow.

The Bruised or Bleeding Pharisees. No Jewish rabbi could be seen talking to any woman on the street, not even his wife or mother or sister. But certain of the Pharisees went further. They would not even look at a woman on the street; they even shut their eyes to avoid seeing a woman; they, therefore, knocked into walls and houses and bruised themselves; and then exhibited their bruises as special badges of extraordinary piety.

The Pestle-and-Mortar or Hump-backed Pharisees. They were ever reckoning up their good deeds and, as it were, striking a balance-sheet of profit and loss with God.

The Timid or Fearing Pharisees. They went ever in fear of the wrath of God. They were ... not helped but haunted by their religion.

The God-loving Pharisees. They were copies of Abraham and lived in faith and charity.

There may have been six bad Pharisees for every good one; but this passage shows that even amongst the Pharisees there were those who admired and respected Jesus.

Once again I am reminded that people are much the same no matter what day and age they live in. There always are the nitpickers, the hypocrites, the judgmental, the bad ... the people who drive us crazy. In most cases, they're not fooling anyone but themselves. We can see what's going on just like the people who came up with those great nicknames for the types of Pharisees. That just makes me all the more grateful when I see the many priests who are God-loving and good.

Its the Simple Things In Life That Matter

Simple things like pie crust. Yes, you heard me ... pie crust. Its always a touchy subject among cooks and I can't blame anyone for using the pre-made ones in the red box (Pillsbury?). I have to admit they really are the best commercial alternative to homemade.

However, (you knew there had to be a "however", right?), in response to the comments for Apple Pie last week I had to post this recipe, which is the easiest and most foolproof I've ever found. When Rose was making it, she accidentally added an extra 1/4 cup of water and wound up with something like a thick batter. We improvised by sprinkling extra flour in until it looked right and ... voila! A delicious, flaky pie crust with no problem. Now that's hard to beat.

It is from The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffry Steingarten. Marion Cunningham, baker extraordinaire, made about a zillion pie crusts while detailing every step along the way so Steingarten could get it just right. The beauty of it is that this makes a lot more dough than you need so you don't have to worry about scrimping to get the crust just perfect when rolling it out.

I have posted it here. It looks intimidating but that's because it details every step needed. Rose was a first time pie maker and had no problem. I also put a bonus recipe in the same spot for a Sour Cream Pound Cake. Enjoy!

Are There Animals in Heaven?

More to the point, "Will my cat, Puff, be there?"

This question is one that comes up time and again, especially with teenage animal-lovers around. This answer from Peter Kreeft's Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven makes sense to me. He doesn't look at it from the "immortal soul" angle that usually is raised, but from the promise of a "new earth" that is made in the book of Revelation.

The simplest answer is: Why not? ... Much more reasonable is C.S. Lewis' speculation that we will be "between the angels who are our elder brothers and the beasts who are our jesters, servants, and playfellows" (That Hideous Strength). Scripture seems to confirm this: "thy judgments are like the great deep; man and beast thou savest, O Lord" (Psalm 36:6). Animals belong in the "new earth" (Revelation 21:1) as much as trees.

C.S. Lewis supposes that animals are saved "in" their masters, as part of their extended family (The Problem of Pain). Only tamed animals would be saved in this way. It would seem more likely that wild animals are in Heaven too, since wildness, otherness, not-mine-ness, is a proper pleasure for us. The very fact that the seagull takes no notice of me when it utters its remote, lonely call is part of its glory.

Would the same animals be in Heaven as on earth? "Is my dead cat in Heaven?" Again, why not? ... Though the blessed have better things to do than play with pets, the better does not exclude the lesser. We were meant from the beginning to have stewardship over the animals (Genesis 1:28); we have not fulfilled that divine plan yet on earth; therefore it seems likely that the right relationship with animals will be part of Heaven: proper "petship". And what better place to begin than with already petted pets?

UPDATE: There is a discussion going on over this at Catholic and Enjoying It where, interestingly enough, Mark Shea posed exactly the same question. Its worth taking a look at if you're interested in the subject.

Catholic? I Thought You Were Christian...

Protestant Elliot Bougis writes a thought provoking article, Praying with the Enemy? Anti-Catholicism in the United States.

Anna Antonio hardly stands out. She is no political radical. She is no class clown. A friendly and diligent math major at the University of Florida, Anna is also a devout Christian. As she enters her junior year, Anna is just starting to fit in, to find her niche. Unfortunately, though, one of the craggiest niches for Anna to occupy is among her Christian friends.

No matter how quiet or friendly Anna is, she eventually faces a chilling question from her Christian peers. To an outsider, the question seems as harmless as a hand-grenade looks to a two-year-old. But to Anna, it rolls into a conversation with as much destructive power as a live grenade tossed into a barracks.

"So, Anna, what's your faith background?"

"Oh, I'm Catholic."

Stunned silence. Suspicious stares. Words are unnecessary. Their faces say enough: "Catholic? I thought you were a Christian. Don't you love God enough to...?"

I haven't experienced this personally although there is ample evidence in the media of general anti-Catholicism. Its surprising how many jokes or comments are routinely reported without comment that would cause an outraged outcry if made about any other group. I have long wanted to read The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice by Philip Jenkins. This article may be the impetus I need to finally spend that money at Amazon.

In addition to his own site, Elliot Bougis is the guest blogger at Catholic and Enjoying It which is where I saw this.

Apple Pie

I have been on a cooking moratorium for about a year now ... just doing what I must to get by. That's not what my family is accustomed to because I always have cooked a lot, stocked the freezer, etc. I think that my Christ Renews His Parish involvement took the extra energy and interest that I used to put into spaghetti sauce, homemade rolls, and salad dressings, to name just a few things.

Anyway, Rose made apple pie yesterday. She loves it and loves cooking so I found the recipes for her and she launched in. Other than a little faux pas with the pie crust ... which we recovered from gracefully ... it all went smoothly. She did everything but I hung around for instruction and tips. Tom has never been interested in cooking so I have gotten used to it as a solitary affair, although my parents liked to cook together when I was young. We rediscover this every so often, Rose and I, that cooking together is fun. So we're doing it again tonight ... making Spicy Dan Dan noodles.

The pie was great by the way. Oh, the apples weren't quite cooked in the middle and it was really runny. But it tasted good and the crust was better than anything you can buy. We ate it a la mode and talked about how we would adjust the recipe next time. Right after we make a peach pie ...

Why Are They Still Together?

We'll never know. And I don't really care because Things My Girlfriend And I Have Argued About is just too funny.

That's not to say that she's a bad driver. She's a better driver than I am, certainly. But a better driver in, um, well, by the "male" definition of better, let's say. If we were in a rally, Margret would leave me in the dust. She is never more alive than when reversing into a tight space. Gears matter to her. However, I've only had one crash, and that was indisputably not my fault (someone drove through a red light into the side of me). Margret has hit countless things. Hit them in England. Hit them in Germany. (I was in a car with Margret in Germany once, when she'd been back and forth between there and England quite frequently. She's racing along the centre of a country road. A car appears heading straight for us, and Margret shouts at me, 'Which side should I be on!?' A nice moment. If I'd been out to score points I'd have remarked that, if you're asking that question, then perhaps slowing down at all might be a thing to do also. I didn't say anything, however, as at that point I was busy finding religion.)

Via Short Attention Span Theater.

Ask and You Will Receive

LUKE 11:5-13, THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT HOUSEHOLDER
In this parable Jesus presents us with the householder who has had a late guest show up. They are out of bread and have to go to great lengths to wake up a neighbor for bread. Jesus then points out that we do not have to go to these extreme lengths to get what we need. God is our generous, loving father who will not make us beg. What is not clear to the modern mind is just what extremes of "shameless persistence" Jesus was presenting to Jews of that time. I was amazed at the degree of trouble that these few sentences represent. William Barclay tells us exactly what the hapless householder had to go through to borrow that bread.

Travelers often journeyed late in the evening to avoid the heat of the midday sun. In Jesus' story just such a traveler had arrived towards midnight at his friend's house. In the east hospitality is a sacred duty; it was not enough to set before a man a bare sufficiency; the guest had to be confronted with an ample abundance. In the villages bread was baked at home. Only enough for the day's needs was baked because, if it was kept and became stale, no one would wish to eat it.

The late arrival of the traveler confronted the householder with an embarrassing situation, because his larder was empty and he could not fulfill the sacred obligations of hospitality. Late as it was, he went out to borrow from a friend. The friend's door was shut. In the east no one would knock on the shut door of a house unless the need was imperative. In the morning the door was opened and remained open all day, for there was little privacy; but if the door was shut, that was a definite sign that the householder did not wish to be disturbed. But the seeking householder was not deterred. He knocked, and kept on knocking.

The poorer Palestinian house consisted of one room with only one little window. The floor was simply of beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes. The room was divided into two parts, not by a partition but by a low platform. Two-thirds of it were on ground level. The other third was slightly raised. On the raised part the charcoal stove burned all night, and round it the whole family slept, not on raised beds but on sleeping mats. Families were large and they slept close together for warmth. For one to rise was inevitably to disturb the whole family. Further, in the villages it was the custom to bring the livestock, the hens and the cocks and the goats, into the house at night.

Is there any wonder that the man who was in bed did not want to rise. But the determined borrower knocked on with shameless persistence - that is what the Greek word means - until at last the householder, knowing that by this time the whole family was disturbed, arose and gave him what he needed.

Spider-Man 2

This movie was so satisfying on so many levels. It has all the action, color and outrageousness expected from a comic book/super hero movie. Spider-Man is even more like a spider in this movie than the first right down to the various "resting" poses as he perches above people. The characters are properly fleshed out. Doc Ock isn't given just a couple of throw away lines so that we know he begins as a decent human being. He has several scenes to establish him as a likeable, caring humanitarian. All this and more has been written about by reviewers much more competent than I. The Decent Films review is probably my favorite of the ones I've read.

However, I don't think that Decent Films takes it far enough in the struggle that Peter Parker faces. This movie also is about the next step to becoming great, the day-to-day reality of being a super hero. The first movie showed Peter learning the reality of his uncle's favorite phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility." This movie is about just what must be sacrificed to achieve greatness. It is not just about the sacrifices (even of our hopes and dreams) that we must make when taking up great responsibility. It also is about the process of discerning our path and that the sacrifice must be whole hearted.

Peter Parker is miserable because being Spider-Man is forcing him to be less than whole hearted at the other things that he loves in his life. We learn later that he has taken up this responsibility because he felt it as a debt to his uncle; these were his uncle's ideals he was living out. It is only when Spider-Man faces the sacrifice squarely in the face and then still wholeheartedly embraces the responsibility, that he can truly be great. Some think that the fact that he still gains his heart's desire in the end is a cop out but I don't agree. Often it is just when we have made the effort necessary to embrace what we think is a sacrifice that we find our greatest rewards. This is a Catholic concept and I think this movie shows it perfectly.

Heavy stuff for a comic book movie? Yeah, but its handled well in an action packed, lighthearted package, full of eye candy, so go anyway.

Marching Home - One Battle at a Time

MARCH UPCOUNTRY BY DAVID WEBER & JOHN RINGO
"Travel to distant lands, meet strange and exotic native peoples, and kill them."

That's military science fiction for you, although in this case it also is the slogan of the Bronze Battalion of the Empress' Own Regiment.

After terrorist sabotage, Prince Roger MacClintock and the Bronze Battalion space marines are stranded in the wilderness of the planet Marduk, noted for high mountains, high temperatures, low technology and the short tempers of its nine-foot, four-armed, slime-covered natives. They must march halfway around the planet to get to the nearest spaceport. Along the way, they must make allies and battle barbarian tribes who are out to destroy everything in their path. All this turns the prince from a spoiled brat into a valuable member of the company and a true leader.

Great storytelling and plot, deceptively deep characterization, and a sneaky sense of humor all contribute to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Unlike most military science fiction and indeed, other works by the two authors separately, these books don't get too bogged down in technical details or battle descriptions. In fact, the battles scenes are handled so skillfully that I actually read all of them instead of skipping them as I might in other books. History buffs might recognize this as a takeoff on the story of Xenophon.

This is the first of a series continued in March to the Sea and March to the Stars. Fans are awaiting the next installment to see where Prince Roger will march to next.

Attitude is Everything

This time of year I am reminded why Tom and I love Bishop Lynch High School. I remember before Hannah's freshman year we went to a parent-hosted party that was jammed full of gung-ho parents who all "loved" Bishop Lynch. Oh, sure. These parents had to be the top 10% who never look below the surface, right? What school, Catholic or not, could merit that kind of praise?

Well, they were right. Sure there have been a few bad teachers, a few less than ideal situations. That is unavoidable. Those situations are training in making things work out ... lessons in people skills for the future. What makes this school so great? The academics are top notch but that can be found at a lot of schools. The difference is that Bishop Lynch (BL) has the most Catholic attitude I've ever seen ... and they make the kids live it.

It shows first of all in their acceptance policy. They'll pass up a straight A student with a bad discipline record for a well behaved one with a C average. If you have school aged kids, I don't have to tell you how unusual that is, especially for a college prep school that regularly turns away half the applicants for lack of space. They can have their pick and they pick character.

The first pep rally Hannah ever attended had one of those goofy contests to see which class could cheer the loudest. The freshman class cheered and then the senior class booed them as a joke. Guess what? That's not the BL way. The seniors stayed behind for a huge lecture, the class president read a letter of apology on "BL Live" (the school morning news show) the next morning, and for the next two weeks every freshman was talked to and hugged by seniors making amends for not being welcoming. That made a huge impact on the freshman class ... and on us because most people would take a little good natured booing in stride as a joke.

What brought all this to mind was the letter we received from the school yesterday. The Dean of Students was writing to compliment Hannah on her perfect conduct record for the second year running. She's a good kid but it isn't unusual to get a detention when they can be given out for unbuttoning one too many shirt buttons or wearing the wrong shoes. What is unusual is for the school to take the time to find these kids and specifically write to compliment their behavior.

These all are the sorts of things we looked for in vain at the girls' Catholic grade school. We finally decided that it was too idealistic to expect them. In this day and age, who holds to such standards of character? What a pleasure to be proven wrong.

Setting the Scene

LUKE 10:25-37, THE GOOD SAMARITAN
There isn't anyone in Western culture who doesn't know the classic story of the good Samaritan rescuing the half-dead traveler. It adds a whole new depth of understanding and nuance to know the importance of the scene in which Jesus placed this story. As always, William Barclay is of great assistance in this.

... The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a notoriously dangerous road. Jerusalem is 2,300 feet above sea-level; the Dead Sea, near which Jericho stood, is 1,300 feet below sea-level. So then, in somewhat less than 20 miles, this road dropped 3,600 feet. It was a road of narrow, rocky defiles, and of sudden turnings which made it the happy hunting-ground of brigands. In the fifth century Jerome tells us that it was still called "The Red, or Bloody Way." In the 19th century it was still necessary to pay safety money to the local Sheiks before one could travel on it. As late as the early 1930s H.V. Morton tells us that he was warned to get home before dark, if he intended to use the road, because a certain Abu Jildah was an adept at holding up cars and robbing travelers and tourists, and escaping to the hills before the police could arrive.

What becomes more obvious is that the traveler not only is badly injured but is that way because of his own reckless behavior. The lesson is more pointed when we realize that it does not matter if the person needs help because of their own deliberately foolish actions. They still need help and we are the ones called upon to give it should we happen across them. Translated into the types of situations I come across in my own life that means no self righteousness allowed. Ouch!

Thank You, St. Anthony

I know St. Jude is the guy who really appreciates public acknowledgement but no harm in giving credit where credit is due, right? So, thank you, St. Anthony, for putting my address book right on top of everything in the bag that I already had searched three times. It had every important phone number and was going to be a real pain to reproduce.

When Mother Teresa Carpet Bombed Washington

I vaguely remember that Mother Teresa spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast. What I didn't realize was what she said and how she said it. Peggy Noonan's eye witness account Still, Small Voice made me think of one of God's prophets appearing. Mother Teresa didn't follow the standard speech giving "rules." No hand shaking or chatting or sitting on the dias with the powerful. No jokes or putting everyone at ease. Just saying what everyone needed to hear and not necessarily the way everyone wanted to hear it. Also surprising in that account is the reaction of those who didn't agree with her.

It was something, the silence and surprise with which her words were received. Perhaps she didn't know that we don't talk about birth control in speeches in America. Perhaps she didn't know, or care, that her words were, as they say, not "healing" but “divisive," dividing not only Protestant from Catholic but Catholic from Catholic. It was all so unhappily unadorned, explicit, impolitic. And it was wonderful, like a big fresh drink of water, bracing in its directness and its uncompromising tone.

And of course it was startling, too, as if someone had spoken in favor of the Volsted Act (ed. note: Prohibition). And indeed the Clintons and Gores looked, by the end, as if they’d heard someone promise to outlaw Merlot.

And Mother Teresa seemed neither to notice nor to care. She finished her speech to a standing ovation and left as she had entered, silently, through a parted curtain, in a flash of blue and white.

Read the entire speech for yourself. Both it and Noonan's article are classics. Via Being or Nothingness.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

This is one of the most satisfying movies I have ever seen, possibly because it is true to life. In the southern Gobi Desert families of nomads raise camels. A camel has a long and painful delivery and refuses to let her baby near her. It will die unless she can be persuaded to take it back. That will happen after she weeps when listening to a traditional song played on the violin. This is a simple story but one that is much more cheerful that the subject would sound. In the process we see how the family lives and, when the two boys are sent to town to fetch a musician, we see how modernization is creeping in. It fascinates the younger boy who loves to watch television but, interestingly to me, the older boy does not seem tempted by it. As painful as it was to watch the baby camel cry for his mother and run to catch her, it was equally joyful when the music worked its charms and she relented. Watching the "reunited" pair was really unbelievable and it is undeniable that the music is what did the trick.

I discovered when reading Roger Ebert's review that this was not strictly filmed as it happened but that makes it a no less valid look at these people and their way of life.

The movie has been made in the same way that Robert Flaherty made such documentaries as "Nanook of the North," "Men of Aran" and "Louisiana Story." It uses real people in real places and essentially has them play themselves in a story inspired by their lives. That makes it a "narrative documentary," according to the filmmakers. A great many documentaries are closer to this model than their makers will admit; even "cinema verite" must pick and choose from the available footage and reflect a point of view.

What Isaac Shows Us

The story of God ordering Abraham to sacrifice Isaac usually is used to point out Abraham's total obedience and trust in God. Those of us who are parents can't imagine just saying, "Sure thing, Lord." and picking up the knife. That kind of thing usually leads to lengthy insanity hearings later. However, there is another side that I've never heard mentioned ... Isaac's role.

I was blown away the first time I realized that Isaac knew exactly what was going on. After all he grew up watching his father make animal sacrifices. True, he asks where the sacrifice will come from but that still leaves him lying on that altar watching his father brandish the knife over him without any recorded protest. How's that for obedience and trust? What I didn't realize until reading it yesterday was that Isaac's significance goes far beyond underscoring trust. He is a "type," a forerunner of Christ, as In Conversation with God points out. Very cool.

Origen points out that the sacrifice of Isaac makes us more clearly understand the mystery of the Redemption. "The fact that Isaac was compelled to carry the wood for the holocaust is a figure of Christ who was made to carry his cross on his shoulders. But at the same time, carrying the wood for the holocaust is the task of a priest. So Isaac was both victim and priest... Christ is at one and the same time Victim and High Priest. Indeed, according to the spirit, He offers the victim to his Father; according to the flesh, He himself is offered on the altar of the Cross. In Conversation with God, Vol. 4 (Origen, Homilies on the Book of Genesis, 8, 6, 9)]

The Gospel of John

THE GOSPEL AND THE MOVIE
Our learned Deacon Ken is doing a Bible study of the Gospel of John that features watching part of the movie after we discuss the chapters. DK knows his stuff and its all very illuminating. Of course, its not really fair to judge a movie that you watch in pieces but it seems like a typical "Bible" movie to me ... in other words, not the best "movie" I've ever seen although an interesting accompaniment to studying the gospel.

It does have a lot of great stuff though. So far my favorite is John the Baptist. Now this guy really looks like he's been living on locusts and honey in the desert, dressed in a skin ... the stuff crazy prophets are made of. When the Pharisees asked why he was baptizing, he jumped up and started waving his arms around and wailing about being the voice in the wilderness. You could just see the Pharisees edging away, not daring to turn their backs on this nut in case he jumped them. Perfect.

As for the other actors, they all are about what you'd expect. Except Mary. She looks like a dowager duchess who is slumming without her diamond necklace and formal gown. I could handle an old Mary who looks like she might have ever set foot in the Middle East but what were they thinking to cast this woman? She looks as if she's about to call Jeeves over to discuss the wine list. I can't wait to see how she handles the crucifixion scene.

Jesus is ok although I understood what Tom meant when he said that Jesus was a little too "groovy" for him. Well, Jim Caviezel set that bar pretty high in "The Passion of the Christ" so I can live with a "groovy" Jesus even if he does have the obligatory English accent. As Hannah says, doesn't everyone know that Jesus spoke with an American accent?

Waiting Around

THE TERMINAL
The girls and I saw The Terminal yesterday. It was funny but fell short of being a great comedy. Just like Victor Naborsky, stranded in the terminal, I kept waiting for the character development that would have taken this movie past the "ok for rental" point but unfortunately its not there. We saw very little of anyone's motivation and none of the characters really learned anything.

All the characters were treated much the same as the villain, who was merely a villain. We never knew why he was so awful. He repeatedly was given examples and specifically told how he needed to change but never made any attempt. It would have moved him past being such a two-dimensional character if we had been told what made him unable to change. Of course, minor characters don't need this but in this movie it was if all of the characters were minor in that sense. Wonderful acting from the great cast can't save a movie in that case.

It would be far more satisfying to rent Moscow on the Hudson which deals humorously and well with similar themes of a foreigner stranded in this country learning our culture. Too bad I seem to remember some "R" rated material or I'd get that to show the girls.

Smash Mouth

Astro Lounge
Smash Mouth
Get the Picture
How do you describe Smash Mouth? They're listed under alternative rock but that tends to send out a foreboding image, at least to someone like me, that just can't describe how much fun it is listening to them. They have songs about little green men, how wonderful life on Earth is, and then take on social and personal problems that would drag you down forever ... if they weren't just so darn happy and irreverent about it all at the same time. In other words, they're unpredictable. Just take "All Star", the song most people have heard because it was featured in Shrek. In the midst of all that bouncy "only shooting stars break the mold" there's a little message about global warming. The music is all over the place, 60's and 70's sounds, reggae, punk, psychedelic, surfer rock ... and a drummer that works overtime even on the slow songs. They're the summer music of choice at our house ... and just plain fun.

When is a Soundtrack Not a Soundtrack?

WHEN ITS BY BADLY DRAWN BOY
The About a Boy soundtrack achieves that supremely difficult goal of evoking the movie while standing on its own musically. Snippets of short instrumental pieces are interspersed between many standout original songs that cover the gamut of musical styles from old pop to techno. Surprisingly it seems to be universally pleasing. Several of the kids' friends have asked what the CD was so they could buy it. There's no way they'd even acknowledge something was playing unless it was cool. I hear that Badly Drawn Boy's usual style is more experimental and adventurous, which is what you'd expect. A good soundtrack can't be too eclectic or it doesn't do its job. So what I need to find out ... which to try? The Hour of Bewilderbeast or Have You Fed the Fish?

The Question of Priestly Celibacy

This is a good overview of the origins of priestly celibacy. Especially interesting to me is that although advocates of a married priesthood always use the early Church as an example, in actuality they were expected to cease marital life upon achieving the priesthood.

Based on solid documentation, these authors show that although one cannot speak of celibacy in the strict sense of the word (not being married), it is certain that since apostolic times the Church had as a norm that men elevated to the deaconate, priesthood and the episcopate should observe continence. If candidates happened to be married - a very common occurrence in the early Church - they were supposed to cease, with the consent of their spouses, not only marital life but even cohabitation under the same roof...

Moreover, Church officials believed a person in those conditions would hardly have sufficient strength to halt marital relations and live under the same roof. Cardinal Stickler emphasizes that because of the mutually self-giving nature of matrimony; a separation would always take place only with the full consent the wife, who, for her part, would make a commitment to live in chastity in a community of women religious.

Via Being or Nothingness.

"God Gives Us Strength But We Must Use It"

This is from the book Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom. Its an amazing book because it is so simple and easy to read but contains such theological depth and wisdom about prayer. The excerpt below is just the kind of thing I have to learn over and over again. Also, it has one of those classic saint tales that remind us no one is perfect ... so there is hope for each of us.

It is absolutely pointless to ask God for something which we ourselves are not prepared to do. If we say "O God, make me free from this or that temptation" while at the same time seeking every possible way of falling to just such a temptation, hoping now that God is in control, that He will get us out of it, then we do not stand much chance. God gives us strength but we must use it. When, in our prayers, we ask God to give us strength to do something in His Name, we are not asking Him to do it instead of us because we are too feeble to be willing to do it for ourselves.

The lives of the saints are enlightening in this respect, and in the life of St. Philip Neri just such an occasion is described. He was an irascible man who quarreled easily and had violent outbursts of anger and of course endured violent outbursts from his brothers. One day he felt that it could not go on. Whether it was virtue or whether he could no longer endure his brothers his Vita does not tell us. The fact is that he ran to the chapel, fell down before a statue of Christ and begged Him to free him of his anger. He then walked out full of hope. The first person he met was one of the brothers who had never aroused the slightest anger in him, but for the first time in his life this brother was offensive and unpleasant to him. So Philip burst out with anger and went on, full of rage, to meet another of his brothers, who had always been a source of consolation and happiness to him. Yet even this man answered him gruffly. So Philip ran back to the chapel, cast himself before the statue of Christ and said "O Lord have I not asked you to free me from this anger?" And the Lord answered "Yes, Philip, and for this reason I am multiplying the occasions for you to learn."

I think it is very important for us to realize that God will act in this way. He is not going to be crucified for you every day. There is a moment when you must take up your own cross. We must each take up our own cross, and when we ask something in our prayers, we undertake by implication to do it with all our strength, all our intelligence and all the enthusiasm we can put into our actions, and with all the courage and energy we have. In addition, we do it with all the power which God will give us. If we do not do this, we are wasting our time praying.

A Tale of Two Tigers

TWO BROTHERS
First of all, you should know that I really wasn't interested in seeing this movie. It looked like a simple story watching cute tiger cubs go through some not very dangerous crises. However, St. Francis of Dallas (a.k.a. Hannah the animal lover) chose it and I'm in her debt because it was excellent.

This story of two tiger brothers who are separated from their parents and each other in captivity is a much more interesting and complex movie than I anticipated. It is not just a kid's film in my opinion. It was set in the 1930's in Thailand and showed a very realistic picture of how many people thought of animals. No actual brutality is shown but the implications led to several small children having to leave the film. Of course, there were sympathetic characters also. However it was VERY INTENSE. Late into the film I realized that the packed theater was very quiet (except for a few parents whispering explanations into kids' ears) and that was unusual because there were a ton of little kids there. The screen was bright and I could see all the faces. Everyone was intently watching. The difference was that many of the adults were showing signs of stress in how they were sitting. One dad in particular was repeatedly rubbing his face. I felt the same way. A couple of times I actually was reminding myself that this is a children's movie and therefore the happy ending would come ... naturally, it did.

This Decent Films review says most of what I felt much better than I could myself and is a more thorough look at the movie. I always have heard that The Bear by the same director is a great movie so now I'm going to have to rent it.

The Fruit of the Tree

The moment when you hear God's call is a moment of recognition, a moment of receptivity and of deep openness. It is the moment when all we have to do is realize that we are creatures, and that it is God who calls us.

What is he calling us to? He is calling us to what each of us most deeply desires. He is calling us to a life that will bear fruit, for sterility is the most tragic thing that can happen to us. Remember the parable of the fig tree? God offers us fertility. He offers us a life of unimaginable fruitfulness...

We crave greatness for our lives, and God asks us to become little. To pass through the door that leads to his kingdom, we must go down on our knees. Paradoxically, if we do so, we will find ourselves growing in stature, for "eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has reserved for those who love him."

This is a moment of choice. It is one of many such moments, for we will be called to choose every day of our lives until we die. But the fantastic thing about it is our freedom. We are utterly free to turn back from this power that draws us on. We are free to loose ourselves from the bonds of a love that demands our total surrender. Nothing prevents us from saying no. Nothing except God's love.

Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty, via Magnificat magazine

"Also" is Kinda Crunchy

SYNESTHESIA
I was at out with my daughters, Hannah and Rose, recently when Hannah suddenly turned to us and said, "When I hear words it means a kind of food in my head." We said, "Huh?" (so eloquent). It turns out that ever since she can remember most words link to a food texture and image in her head. For example "also" is pretzels, "mother" is chocolate milk, "listen" is orange Triaminic. It isn't always food and it doesn't happen with every single word (for instance "squirrel" is just a squirrel) but it happens for practically every word she hears.

Luckily, Rose had heard something recently on the radio about people who see colors when they hear words. Thank heavens! I was seriously wondering what was wrong with Hannah.

Like most people in similar situations, Hannah knew this wasn't normal. After mentioning it once to a friend and her mother in the second grade, she kept it to herself. She only brought it up now because for some reason she told one of her friends at school. The friend "tested" her for a while and then said, "That is weird because for me every word means a number and a square or circle." The one person Hannah elects to confide in after all this time and she has a form of synesthesia too. What are the odds of that?

It has turned into a parlor trick where she will suddenly say, "'Julie' is pecan pie" or "'lady' is heavy folds of a skirt." There are little details that make it even more interesting (to me anyway). There are some words she simply will not use because they "link" to very unpleasant things. Also, Hannah told me today that the sensation is much stronger when she says the word than when she hears it. She said that is why she won't talk very much when she's sick. Even stranger is when she'll say that a certain word is a food but she can't describe it. She thinks it is something she hasn't had yet. She told us that a few years ago I suddenly started making this hamburger-gravy thing and that was when she knew what was in her head for a certain word. It always had been there but she hadn't eaten it before.

Anyway, I looked it up on the internet. You wouldn't believe how many word combinations I had to use to get a description but finally I found "synesthesia." It is a recognized condition of several senses being linked together. The most common variation is people who see colors when they hear words or sounds. It is genetically linked. I started wondering who else had this but never said anything because it is so strange. I told eight people over the next couple of days and always got one of two different reactions. Either no one had heard of it and had trouble understanding the concept OR they suddenly got a funny look on their faces and would admit to some sort of the same thing. One friend sees people's names as colors, one sees abstract art shapes when she hears loud music, and so on. I found a person on each side of our family who had a version of it. Hannah felt very free after hearing there actually was a scientific definition and started talking about it at school. Yep. She found a couple more people with different types.

So what is synesthesia? Most of the research about synesthesia has been done by Richard Cytowic who wrote a book about his findings, The Man Who Tasted Shapes. As he is a neurologist it has a lot of science but it is interspersed with chapters that are easy to read about the people he worked with in studying this condition. The first thing I found that was understandable and remains the easiest to read was a transcript of an interview with Cytowic done on ABC Radio National.

Richard Cytowic: You know the word 'anesthesia' which means no sensation; well 'synesthesia' means joined sensation. And what is joined is two, three, or all five senses together. So that my voice, for example, to a synesthete is not just something that they hear, but also something that they see, or smell, or touch.

Music for example is not just a sound and a melody, but it's like a visual fireworks that they see in front of them on a little screen, rather than in the mind's eye.

...we don't know why some people get it any more than we know why some people get migraine headaches or why some people are left-handed. They just are. And synesthesia is fairly rare; it happens in about one in 25,000 individuals world-wide. My initial estimate was like one in a million, but as people made themselves known to me over the course of 15 years, the incidence has dropped down, and we might find that in fact it's more common.

It occurs in women more than men; women are twice as likely to be synesthetic than men, and it also runs in families. So most synesthetes are surprised to discover as children that their playmates and families don't perceive the world in the same way. And they might make some innocent comment like, 'Oh Mummy, look I've drawn an airplane sound, or a helicopter sound' or they might talk about the colors of the individual letters - that 'A' is red and 'C' is blue, and things like that. And then they'll get a strange response like 'Are you crazy?' and then they'll learn to not talk about it for a long, long time, not quite sure about the reality of it themselves. But it is quite real.

Finding out that such a thing exists has left me full of wonder at the world we live in. Once again, God's creation has me laughing at the sense of possibility, surprise and playfulness that is all around us. It reminds me that our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts. Who would want to be boxed in by mere human imagination when we can have something like synesthesia lurking to jump out and add a whole new dimension to life?

Bonjour Mes Amis!

WE'RE BACK FROM MONTREAL
It was a great vacation and Montreal was very enjoyable if a bit hard for us to get used to. I guess our problem can be summed up by Rose's and my reactions to it. Rose was bothered because it didn't seem right for somewhere that seemed so basically American (including the people) to have people speaking French in casual conversation. I was bothered because the French seemed right but it was too familiar, too American, to be a foreign country. However we got past all that. Montreal is a beautiful city and the weather was fantastic, although all the natives kept darkly mentioning the long, hard, terribly cold winters.

We really hit vacation mode once we got our Metro passes. It seems that our best vacations always take place when we can use the subway to get around. We took all but 3 of our 150 photos on the digital camera card and visited everything we could find, which mainly consisted of large, gorgeous churches. Montreal, like so much of the U.S. doesn't tend to have a lot of the monuments and memorials of the sort that we like to visit. What better for a bunch of "happy Catholics" to do than drop in on a lot of churches? My favorite was one we didn't plan to visit but wound up going to first because it was near the hotel ... Marie Reine du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World). It is a one-quarter size replica of St. Peter's in Rome, light, airy and a fitting tribute to Our Blessed Mother and Our Lord. We'll be posting photos later but for now a few of my favorite memories are:

• Hannah saying a prayer on each of the 300 steps up to l'Oratoire St-Joseph while climbing on her knees ... yes, on her knees. Somewhere in Japan her photo is going to be shown to everyone because one gentleman just couldn't believe it and took a long time getting just the right shot.


• Rose saying a prayer on each step while walking up them and then sitting at the top of each flight to lend her sister moral support.


• Visiting Basilique Notre Dame and talking to a young couple. The man kept repeating over and over in awestruck tones, "This is incredible." Then the woman turned to him and asked if he was ok. He had tears in his eyes and said, "I'm fine. I'm just having a moment."


• Attending the Mass in French at Marie Reine du Monde. I looked sideways halfway through and realized that we were in the "crossfire" so to speak of the magnificent shrines to Mary and Jesus. Really a perfect moment.


• Our whole family being convulsed with laughter while fighting over the only chair we could find, halfway through the McCord Museum. I was reminded then of why we take vacations ... to enjoy being with each other in a unique way that is our family's alone.


• The entire vacation being punctuated by one-liners from The Simpsons, Futurama and This is Spinal Tap, thanks to Hannah and Rose. Again, its a family thing.


• "The Name Game" which was played all over Montreal, with Tom and me supplying various options whenever someone got stuck, which happened more and more as our brains got more disconnected from "reality."

Oh Canada!

Ok, we're gone to Montreal for our first family vacation in 3 years. Woohoo! Back on Tuesday!

Literary Mayhem

THE EYRE AFFAIR by Jasper Fforde
Set in an alternate history, this novel not only has a good mystery but is hilariously funny to anyone who loves literature or the genre that Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams have made so popular. Set in Great Britain around 1985, the Crimean War is still going on after 131 years, Wales has become The People's Republic of Wales and literature and art are the most popular fads of the day. Thursday Next is a detective in the Literary Ops department. She is assigned to recover the Martin Chuzzlewit manuscript which has been stolen by arch-villain Archeron Hades. Hades kidnaps Thursday's uncle who has invented a portal that allows people to enter books. After a minor character from Chuzzlewit is found murdered (and subsequently missing from every published book), the pressure heats up when Jane Eyre's manuscript is stolen next. This book not only has mystery and humor but a denied romance based around the angst of old war experiences. In other words, it has everything but somehow Fforde makes it all come together for a totally enjoyable experience.

My favorite parts were the ones that showed how thoroughly literature was part of the overall culture ... kids trading Henry Fielding bubble gum cards, a live performance of Richard III with audience participation a la the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the fact that everyone Thursday meets has their own theory about who wrote Shakespeare's plays and is conversant with all the details of the other theories as well. It didn't hurt that Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorite books and it was delightful watching the manuscript's original wrong ending get turned by the story into the ending we all know in this history.

Those Pesky Samaritans

LUKE 9:52-53
We're always hearing about deep hostility between the Samaritans and the Jews. I'd forgotten all about this incident when a Samaritan village tells Jesus' messengers that He can just keep on walking. James and John want to call down fire on the village (got to love those Sons of Thunder) but Jesus says no and they move on. Of course, a little later in Luke there comes the story of the good Samaritan and again we hear about that hostility. The Navarre Bible points out that the Samaritans aren't just another pagan tribe, which would be easy to ignore. Based on this description, I can easily see the hatred between them because the Samaritans would see the Jews as "holier than thou" while the Jews would despise the Samaritans for not "keeping the faith."

The Samaritans were hostile towards the Jews. This enmity derived from the fact that the Samaritans were descendants of marriages of Jews with Gentiles who repopulated the region of Samaria at the time of the Assyrian captivity (in the eighth century before Christ). There were also religious differences: the Samaritans had mixed the religion of Moses with various superstitious practices, and did not accept the temple of Jerusalem as the only place where sacrifices could properly be offered. They built their own temple on Mount Gerezim, in opposition to Jerusalem (cf. Jn 4:20); this was why, when they realized Jesus was headed for the Holy city, they refused him hospitality.

Deadly Storm

LUKE 8:22-25
Reading about Jesus calming the waters I always imagine a little boat full of people and some high waves. I tend to think more of the metaphors that always are trotted out in homily after homily. I rarely think about what being in an actual storm in a small boat would be like. Again William Barclay adds some historic perspective that makes the scene come alive, both in imagination and in application to all those metaphors. This is not just about some high waves or tough times of life. It is about those times when you're not sure if the boat is upside down or right-side-up and you're hanging on for dear life.

Then the storm came down. The Sea of Galilee is famous for its sudden squalls. A traveler says, "The sun had scarcely set when the wind began to rush down towards the lake, and it continued all night long with increasing violence, so that when we reached the shore next morning the face of the lake was like a huge boiling cauldron." The reason is this. The Sea of Galilee is more than six hundred feet below sea level. It is surrounded by table lands beyond which the great mountains rise. The rivers have cut deep ravines through the table lands down into the sea. These ravines act like great funnels to draw down the cold winds from the mountains; and thus the storms arise. The same traveler tells how they tried to pitch their tents in such a gale. "We had to double-pin all the tent-ropes, and frequently were obliged to hang on with our whole weight upon them to keep the quivering tabernacle from being carried up bodily into the air."

In Search of ... Those Who See The Blessed Virgin

THE MIRACLE DETECTIVE: An Investigation of Holy Visions by Randall Sullivan
I was intrigued because this book is about Medjugorje which I hear friends mention in awestruck tones but never see mentioned when reading about places where Mary has appeared. I picked up the 448-page book from the library intending to glance at the first chapter and see if it looked worth reading. To say that I found this story gripping is an understatement. I read it in 24 hours. This was facilitated by the fact that I had hurt my back and was forced to do nothing but sit around the house but that couldn't account for my fascination.

Randall Sullivan became fascinated with religious apparitions when a local family began seeing the Virgin Mary appear in a painting hanging in their trailer. He thought this would be a great subject for a book and started on a journey that would take him to Rome, Medjugorje, Scottsdale (AZ) and New York City. Along the way, he unexpectedly began a personal, spiritual journey of discovery. In the process, Sullivan uses an even handed approach to give a lot of information including describing the Catholic Church's process for investigating and approving miracles; detailing the apparitions at a variety of places including Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje; and giving an in depth history of Bosnia including the fighting that was going on while he was there. Some reviewers disapproved of these "side trips" but I liked having so much information about most of the subjects. The step by step look at discovery of apparitions at various holy sites was fascinating and more detailed than anything I had been able to find anywhere else. Certainly I had no idea that a group of people had claimed to experience apparitions of Mary and Jesus in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I found the interspersing of factual reporting and personal story of discovery worked very well. Because Sullivan is sorting out what he thinks of all this, as well as coming to terms with God personally, we see all sides. I especially appreciated the reminder that most priests are not welcoming of apparitions as they can come from a variety of things: the person is faking, the person is crazy, the apparitions are demonic or they are true. As Father Benedict Groeschel reminds Sullivan, they can come from a combination of those things also. For me, Groeschel's inclusion in the book, albeit brief, was one of the things that pointed to an honest effort at truth seeking. The first book I ever read about apparitions was his A Small, Still Voice: A Practical Guide on Reported Revelations which reminded the reader that the first thing anyone is supposed to do is to reject an apparition as it is too easy to fool yourself or be fooled by outside influences. That advice made a strong impression on me and added a note of verisimilitude as it was repeated throughout the book by priests on both sides of any given apparition sighting.

I also liked the fact that emphasis is made toward the end of the book that the Church depends on time to help reveal whether apparitions are truly from God. Not only does it help calm the attendant public hysteria that may accompany revelations, it gives enough time to properly evaluate the theology of any messages, etc. The only revelation that we are required to believe is entirely public ... the Scriptures. As to all others it does not hurt to reserve judgment. There is a famous case of a well accepted series of "revelations" made to a nun long ago only to have her make a deathbed confession that she had sold her soul to the devil in exchange for her supernatural abilities. No wonder the Church is cautious.

On a personal level the most endearing thing I found was that the author's personal revelations of God always were accompanied by hilarity, as if God and he were laughing at a huge joke together as Sullivan would suddenly "get it." This went along perfectly with someone in the book who said that she had found Jesus has a great sense of humor and always was making jokes. It sounds so silly, so corny and, as it is just what I have experienced myself, so true.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book. Also highly recommended for anyone interested in apparitions are A Small Still Voice mentioned earlier and Apparitions: Mystic Phenomena and What They Mean by Kevin Orlin Johnson.

Off to See the Wizards

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
The girls and I saw the new Harry Potter movie and gave it three thumbs up. Best Harry Potter movie yet. The first movie looked picture perfect but we were distinctly disenchanted because it lacked heart and soul. Perhaps this was emphasized by the fact that the first Lord of the Rings movie came out at the same time and proved that the story didn't have to be told in every detail (no Tom Bombadil, I know, get over it) to capture the essence that made the book great. We didn't bother with the second HP movie for that very reason.

This movie, however, looked different just from the trailers. More real. More interesting. Different from the first two. What an improvement this was. Yes, this movie is missing some plot points but nothing that leaves huge holes in the story. Ok, it would have been nice to get the back story on the map, thus showing why Snape is so awful all the time, but big deal. The acting was better, the kids actually got dirty in their adventures, the scenery was fabulous and you felt as if this was a real place not just movie sets. The Leaky Cauldron especially felt like one of those British places that's been in use for 400 years. I'm actually looking forward to the next HP movie.

Just to add to my enjoyment, Rose found that Cleolinda had finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Fifteen Minutes. The perfect top off to the movie.

Guilty Pleasures

BRIDE OF THE RAT GOD by Barbara Hambly
This is one of those guilty pleasures that is totally legitimate but would make me blush if anyone caught me reading it in public. The title alone is bad enough. Repeating the plot doesn't redeem it much: an ancient cursed necklace worn by a 1923 Hollywood movie star condemns her to death by a demon (the Rat God itself). She must deal with this and much more ... explosions, cryptic omens, people who refuse to die even when their skulls are cracked open, and a mysterious Chinese wizard. This combines the hokiest elements of an old Hollywood movie with the great writing and characterizations that Barbara Hambly is known for. The characters are clever enough to know the story they are living is totally unrealistic but realize that doesn't matter much when being stalked by a giant rat-demon. This is the kind of light reading that is perfect for the beach or just to forget a hard day at the office, which is why I pick it up time and again. Hambly has written many other great books but they don't hit that "guilty pleasure" meter by virtue of being set in parallel universes. You might not take this out of the house but you will thoroughly forget where you are and enjoy every second spent with Chrysande Flamande eluding the Rat-God.

The Sower and the Seed

LUKE 8:4-15

In the familiar parable of the seeds that fall on four types of ground my mental picture always was very literal. The stony ground had lots of little rocks sticking though the soil, weedy ground had scattered tiny plants growing in it, etc. You have to think what an idiot that sower was not to avoid those bad conditions. William Barclay's commentary enlightened me again by pointing out that, knowing sowers and soil as they did, Jesus' listeners understood the key element to His parable quite well. All the types of soil probably looked very similar ... so we don't know what type of soil the seeds are falling on until the test of time makes it clear.

It is in fact quite likely that he (Jesus) was looking at some sower sowing his seed as he spoke. The parable speaks of four kinds of ground.

(i) The common ground in Palestine was split into long narrow strips; between the strips there were paths which were rights of way; when the seed fell on these paths, which were beaten as hard as the road, it had no chance of getting in.

(ii)There was the rocky ground. This does not mean ground that was full of stones but ground which was only a think skin of earth over a shelf of limestone rock. In such ground there was no moisture or nourishment, and the growing plant was bound to wither and die.

(iii)The ground which was full of thorns was ground which at the moment looked clean enough It is possible to make any bit of ground look clean simply by turning it over. But the seeds of the weeds and the fibrous roots of the wild grasses had been left in it. The good seed and the weeds grew together, but the weeds grew more strongly; and so the life was choked out of the good seed.

(iv) The good ground was ground that was deep and clean and well prepared.

Barclay also suggests a reason for Jesus telling this parable that goes beyond the common interpretation that I have heard before. I like it and think that, as in many other situtations, it is perfectly likely Jesus would use this teaching opportunity for a dual purpose.

It is suggested that the parable is really a counsel against despair. Think of the situation. Jesus has been banished from the synagogues. The scribes and the Pharisees and the religious leaders are up against him. Inevitably the disciples would be disheartened. It is to them Jesus speaks this parable...

Candy Freak Alert

VALOMILK
This will make you very happy, whether you are Catholic or not! After reading CandyFreak I have been eyeing the candy racks by the Central Market check out stands. I realized that they carry a lot of the old fashioned candy praised in the book. Yesterday I picked up a Valomilk. Think of a peanut butter cup but with a "flowing" marshmallow center ... and about a thousand times better. The chocolate is thick and excellent quality. I don't like marshmallow but this didn't seem like marshmallow at all. It was delicious. Rose and I shared the package and then wished for more. If you happen across one of these grab it and prepare for a little taste of heaven.

Diverse Women

LUKE 8:1-3

One of the things that always delights me about reading the Bible is how much is said in very few words if you know the "code." That is why William Barclay's commentaries hold such charm. Oftentimes something that I would skip over as a "throw away line" hold a wealth of meaning. In this case, describing the women who accompanied Jesus on his travels reemphasizes what we learned through watching him choose disciples. They are a varied and diverse group from all walks of life who normally would never be associated with each other.

There was Mary Magdalene, that is Mary from the town of Magdala, out of whom he had cast seven devils. Clearly she had a past that was a dark and terrible thing. There was Joanna. She was the wife of Chuza, Herod's epitropos. A king had many perquisites and much private property; his epitropos was the official who looked after the king's financial interests. In the Roman Empire, even in provinces which were governed by proconsuls appointed by the senate, the Emperor still had his epitropos to safeguard his interests. There could be no more trusted and important official. It is an amazing thing to find Mary Magdalene, with the dark past, and Joanna, the lady of the court, in one company.

It is one of the supreme achievements of Jesus that he can enable the most diverse people to live together without in the least losing their own personalities or qualities.

Common Courtesy

LUKE 7:36-50

Wiliam Barclay describes the basic courtesies extended to guests in Jesus' day in commentary on this familiar reading. Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to eat with him but doesn't extend the basic courtesies that normally would be offered to a guest. As always this additional information about daily life lends insight and richness to the Scripture message.

The scene is the courtyard of the house of Simon the Pharisee. The houses of well-to-do people were built round an open courtyard in the form of a hollow square. Often in the courtyard there would be a garden and a fountain; and there in the warm weather meals were eaten. It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in - they were quite free to do so - to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips. That explains the presence of the woman.

When a guest entered such a house three things were always done. The host placed his hand on the guest's shoulder and gave him the kiss of peace. That was a mark of respect which was never omitted in the case of a distinguished Rabbi. The roads were only dust tracks, and shoes were merely soles held in place by straps across the foot. So always cool water was poured over the guest's feet to cleanse and comfort them. Either a pinch of sweet-smelling incense was burned or a drop of attar of roses was placed on the guest's head. These things good manners demanded, and in this case not one of them was done.

In the east the guests did not sit, but reclined, at table. They lay on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the feet stretched out behind; and during the meal the sandals were taken off. That explains how the woman was standing at Jesus' feet.

A woman at the feast washes Jesus' feet with her tears, dries them with her hair and annoints them with perfume. Barclay also elaborates on the significance of the woman's actions in regard to common behavior.

The woman was a bad woman, and a notoriously bad woman, a prostitute. No doubt she had listened to Jesus speak from the edge of the crowd and had glimpsed in him the hand with which could lift her from the mire of her ways. Round her neck she wore, like all Jewish women, a little phial of concentrated perfume; they were called alabasters; and they were very costly. She wished to pour it on his feet, for it was all she had to offer. But as she saw him the tears came and fell upon his feet. For a Jewish woman to appear with hair unbound was an act of the gravest immodesty. On her wedding day a girl bound up her hair and never would she appear with it unbound again. The fact that this woman loosed her long hair in public showed how she had forgotten everyone except Jesus.

Scriptures, and the Gospels in particular, delight in emphasizing important points by using obvious contrasts. Knowing these customs makes it abundantly clear that we are being shown the desirability of losing ourselves in Jesus versus caring about ourselves so much we barely acknowledge his presence.

The Struggle for Texas Independence

LONE STAR NATION
How a Ragged Army of Volunteers Won the Battle for Texas Independence - and Changed America by H.W. Brands

After seeing The Alamo I was curious about its historical accuracy. It says a lot about just how curious I was that I actually checked out Lone Star Nation from the library and read all 527 pages. I never read this sort of historical book, preferring instead to rely on Tom for interesting historical tidbits from whatever book he is reading. However, I found this book riveting.

Brands' treatment of all involved in the conflict is very even handed. As with all good histories, there is no side or person that is entirely good or bad as all are flawed in some way. The story is told not only through the larger than life figures of Austin, Houston, Crockett, Bowie, Santa Anna, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams but also by a host of lesser figures on both sides whose stories also were intertwined with the battle for independence. I really enjoyed seeing the appearance of small characters whose names now loom large in Texas history ... Lamar, Seguin, and Fannin being just a few.

I had no idea that Stephen Austin's fight to establish and defend his colony came as the result of a deathbed request by his father, the original conceiver of a colony in Texas. Also I had no idea that Sam Houston's long retreat before Santa Anna was an overall strategy of getting close to existing U.S. borders where President Andrew Jackson had the U.S. Army standing by to come to their rescue by claiming that Santa Anna was trying to invade the country. Needless to say, this book sheds light on the motivation for all sorts of events during this time in Texas history such as why Santa Anna sacrificed 600 soldiers in the final attack on the Alamo, Fannin's fatal flaw that caused the capture of the Goliad defenders, and much more.

What about the question that started me on this quest? Was The Alamo historically accurate? I found it surprisingly so although some of the character motivations were tweaked ... which was no surprise at all.

This Fun Summer Movie Isn't in Theaters

THE MUMMY

Now I know why "Van Helsing" didn't have any mummies in it. The director used them all up making the infinitely superior movie The Mummy a few years ago. It was recommended by such diverse people as the antidote to "Van Helsing" that we took a flyer on it for our Friday Family Movie Night. The Mummy is everything that a summer movie is supposed to be ... great special effects, good looking stars (Brendan Fraser for me, the chief of the Pharaoh's bodyguards for Rose), semi-rational plot, quips, funny side kicks, and disgusting creatures ... in this case flesh-eating scarab beetles. I know that most of America already saw this movie but maybe its time to check it out again or if you inexplicably missed, it as we did, give it a whirl.