An Early Happy Birthday to Hannah

Hannah's birthday is tomorrow but she'll be spending the entire day in a retreat so I'm putting up this post of the things she loves best ... nope, not cake ... simply lots and lots o' critters.

Happy birthday and we miss you, Hannah!

Cat Closeup

Goose

Colt

Mallard in Flight

Bunny

Friends

Pelican

Dinner Guest

Crystal River Heron

Hawk Landing

Pink Dolphin

Geese

That Was Unexpected

Your Score: Phoenician

You scored

You are the Phoenician Alphabet! Teacher of the Greeks and Etruscans, you are the one all languages bow down to. That is, until the Romans decide to wipe out your civilization. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak .

Via Linear B (a.k.a. Books, Words, and Writing).

Weekend? What Weekend?

It was one of those weekends which had every minute packed full of activity.

On Friday, Hannah and her friend Jenny (whose birthdays are only one day apart) threw themselves a party. That decision was made on Wednesday afternoon so I was busy during Friday afternoon grocery shopping, making the cake, and cooking Mexican food (very basic stuff, believe me).

Saturday was our family celebration of Hannah's birthday (which is Wednesday) which necessitated other sorts of shopping. Luckily she didn't really want anything that required me braving the tax-free school shopping crowds that day. As well, we were doing last minute preparations for her to return to school on Sunday (hence the early birthday celebration). We went out to Tong's House for Hannah's favorite duck and then had gala gift opening topped off by a viewing of Hot Fuzz (one of her gifts).

Sunday Tom and I drove Hannah back to A&M at College Station where we were relieved to see that her dorm was a lot better than last year. (This year she's in FHK. Last year she was in Hart. Just for anyone who knows the campus and cares.) She's rooming with a friend and is near a lot of her other friends. All in all, so much better than when we left that new freshman last year who had the abandoned look on her face as we walked away.

Not that I'm not feeling a bit melancholy this morning now that she's gone again ... but this too shall pass.

The Holy Spirit and the Eucharist-1

Continuing my occasional attempts to share our parish's bulletin inserts. This series focuses on excerpts from Sacramentum Caritatis. I believe this is the 10th insert.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

12. With his word and with the elements of bread and wine, the Lord himself has given us the essentials of this new worship. The Church, his Bride, is called to celebrate the eucharistic banquet daily in his memory. She thus makes the redeeming sacrifice of her Bridegroom a part of human history and makes it sacramentally present in every culture. This great mystery is celebrated in the liturgical forms which the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, develops in time and space. (23) We need a renewed awareness of the decisive role played by the Holy Spirit in the evolution of the liturgical form and the deepening understanding of the sacred mysteries. The Paraclete, Christ’s first gift to those who believe, (24) already at work in Creation (cf. Gen 1:2), is fully present throughout the life of the incarnate Word: Jesus Christ is conceived by the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 1:18; Lk 1:35); at the beginning of his public mission, on the banks of the Jordan, he sees the Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove (cf. Mt 3:16 and parallels); he acts, speaks and rejoices in the Spirit (cf. Lk 10:21), and he can offer himself in the Spirit (cf. Heb 9:14). In the so-called “farewell discourse” reported by John, Jesus clearly relates the gift of his life in the paschal mystery to the gift of the Spirit to his own (cf. Jn 16:7). Once risen, bearing in his flesh the signs of the passion, he can pour out the Spirit upon them (cf. Jn 20:22), making them sharers in his own mission (cf. Jn 20:21). The Spirit would then teach the disciples all things and bring to their remembrance all that Christ had said (cf. Jn 14:26), since it falls to him, as the Spirit of truth (cf. Jn 15:26), to guide the disciples into all truth (cf. Jn 16:13). In the account in Acts, the Spirit descends on the Apostles gathered in prayer with Mary on the day of Pentecost (cf. 2:1-4) and stirs them to undertake the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all peoples. Thus it is through the working of the Spirit that Christ himself continues to be present and active in his Church, starting with her vital centre which is the Eucharist.

-------------------------------------------------------

Quite often people will say that relating to the Holy Spirit is one of the the most difficult aspects of growing in our relationship with God. Perhaps that is because He is dificult to personify. We can’t get a good “picture” of Him in our minds. However, as Pope Benedict reminds us, the Holy Spirit is there from the beginning of time flowing through history, through Jesus’ life, through the life of the Church, and even now through our own lives as believers.

Take the time to look through the scriptural references which the Holy Father has given us above and see the Spirit moving through history, affecting lives and moving God’s works into space and time.

Perhaps we might find it fruitful to contemplate this simple prayer in which the Church has given us essential the truth about the Holy Spirit, indeed about God the three persons in one:

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

With our participation in the Eucharist and the effort to do God’s will, we too allow the Holy Spirit to be active in the world, which is a world without end.

-------------------------------------------------------

(23) Cf. Propositio 3.
(24) Cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer IV.

This is one of a weekly series of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. You are encouraged to read the entire document. The Vatican link to that document as well as to Pope Benedict’s first encyclical can be found on the website, www.stthomasaquinas.org.

Medieval crucifix found in Austrian rubbish skip

It was found in 2004 in the lakeside winter resort of Zell am See by a woman combing through a skip filled with the discarded possessions of a neighbor who had just died.

Isn't the photo gorgeous? Get the whole story here. Thanks to Kacie for passing on this interesting tidbit.

And a Good Time Was Had By All

What a great time we had last night. Long-time Happy Catholic reader and dedicated knitter, Terri, was in Dallas and we rendezvoused at Passion Knit (great name, eh?). We spent an hour and a half perusing their wares while talking our heads off (natch!). How is it that you can meet someone and feel within ten minutes that you are talking to an old college buddy or some such long lost friend? At any rate, that's the feeling I had with Terri.

I was lured into buying my first hand-dyed yarn (that means expensive for those who don't know) for a shawl for Tom's mother, which I was assured by my Passion Knit pal would knit up "in a weekend" into an easy, yet elegant shawl. To be fair, she doesn't know what my weekends are like but I am going to be driving with Tom to take Hannah back to A&M on Sunday. That there's prime knitting time, y'all! So maybe I will have a shawl at the end of the weekend ...

We then proceeded to Mariano's for some brisket tacos and margaritas (yes we do know how to have a good time, thank you). And back to our house to show our knitting projects to each other. Although Terri's projects eclipse mine in expertise (and also quantity), I must say that I was proud to be able to introduce her to a very affordable, machine washable yarn (that means cheap for those who don't know), suitable for afghans, etc.

Of course, we never quit talking the entire time.

It was a glorious evening. Thanks Terri!

Reeves and the Motu Proprio That Binds

"Dash it all, Sr. Agatha, I won't --"

"Do be quiet, Willie. I did not travel all this way to listen to your blathering."

"But you can't expect me to --"

"What I expect, Willie, is that you will find a place in your diocese for young Father Thomas here."

I eyed the specimen, who sat perched on the edge of an armchair staring at the wall clock in rapt fascination. I would have said he had unhinged his jaw, the better to concentrate, but he lacked a visible jaw. The overall effect so strongly suggested a daydreaming fish that it was all I could do to refrain from offering him an ant egg.

"He wants some rounding, as I say, and the opportunities do not exist in our diocese. Something musical, perhaps, or the rector of a shrine. You do have shrines here?"

"Oh, rather," I said, my parochial pride a bit stung. "Some jolly fine ones, too. It's just that we're full up with rectors at the mo."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something suitable." Sr. Agatha rose. "I shall check back in a week. Goodbye, Father Thomas."

"Hm? Ah." Father Thomas unmoored his gaze from the clock and smiled at the room at large.

"I am quite certain you will not disappoint me, Willie. Not this time," Sr. Agatha added, with a look that could make a cardinal deacon feel the sleeves of his rochet were too tight.

Then she left the room, if "left" is the mot juste for someone who moves with the self-possession of a Romanesque abbey.

P.G. Wodehouse fans will recognize the style and the players in this story by the inimitable Disputations. This is classic and hilarious. So far we have Parts I, II, and III. Go, enjoy ...

The Lord's Prayer: "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (part 2)

Continuing the contemplation from Monday of God's name.

It remains true, of course, that God did not simply refuse Moses' request. If we want to understand this curious interplay between name and non-name, we have to be clear about what a name actually is. We could put it very simply by saying that the name creates the possibility of address or invocation. It establishes relationship. When Adam names the animals, what this means is not that he indicates their essential natures, but that he fits them into his human world, put them within reach of his call. Having said this, we are now in a position to understand the positive meaning of the divine name: God establishes a relationship between himself and us. He puts himself within reach of our invocation. He enters into relationship with us and enables us to be in relationship with him. Yet this means that in some sense he hands himself over to our human world. He has made himself accessible and, therefore, vulnerable as well. He assumes the risk of relationship, of communion, with us.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

The Dignity of Women

With this in mind, we bring our readers to the joyful announcement that the Vatican will honor the twentieth anniversary of Mulieris Dignitatem in 2008. The lay faithful everywhere are invited to study the document, meditate on it, create initiatives, and to give thanks for the beauty of God's plan for women revealed therein. Women in North America in particular are asked to consider it in light of one overarching theme: The dignity of woman in a technological and consumeristic society.

Genevieve Kienke, who blogs at feminine-genius, has a wonderful article explaining the creation of a new website, The Dignity of Women. This looks like a wonderful resource and a way to gain insight into a papal document of which I was unaware. C'mon, dig in!

The Lord's Prayer: "Father"

Whoops! I skipped right around this in posting that first part on prayer the other day. I liked these thoughts on the concepts of being children of God.

... There is is a unique sense in which Christ is the "image of God" (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). The Fathers of the Church therefore say that when God created man "in his image," he looked toward the Christ who was to come, and created man according to the image of the "new Adam," the man who is the criterion of the human. Above all, though Jesus is "the Son" in the strict sense -- he is of one substance with the Father. He wants to draw all of us into his humanity and so into his Sonship, into his total belonging to God.

This gives the concept of being God's children a dynamic quality: We are not ready-made children of God from the start, but are meant to become so increasingly by growing more and more deeply in communion with Jesus. Our sonship turns out to be identical with following Christ. To name God as Father thus becomes a summons to us: to live as a "child," as a son or daughter. "All that is mine is yours (??? check this word)," Jesus says in his high-priestly prayer to the Father (Jn 17:10), and the father says the same thing to the elder brother of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:31). The word father is an invitation to live from our awareness of this reality. Hence, too, the delusion of false emancipation, which marked the beginning of mankind's history of sin, is overcome. Adam, heeding the words of the serpent, wants to become god himself and to shed his need for God. We see that to be God's child is not a matter of dependency, but rather of standing in the relation of love that sustains man's existence and gives it meaning and grandeur.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

No Time. Must Get to Mass. Holy Day of Obligation ...

Solemnity of the Assumption

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption. Thus he solemnly proclaimed that the belief whereby the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the close of her earthly life, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, definitively forms part of the deposit of faith, received from the Apostles. To avoid all that is uncertain the Pope did not state either the manner or the circumstances of time and place in which the Assumption took place -- only the fact of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, is the matter of the definition.

Read all about it as well as activities at the link ... first off, though, I gotta get outta here. More later!

I Can't Choose Just One ...

TS gives us definitions of temperaments from The Temperament God Gave You. Rita read these out to us during a break at the retreat we gave a few weeks ago. She pointed out that most people are a combination.

I'm going for Choleric and Sanguine ... great, the two most volatile of the bunch. I guess I should feel blessed that I have so much fertile ground available to overcome as I attempt to work my way toward sainthood ...

Choleric:
Spiritual gifts: zeal for souls, fortitude, knowledge.
Spiritual weaknesses: self-will, control, anger, haughtiness, superiority.
Saints who share your temperament: St. Paul.

Sanguine:
Spiritual gifts: Joy, mercy, magnanimity, gratitude.
Spiritual weaknesses: self-love, envy, seeking esteem and human respect.
Saints who share your temperament: St. Peter.

Melancholic:
Spiritual gifts: Piety, long-suffering, wisdom.
Spiritual weaknesses: timidity, scrupulosity, judgmentalism, despair.
Saints who share your temperament: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein).

Phlegmatic:
Spiritual gifts: Peace, understanding, counsel, meekness.
Spiritual weaknesses: sensuality, sloth, complacency.
Saints who share your temperament: St. Thomas Aquinas.

Now, That Is An Unusual Museum

Why not take a virtual vacation to the Museum of Pocket Calculating Devices? It's sure to add up to a good time.

Also Viewed ...

It was action movie weekend around here as Rose not only rented 300 but also ...

The Bourne Identity
She saw The Bourne Ultimatum with friends and thought it would be nice to see where it all started. We all liked it. Not only well plotted and played but the fact that Matt Damon is so ordinary was definitely in character as the assassin who no one would look at twice. We're looking forward to renting the next one in the trilogy. HC rating: **** 9 thumbs up!

The Departed
We have long been fans of the movie that inspired this one, Infernal Affairs. I have reprinted the original review below. See that for a general plot synopsis.

Not being a Martin Scorsese fan I was not interested in watching but Rose had never seen a Scorsese flick and was interested to see what had been done in the remake. What she found was that it was "much more American and not in a good way." In short, Scorsese added a lot of character development that was unnecessary. We think that he may have actually incorporated many elements from Infernal Affairs 2 which shows the two men's advancement through the ranks of their various assigned professions. She also found that he had eliminated one of the most suspenseful scenes (showing the two moles pitted against each other communicating with their bosses during a drug bust) and unnecessarily connected the psychiatrist with the mole in the police department. This means that the original girlfriend was cut which is too bad since she added a subtle cuing to look at the mole's character development when she would bounce different plot ideas off of him for her book, The Man of a 1000 Faces (or some such title -- you get the idea). Basically, Rose found that it was "all junked up" with additions that detracted from the story, including changing the ending in a significant manner that completely changed the strong redemptive nature of the original story.

Interesting feedback, since, as I mentioned, she has never seen a Scorsese film and was willing to accept a different take on the story. If you see the two movies in reverse order you may find that Infernal Affairs is too spare for your taste, however, take a look at the subtleties with which all the character development is accomplished using much less angst and drama.

She then went and rented Infernal Affairs again to see if her original take on the two was justified. She found that it was.

Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao)
(Hong Kong)
This stylistic, smart movie takes the classic crime plot of police versus criminals and turns it into a tense, exciting battle of wits. Police Superintendent Wong takes his best police cadet, Yan, and has him go undercover to become a mole in the drug-running Triad gang. Unbeknownst to them, the Triad's leader, Sam, is doing the exact same thing with a young gang member, Lau, who has a clean record and will be accepted into police cadet school. After years pass both Lau and Yan have become accepted, valuable members of their respective groups. During a drug bust, both the police and the Triad gang become aware that each has been infiltrated by a mole. In an ironic move, the moles are both so trusted that each is tasked by his superior with discovering who the mole is within his own group. Simultaneously, each is contacted by his real boss and told to discover who the mole is in the other group. What follows is a fascinating plot twist in which each mole struggles to retain his anonymity. while discovering the other's identity. This movie is gripping until the very end and keeps you guessing the entire time. Everything is masterfully brought together in the last ten minutes with a denouement that gives the entire movie unexpected depths.

This movie was so popular in Hong Kong that it inspired two sequels, Infernal Affairs II which actually was a prequel, and Infernal Affairs III which continues the story begun in the original movie. We watched this movie in the original Cantonese with English subtitles. It was fascinating to hear the large quantity of English scattered through regular conversation. “Channel,” “sorry,” “entrance,” “ok,” “bye,” and “sir” are just a few of the words constantly breaking the pattern of Chinese dialogue. HC rating: **** 9 thumbs up! This review originally appeared in Spero News.

Masters of Science Fiction
Rose and I watched the first two episodes of this anthology being shown by ABC on Saturdays. These are some classic science fiction stories adapted for television and featuring excellent acting and directing. It occurred to us that Rose has really never seen true science fiction, thinking that science fiction equates to "Twilight Zone" style shows. These were the real thing and although the end of the second one was unutterably sappy that was the story's fault, not that of the performers. Both had a high level of interest and had us involved in talking about plot as it went along. There are two more scheduled to air and I highly recommend them.

HC rating system: key

300 — "Unequivocally the only movie ever made worth seeing about screaming, half-naked, greased up men."

King Leonidas: The world will know that free men stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many.

So said Nehring the Edge blog and so say we all. Read his post for a true review. Our impressions are below.

What I liked the most about this movie was the idea that this was how the Spartans would have thought about the legend themselves. Yes, it is inaccurate historically but it is the stuff of legends and, therefore, a certain amount of leniency can be shown (not to mention that it is based on a comic book). The emphasis was on honor, freedom, and love of family and country.

The absolutely beautifully photography only enhanced the feeling of watching a heroic legend being told.

We also liked the fact that the people weren't perfectly beautiful. Yes, all the guys had six-packs unless they were old councilmen but other than that they weren't fashion plates. Likewise the queen was what we called "normally" beautiful. Also she looked as if she worked out and could gut someone with a spear at 50 paces. A true Spartan queen.

The Lord's Prayer: "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (part 1)

Had someone told me this before? I don't think so and yet, again, this seems one of those very obvious, logical pieces of information that I should know somehow. Thank heavens that Joseph Ratzinger presents these ideas so logically and simply that I can remember and absorb.

But in the world of Moses' time there were many gods. Moses therefore asks the name of this God that will prove his special authority vis-a-vis the gods. In this respect, the idea of the divine name belongs first of all to the polytheistic world, in which this God, too, has to give himself a name. But the God who calls Moses is truly God. and God in the strict and true sense is not plural. God is by essence one. For this reason he cannot enter into the world of the gods as one among many; he cannot have one name among others.

God's answer to Moses is thus at once a refusal and a pledge. He says of himself simply, "I am who I am" -- he is without any qualification. This pledge is a name and a non-name at one and the same time. The Israelites were therefore perfectly right in refusing to utter this self-designation of God, expressed in the word YHWH, so as to avoid degrading it to the level of names of pagan deities. By the same token, recent bible translations were wrong to write out this name -- which Israel always regarded as mysterious and unutterable -- as if it were just any old name. By doing so, they have dragged the mystery of God, which cannot be captured in images or in names lips can utter, down to the level of some familiar item within a common history of religions.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

More of this will follow tomorrow.

"Does the word 'Christian' make your stomach turn?"

That is the question that was posed by Friendly Christian. Frankly I was surprised that he got only 63 comments. There is are many people who are cynical or hostile towards Christians and usually they are not shy about speaking up ... often with good reason. After all, I used to be one of "them" and the list of complaints my friend Hey Jules thoughtfully sorted is very similar to the one I had myself.

My admittedly unoriginal thought is that we are living in the equivalent of the first century and there are a lot of forces out there who do not paint Christians or Christianity in a very positive light. Movies, television, reporters, and more are intent on pushing an agenda that is decidedly at odds with Christianity.

Also, as we all know, many times we ourselves reinforce the negative images with both hands. Let's face it. We are sinners. Period. That means we fall and sometimes we fall quite ungracefully with plenty of witnesses around. Some of those witnesses take our every action to be representative of Christianity as a whole. That's a fair cop because, warts and all, we are ambassadors of Christ.

So how is one to respond to these complaints? My initial thought is that there is no group of people where one can't pick out at least one member who embarrasses the others by their lack of ability to live up to their common standards. Yet, again, we are supposed to be better than other groups. We are followers of the Son of God after all.

The first century Christians were pointed out by others because of "how they love each other."

How do we do this too? How do we show this love so it shines forth?

How does the kingdom of God grow? Through ambassadors of Christ, believers who have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through people like St. Lawrence, who are made capable of loving and serving Jesus to limitless degrees!

The Word Among Us

The first century Christians picked up babies abandoned to die on street corners and adopted them, they took care of the sick in epidemics when everyone else fled, they fed the poor and asked for nothing in return. They showed their love in the way that speaks loudest when you don't have a common language ... actions. They didn't go around talking about it. That was the quick way to martyrdom. They lived it.

We must help provide alternatives and not simply parrot ideals. We have to be active in our love as well as simply want the best. Each person has a different spot where God has placed them to show his love and change the world a little for the better ... whether it is through their family, their friends, or their community at large. We must seek God's will for the place we should be ... and then get in there and do it.

The first century Christians were martyrs. They endured torture and horrible deaths because they loved God so that they couldn't imagine turning their backs on Him.

God must be the center of our lives. He is truth and love. If he is the center of our lives then we too will live from a center of truth and love.

Are we willing to be martyrs ... because we are so in love with God? We can say yes because there is very little likelihood that we will be asked for that ultimate sacrifice. In it's place can we than endure the pinpricks of daily life with love for our neighbor ... the person who cuts us off in traffic, who pushes past us and lets the door slam in our faces, who yells at our child, who reports the old lady down the street to the city for brown grass, who accuses a teenager of scraping their car and then wants the payment in cash?

Remember, loving someone doesn't mean that we have mushy, feel-good emotions but that we have their best interest, their greatest good at heart. It means we act on our will and harness our emotions which often aren't good ones at all. It means saying a prayer for them (and often for ourselves as we struggle), "Lord have mercy on me and bless them" and still being polite or friendly or helpful when they don't care a whit.

Above all we must pray ... for ourselves and for others, for God's grace to carry us through when we can't carry ourselves.

The ultimate answer comes from many places as God uses everything around us to pull us back up again and again. We are to keep trying, never be defeated, and always, always love our neighbor as ourself ... even, and especially, when that means humiliating ourselves by asking forgiveness when we have done the wrong thing.

Am I good at this? Heck no. I wish I was. But eventually I manage to pick myself back up and launch myself into the fray again. That is my job. Whether I do it well or badly depends on how close I am to God. To my shame I am rarely close enough to do it well. But, again, I keep trying to get closer and to do it well enough to make Him proud, to show my love. Thank God for His grace or I'd never get anywhere!

God uses us, imperfect instruments as we all are, to shake up a cynical and hostile world. All we need to do is cooperate by living lives of love as best we can. Often we are unwittingly used by God. We think we are just living our lives while behind the scenes God is busy pulling strings.

Sometimes He uses a yellow sticky note to jolt someone out of cynicism.

As we were wrapping up I grabbed my purse off of the desk, and lying next to it I saw a stack of some broadcast documents and personal papers that belonged to him. On top of the papers was a bright yellow sticky note with the words "PRAY FOR REBECCA" written in large letters. ...

Sometimes He uses a little girl's plea.

"Mommy, can I pleeeeeeeease borrow a dollar?"

This became her standard question. And the first time she asked it, I almost gave my standard answer: No, they'll just use it to buy drugs. It's the answer that was drilled into me during my time in L.A., the answer I hadn't spent much time second guessing until my daughter stood before me in Chicago with her plaintive plea. ...

And sometimes he uses two accountants ... a bad one and a good one.

... So, kneeling at Mass one day, I made God a deal. All He had to do was to get a me a new house as a sign. Then I’d know He was there … and I’d have a new house. ...

Looking Deep Within and Finding a Gem

THE INTERIOR CASTLE
by St. Teresa of Avila

• Allison Peers translation
• Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. translation

Let's face it. This is a scary book. First of all, St. Teresa is a Doctor of the Church. For most of us that means her writing is of lofty thoughts about hard-to-understand subjects. It doesn't help that she is consistently described as a "16th-century mystic ... considered one of the most profound spiritual teachers in the history of Christianity." For most people that equals a "too hard for me" message about her writing.

Happily, I am here to tell you that, although all those things are true, The Interior Castle by St. Teresa is also accessible to you and me with many valuable messages about everyday living as well as the loftier goal of knowing one's own soul and God. Consistently, all the members of our book club, who have various levels of previous "difficult" spiritual reading, would show up for monthly meetings with exclamations of surprise about how helpful and inspirational this book was for them.

She complained: “Lord, amid so many ills this comes on top of all the rest.”

A Voice answered her, “Teresa, that is how I treat my friends.”

She retorted, “Ah, my God! That is why you have so few of them!”

Perhaps our surprise was because we forgot the most basic element about this spiritual guide ... the book was written for Teresa's fellow nuns and surely, therefore, had to be able to communicate with people who were all at different spots on the spiritual path as well as many varying levels of intellect. Perhaps also it is because we forgot about Teresa's own basic nature which is not only spiritual but also down-to-earth, humorous and spunky. After all, this is the woman who taught her nuns to dance, ate a gift of game birds on a feast day and, most famously of all, had the above conversation with God after being dumped into flood-like conditions on a difficult journey to establish a convent.

This book's whole purpose is to show us how to get closer to God. Teresa uses the analogy of our soul being a castle with six mansions or dwelling places within, with God living in the very center. She was ordered by her superiors to write about it and her book begins thus:

Today while beseeching our Lord to speak for me because I wasn't able to think of anything to say nor did I know how to begin to carry out this obedience [of writing this book], there came to my mind what I shall now speak about, that which will provide us with a basis to begin with. It is that we consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, must as in heaven there are many dwelling places. for in reflecting upon it carefully, Sisters, we realize that the soul of the just person is nothing else but a paradise where the Lord says He will find his delight. So then, what do you think that abode will be like where a King so powerful, so wise, so pure, so full of all good things takes His delight? I don't find anything comparable to the magnificent beauty of a soul and its marvelous capacity. Indeed, our intellects, however keen, can hardly comprehend it, just as they cannot comprehend God; but He Himself says that He created us in His own image and likeness.

This is lofty sounding indeed but Teresa provides ample practical examples to help the reader grasp her meaning. For instance, she speaks of the beginner as being able to enter the gate of the castle with prayer and reflection, though hindered by many reptiles and vermin which they cannot even recognize. Those reptiles and vermin are our many sins which we can't recognize without help.

Her constant goal is to help us see the enormity and beauty of our souls and how little we recognize what is within our grasp should we even make a small effort. By recognizing things as they are, in other words by recognizing the truth, we than can begin to achieve true humility that leads us to love and serve God increasingly selflessly. Again, this may sound difficult and lofty, however, it is punctuated with Teresa's constant practical advice and reminders. These provide ample opportunities to see oneself a little more clearly all the time. Teresa also places a great importance on the necessity of recognizing that we are in spiritual warfare constantly. We can't blame everything on the devil, naturally, but she reminds us how often our own faulty inclinations leave the way open to be attacked.

I am amused sometimes to see certain souls who think when they are at prayer that they would like to be humiliated and publicly insulted for God, and afterward they would hide a tiny fault if they could; or, if they have not committed one and yet are charged with it -- God deliver us! Well, let anyone who can't bear such a thing be careful not to pay attention to what he has by himself determined -- in his opinion -- to do. As a matter of fact, the determination was not in the will -- for whom there is a true determination of the will it's another matter -- but a work of the imagination; it is in the imagination that the devil produces his wiles and deceits. ...

This is not a book which one can sit down and devour chapter after chapter at a sitting. I found it most fruitful to read a few paragraphs daily which then would sink in over the course of the day. It also is a book that lends itself to repeated readings. I can imagine it becoming a daily companion for spiritual reading and reflection as there is much that I need to hear many times before it really sinks in.

Do not let yourself be intimidated by the high reputation or spiritual goals of this book. If you are looking for spiritual reading you cannot do better than The Interior Castle.

A word about translations:
When I mentioned that we were going to begin reading this book it touched off a spirited series of translation recommendations. Laura H., whose recommendation this book was and who has read it five times, held out for Allison Peers. That is ultimately the translation our group read and no one had any trouble with it at all. So many had also recommended the Kavanaugh translation that I also got that and alternated reading the same sections from both books. I found this a most profitable way to let the message sink in. The Peers translation is a bit more old fashioned in wording and the Kavanaugh much more modern. All translations above are from Kavanaugh for the simple reason that I lent my Peers book to a friend who wanted to begin the book. I can't recommend one over the other. Both had distinct advantages and sometimes one translation would make a point clear that the other did not. However, I believe that is a distinctly personal reaction. It is more important to get this book and begin reading than to get hung up on translations. Either is wonderful and should you like the book enough to contemplate repeated readings you can then indulge in the other translation.

Poetry Thursday

Macavity: The Mystery Cat

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw -
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity’s not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime - Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air -
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

Mcavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square -
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair -
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!

And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair -
But it’s useless to investigate - Mcavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
`It must have been Macavity!’ - but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long-division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place - MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

TS Eliot

Church Etiquette

Our church usually have problems with cell phones going off during Mass as I've heard can be a problem in other parishes. However, recently someone came in with a cup of Starbucks coffee. Ushers tell the story of the person who came in with a bag of potato chips and sat eating them during Mass.

Obviously our priest has a spot where he can see all the etiquette problems that come up. After putting a polite but small notice in our bulletin for several weeks and then watching someone sit chomping gum throughout Mass (two rows in front of us where we watched in fascination ...), he drafted a new etiquette reminder. Not only did it make me laugh but I really loved the last two paragraphs which remind us that these matters of etiquette aren't merely to make those around us happy (though they will!), but because we are there for a much higher purpose.

1. Please turn off or silence cell phone and pagers
2. Please keep a respectful quiet in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist before and after Mass
3. Please remember appropriate clothing—even/especially during the summer the church should be décolletage-free zone (if you don’t know this word I have one other word for you...Dictionary)
4. Please for us as adults, do not bring in cups of coffee from the various chains...or, of course, from home
5. Please remember, except in case of true need, bottles of water are not needed...we probably won’t dehydrate in an hour
6. Please remember chewing gum by anyone (any age, Catholic or not) is not acceptable ever, at any time, and especially during Mass. Reason? 1. respect 2. one-hour fast prior to Communion
7. Please refrain from reading the bulletin, e-mails or text messages during Mass
8. Please NO MP3 devices, iPods, Nano or otherwise…
9. Please do not come late, scoot out after Communion or rudely leave before the Liturgy is concluded, including the closing hymn
10. Please participate in the Mass, Body, Mind and Spirit singing, speaking, praying, attending within the heart and in the body.

The question may be asked, “Why?”. The answer, is reverence, respect, participation. Our obligation is NOT bodily presence in the church during the time the Mass is being celebrated; our obligation each Sunday and Holy Day of obligation is active participation in mind, heart and body in the Liturgy, in which the saving mysteries of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are celebrated in a way that we may enter into them… If that sounds heady well it may be, but that’s how it is, that is our privilege as Catholics to take part in by prayerfully lifting up our minds and hearts and offering ourselves with Jesus Christ at the altar.

Our Lord unites us with Himself, with one another and with the angels and saints, by the Holy Spirit, in the one and only worship of God The Father when we come to Mass—nothing less. God the Father listens to our prayers with loving and unfailing attention; we should be together as a community, in His Presence in exactly the same way. Please don’t take offense but one of our goals together must be the restoration and maintenance of reverence and participation in the Liturgy—our whole and undivided hearts we must give to God. I would be remiss not to remind us all of our duty and our privilege.

The Lord's Prayer: What Prayer Is (part 2)

A continuation from yesterday of the excerpt where Pope Benedict speaks about what we learn about prayer in general through Jesus' teaching of the Our Father, a.k.a. The Lord's Prayer. I especially like the contemplations about "formulaic prayer" as a school.

This is what prayer really is -- being in silent inward communion with God. It requires nourishment, and that is why we need articulated prayer in words, images, or thoughts. The more God is present in us, the more we will really be able to be present to him when we utter the words of our prayers. But the converse is also true: Praying actualizes and deepens our communion of being with God. Our praying can and should arise above all from our heart, from our needs, our hopes, our joys, our sufferings, form our shame over sin, and from our gratitude for the good. It can and should be a wholly personal prayer. But we also constantly need to make use of those prayers that express in words the encounter with God experienced both by the Church as a whole and by individual members of the Church. For without these aids to prayer, our own praying and our image of God become subjective and end up reflecting ourselves more than the living God. In the formulaic prayers that arose first from the faith of Israel and then from the faith of praying members of the Church, we get to know God and ourselves as well. They are a "school of prayer" that transforms and opens up our life.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

What is Synesthesia?

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.

As per a recent phone conversation where the subject came up, here's the answer about Hannah and her special ability: Also is Kinda Crunchy.

25 Reasons to Buy the New Serenity DVD

2. You love buying new Serenity things, admit it. It makes you tingly. ...

5. Somewhere there is a network executive(s) who is still baffled at the refusal of this property to die, despite his, her, or their best efforts. Buy the DVD with a song in your heart. ...

16. Finally you can see the Fruity Oaty feature without remembering which up-down-sideways buttons to hit to get to the easter egg. ...

And here I thought that I was the only one who insisted on watching the Fruity Oaty ad every time I watched the movie. Pure genius! The entire list is at SerenityStuff (where else?). Via No Blasters.

Turning Over a New Leaf

Amy Welborn's Open Book is being discontinued in favor of new blog, al fresco. Frankly, I can get all the Catholic news and opinions thereon elsewhere. It looks as if this blog will have the type of writing that I enjoyed most at Open Book ... but without having to sift through everything else.

UPDATE
Although it says "al fresco" in the masthead photo, Amy has named her blog "Charlotte was Both."

The Lord's Prayer: What Prayer Is (part 1)

I fell away from reading this book, for a variety of reasons that had nothing to do with the book itself. Back into it, I am once again so thankful for the way it spurs me to think in ways that both new and yet seem like something that we already knew. Ratzinger here speaks about what we learn about prayer in general through Jesus' teaching of the Our Father, a.k.a. The Lord's Prayer.

The other false form of prayer the Lord warns us against is the chatter, the verbiage, that smothers the spirit. We re all familiar with the danger of reciting habitual formulas while our mind is somewhere else entirely. We are at our most attentive when we are driven by inmost need to ask God for something or are prompted by a joyful heart to thank him for good things that have happened to us. Most importantly, though, our relationship to God should not be confined to such momentary situations, but should be present as the bedrock of our soul. In order for that to happen, this relation has to be constantly revived and the affairs of our everyday lives have to be constantly related back to it. The more the depths of our souls are directed toward God, the better we will be able to pray. The more prayer is the foundation that upholds our entire existence, the more we will become men of peace. the more we can bear pain, the more we wil be able to understand others and open ourselves to them. this orientation pervasively shaping our whole consciousness, this silent presence of God at the heart of our thinking, our meditating, and our being, is what we mean by "prayer without ceasing." this is ultimately what we mean by love of God, which is at the same time the condition and the driving force between love of neighbor.

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

I will continue this excerpt tomorrow but wanted to break this up so that we can more easily contemplate it.

The Role of Science Fiction in Questioning Faith

A man born and raised in one religious tradition, if he looks at the far horizons, might well be tempted to leave the faith-- because he sees that things really might not be the way he was taught that they were. How is the worship of Jehovah and different from the absurd worship of the Great God Finuka on planet Ambroy, where the celebrants hop and jump when they pray? Or if the God Apollo is a space-alien who uses his matter control technology to get a date with Leslie Parrish, what does that say about the God we were taught in Sunday School? If the heavens are filled with bug-eyed Martians, where does that leave room for angels? (Because we know there cannot be Eldil on Malacandra, since we know the Barsoomians worship Iss.)

But by the same token, a man born and raised in the modern secular scientific world view, if he looks at the far horizons, might well be tempted to leave that faith-- because he sees that things really might not be the way he was taught that they were. Because if the cosmos is so vast and wonderful and beautiful and intricate, how can it just be a dumb, deadly, machine, winding down to nothing? ...

Again, the same kind of questions can crop up when a young man travels abroad for the first time, or even travels abroad in his imagination by reading books. ...

John C. Wright has a post that is basically a short essay in how to think honestly. Of course, I like it.

We Have a Word For It ... And Here's Why

Matrix • Fingernails and toenails grow from a source called the "nail matrix" and grow out over the "nail bed." The nail itself is called the "nail plate." As well as providing the name for a cool, if violent movie series, matrix has a surprising history. The movie The Matrix series takes its name from computing, where a matrix is an interconnected complex of related elements. But matrix was originally a Latin word meaning "uterus" or "womb," and appeared in that sense in English in 1526. Think matrix, mater, mother. The nail matrix is in this sense the place of origin of the nail, the place where it is born. In The Matrix movies those evil computers have set up artificial wombs where they can breed more humans; lending the name a nice circularity.

Carnal Knowledge by Charles Hodgson

Praying for Those in Mortal Sin

What a vivid description and how this reminded me sharply to pray for those in mortal sin, who I admit I rarely think about at all.

This entire book has been a surprise as Teresa writes about things much more simply than I expected. Initially I was afraid to read this book, figuring it was so far over my head that I'd never understand. That was a conclusion I drew without even cracking it open. Wrong! I can recommend it to anyone, provided they read slowly, absorbing it a bit at a time, not because it is so difficult but because it is so very rich.

Let us take care, Sisters, to beg this mercy of Him and not be careless, for it is a most generous alms to pray for those who are in mortal sin. Suppose we were to see a Christian with his hands fastened behind his back by a strong chain, bound to a post, and dying of hunger, not because of lack of food, for there are very choice dishes beside him, but because he cannot take hold of the food and eat, and even has great loathing for it; and suppose he sees that he is about to breathe his last and die, not just an earthly death but an eternal one. Wouldn't it be a terrible cruelty to stand looking at him and not feed him? Well, then, what if through your prayer the chains could be loosed? The answer is obvious. For the love of God I ask you always to remember in your prayers souls in mortal sin.

Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila

Our Aging Pepper

Thanks to those of you who have emailed or commented asking about our appetite-less dog, Pepper. I finally took him to the vet to be sure that I wasn't just connecting two things that seemed related but really weren't.

The blood work came back showing some elevated levels related to renal distress. In other words, his kidneys aren't happy. He is a big dog (Black Lab/Great Dane mix is the best guess; 110 lbs. now that he has slimmed down some thanks to a diet) and about 8 years old ... anyone who has been around lots of dogs knows that the combination of a big, aging, male dog leads one to think of kidney failure as something to keep your eyes out for. Therefore, I wasn't completely surprised by these results.

This can give one a bit of gastric distress as well ... a.k.a. an upset tummy. Tom went to heroic lengths and gathered a urine sample yesterday on a neighborhood walk (don't ask for details!) and Hannah took it to work today for further analysis. Most probably we are looking at feeding him very high protein food which won't have many byproducts to filter through those distressed kidneys.

And so it goes ...

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head

Be sure to watch for the guitar solo about halfway through. Why haven't we heard of her before? From Tom, who has a bit more info if you're interested.

The first ever IT support call Out

It's never easy learning a new system ...

Reminder: Tomorrow is First Friday

For anyone who is joining us in our First Friday fast to end abortion.

Poetry Thursday

Via Video Meliora...

The rain it raineth every day
Upon the just and the unjust fella
But more upon the just because
The unjust has the just's umbrella.

George Orwell

From Abdomen to Zygomatic ... and All the Bits Inbetween

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: A Navel Gazer's Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia
by Charles Hodgson

I have long been a fan of Podictionary, the daily podcast for word lovers. Charles Hodgson is not so much a definer of a word a day as a mini-encyclopedia of everything connected with a particular word ... that can be given in two to four minutes. He has an engaging style and presents fascinating tidbits of information.

Therefore, it was with delight that I opened a package earlier this week to see his new book, Carnal Knowledge. Similar in style to the podcast, this book focuses on the body of words (pun intended) that define us physically. Grouped in sections (the torso, the face, etc.), this book is perfect for dipping into for a few minutes with your morning coffee or for perusing at greater length, say for some light, bedtime reading. In short, it is perfect for enjoying when you or a word lover you know wants a little dose of information and entertainment in one.

Adam's Apple • What is the connection between that prominent bulge on some people's throat and English tea? The Adam's apple is part of the voice box, or larynx. The larynx is made up of nine pieces of cartilage, the largest of which is the thyroid cartilage (not to be confused with the thyroid gland which helps regulate the body's metabolism). The part of the thyroid cartilage that sticks out is called the "Adam's apple." The term derives from the biblical story of Adam and Eve: imagine Adam getting the apple stuck in his throat just as God caught him in the act of eating it. Some fruits are also called "Adam's apples," and it is in this context that the phrase entered English in 1599: the reference was to a small bitter orange also known as a "bergamot." It is the oil of the bergamot that flavors Earl Grey tea, the most popular tea blend in the world. Earl Grey was one of the titles of Charles Grey, who was prime minister of England from 1830 to 1834. As well as playing the key role in the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, he sent a delegation to China that brought back (among other things) this uniquely flavored tea. Earl Grey liked it so much that he made it his regular choice.

Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola

I have met many people in my life so far-- good, bad, charismatic, melancholic, scholarly and facetious-- but I have never met someone who has had such a remarkable transformation. I have known former druggies who have become numeraries and seemingly pious individuals fall to the whims of the flesh. Is it impossible then in this present age to become a saint? With all the excesses and self-aggrandizing so prevalent in modern society, it is difficult not to lose focus. We are constantly being misguided and thrown off course by a combination of many things, chief among them our unshakable pride. I admit that I am too often a victim of such circumstances.

I guess it all comes down to the Cross. ...

Truer words were never spoken and that Cross is a mystery that we must encounter to even begin to understand the saints. I don't have anything new or interesting to say about St. Ignatius who I admire greatly. However, go read the rest of the post at Ecce Ego as he has some good reflections on this feast day.

Around the House and Beyond

Reading
Rose bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was cleverly delivered in special Amazon packaging complete with "Muggle instructions." She was off work when it arrived and read it in a couple of days. I was astounded but now am about halfway through after picking it up Saturday afternoon. I forgot how easily a little J.K. Rowling slides down. The beginning I found rather slow, as with all Harry Potter Books, but now am to the point where I am having a hard time putting it down. As others have pointed out, she does not write deathless prose, however she can tell a thumping good yarn.

Watching
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - I was reminded of this when listening to All Movie Talk's top six ghost movies list. A gentle film with a highly enjoyable performance by Rex Harrison as the salty Captain who haunts Gull Cottage. More of a romance than a ghost movie but highly enjoyable.

Melinda and Melinda - Woody Allen's self-indulgent experiment of telling the same story as both a drama and a comedy. An interesting intellectual exercise but one where they just keep talking and talking ... and talking. Most notable perhaps for Will Ferrell's first serious role, albeit one where he is playing Woody Allen's usual movie persona.

In the Kitchen
My oven hasn't worked for at least a week. I now am forcibly reminded just how much I use it as I constantly am having to reject meal options or work around them. The repairman comes this afternoon! Woohoo!

Dealing With ...
Our dog, Pepper, may be a true candidate for the doggie psychiatrist. Unaccountably devoted to me, he slept by the back door when Tom and I were gone for the Beyond Cana retreat. He stopped eating on the second day we were gone and now does not seem to want to take up the activity again with any seriousness. He is a big dog and needed to lose a few pounds so that problem is now solved. He is chewing his rawhide bones so it isn't a tooth/mouth problem ... I am able to lure him into eating by mixing canned food into the dry. However, that isn't going to go on forever. If we hadn't had a cat die from developing fatty liver when she stopped eating for about a week, I wouldn't worry ...

On the Job
Hannah is having to deal with someone at work who is showing her just what kind of jerks are out there. Sad to say, we've all had those experiences and while it can be maddening, this is good experience for putting into action the necessity to "forgive our enemies" which, as a priest once mentioned in a homily, is more likely to be the guy ahead of you in line for the copier than someone with a gun. However, she is beloved by all others at the vet's office and getting very good experience in working with animals with care and affection but without sentimentalism.

Rose has evidently been unofficially adopted by the owner of the cafe where she works, to the point that she is bringing her DVDs of "necessary" movies to watch. This is due, we believe, to her work ethic which, more than anything, is evidence by a desire not to be bored and, therefore, look for work when none is evident. Who wouldn't love than in an employee?

As for us, I am grateful for the opportunity to bid on two jobs due to Happy Catholic and am working on another which came to us via that same source of exposure (here's what we do). As I tell Tom, it almost makes up for the time I spend on it! (Wait, I think those jobs are enabling my addiction ... ah, well, c'est la vie!).

UPDATE: Much thanks to Jessica who called and gave us the opportunity to bid on another possible job. It was delightful speaking with her and our conversation wound up becoming real testimony from us both about the way that God uses any and all things to move through our lives for our own good and that of others. (Don't worry, I don't usually talk to our clients about such things! Until they bring it up, of course, then it's all fair game! ha!)

Thanks Be to God ...

... and to St. Jude for his intercession. My father's visit to the new doctor yesterday has us all feeling considerably more optimistic, although we all are adding the qualifier "cautiously" to it. He spent a lot of time with Dad, told him that there were a lot of things he wanted to "fix" but would focus on the constant nausea first, and then took the relatively simple first steps of having him take Claritin and a acid reflux medication that also helps with nausea.

After over five months of constant nausea, my father woke up this morning feeling fine. Mom said he even was fixing a tuna sandwich for lunch. Believe me, that's a miracle after what they've been through ...

Much, much thanks goes to those of you who have prayed for my father and who have kindly been asking after him. I am so very happy to have such promising news.

The Simpsons Movie

It occurs to me that, considering our family's Simpson-mania, you may be wondering why I haven't mentioned the movie.

Frankly, the last couple of seasons were so bad that we stopped watching new episodes. This didn't lead us to anticipate the movie with anything approaching excitement, although we did hope that the reason for above-mentioned lack luster episodes was because all the good writers were laboring on the movie.

So far, so good. Hannah saw it last night and said that it was funny, The Dallas Morning News critic gave it a B+ and I have heard generally positive things. For some reason this doesn't leave us wanting to run out and watch it though ... maybe we're still tired from that retreat last weekend.

Why Reread?

SF Signal shocks me as they take a hard line on rereading.

... I have re-read books before:

* I read Dune twice. It did not hold up nearly as well on the second read.
* I read The Fellowship of the Ring twice, but only because the first time through Lord of the Rings, I stopped in the middle of The Two Towers.
* A non-genre example: I read Lord of the Flies twice; one force-fed reading in high school, and one much better reading as an adult.
* (I've also said I want to re-read The Man Who Fell to Earth.)

That's all I can recall at this point. I usually don't re-read books because there is so much other good stuff out there to read and part of me - no matter how illogical and impossible I know it to be - wants to read it all.

That's all that can be recalled? I reread all the time. A book is like an old friend. I can't just say hi once and then never look in its direction again. And, there are those who agree ...

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

Oscar Wilde

When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before

Cliff Fadiman

If a book is really good, it deserves to be read again, and if it’s great, it should be read at least three times.

Anatole Broyard

“Tell me what you read and I’ll tell you who you are” is true enough, but I’d know you better if you told me what you reread.

Francois Muriac

I don’t lend books.

Commander Adama, Battlestar Galactica

Ok, Adama's quote isn't about rereading, but I bet he doesn't lend books because he wants to reread them. Why else?

Poetry Thursday

This is both a poem and a prayer ... and I believe it is a sentiment which most of us share. Certainly I am sufficiently Martha-like in forgetting the contemplation that must accompany the busy-ness to sanctify my work (why else did she get pegged to be my patron saint? and, here I thought I was choosing her!) Thanks to Deacon Greg for this one.

Lord of all pots and pans and things,
Since I've no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things or
Watching late with thee,
Or dreaming in the twilight or
Storming heaven's gates.
Make me a saint by getting meals or
Washing up the plates.

Although I must have Martha's hands,
I have Mary's mind, and,
When I black the boots and shoes
Thy sandals, Lord, I find.
I think of how they trod the earth
What time I scrub the floor,
Accept this meditation, Lord,
I haven't time for more.

Warm all the kitchen with thy love,
And light it with thy peace,
Forgive me all my worrying
And make all grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to give men food
In room or by the sea
Accept this service that I do
I do it unto thee.

The Institution of the Eucharist

Continuing catching up on posting the bulletin inserts commenting on excerpts from Sacramentum Caritatis. This is #7.

10. This leads us to reflect on the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. It took place within a ritual meal commemorating the foundational event of the people of Israel: their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This ritual meal, which called for the sacrifice of lambs (cf. Ex 12:1-28, 43-51), was a remembrance of the past, but at the same time a prophetic remembrance, the proclamation of a deliverance yet to come. The people had come to realize that their earlier liberation was not definitive, for their history continued to be marked by slavery and sin. The remembrance of their ancient liberation thus expanded to the invocation and expectation of a yet more profound, radical, universal and definitive salvation. This is the context in which Jesus introduces the newness of his gift. In the prayer of praise, the Berakah, he does not simply thank the Father for the great events of past history, but also for his own “exaltation.” In instituting the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes present the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection. At the same time, he reveals that he himself is the true sacrificial lamb, destined in the Father’s plan from the foundation of the world, as we read in The First Letter of Peter (cf. 1:18-20). By placing his gift in this context, Jesus shows the salvific meaning of his death and resurrection, a mystery which renews history and the whole cosmos. The institution of the Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus’ death, for all its violence and absurdity, became in him a supreme act of love and mankind’s definitive deliverance from evil.

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As the Holy Father has carefully shown us in past excerpts, the Eucharist is a radical, self-giving of Jesus for our sakes. It makes sense then that Jesus would carefully select the most meaningful time to institute it. Just as a speech made from “Ground Zero” on September 11 has many layers of meaning for us, presenting this special, new gift at the Passover would have been deliberate and the disciples would have understood that.

In the context of the Passover, the apostles would have noticed the significance of historical and cultural clues necessary to help understand the significance of this salvific gift. They would not have full understanding until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but the basic grounding in their faith provided a solid foundation upon which was built our understanding of the Eucharist. This is confirmed by the verses quoted by Pope Benedict from The First Letter of Peter (1:18-20): ... realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you ...

We no longer have the cultural markers that the disciples did. Our connection with this reality is through the liturgy, especially during Holy Week before Easter. We may identify it as a ritual and be moved only by the drama and passing sentiment of the moment, without ever experiencing more. How do we achieve this? Our thoughtful reflection and prayerful contemplation, as noted in the Holy Father’s words, should awaken within us the deepest appreciation of the Eucharist as living and transforming reality - present in our lives yet also a promise of what is to come. We must acknowledge that there is so much more for us - in Christ and in the Eucharist - than we are asked to consider in everyday life.
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This is one of a weekly series of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. You are encouraged to read the entire document. The Vatican link to that document as well as to Pope Benedict’s first encyclical can be found on the website, www.stthomasaquinas.org.

The Eucharist: Jesus the True Sacrificial Lamb

Another in the series of bulletin inserts featuring excerpts from Sacramentum Caritatis that have been running weekly. I'm way behind in sharing these with you. This is #6.

The new and eternal covenant in the blood of the Lamb

9. The mission for which Jesus came among us was accomplished in the Paschal Mystery. On the Cross from which he draws all people to himself (cf. Jn 12:32), just before “giving up the Spirit,” he utters the words: “it is finished” (Jn 19:30). In the mystery of Christ’s obedience unto death, even death on a Cross (cf. Phil 2:8), the new and eternal covenant was brought about. In his crucified flesh, God’s freedom and our human freedom met definitively in an inviolable, eternally valid pact. Human sin was also redeemed once for all by God’s Son (cf. Heb 7:27; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). As I have said elsewhere, “Christ’s death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form.” (18) In the Paschal Mystery, our deliverance from evil and death has taken place. In instituting the Eucharist, Jesus had spoken of the “new and eternal covenant” in the shedding of his blood (cf. Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20). This, the ultimate purpose of his mission, was clear from the very beginning of his public life. Indeed, when, on the banks of the Jordan, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him, he cried out: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). It is significant that these same words are repeated at every celebration of Holy Mass, when the priest invites us to approach the altar: “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.” Jesus is the true paschal lamb who freely gave himself in sacrifice for us, and thus brought about the new and eternal covenant. The Eucharist contains this radical newness, which is offered to us again at every celebration. (19)

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It is a sobering thought that Jesus came to us specifically with a mission to die. Unlike the rest of us, who wonder about vocations, marriage, and what to do with our lives in general, Jesus always was headed for one specific purpose ... to give himself in complete sacrifice for our sins.

Perhaps Jesus’ time among us has become so familiar in the retelling of the Gospel stories that the edges have been worn off. It is easy to not stop to really consider just how radical and complete Jesus’ sacrifice was, as Pope Benedict says, “that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him. ”

In this we see the true meaning of covenant. Unlike a contract in which often each party seeks to protect his own interests, in a covenant each party gives of self without condition on the other person. In his sacrifice Jesus the Lamb of God surrendered his will and laid down his life, securing the covenant and redeeming us from sin. Contemplating the Eucharist we are allowed to see God steps out of himself, going to extraordinary lengths for our sakes. How could we neglect, how could ignore, how could we not be happy to be “called his supper”?
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(18) Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), AAS 98 (2006), 228.
(19) Cf. Propositio 3.

This is one of a weekly series of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. You encouraged to read the entire document. The Vatican link document as well as to Pope Benedict’s first encyclical can found on the website, www.stthomasaquinas.org.

Transformers: A Brief Review

Rose went to see this movie last night because it was the only "decent" movie out there that she and/or her friends hadn't already seen several times.

When I woke her up this morning, I asked, "How was the movie?"

"The special effects weren't special enough to go see it."

"Oh. How about the rest of the movie?"

Chuckles emanated from under the covers. "I have to say this, it was the funniest movie I have seen all year."

I was surprised. "Intentionally?"

"Oh no, but it was hilarious ... I've never seen so much hoke in my life."

So there you have it. The critics ain't always wrong.

A Very American Question

All weekend, the last thing on my mind was the blog. However, I was continually surprised because Tom would bring it up to people. (Isn't he just so sweet?) While at dinner on Saturday with everyone who was working on the retreat, it came up again and a friend asked how much time a day I spend on it. Tom guessed a couple of hours a day (I have never wanted to keep track, afraid of what I might find out about my "time expenditures"). She turned a penetrating gaze on me and said, "Can you make money with it?"

I told her that making money wasn't the point although you could possibly make a bit but it would never cover the time spent. Her attention was claimed by her husband and I turned to Tom. "What is it that makes every other person ask that question ... as if it isn't worth doing otherwise?"

"It's the American way," he said. "What's the profit margin?"

Which sent us on an extremely brief exchange about the value of doing something purely for the love of it.

However, I was able to have an answer for my friend when she turned back to me. "I'm really so lucky," I said. "The blog has gotten enough attention that I get theology books to review."

We agreed that was very cool and turned our conversation to other areas.

But you and I know that I blog purely for the love of it, just like everyone else.

The Perfect Movie ...

... when you're worn out from retreatin' and it's just you and Hannah at home for the evening?

Nothing like snuggling on the couch with your daughter for some mommy-daughter time while sharing a mutual favorite ... that classic commentary on mother love and redemption ... Aliens. Did I mention lots and lots of violence and aliens? That too.

It's a Good Kind of Tired

Back from the retreat, have had a nap, and am now contemplating beginning to unpack the car. What better time to cruise the internet instead, right?

The retreat went well ... it is hard to really ever know if a retreat goes well, as anyone knows who has participated in presenting one. The only ones who can really say are the participants because they are doing the really heavy lifting within themselves. However, every couple seemed happy and glowing by the end and I think we'd all agree that is a good sign.

As for myself, aside from the pure enjoyment of working with the wonderful couples who are part of the Core Team, it was a basic reminder that God is really in charge. There was at least one glitch that arose which was frustrating to some and then later it became clear resulted in a far superior moment of connection with God than would have happened otherwise. The Holy Spirit was swinging through tweaking a bit for everyone. Note to self: we are the instruments, God is the master planner.

Thanks so much to everyone who thought to lift a prayer or two for the retreat. I am positive that they made a huge difference.

UPDATE
A Beyond Cana review from one of my favorite bloggers, Wheelbarrow Manor. It's all about marriage enrichment and it sounds as if they got it in spades this weekend ... which makes me so very happy because that's what Tom and I like about it so much in our own marriage.

Welcome to My Scripture Study Pals

Here's that article Fr. L. was asking if we'd read ... for discussion next week.

"Even to the Jews..."

Many have been dismayed by the prospect of returning to some of the prayers from the 1962 missal, especially this prayer which came up in the comments box discussion yesterday.

"Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, You do not refuse Your mercy even to the Jews; hear the prayers which we offer for the blindness of that people so that they may acknowledge the light of Your truth, which is Christ, and be delivered from their darkness."

This came up in our Scripture Study last night and I had a chance to discuss it further with our priest afterwards.

He pointed out that this specific prayer is from a Triduum service and it will never be used. Why? Because the document specifically prohibits using any but the new order (Novus Ordo) for the Triduum services. This is the only time of year that there is such a prohibition.

If what he says is true, and I see no reason to doubt it as he is not only a careful reader but a canon lawyer, then the fuss over that prayer is a lot of sound and fury over an issue that doesn't exist.

The Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist: A Free Gift

I realize that I have forgotten for some time to put up our parish's bulletin inserts that have been running with excerpts and commentary about Sacramentum Caritatis. Here is insert #5.

The Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist

A free gift of the Blessed Trinity

8. The Eucharist reveals the loving plan that guides all of salvation history (cf. Eph 1:10; 3:8- 11). There the Deus Trinitas*, who is essentially love (cf. 1 Jn 4:7-8), becomes fully a part of our human condition. In the bread and wine under whose appearances Christ gives himself to us in the paschal meal (cf. Lk 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26), God’s whole life encounters us and is sacramentally shared with us. God is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At creation itself, man was called to have some share in God’s breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). But it is in Christ, dead and risen, and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, given without measure (cf. Jn 3:34), that we have become sharers of God’s inmost life. (16) Jesus Christ, who “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), makes us, in the gift of the Eucharist, sharers in God’s own life. This is an absolutely free gift, the superabundant fulfilment of God’s promises. The Church receives, celebrates and adores this gift in faithful obedience. The “mystery of faith” is thus a mystery of trinitarian love, a mystery in which we are called by grace to participate. We too should therefore exclaim with Saint Augustine: “If you see love, you see the Trinity.” (17)

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If we will truly pause to reflect after receiving the Eucharist, we are drawn into contemplating the special intimacy with Jesus to which we are invited when we receive His Body and Blood. This is a true and fair reflection for we receive the whole Christ — Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Pope Benedict asks us to open our minds and hearts to be led through intimacy with Christ into a deeper and more real relationship with the Triune God through Jesus Himself. Here the Holy Father reminds us, “God is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

As this is the case, we come unfailingly with Pope Benedict to the understanding that, when we par­take of the Eucharist, we participate, not simply in the life of Christ, but we are partaking in that very life possessed by the Triune God. “Jesus Christ, who “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), makes us, in the gift of the Eucharist, sharers in God’s own life.”

This gift, this grace, this life is ours — freely given and unmerited — the participation and sharing in uncreated, that is, God’s own life. It is what we grew up calling Sanctifying Grace. This grace is ultimately relationship with the Trinity, life-sharing with God, motivated by and producing, bearing fruit in Love.

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(16) Cf. Propositio 4.
(17) De Trinitate, VIII, 8, 12: CCL 50, 287.
* Deus Trinitas: Triune God. In other words, God as Trinity, a single being existing simultaneously as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This is one of a series of excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. You are encouraged to read the entire document. The Vatican link to that document as well as to Pope Benedict’s first encyclical can be found on the website, www.stthomasaquinas.org.

Rockin' Girl Bloggers

Much thanks to Catholic Colbert for bestowing this award on Happy Catholic!

Now I must figure how to narrow all those rockin' girl bloggers I know down to five. Sheez! These ladies all can be counted on to be entertaining, thoughtful or informative ... and sometimes all three simultaneously which is no small feat.

1. The Wine Dark Sea


2. Aliens in This World


3. The Summa Mamas


4. The Anchoress


5. Et Tu?

1-18-08

I just had to share this last thing.

The trailer for J.J. Abram's new movie .

Still unnamed and very mysterious ... but the coolest trailer ever. Watch it.