Wish your son or daughter would return to the Church?

Brandon Vogt has a BIG new project called RETURN: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church. It's full of tips and strategies for parents to solve one of the most pervasive and heartfelt problems today: young people leaving the Church.

Here are the basics.

What is RETURN ?
The Catholic Church is hemorrhaging young people. Half of young Americans (50% exactly) who were raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic today. Four out of five Catholics who left the Church left before age 23.

Today, millions of parents grieve their fallen-away children and describe their situation as "helpless" and "hopeless." They feel helpless because their children tune them out or ignore them whenever they bring up religious topics, and they feel hopeless because they think it's impossible their children would ever come back. These parents are desperate to do something—they just don’t know what to do.

That's why Catholic evangelist Brandon Vogt spent several months researching the problem, talking with experts and those who have left and returned, all to determine what really works to draw young people back. The result is a collection of resources which pull together the best tips, tools, and strategies.

Brandon's got a free video series running from 11/3 - 11/12. Check it out and sign up.

Blogging Around: The "Treats" Edition

Catholic Book of the Month Club

Sophia's Book-of-the-Month Club is our way of sharing with you the fundamental elements of the Catholic Faith at the lowest possible price - $15 per month. Every month we will send you one of our new releases, and we will even cover the costs of shipping for US mailing addresses.

Every month we will send you one of our new releases - each guaranteed to enkindle in you a love of the Church and a desire to grow in holiness and in love with Our Lord.

I saw this on the back of the latest Sophia Institute catalog and it seemed like such a good idea I wanted to be sure you knew about it.

Guillermo del Toro's Guide to Gothic Romance

To chime with the recent release of his creepy, goth thriller Crimson Peak, Guillermo has curated a syllabus of the Gothic and Gothic romance novels, short stories, and engravings that influenced the making of the film. He sent us these recommendations with the following words: “I hope you enjoy some of these as fall or winter reads by the fireplace.”

This piece from Rookie (via Scott Danielson) is right down my alley. I've had Uncle Silas on my mind since I've never read it and anyone who says Jane Eyre is his favorite novel is completely trustworthy. Plus he loves Dickens. 'Nuff said. Read this!

Good Summary of the Synod on the Family

The Synod of Bishops on the Family concludes and you don’t know what to think? Some media says one thing, other media says another. Or, you didn’t follow it at all and would like to know what took place, but don’t know where to start with the vast and various coverage. Well, a good place to start is going to the official source itself: the “Relatio finalis,” the final document published at the conclusion of three weeks of lively discussion and prayer. But it’s only in Italian?! Don’t let that deter you. Listen up on Catholic Bytes to discover just what the Synod taught, or better yet reaffirmed.

Good stuff. Both the podcast and this particular episode.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Near the end of 2010, the Associated Press announced that its stylebook, used by many newspaper editors and writers, would now allow for the use of drive-thru instead of drive-through. At an editor's conference in 2014, there was an audible gasp in the room when this was mentioned (never mind that it was a few years old): the decline of English in action!

Hardly. The spelling of through has gone through a number of changes since it first appeared in English around 700 AD: acquiring an o, moving the r around a bit, claiming a g, dropping each of these things willy-nilly. In fact, the spelling thru predates through by over 100 years. Why?

I have been really enjoying the daily emails from Merriam-Webster which usually manage to interest me in an unexpected way. Sometimes with bonus links to articles like the one above about How Thru Turned Into Through and Back Again. Sometimes with their main entry for the day like flimflam which I didn't realize was very old and possibly related to Old Norse.

Blogging Around: The "Tricks" Edition

"Tricks" a.k.a. stuff that makes me feel as if someone egged my house.

You can’t pay your rent with “the unique platform and reach our site provides”

HuffPost: We’d like to publish a story you wrote!

Me: Cool! What do you pay?

HP: Oh, we can’t afford to pay, but EXPOSURE!

Me: How about no.

Wil Wheaton hits the nail on the head ... short, succinct, and worth remembering

Everything Old Is New Again: Processed Meats Not Good For You

Some background: the IARC has so far reviewed more than 900 agents for carcinogenicity and only one was found to be not carcinogenic. Other carcinogens or probable carcinogens identified by IARC? Coffee and wine (alcohol).

It’s important to understand exactly what this designation means. It does not mean that consuming red meat will give you cancer. It means that one or more compounds found in a very diverse category of foods (one that includes everything from fast food burgers to grass fed bison) has the potential to cause cancer. It says nothing about how much or what type of red meat increases your risk of cancer, what the magnitude of that risk might be, or the extent to which other foods in your diet offset that risk.

Leave it to the Nutrition Diva to sort through the latest sensational headlines. As for myself, the idea of putting hotdogs on the same level as cigarettes is laughable. When I'm chain eating a pack of hotdogs a day, then I'll worry. If you have to elevate dangers just to get attention, then that's a sign your news is far too well known to bother people with.

Also, this "old news" just in: study links sugar to conditions that lead to diabetes, heart disease in children.

Well, duh.

My Prison Job Wasn't About The Money

Within this close context, my prison work assignment actually made me feel like a human being. Every other woman with whom I worked felt the same way. Jacques D’Elia, a former prisoner in California who fought wildfires in the state for approximately $2 a day, didn’t care about the low pay either. In August he told a reporter from the Marshall Project, the criminal-justice news organization, that it was an honor to prove his worth through his prison job. I felt the same way.

Debate over how we use inmate labor has intensified lately, with people focusing on the fact that 30%-40% of the firefighters battling California’s wildfires are inmates, paid substandard wages. The activist group US Uncut has released a list of seven household brand names, like Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and Victoria’s Secret, that cut costs by selling products made with low-paid prison labor.

I had to read this article carefully because the idea of protesting low pay for prisoners was a completely new one to me. Don't just go by this excerpt, though it does capture the essence of the issue. Once again we see a lack of thorough understanding can lead to disastrous consequences, no matter how good the intentions.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Offering

Saturnino Herrán (1887 - 1918), La ofrenda (The offering)
via Lines and Colors

Worth a Thousand Words: Autumn

Autumn
taken by Remo Savisaar

I was scrolling through Remo's photographs and this one stopped me in my tracks. It is so heartbreakingly beautiful. Do go see it in full size at his blog.

Worth a Thousand Words: Portrait of Marie Breunig

Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Marie Breunig, 1894
via Arts Everyday Living

Apologies for my absence this week

It's fall which means my heavy load of catalog work has arrived. I love this work, but it has a print deadline which means I have to dedicate most of my time to it.

Also I'm launching another business venture locally and that is adding just enough to my work day that I haven't been able to blog.

Never fear, I'll get this under control. After all, Halloween is coming. I must be sure we're in the mood by Oct. 31!

Worth a Thousand Words: Long-eared Owl Chick

Long-eared Owl Chick
taken by Remo Savisaar

I cannot adequately express the beauty of Remo's photography. Please do go to his blog and see it for yourself.

Well Said: The sure foundation for a beautiful friendship

There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.

P.G. Wodehouse

Maybe that's why I'm always so surprised when I am friends with someone who I share absolutely no literary taste. It happens but I'm always dumbfounded.

Worth a Thousand Words: A Mediterranean Port

A Mediterranean Port, Arthur Melville - 1892
via Lines and Colors

Well Said: One last word, about getting rid of fear.

One last word, about getting rid of fear. Two men had to cross a dangerous bridge. The first convinced himself that it would bear them, and called this conviction Faith. The second said "Whether it breaks or holds, whether I die here or somewhere else, I am equally in God’s good hands." And the bridge did break and they were both killed: and the second man’s Faith was not disappointed and the first man’s was.

C.S. Lewis, from a letter to Mrs. D. Jessup, March 26th, 1954

The Mythology That Has Arisen Around Car Seats

How Did the Belt Win from Freakonomics wends its way from the belt around our waists to the way we belt our kids into the car.

LEVITT: And what we found in the data was really remarkable. It just, it seemed like the benefit of a car seat, a children’s car seat, relative to a child wearing an adult seat belt, was minimal. Almost zero. So in our research, in terms of fatalities, car seats didn’t help at all. In terms of injuries, mostly relatively minor injuries, it seemed like car seats had a small advantage relative to adult seat belts. But compared to the mythology that has arisen around car seats in which people seem to think, wow, these are the greatest inventions ever, the facts and the mythology just didn’t seem to line up very well at all.

Fascinating that we just haven't looked into it, as the story reports. Read the transcript or get the link for the episode.

Rose Speaks at Hannah and Mark's Wedding

Shared with Rose's permission. Tom and I are proud not only of Rose's speech but of the fact that Hannah and Rose love each other so much. That was made abundantly clear not only in this speech but when Hannah showcased her bridesmaid every chance she got, something that not every bride would do. They are such wonderful people.

Well Said: What I do before the Eucharist

What does the poor man do at the rich man's door, the sick man in the presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love.

St. Francis of Assisi

The Wedding Album

I can only be thankful for the proliferation of phones with cameras and people posting their pictures to Facebook. There was a photographer but while waiting for those results, it is lovely to see these photos.

Here are a very few of them to give a feel of the essentials.

Almost ready.

You may not be able to see it above, but I love the tender smile on the priest's face. 

I don't believe I've ever seen Mark smile like that.

 Hannah and the next generation of cousins ... who didn't plan it, but all seemed color coordinated. 

It was so much fun seeing the gaggle of girls running through the party.

Let there be pie! 

Cindy baked for days to provide some of the most delicious pies I've ever tasted. 

This is just one of the many personal touches that Hannah and Mark's friends provided 

which made this a really special celebration. 

(As I said, this wedding showed the heart of a great community.)

In Celebration of a Wedding: Hannah Davis and Mark Edinburgh

Edmund Leighton (1853–1922), Signing the register

This is for Hannah and Mark who will wed this afternoon. We are delighted and can't wait for the happy occasion. Tom's and my prayer is that their life together will be as happy as ours.

But there are four lamps of thanksgiving always before him. The first is for his creation out of the same earth with such a woman as you. The second is that he has not, with all his faults, "gone after strange women." You cannot think how a man’s self restraint is rewarded in this. The third is that he has tried to love everything alive: a dim preparation for loving you. And the fourth is – but no words can express that. Here ends my previous existence. Take it: it led me to you.

From "To Frances," G.K. Chesterton's marriage proposal

One of the most delightful things leading up to this big day is how their friends have contributed to the celebration. So many have given of their talents to make this wedding a real reflection of the community joyously supporting this marriage.

It makes this big city wedding feel as if it is happening in the heart of a small town. From flowers to music, from hair and makeup to decorations, from paying for photography to making pies, I feel that it shows they are the "richest couple I know."

May God bless them as they begin this best and richest part of their lives, together.

Well Said: "When I run act, I feel His pleasure" — Hugh Jackman

I’m a religious person. This is going to sound weird to you. In Chariots of Fire the runner Eric Liddell says, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” And I feel that pleasure when I act and it’s going well, particularly onstage. I feel what everyone’s searching for, the feeling that unites us all. Call it “God.” Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of “Allow me to surrender.” When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. It’s the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. That’s what it feels like.

Hugh Jackman, Parade interview, via Christopher Closeup

I knew I liked Hugh Jackman. It's a real pleasure to see how grounded he is in this honest interview.

It also made me think about my own life. I like that running or acting can be moments of feeling God's pleasure because we are using the gifts He gave us and they make us come alive.

What are those moments in my own life? When do I desire to surrender myself so that God may appear? When do I feel His pleasure — not because of other efforts or moments of connection — because I am His creation and am glorying in the special gift He bestowed?

Worth a Thousand Words: Goodbye summer girl

Goodbye summer girl
by Calligraphy in the view

Smile has remained in the mind as impression.

Vivid image will be rumination.

I will meet her again?

Go to the link for the remaining photos, haiku (translated from Japanese), and calligraphy.

Blogging Around: Pop Culture Edition

Uncle Orson Reviews Everything: The Martian

... the American characters are, well, American. Without any tokenism, Americans of many ethnicities play vital roles, and nobody makes a big deal about it. Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn’t play “the black guy,” he plays Vincent Kapoor, a top exec at NASA who argues his case with full authority. Eddy Ko (playing Guo Ming) has Chinese heritage, but it’s not about the stereotype of extra-smart Asians; he’s one smart guy among many, doing the jobs that happen to be his.

Orson Scott Card loved the book (me too) and now he tells why he loved the movie (we'll see it Sunday). As always, in doing so he has some interesting observations about everything else, such as hard science fiction movies, the casting, and how skillfully the story had to be adapted to a different medium. All without spoilers.

Cyber Attack

And how can a simple little old woman keep her herself and her information secure? Well, says the book, “You could cancel your Internet service, ditch your cell phone, close your bank account, throw away your debit card, and turn off your electricity. You could quit school and never take a job, vote in an election, get a driver’s license, or fly on an airplane. Of course, such a solution is completely unrealistic.”

Sherry at Semicolon reviews Cyber Attack. It's for young adults but sounds as if it is a good primer for anyone who wants to know more about the basics than the media headlines tell us.

Disney's Aladdin: A Diamond but not in the Rough

What makes the emphasis on Aladdin’s moral failure is all the more remarkable is how rare this motif is in American animation—outside of Pixar. Where Pixar films feature flawed protagonists whose errant decisions have real consequences that must be faced up to, in most Hollywood animation, including Disney, the hero’s choices are always fundamentally vindicated in the end. Aladdin isn’t the only hero of the Disney renaissance to utter the words “It’s all my fault,” but it’s the only time the words have moral weight.

Steven D. Greydanus takes a look at Aladdin from a Catholic point of view. I admit I watched this when we took the kids, long ago, but it never grabbed me the way some others did. It was interesting to revisit it via Greydanus's commentary.

Well Said: Courage

Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they aren't so tough after all.

Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Worth a Thousand Words: Staircase Group

Staircase Group (Portrait of Raphaelle Peale and Titian Ramsay Peale I), 1795) Charles Willson Peale.
Via Books and Art

Peale painted this life size portrait to be a trompe l'oeil and fool the eye into thinking it was real. To that end, he installed the painting in his studio inside a door frame with a step in front of it. It must have fooled many people.

Well Said: Chasing Two Rabbits

If you chase two rabbits, you may not catch even one.

Japanese proverb

Would that we discovered this logo before the concept of multi-tasking arose.

Worth a Thousand Words: Sunset over Tujunga

Sunset over Tujunga
Taken by Will Duquette

Will lives in these foothills and I'm trying very hard not to be envious over the beautiful view he gets every day. Be sure to click through on the link to see the photo full size. It is simply gorgeous.

These Just In: 4 Books and a DVD

It's that delightful time of year when review books fill the mailbox. These are the ones I'm definitely going to be reading and telling you more about. But I don't want you to have to wait until then.

The Story of St. Francis of Assisi: In Twenty-Eight Scenes

by Timothy Verdon

This beautiful new book by renowned art historian Timothy Verdon tells the story of the life of St. Francis of Assisi in story and art. The 28 stunning thirteenth-century frescoes by Giotto that cover the walls of the famous Basilica in Assisi named for the saint are reproduced in full color, together with a schematic drawing showing their placement in the church. Through detailed descriptions and illuminating commentary on each of the famous frescoes, Verdon tells the story of Francis's extraordinary life, allowing today's reader the opportunity to "read" the art on those walls in the same way that a medieval Christian might have done.

You may recall I was a huge fan of Timothy Verdon's pervious book, Art and Prayer. This lovely, accessible book looks at how the frescoes invite us to see Francis's life "as a modern extension of the Biblical history of salvation." That allows us to connect our lives also to both the Old Testament and to Christ. Verdon does this not only through insights and and art, but even uses seemingly unlikely items like art placement, architectural placement, and landscape to bring us closer to God, via this meditation on St. Francis of Assisi. Stunning.

Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage

by Teresa Tomeo (Pastore) and Dominick Pastore

Teresa Tomeo and her husband, Dominick Pastore, were disappointed and discouraged with their marriage. As Teresa identifies the problem, they were "more catechized by the culture" than their faith. But when they invited Christ into their marriage and began practicing mercy with each other, their lives--and marriage--were transformed.

Tomeo and Pastore each write in their own voice and include personal experiences, reflection questions, practical suggestions, and a prayer at the end of each chapter.

Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

No one has a perfect marriage but often we aren't sure where to get help, especially if the problems don't seem "that bad." This couple talks about pitfalls and danger zones from personal experience and gives us a new perspective to bring to make our marriages better. Just flipping through this I know it is a resource I'll be recommending to others.

Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary

Editor: Sarah Reinhard

A unique meditation on each word of the Hail Mary, one of the most important prayer traditions in Catholic life. Each of the forty reflections encourages readers to "slow down" with the Hail Mary and experience previously unseen dimension in the popular devotion, making it come to life in a new way. This unique, formative, and informative exploration of the beloved prayer is a gift to anyone who wants to be continually changed through it--learning to slow down and examine things more closely. 

The Church Fathers often advised slowing down in prayer by meditating on a phrase or word of a given prayer, such as the Our Father. This book follows in those wise footsteps and will help your prayer life deepen.

Full disclosure: I did the "Thou" chapter. More full disclosure: I haven't gotten my copy yet, but did get a good sense of everything when the series originally came out on Sarah's blog.

The Mystery of God

Film series and study program from Bishop Father Barron

Atheism is on the rise. Skeptical thinkers like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris vigorously attack belief in God as irrational or, even worse, dangerous. The so-called New Atheism has attracted millions of young people thanks to bestselling books such as The God Delusion and God Is Not Great.

How should Christians respond? How can we turn the tide of secularism and draw people back to God?

You'll discover how in "The Mystery of God," a new six-part film series and study program by Fr. Robert Barron. The lessons reach into our rich intellectual tradition. Using the insights of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI, you'll uncover a clear yet sophisticated understanding of what we mean by “God".

I was delighted when this showed up in my mailbox. For one thing I love Robert Barron's videos. For another it seems very timely.

God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas

Editors: Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe

Christmas is the season most difficult to grasp and understand in all its spiritual richness. The sentimentality and commercialism that dominate the season tend to obscure the profound mystery at its heart: the Incarnation. God with Us provides the perfect way to slow down and reconnect with the liturgical and sacramental traditions that illuminate the meaning of Christmas and the Incarnation. In daily meditations for the complete seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, the contributors offer a tapestry of reflection, Scripture, prayer, and history.

This is an Advent/Christmas devotional which was originally published in 2007 and clearly aimed at Christians who don't have a tradition of the liturgical year. For those who already do, you may skip a lot of the introductory material and just go straight to the reflections. They come from a diverse group like Father Richard Neuhaus, Scott Cairns, Lucy Shaw, and Kathleen Norris. The samples I read look very good.

Well Said: Understanding Too Soon

Some people will never understand anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.

Alexander Pope

I've done that. A lot. Luckily humility eventually kicks in and then I can begin to understand what I ignored before.

Worth a Thousand Words: Ice Cream on the Boardwalk

Taken by Will Duquette

I always like it when everyone gets some ice cream.

War? What's it good for? Turns out it's great for defeating evil if you're in Middle Earth.

The penultimate episode of our Lord of the Rings discussion at SFFaudio, Book V (“The War Of The Ring”). Aka the first half of The Return Of The King.

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Foxes

Red Foxes
taken by Remo Savisaar

Remo forgot to say adorable. Adorable Red Foxes.

Worth a Thousand Words: Chestnut Gatherers

Chestnut Gatherers, Georges Lacombe, 1893
via Wikiart

Well Said: The Reason Angels Can Fly

The reason angels can fly is because they take themselves lightly.

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Well Said: Desiring to be a Saint

God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.

Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of a Soul

This gives me hope, likewise.

Worth a Thousand Words: Portrait of Edna Barger

Jules-Joseph LEFEBVRE, Portrait of Edna Barger of Connecticut
via French Painters

Worth a Thousand Words: Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot

via Arts Everyday Living

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot, c. 1869

"The Francis Effect" and Me

via Wikimedia Commons

I was relatively unmoved by the idea of Pope Francis coming to America. After all, it wasn't as if I were going to be meeting him. Though I wish him well, I haven't felt personal interest in him. And I didn't feel that he really had a very personal interest in the United States or cared about our culture, just to be honest. Other than possibly to bring us under a critical eye. (Sorry, but that's just how I was feeling from my little part of the Catholic world.)

My main reaction was amazement that a 78-year old would have the stamina to make state visits to Cuba and then carry out a papal U.S. tour with a grueling schedule. I began praying for his health.

Then Pope Francis began speaking and, as I linked to the full text of his addresses for others, I began reading them myself.

I was impressed. And touched. These were the words of someone who clearly had prepared by caring enough to find out what mattered to us. Our heroes were mentioned. Our proud history as a nation of immigrants. Our current struggles.

Over and over, Pope Francis was reaching out toward us in the way we'd understand best, by showing us that he cared about who we are. Which, after all is what a good shepherd does.

It came together for me when watching Archbishop Thomas Wenski on Stephen Colbert's "pope-isode" (which was terrific, by the way). Colbert asked him what the pope was trying to do with visits to Cuba and the U.S. The bishop replied simply, "He's trying to change the culture."

Of course.

I mean, I knew that. But I didn't know it, it didn't hit home until then.

Both Cuba and the U.S. need culture changes to be what we should be in God's eyes, walking in God's way. For all our differences, we are exactly the same. We fall far short, just in ways that reflect our different cultures, our ways of seeing the world. This applies to every country on earth. We all need a culture change. And I was seeing Pope Francis put in the time and effort, pouring himself out, to try to get us to see where the change needs to happen.

This isn't what I'd call "the Francis effect" because what happened to me was fairly gentle. It was a new appreciation for Francis because I suddenly felt as if he cared about me, for who I am as an American. Certainly it made me read his addresses more thoughtfully, with more thought for my own life. (Book publishers, do we have a "Francis Talks to the U.S." book planned - with all these talks in it? Because I wouldn't even wait for the library to get it. I'd buy it.)

Tom's been reading Pope Francis's address to Congress a few paragraphs at a time. It has stimulated a lot of conversation. But we always comes back to the key point: where do we need to pour ourselves out?

Obviously we change the culture simply by being fully ourselves in daily life. If every single Christian did that always, then our culture would change. But that is far from all that we can or should do. It isn't how Jesus lived or the first Christians or the saints. How do we be like that? Where should we pour ourselves out?

=======
Side note: speaking of "the Francis effect," I've also seen similar results from visits by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict here and abroad. I tend to agree with Ross Douthat's assessment.

But there is a common thread that binds Benedict’s success despite low expectations and often-savage coverage and Francis’s success amid high enthusiasm and generally-fawning coverage: Secularism is weaker than many people think.

=======

Worth a Thousand Words: Gare Saint Lazare

Claude Monet: Gare Saint Lazare, 1877
via Wikipedia

Well Said: To convert somebody

To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them.

St. Thomas Aquinas

In other words, you can't do it from afar.

Well Said and Worth a Thousand Words: Lunar Eclipse Over Dallas

Lunar Eclipse Over Dallas
taken by talented photographer and friend Kirsten Walquist

Last night we spent 3 hours watching the total lunar eclipse from the comfort of our back yard. The lights were out, the crickets were chirping, the dew was falling. Despite the nearby traffic on Abrams, we felt the mystery of the natural world come over us.

It's been a very long time since I've sat for three hours with no other occupation than to watch the sky.

We had long stretches of silence, punctuated by thoughts on the incredible regularity and predictability of the "cosmic ballet." How had this looked to the Druids? To the prehistoric people? What did we share with them, despite our advanced knowledge of the mechanics of the eclipse? Just thinking of these physical laws applied to our solar system, our galaxy, the ever-expanding universe gave me a headache and a profound feeling of awe.

I thought again of my favorite psalm, which usually comes to mind because of the first part which praising nature as God's voice. This time I thought about the praise of the Lord's teaching, his pact, his precepts. They apply, of course, to the scripture and our internal lives. In another light, in the way of poetry and the timeless depth of scripture, don't they apply just as much to physical laws — the movement of the stars, of the moon, of our own planet?

I submit they do. Last night they delighted our hearts, gave light to our eyes, and restored us to deeper life.

Psalm 19

(a combination of RSV, Knox, and Robert Alter translations)

The heavens are telling the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech,

and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

their voice is not heard;

Yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

who comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,

exults like a warrior running his course.

His rising is from the ends of the heavens,

and his circuit to the end of them;

and nothing is hid from his heat.

The Lord’s teaching is perfect,

restoring to life.

The Lord’s pact is steadfast,

it makes the fool wise.

The Lord’s precepts are upright,

delighting the heart.

The Lord’s command unblemished,

giving light to the eyes.

The Lord’s fear is pure,

outlasting all time.

The Lord’s judgments are truth,

all of them just.

More desired than gold,

than abundant fine gold,

and sweeter than honey,

dripping from its comb.

By these I, thy servant, live,

observing them how jealously!

And yet, who knows his own frailties?

If I have sinned unwittingly, do thou absolve me.

Keep ever thy own servant far from pride;

so long as this does not lord it over me,

I will yet be without fault,

I will yet be innocent of the great sin.

Every word on my lips,

every thought in my heart

what wouldst thou have it be,

O Lord, my rock,

my redeemer!

Because It's Friday So Why Not: Nobody Likes Bagpipes

Award winning Bear McCreary's true love, featuring one of my favorite instruments. (No joke.)

Via Summa This, Summa That where there is a lot more information about McCreary.

Pope Francis Hits the Big Apple

First some context for why I keep linking to the whole text.

The Six Times You Were Flat-Out Lied to About Pope Francis
Michael Marinaccio tells us:

I thought it would be fitting to put together a short list of instances where the Holy Father has been completely taken out of context or mis-reported (flat-out lied about) by the national media and press corps.

It's a good list and if you've been actually reading what the Pope says when these little tidbits are reported, then you too won't be surprised by the things Marinaccio reveals.

What the Pope's Been Saying
With that in mind, here are a couple more links to the full text of the Pope's talks at Whispers in the Loggia (as I did for his Washington talks).

• Pope Francis at St. Patricks: “There is a cause for rejoicing here”, although “you may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials” (1 Pet 1:6). These words of the Apostle remind us of something essential. Our vocation is to be lived in joy.
  


• Pope Francis at the U.N.: "At the same time, government leaders must do everything possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family, which is the primary cell of any social development. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three names: lodging, labour, and land; and one spiritual name: spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights."

I won't be doing this every day. Hey, the weekend means I'm not around the computer as much. But you get the idea. You know where to go and what to look for when you see those confusing claims in four words for the Pope's entire message.

Worth a Thousand Words: Space

Antoine Chintreuil, Space, 1869

Pope Francis: So Far

Francis 2.0 Emerges in America

He's talked to Congress, he's talked to the bishops, he's even swung by the Little Sisters of the Poor. Pope Francis is in the U.S. and he's not shy about saying what he thinks. John Allen at Crux has an interesting overview of the visit so far. Here's a bit.

To some extent, the category-blending nature of the pope’s message is simply a reflection of the nature of Catholic social teaching, which utterly defies the left v. right nature of American politics.

As John Carr, a longtime policy advisor for the US bishops and now the head of a Georgetown initiative, once memorably put it, anyone who takes the full range of Catholic teaching seriously is destined to end up “politically homeless” in the United States.

Yet one has the sense that there’s something else going on, a deliberate effort by Francis to correct impressions that he’s a one-man band rather than the representative of a long tradition.

“The heart of the Pope expands to include everyone,” Francis told the bishops, adding that “I do not speak to you with my voice alone, but in continuity with the words of my predecessors.”

I was taught that "politically homeless" point in RCIA and have never forgotten it. Though Pope Francis seems to often swing to the right or left, it has always looked to me like the category-defying nature of the Catholic Church. Read it all.

What the Pope's Been Saying ... and His Surprise Visit

Before the news chews it up and spits it out in pieces, you can read the full text of the Pope's talks thus far at Whispers in the Loggia. He's also got feed links.

• Pope Francis's Address to U.S. Bishops: "I am also conscious of the courage with which you have faced difficult moments in the recent history of the Church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice."
  
• Homily from the Canonization Mass for Junipero Serra: the first canonization mass held on U.S. soil, by the way
  
• "Mister Speaker, The Pope": Pope Francis addresses Congress citing Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton as exemplary Americans. (Read about Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton here.)
• Pope Francis Visits Little Sisters of Poor: Not a talk but about his surprise stop. "Fr. Frederico Lombardi, spokesman for the Holy See, told reporters at a Washington, D.C. press conference that Francis met with the nuns as “a sign of his support” for them in their lawsuit against the Obama administration."

Pope Watch: Pope Francis Reverses Position On Capitalism After Seeing Wide Variety Of American Oreos

WASHINGTON—Admitting the startling discovery had compelled him to reexamine his long-held beliefs, His Holiness Pope Francis announced Tuesday that he had reversed his critical stance toward capitalism after seeing the immense variety of Oreos available in the United States.

The Onion — they've got their finger on the pulse of America's funnybone. Go read it all - the photo's priceless.

Blogging Around: The Culture Edition

How James Bond lost his soul: Casino Royale

Steven D. Greydanus of Decent Films talks about one of my favorite Bond movies.

I consider Casino Royale, directed by Martin Campbell, possibly the best Bond film, and certainly the most indispensable — the one that offers moral and psychological perspective on all the others, playing as a kind of commentary and critique of the whole franchise. It is also almost the only film (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is another, to a degree) that treats Bond as an actual character, not just a glamorous, romantic action hero.

Yep. That and Skyfall, of course.

The Most Misread Poem in America

Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is the poem in question.

Most readers consider “The Road Not Taken” to be a paean to triumphant self-assertion (“I took the one less traveled by”), but the literal meaning of the poem’s own lines seems completely at odds with this interpretation. The poem’s speaker tells us he “shall be telling,” at some point in the future, of how he took the road less traveled by, yet he has already admitted that the two paths “equally lay / In leaves” and “the passing there / Had worn them really about the same.” So the road he will later call less traveled is actually the road equally traveled. The two roads are interchangeable.

Woah. I now realize I've never really thought about it or understood it.  A fascinating article at Paris Review which is excerpted from David Orr's book. (Via Brandywine Books.)

This Game Will Bring You to Your Knees, So You Might As Well Start There

Kate O'Hare's Pax Culturati is on of my favorite new discoveries. Pop culture and Catholicism. Yep, that's where I live.

Here, O'Hare profiles former Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens player and Catholic revert Matt Birk. It's a fascinating look at faith and the NFL. Here's a bit.

“The NFL team,” he said, “it’s probably the most spiritual workplace in America. Every team I was on had a team chaplain who was available almost all the time, had an office there; the door was open. We had player Bible studies Monday; had a couple Bible studies during the week; had fellowship service and Catholic Mass Saturday night or Sunday morning. Where else are you encouraged to grow like that in your faith?

[...]
“I’ve always said football’s a very spiritual game,” he said. “The game will bring you to your knees, so you might as well start there. It’s just because football’s so difficult, and the highs are high, and the lows are very low, and it’s so much work and grinding and dedication.

“You have to have a spiritual experience or awakening while you’re doing it. You just have to, otherwise it’s like you’re not even alive. Football brought me back to my faith.”

Well Said: A man of rare intellect

If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Oh, I do. I definitely do.

Worth a Thousand Words: Gosling Flotilla

Gosling Flotilla taken by Eric Bégin
(Creative Commons License)
via Next-Door Nature

This post celebrates not only adorable goslings, but the fact that Next-Door Nature is blogging once again. There has been a two year hiatus so, naturally, I'm happy to once again read about English sparrows, herons, summer soundtracks (natural, of course), and more. This piece which tracks goslings development from fluff to dignified adults was a particular delight.

Well Said: Unless I had a new book ...

I believe, unless I had a new book, I was never happy.

Teresa of Ávila

She's my kinda people.

Well Said: Steeped in Love for the Word

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Psalm 119:97

This Psalm (119) is steeped in love for the word of God whose beauty, saving power, and capacity for giving joy and life, it celebrates; because the divine Law is not the heavy yoke of slavery but a liberating gift of grace that brings happiness.

Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer

I've been rereading this collection of Pope Benedict's teaching homilies about prayer. Once again I am in awe of his ability to connect with me so deeply but simply.

Study in Light: Mr. Bull Moose

Mr. Bull Moose
taken by Remo Savisaar

In which the Pug plays a deep game and Gypsy Nan's crime is revealed.

Chapters 15-16 of The White Moll are ready at Forgotten Classics podcast, as well as a podcast highlight and other listening recommendations.

Pope Francis - Preparing for His U.S. Visit

The pope is just a few days away from his first visit to the U.S. (Not just as pope, but ever.)

I've been vaguely aware of the hype and swelling excitement, but have to admit that yesterday I had to look up the dates he was going to be here. (Sept. 22 - 27 for those similarly unaware.) I haven't felt the need to keep track of anything because I knew that once he hit our shores I wouldn't be able to avoid it even if I wanted to.

However, I was interested enough to prepare slightly by listening to this podcast yesterday.

Pope Francis: The Times are Changing

It is from The Torch, which is the sampler podcast for The Great Courses. This special episode features Professor William Cook who has done series about St. Francis of Assisi and the history of the Catholic Church. Both have been excellent and very fair and evenhanded so I felt I could trust his comments about Pope Francis. Indeed, they proved to be illuminating and interesting.

During the visit, I'll be counting on several trusted sources for news and commentary:

• John L. Allen, Crux: Allen is insightful, fair, and extremely experienced in covering the Catholic Church for Americans. His piece, A Guide for Americans to "Decoding" Pope Francis is good preliminary reading. For example, Francis uses the term "fundamentalist" in a very different way than we understand it here.
• GetReligion: I link to their pieces frequently, as regular readers know, because they are experts at examining how the press is reporting on religion. That means they will ask common sense questions which help us understand how pieces may be incomplete or skewed for a particular viewpoint. They also point out excellent reporting which I'd never have seen otherwise.
• Whispers in the Loggia: the place for reading what the Pope actually says, often in full, not just what the media sound bytes would have you believe.
• The Deacon's Bench: Deacon Greg Kandra had a long career in broadcast journalism and has a good eye for stories that are both interesting and pertinent. He doesn't often comment on the stories himself, preferring to point you to the original source. 

Of course, I'll be linking to other interesting things as they arise.

My Bumper Sticker

I was just had my THIRD person in a year go to a lot of trouble to get my attention while we were both driving. To say that they really liked my bumper sticker.

Got it at the Eisenhower Presidential Library (which sets the gold standard for presidential libraries) and thought it was hilarious. Also, I've never seen another car with it so I never worry about heading for the wrong red Freestyle.

But it obviously hits another chord these days!

What I've Been (and am) Reading

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

As I mentioned before, I was reading Naomi Novik's series at a wild, gleeful pace.

This is the fifth book of the series and was my favorite. Unfortunately, it marked the high point though I did read all the remaining books.

This one shows us Temeraire and Laurence separated. How each fares without the other shows both their dependence on each other and what how they've changed and grown since they became companions. Here, too, we get down to brass tacks as Bonaparte invades England. Unlike many of the battle oriented parts of the previous books I really was engaged by this entire story, battles and all.


The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer by Romano Guardini

I have no memory of reading this before, yet I gave it a 4-star rating in 2010. I eventually dug up a vague memory of reading this, thinking it was just the basics, and giving it to our parish's library. So why was it captivating me this time around?

This book makes me think of Gregory the Great's famous quote.

Scripture is like a river . . . broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.

My first time through this book I was the lamb and this time around I was the elephant. Clearly the difference is in my understanding and not in the book itself, which is deceptively simple.

I'm not sure how Guardini pulled it off but this little book has loads of practical common sense for prayer as well as deep insights that sank in and have influenced me greatly.

Highly recommended.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward

I don't even know what sort of search I was doing when I stumbled across this on my Kindle. Maisie Ward was a personal friend of the Chestertons and, so, superbly placed to write this biography only six years after G.K. died. Chock-a-block full of fascinating interviews, excerpts from obscure sources (like early school essays), and family history, this book is written so accessibly that I just dove in.

I don't know why anyone would bother to read another biography of Chesterton (except for Chesterton's autobiography — Ward quotes it and points out that her book is a companion volume at best). I know there are others that are newer but this is so enjoyable and informative that I really am getting a good feel for G.K.

Chapters like that on Bernard Shaw (which was read by Bernard Shaw before the book went to print) are simply priceless for insights into both G.B.S. and G.K.C. I especially loved the fact that Chesterton wrote a book on Shaw, which Shaw reviewed (not too favorably) and then wrote Chesterton a letter chiding him for wasting his time on writing a book about him ... when what Shaw wanted from him was a play! I was completely unprepared for the amount of understanding and affection in the exchange of letters shared in that chapter. There are similar insight insights into Chesterton's other friendships, including that with H.G. Wells.

JEREMIAH
To be honest (and I feel I should after reading this book), I have to admit I skimmed the long prophety parts from that middle onward. However, there was a lot besides that in the book and it did speak a lot to the modern times we're living in. Everyone wants to be told that what they're doing is right and people who point out the truth are shouted down. Yep.

JONAH
I know I've read this before but was struck forcibly by the fact that it is told in 4 concise chapters. "Don't bore us, get to the chorus." I didn't recall thinking before that it was so funny either. Who says the scripture writers didn't have a sense of humor? Now, if I can laugh at my own obvious faults as much as I did at Jonah's.

UNDERWAY

Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies by Jeffrey Overstreet

I'm rereading this book and finding it just as good the second time around, 8 years later. My original review is here.





The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

I got an audiobook review copy from SFFaudio.

This is the beginning of a new Jim Butcher series. People live in city/nation-state spires well above a hostile world, using crystals for energy.  We see it with a likable group of heroes who come together when their spire is attacked by a rival. It's got a steampunk feel and a bit of naval emphasis that is intriguing since I'm about halfway through Master and Commander. Oh, and talking cats. Actually with some people who can "speak" cat. It's a different thing altogether and, at this point, pulled off fairly well.

Although there are goggles and airships and everyone is very polite, this is really space opera rather than steampunk. Butcher is using standard space opera-esque characterizations and motivations but the tale that is unfolding is anything but predictable. This is helped along by a superb narrator who would entice me to listen to a much lesser tale.

I'm about halfway through and am thoroughly enjoying this book, to the point where I'm not listening to anything else. I especially like the subtle flashes of humor, such as Brigid (sp?) always calling Gwen's attention to the fact that her actions weren't so much heroic as rashly putting them all in danger. And thus Butcher undoes the standard space opera trope at that point by making us realize we were all going along with Gwen because it was just what we expected.


The Complete Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour: Volumes 1-7 by Louis L'Amour

Louis L'Amour has a talent for making you speed to the end of the story even when you're fairly sure you know what will happen ... because you're only fairly sure and often he flips the story just a bit on you. Sure the good guys win and the bad guys lose but it's how he goes about it that raises him above other Westerns I've sampled. There's a bit of the O'Henry feel in his work and they capture the essence of what it means to be an American.

I've got this on my Kindle because it's perfect bedtime reading. One L'Amour story and you're ready for pleasant dreams.

ECCLESIASTES
I know that everyone always says this is a really "modern" book but, woah Nelly, they weren't kidding. Never having read it before I am astounded in each chapter at how modern attitudes echo this ancient writing. And here we thought we were so new-fangled. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun ... at least when it comes to human behavior.







Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I've read this before but had been thinking about rereading it. Then I saw that Mythgard Academy's next session (free) is on this book. Listening to Corey Olsen talk about the book is pulling me back into Susanna Clarke's world. Especially since I've read all of Jane Austen since I first read this book. I see the echoes very strongly ... pulling me back ...

Study in Light: Roe Deer on Decorated Floodplain

Roe Deer on Decorated Floodplain
taken by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Our tongues sang for joy

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
then we thought we were dreaming.
Our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.

Psalm 126

We've all felt this way, haven't we? The Lord surprises us, comes into our presence, answers the prayer we hadn't even thought of yet ... and we think we are dreaming, then our mouths fill with laughter.

I Was Dying to See Mad Max Even Before Reading This Review

Mad Max? Call me crazy. Call me old fashioned. This is how I like my post-apocalypse: Biblical.

George Miller is off the charts. He creates an insane action movie that is totally about relationships with NO RELATIONSHIP EXPOSITION! Not a word. No sentiment. Nothing that you would hear in a Lifetime movie. The characters follow the only possible decisions they can make in the moment. Friends/enemies/saviors/destroyers all become one.

Charlize Theron. Charlize Theron. and one more time Charlize Theron. Again, call me old-fashioned, I'm a softie for a one-armed warrior with a buzz-cut and eyes of fire, but I think she delivers one of the greatest performances in an action movie. Ever.

Stephen Tobolowsky, Facebook