Worth a Thousand Words: Suit Yourself

Suit Yourself, Karin Jurick

Karin Jurick's museum paintings are some of the most popular I share and I'm always so glad that she graciously gave me permission long ago to do so. She usually gives some background and context for the original being viewed or her own overall painting. Click through the link for more.

Well Said: A dealer in words

I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. Not only do words infect, ergotise, narcotise, and paralyse, but they enter into and colour the minutest cells of the brain ...

Rudyard Kipling

I've begun listening to a lecture series by Michael Drout, Singers and Tales: Oral Tradition and the Roots of Literature. Between that and the strong impression that The Storytelling Animal (my review here) left upon me, I think we'd have to say Kipling is absolutely correct.

Genesis Notes: More About Judah's Story

GENESIS 38
Chapter 38 of Genesis has a lot of elements that really need cultural context for us to get the point. That happens when you've got prostitution as a main feature of a story. (And people are always saying how nice the Bible is. Nope - it gets right down to brass tacks.)

Here are some useful details in fully understanding the implications of everyone's actions in the story of Judah.

Judah and Tamar, school of Rembrandt

PROSTITUTES IN CANAAN
Why does this story seem to take a light view of prostitution? Prostitutes were common in pagan cultures such as Canaan. Public prostitutes served the Canaanite goddesses and were common elements of the religious cults. Fornication was encouraged to improve fertility in crops and flocks. They were more highly respected than private prostitutes who were sometimes punished when caught. Tamar was driven to seduce Judah because of her intense desire to have children and be the matriarch of Judah's oldest line; Judah was driven by his lust. Neither case was justified.

WOMEN IN CANAAN
Why was Judah so open about his relations with a prostitute, yet ready to execute his daughter-in-law for being one? To understand this apparent contradiction, we must understand the place of women in Canaan. A woman's most important function was bearing children who would perpetuate the family line. To ensure that children belonged to the husband, the bride was expected to be a virgin and the wife was expected to have relations only with him. If a woman committed adultery, she could be executed. Some women, however did not belong to families. They might be shrine prostitutes supported by offerings or common prostitutes supported by the men who used their services. Their children were nobody's heirs, and men who hired them adulterated nobody's bloodlines.

Judah saw no harm in hiring a prostitute for a night; after all, he was more than willing to pay. He was ready to execute Tamar, however, because if she was pregnant as a result of prostitution, his grandchild would not be part of his family line. Apparently the question of sexual morality never entered Judah's mind; his concern was for keeping his inheritance in the family. Ironically, it was Tamar, not Judah, who acted to provide him with legal heirs. By seducing him, she acted more in the spirit of the law than he did when he refused to send his third son to her.

This story in no way implies that God winks at prostitution. Throughout Scripture, prostitution is condemned as a serious sin If the story has a moral, it is that faithfulness to family obligations is important. Incidentally, Judah and Tamar are direct ancestors of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-6).

All quotes from Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Thank You for Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare

I was surprised and delighted to find Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare delivered to my door this morning. I don't know who sent me this gift, but thank you! This is a book I felt I was going to have to keep until the library demanded it back (and with 99 renewals, that could be a long time). Now I have my very own copy to peruse. I have been meaning to review it so this is a good opportunity.

Shakespeare's genius is marked by his rare ability to appeal to theatergoers of all types and all levels of education. But for most modern folks, the Greek and Roman mythology and history, let alone the history of England and the geography of sixteenth-century Europe that his works are laden with, are hardly within our grasp. Isaac Asimov comes to making obscure issues clear to the layperson, selects key passages from 38 of the great bard's plays plus two of his narrative poems and, with the help of beautifully rendered maps an figures, illuminates us about their historical and mythological background.

When Scott and I discussed Hamlet recently, it prompted me to request Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare from the library. Rose laughed when she saw it because, like most people, she thought of him solely as a science fiction author. However, Isaac Asimov wrote over 400 books during his lifetime, many on factual subjects. I'd glanced through his guides to the Old and New Testaments and found them informative, even if I felt he sometimes over-reached in conclusions about theology. Indeed, our pastor told me that he sometimes uses those books as reference materials for historical context.

In the Shakespearean case, I was delighted with the material on the plays I sampled in Asimov's book. Asimov explains possible sources for Shakespeare's story ideas, gives historical context which includes maps and family trees, and explains cultural ideas that the audience would have understood at the time but that may escape us. This includes every literary, historical, or mythological allusion explained so that we don't have to wonder what's being gotten at.

Asimov also gives his commentary on the plays as he explains the story.

... It isn't generally pointed out that Claudius' predicament in this play is exactly that of Hamlet. Hamlet wants to kill the King, but the King wants to kill Hamlet. Neither is safe as long as the other is alive. But the King, as well as Hamlet, cannot take the simple road and simply kill. The King is but new on the throne and can scarcely yet feel secure; to kill the son of the preceding King would easily raise enough hostility against himself to hurl him from the throng. Just as Hamlet needs to do more than merely kill the King, but must gain the throne too, so the King needs to do more than merely kill Hamlet, but must keep the throne too.

The comments are generally insightful although I sometimes felt he was over-reaching or reflecting too much thinking from the 1970s when he was writing. The frequent, though usually brief, attribution of close male friendship to homosexuality is one of those moments when we must recall we are under no obligation to agree with everything. And those moments are few and far between.

Asimov's style is fresh and personable, while his knowledge is encyclopedic. You can tell he loves these plays and is having a good time talking about them. And we have fun reading him. This is indeed a wonderful reference which anyone will treasure while diving into Shakespeare.

Again, thank you so much to my anonymous benefactor!

Worth a Thousand Words: Elegante Près d'une Source

Elegante Près d'une Source, Georges de Feure, circa 1903
Via Lines and Colors

Well Said: I gave you a brain and you never used it.

Intelligence and compassion are the heart of what it means to be human. Help others where you can. That is clear enough. But a Creator may well want us to open our eyes, as well. If there is a judgment. God may not be particularly interested in how many hymns we sang or what prayers we memorized. I suspect He may instead look at us and say, "I gave you a brain and you never used it. I gave you the stars and you never looked."

Jack McDevitt, Firebird

I might need to reread the Alex Benedict novels. It's been a long time and I remember them being rather like Indiana Jones crossed with sci-fi mysteries.

Nabeel Qureshi, Rest in Peace

I just discovered this young man died of cancer at age 34 a few days ago. His book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus is one I liked for a lot of reasons, but most of all I recall the look it gave me into a loving Muslim family. The Gospel Coalition has a really good overview of his life, conversion, and work.

Nabeel Qureshi, rest in peace, and may your loved ones be comforted as they grieve.

Via Brandywine Books.

My review of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus is here.

Well Said: The real religious mystery for Judaism is not our faith in God but God’s faith in us.

The great institutions of modernity were not constructed to provide meaning. Science tells us how the world came to be but not why. Technology gives us power but cannot tell us how to use it. The market gives us choices but no guidance as to which choices to make. Modern democracies give us a maximum of personal freedom but a minimum of shared morality. You can acknowledge the beauty of all these institutions, yet most of us seek something more.

Meaning comes not from systems of thought but from stories, and the Jewish story is among the most unusual of all. It tells us that God sought to make us His partners in the work of creation, but we repeatedly disappointed Him. Yet He never gives up. He forgives us time and again. The real religious mystery for Judaism is not our faith in God but God’s faith in us.

This is not, as atheists and skeptics sometimes claim, a comforting fiction but quite the opposite. Judaism is God’s call to human responsibility, to create a world that is a worthy home for His presence. That is why Jews are so often to be found as doctors fighting disease, economists fighting poverty, lawyers fighting injustice, teachers fighting ignorance and therapists fighting depression and despair.

Judaism is a supremely activist faith for which the greatest religious challenge is to heal some of the wounds of our deeply fractured world. As [Viktor] Frankl put it: The real question is not what do we want from life but what does life want from us.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, The Challenge of Jewish Repentance

This is just a bit from a really great piece written to lead into Rosh Hoshana (the Ten Days of Repentance) which begin tomorrow.

Rabbi Sacks's article is one we can all benefit from whether we share the Jewish faith or not. And Catholics know that the Jews are our elder brothers in the faith so it is a good thing to get that extra perspective.

Be sure to read the whole thing.

To podcast or not to podcast. That is the question.

Scott says yes. Julie says no. After they talk about it, they change sides. Still no decisions get made. But, somehow, the podcast did! (Probably because Scott reasoned so lyrically.)

Alas, Julie, Sit down awhile;
And let us once again assail your ears,
That are so fortified against our story
What we two have seen.

Join us to discuss Hamlet (1990) - starring several famous people and directed by Franco Zeffirelli - at A Good Story is Hard to Find.

Well Said: What human curiosity can achieve

Show a human a closed door, and not matter how many open doors she finds, she'll be haunted by what might be behind it.

A few people liked to paint this drive as a weakness. A failing of the species. Humanity as the virus. The creature that never stops filling up its available living space. ... But Anna rejected that idea. If humanity were capable of being satisfied, then they'd all still be living in trees and eating bugs out of one another's fur. Anna had walked on a moon of Jupiter, She'd looked up through a dome-covered sky at the great red spot, close enough to see the swirls and eddies of a storm larger than her home world. She'd tasted water thawed from ice as old as the solar system itself. And it was that human dissatisfaction, that human audacity, that had put her there.

Looking at the tiny world spinning around her, she knew one day it would give them the stars as well.

James S. A. Corey, Abaddon's Gate

Genesis Notes: Judah's Story

GENESIS 38
Judah's story never even registered with me on any previous readings of Genesis. As I was taking it in, my jaw dropped. Quite the parallel to Joseph indeed. If y'all don't know what I'm talking about, go read this story in chapter 38.

Judah and Tamar, Horace Vernet

Chapter 38 provides a "story of Judah" that is parallel to the story of Joseph in time while being completely opposed in moral tone. It serves to set off the story of Joseph in a number of ways: both leave home, one voluntarily, the other against his will. One leaves to seek his fortune among the Canaanites, the other is sold as a slave to Egypt. One seeks out a prostitute, the other flees sexual temptation. What becomes of these men, who will father the two leading tribes of Israel, is a study in contrast. There is great irony in the outcome, for what appears to be true on the outside (one man moving freely and in control of his destiny; another man enslaved, in control of nothing but his response to the situation) does not take into account the unseen — the will and the presence of God....

Two of Judah's sons were so wicked, God killed them before they had children. According to custom, Judah should have given his third son to the first son's wife so the family name would continue, but he was afraid that son would die too so he sent his daughter-in-law home to her father. This left him with one son who was betrothed to a woman he was not allowed near -- hardly a recipe for building a family. The wickedness of Judah's sons makes one question Judah's ability to "father" properly in any sense of the word -- and yet God had chosen Judah to father the tribe that would one day produce the Messiah, and He would bring that about.

Onan's sin was preventing pregnancy by spilling his seed on the ground. In doing so, he was taking selfish measures to make sure no child would come between himself and his brother's property. But it was not just his intent but the act itself that was wrong. Onan was going through the motions of a covenant act while denying it meaning and purpose. According to the Catechism, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposed, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible — is intrinsically evil." (#2370)

Tamar, with her courageous plan to get that which was hers by right but which Judah refused her, became the means by which Judah's line — the line from which the Savior would come — is continued. This is yet another illustration of the fact that membership in the family of God is determined not by natural order but by God's providence in determining who will be heir to promise and blessing.

All quotes from Genesis, Part II: God and His Family. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Well Said: Editing History to Popular Taste

As a construct, history is too often revised to match contemporary views. It has been said that each generation must rewrite history in order to understand it. The opposite is true. Moderns revise history to make it palatable, not to understand it. Those who edit "history" to popular taste each decade will never understand the past—neither the horrors nor the glories of which the human race is equally capable—and for that reason, they will fail to understand themselves.

T.R. Fehrenbach,

Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

For generations, the solar system -- Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt -- was humanity's great frontier. Until now. A massive alien gate has appeared that may lead to the stars or to destruction.

Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artifact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.

This is the third book in the Expanse series and is a worthy companion to the first of the series, Leviathan Wakes.

Abaddon's Gate has a really interesting scenario of what humans find when they leave the galaxy and of alien life itself, one that I've never encountered in science fiction before. The other elements are more recognizable as we are pulled into conflicts resulting from politics, ambition, and revenge.

One other unique element is that Anna, a Methodist minister, brings religion into the story in a positive and thought provoking way. There are many religious folk but most act in the predictable and lamentable way that fame can provoke. Anna is different and although I found her frustrating at times, I also found that very frustration to be something I had to examine more personally. Anna's embrace of both science and faith were praiseworthy and all too rare in a mainstream series.

Notes:
Abaddon's Gate takes advantage of the future setting to occasionally include cultural elements that I don't always agree with — such as Anna's home situation. Just ignore it. The story's good anyway.

Except for one element which leads us to the alien gate, I now feel the second book in the series is skippable. Yes, it is entertaining but overall I found it too much like the first book in a lot of ways and kind of a waste of my time. I'm not advocating you skip it but just saying that I won't bother rereading it if I decide to revisit the series.

Worth a Thousand Words: Great White Egret

Great White Egret, Remo Savisaar

Well Said: An infinite number of crucified persons in the world ...

I see an infinite number of crucified persons in the world, but few who are crucified by the love of Jesus. Some are crucified by their self-love and inordinate love of the world. But happy are they who are crucified for the love of Jesus. Happy are they who live and die on the cross with Jesus.

St. John Eudes

via Voices of the Saints by Bert Ghezzi

Cheesy Chicken-and-Spinach Stromboli Ring

It's a sort of pizza jelly-roll filled with deliciousness. It's the latest meal at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Thank You for The Wind in the Willows!

What a wonderful surprise it was to have this show up unexpectedly in my mailbox this morning! To whoever went to the trouble of visiting my Amazon wishlist and sending me this little treasure — thank you!

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

Born in South Africa in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood and brought up in near-poverty. He served in the first World War, surviving the Battle of the Somme, where he lost many of the closest friends he'd ever had. After the war he returned to the academic life, achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher, eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford where he was a close friend of C.S. Lewis and the other writers known as The Inklings.

Then suddenly his life changed dramatically. One day while grading essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' — and worldwide renown awaited him.

I recently read Humphrey Carpenter's book, The Inklings, for a discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast and it piqued my interest in his biography of one of my favorite authors. I liked The Inklings but this book was even better, possibly because Carpenter was focusing on one person instead of a group.

It gave a thorough story of Tolkien's life without sugar coating his flaws but in a way that allowed me to understand and appreciate him as both a person and author. I'm not usually very interested in biographies but read this in record time, which is a tribute to Carpenter's skill in finding a fascinating story in the outwardly mundane life of an Oxford professor.

Of course, like Dr. Who's TARDIS, we're all bigger on the inside and Tolkien's inner landscape held a vast imagination coupled with interest in so many topics that he was sometimes unable to finish a project unless prodded by deadlines or friends. It is Humphrey Carpenter's ability to reconcile Tolkien's inner and outer man, while including his popular fiction in the timeline, that make this book so riveting. We feel we truly know J.R.R. Tolkien by the end.

And, this is the ultimate tribute to the author's skill ... as I read the epilogue, I cried.

Worth a Thousand Words: The TV Studio

The TV Studio, Edward B. Gordon

Well Said: Tolkien and Democracy

I am not a "democrat," if only because "humility" and equality are spiritual principles corrupted by the attempt to mechanize and formalize them, with the result that we get not universal smallness and humility, but universal greatness and pride, till some Orc gets hold of a ring of power—and then we get and are getting slavery.

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Remedy for a Bad Homily

We've got a couple of priests and one full-time deacon in our parish, as well as a couple of regularly scheduled fill-in priests for weekend masses. On any given Sunday you have a one-in-five chance of getting the consistently outstanding homilist. The others are average. One usually hovers close to a high average and all can hit the heights occasionally. But there are those who live in the middle and sometimes dive closer to the depths. Those depths can be pretty shallow.

Now, we're lucky because these guys aren't straying from the truth of Catholicism (as I've heard occasionally when visiting other parishes). The worst that happens is that one remains uninspired, struggling to connect with God.

I know the point of the mass is not the homily. I also know that not every homily is directed at me personally and it might be just what someone else needs to hear. However, you can't deny that a good homily goes a long way toward enriching the entire experience as well as the week to follow.

I have fallen into preparing for Sunday mass beforehand, which is a good habit no matter what kind of homily you expect. There is nothing like being familiar with the readings beforehand for allowing you to sink into them as you hear them read during the liturgy. These are often the times when you are open enough to let God in.

With all that in mind, here are a few of my favorite resources.

FIRST 

Read the Sunday readings.
You can find them at the US Bishops' website 

where you can click on the handy calendar for next Sunday. 

SECOND

Easy listening, worthwhile podcasts.
Just like a homily, let these reflections wash over you.

Word on Fire

Bishop Robert Barron's homilies

These are about 15 minutes long and come out on Wednesday usually. Bishop Barron often goes for an angle that I don't expect and which is almost always thought provoking. That makes them a perfect warm up to getting your head in the game. (iTunes link, website link)

Lanky Guys

Reflections and context on the readings

Fr. Peter Mussett and Deacon Scott Powell take listeners through the scripture for next Sunday's liturgy. They read each one aloud and dig deeper into context and background about historical, scriptural and liturgical connections. About 45 minutes long, it comes out on Thursday or Friday which gives me time to listen to it in pieces before Sunday. (website link, iTunes link)

THIRD

Read up.

The Beauty of the Word 

by Anthony Esolen

I use this on Sunday morning. Anthony Esolen focuses on the Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, and Prayer after Communion for every Mass through the year. He draws the reader's attention to connections with scripture, the Mass readings, and Christ in our lives. This is an easy and quick read each week but I find the prayers have much more meaning when I've read this beforehand. (My full review here.)

Footprints on the Mountain: 

Preaching and Teaching the Sunday Readings 

by Roland J. Faley

I read this Sunday morning. It provides scriptural background on all the readings for each Sunday (nicely divided up into A, B, and C years), as well as at least eight ideas for reflection. The background also discusses why the readings complement each other and specific insights to be found for each. Plus, this is summed up in a brief but pithy reflection on what these readings and points mean to believers. (My full review here.)

In Conversation With God 

Series by Francis Fernandez-Carvajal

I read the upcoming Sunday reflection on Saturday with breakfast. I have been using this series for about 16 years and have yet to find one that is better or more complete. It follows the daily Mass readings, but has a separate reflection for each of the A, B, and C Sundays of the year. Topics range from the sacraments and virtues to family interaction and friendship. It is both practical and inspiring. (My full review here.)


There are obviously lots more good resources out there. Magazines like Word Among Us and Magnificat are some that spring to mind. These are just what appeal to me every week.

The real key is to pick one or two favorites and prepare yourself to encounter God in His Word each Sunday. Then a good homily is a nice bonus and a bad one is easier to tolerate.

Well Said: You can't object to "cultural" apparently

"Cultural, is it?" Dr. Hopkins looked relieved. He was a man who tried to see the best in everybody but the city had gotten rather complicated since he was a boy ... He wasn't sure that he liked everything that was happening, but a lot of it was "cultural," apparently, and you couldn't object to that, so he didn't. "Cultural" sort of solved problems by explaining that they weren't really there.

Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

Worth a Thousand Words: Landscape with Coach

Hugo Mühlig, Landscape with Coach
via Lines and Colors

Well Said: When people tell you something's wrong ...

Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

Neil Gaiman's 8 rules of Writing

Worth a Thousand Words: La Grenouillère

La Grenouillère, 1868, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Well Said: C.S. Lewis on writing The Screwtape Letters

If Screwtape was written with complete sincerity, the actual task of writing it proved to be remarkably unpleasant. "Though I had never written anything more easily," Lewis recalled, "I never wrote with less enjoyment. Though it was easy to twist one's mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun or not for long. The strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp. The world into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. It almost smothered me before I was done.

Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings

Worth a Thousand Words: Fireweed

Fireweed, taken by Remo Savisaar

Lagniappe: Manhandled

I don't like being manhandled, even by young women who look like something out of mythology when they're steamed up.

Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest

Genesis Notes: Joseph Sold By His Brothers

GENESIS 37
Joseph's story is of the best known in the Bible and yet there is so much to learn that I had never considered. I like the "big picture" personal message that is there about cooperating with God's plan as He brings good out of what we see as bad things.

Joseph and His Brethren Welcomed by Pharaoh, James Tissot

It is one of the great ironies and wonders of the way God works that the very thing Evil hopes will derail His plans, turns out to usher those plans in. The rest of this story will show that what the brothers meant for ill—throwing Joseph into a pit and selling him into slavery—is the thing that God uses to accomplish what they hoped to make impossible, his reigning over them. This should remind us of the way God took the very Satan could do to Jesus and turned it into the door to eternal life, the door that Satan was trying to slam forever. In this way God uses even evil people and intentions as instruments of good. “So too,” says the Great, “when one wants to avoid the divine will, then is when it is fulfilled” (Moralia, 6,18,20).

All quotes from Genesis, Part II: God and His Family. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

White Cheddar and Bacon Risotto

From Cooking Light and loaded with flavor. I've got it over at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Jeremiah and the Word of God - from Bishop Robert Barron

Bishop Robert Barron's homily for this Sunday focuses on Jeremiah the prophet and his connection to our modern life.

This one I'm going to keep for repeated listening. Not only do I love Jeremiah but the inspiration to stand up for our faith against continual secular push-back is very timely. Hear the podcast at the link above.

Lagniappe: Mr. Norrell knew there were such things as jokes ...

Mr. Norrell (who knew there were such things as jokes in the world or people would not write about them in books, but who had never actually been introduced to a joke or shaken its hand) considered a while before replying ...

Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I just love the way that is put. I have actually met two people who have no sense of humor at all. One makes a joke or quip and they just look at you expressionlessly and then move on with the conversation. It is very disconcerting, just like meeting Mr. Norrell probably was.

Hurricane Harvey and H-E-B

When we left for Florida last week, Hurricane Harvey was threatening landfall in Corpus Christi, where my husband has relatives. Of course, like everyone at the time we were relieved to hear it was going to miss Corpus ... and then horrified at the havoc wrought upon Houston by the never ending rainfall. We were relieved to find that my husband's Houston-based relatives were not in danger but the flooding in such familiar areas is really surreal to people who know it well.

While we donate and help however we can (my charitable avenue is Catholic Charities), let's not forget the power of prayer. God will help in ways we cannot foresee.

May God, the Lord of mercy and compassion, protect all who are still in danger, and bring to safety those who are missing.

May He care in a special way for those who were already homeless, or without support and resources, before this disaster.

We pray in thanksgiving for the first responders who are risking their lives to save others at this very moment.

We include in our intentions the everyday heroes reaching out to help their neighbors in need, those who, like the Good Samaritan, cannot walk by a person in need without offering their hand in aid.

Amen.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Speaking of tangible aid, I found this video heartwarming. H-E-B is a Texas grocery store chain which is much beloved throughout the state. Certainly, I love their Central Market which is near my house. So I was happy to see how much a part of the community they are.

Ben-Hur and Me: 1957, 2016, and 1880

One thing I have discovered is that once I've seen one chariot race, I've seen them all. Luckily, there is much more to Ben-Hur than the famous chariot race.

1959 film

This is the one everyone has seen at least once. I've seen it numerous times and so have passed from wowed to blasé to appreciative over the years. Most recently I viewed it for a 2015 discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast with Scott Danielson. That was the viewing where I was suddenly much more appreciative than I've been before. Yes, it's 3-1/2 hours and Charlton Heston can be pretty stiff sometimes, but this is the one you want to watch.

Then I watched the 2016 version with Rose recently. She'd only seen this version once so I simultaneously summarized the differences between the two films while we were watching. (Just for the record, this was at her specific request.) It made me appreciate this version even more and pat myself on the back for how well I recalled the plot.

2016 movie

By itself, without knowing the story in any other way, this 2016 version of Ben-Hur is fairly forgettable. To be fair, this director is known for great action (I loved Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter — as did Roger Ebert, so don't judge me!) and not for drawing great performances from actors. (I've never seen Morgan Freeman so wooden and stilted.) And a director is hampered if the script isn't good to begin with. So Timur Bekmambetov had a lot against him from the beginning on this project.

However, viewed as a companion piece to the classic 1959 movie, this movie lends itself to interesting reflections on the nature of mercy, forgiveness, redemption, etc. Make no mistake, it does reflect modern cultural views in many ways. For example, one must ignore some of the namby pamby New-Agey Jesus statements made early on in the movie. And Messala's angsty attempts of "can't we just all get along?" are completely out of place. But it is worth seeing once for the gorgeous visuals and the way the story treats Ben-Hur and Messala's relationship.

Be warned. Worst sea battle ever. You can't tell what's going on. And Bekmambetov loves shooting night scenes in the actual dark. So at one point we thought we were watching Ben-Hur sneaking around in a garden at night to meet his wife. Turns out it was Judas getting ready to betray Jesus. Talk about confused!

1880 book

After watching one movie while simultaneously summarizing the other, I decided to reread the book because my memory of it is muddled by the various film versions. I'm enjoying it so far and surprised by some of the book facts that the movies changed. Actually, make that a lot of things that both movies changed. 1959 changed a lot of Ben-Hur's motivations and internal thoughts. And then 2016 changed the rest.

I read this story many years ago, long before I was Christian. Certainly it long before I picked up the fact that the author was a Civil War General ... which somehow just makes the book that much more interesting. I also recently was in a conversation in which I learned that Ben-Hur was the Harry Potter of its day. Since people couldn't afford to travel, this was a great way to combine exotic travelogue and an inspiring tale.

I most recently read it in 2015 when we discussed it on A Good Story is Hard to Find and don't remember it much at all. Which says something about how little this hit me at that time. Now, with both movies specifically in mind, I find myself liking it much more.

Well Said: Being one of the five thousand

How naturally a common meal serves for a symbol of fraternity; how easily a scratch party of guests get on together if you take them out for a picnic in the open air! Just imagine what it must have meant, later on, if one of those five thousand met, by accident, one of the others; what fellowship must have been imposed on them by their common store of reminiscences! "Yes, don't you remember, I was sitting about seven or eight off you, and Peter — or John, or James, or Judas — came round with the crust which looked as if it could never satisfy more than two; we both seemed to be in starvation corner, didn't we? And then when he got to the end of the row the crust was still there."

G. Chevrot, The Well of Life

via In Conversation with God, vol. 4

You know, it never occurred to me to think about any of the people for whom Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, at least from the point of view of their lives later on. There were so many of them, in one case 5,000 and in another 4,000, and Israel was a small country. Maybe a lot of them were related. Of course, they would have bumped into each other later on.

Gone Fishing

John Singer Sargent, Two Girls Fishing, detail, 1912
via Arts Everyday Living

Again, I'm headed out of town, this time to a place where I actually could fish (if I wished, which I don't). To Florida to visit my dear mother!

We won't be dressed like this. Or, as you know, fishing.

But we will be enjoying each other's company, as well as that of Rose who's also going on this outing. We'll be cooking and watching movies, talking about books, and having all sorts of fun.

There are a couple of feast days when I'll have posts for reflection. Enjoy!

I'll be back in a week or so!

Worth a Thousand Words: Cornflower, National flower of Estonia

Cornflower, National Flower of Estonia, taken by Remo Savisaar

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel (1528), Hans Hoffmann

Well Said: Scientists and theologians

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a bunch of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Robert Jastrow, NASA scientist and Columbia University physicist

What We've Been Watching: Horror, India, Action, Satire, and James Bond

THE GREAT WALL
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

To our great surprise, we found this a solid action movie with a classic, if simply put, message of trust and giving of yourself for others. The action pieces were inventive and the whole thing was gorgeous, as one would expect from this director. Sure it was no Hero but it was also not nearly as disappointing as Rogue One.

THE APARTMENT
Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he’s left with a major problem to solve.

A Billy Wilder classic that I watched because Rose said it was a comedy. Actually, satire is a better description. Not as funny as Some Like It Hot and not as dark as Double Indemnity, this film falls in the middle tone-wise as Billy Wilder gives us his take on infidelity and the cost to everyone involved. I loved the performances and the clever contrasting and parallel situations and characters which all helped to make the point. And Jack Lemmon - of course, fantastic as always.

GET OUT
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner for modern times, with a horror twist. When a young woman brings her boyfriend home to meet her parents, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead to a truth that the boyfriend never could have imagined.

A well acted tale that shows talent which makes me eagerly look forward to director/writer Jordan Peele's future movies. This much lauded movie does what a lot of good horror does, draws our attention to social conditions by exaggeration to make us think about the horror underneath.

Where Peele does something new is in the group of people he skewers before the outright horror begins. Taking well-meaning, liberal white people to task for the shallowness of their racial equality is a place that no one's gone before, because it is unfashionable to point out such things.

It really felt like a 70's horror movie in a lot of ways, and I mean that in the best possible way.

LION
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

It is hard to believe this was made by a first-time director, except when I recall several other advertising directors who've wowed the film world.

This is a really skillfully told story that, as others have pointed out, is really two movies in one. The first is that of little Saroo who is lost 1,000 miles from home and lives as a street urchin in Calcutta which is a sort of modern-day Victorian nightmare. The second is of the adult Saroo, who after adoption forgot his childhood memories and had a happy life in Tasmania. Until a sense memory brings it all flooding back and sends him on a journey to see if he can locate his lost family.

I was lukewarm on the story until I had to watch it for a group discussion. The whole thing blew me away. Really, really well told story that feels genuine.

JAMES BOND
We continue watching the James Bond movies in order. It's the rare weekend when we aren't spying with 007 so we've gotten as far as Moonraker, which was much better than we thought it would be.

This has been an interesting project and I can finally say I've seen George Lazenby's turn as Bond, which I enjoyed immensely. I had no idea they were rebooting the franchise as early as that. It makes me eager to see how the Timothy Dalton movies hit me. But we're still at least a couple of movies away from that.

Well Said: Being, having, and doing

Being is much more significant and essential than having or doing. And the greatest temptation we face is to prefer having and doing more than being.

St. John Paul II

Worth a Thousand Words: Ponte San Giuseppe di Castello

Ponte San Giuseppe di Castello, Venice, John Singer Sargent

Well Said: Doing and being

What we do springs from who we are.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Well Said: Even ordinary books are dangerous

Elsewhere, someone might have said, "It's just books! Books aren't dangerous! But even ordinary books are dangerous, and not only the ones like Make Gelignite the Professional Way. A man sits in some museum somewhere and writes a harmless books about political economy and suddenly thousands of people who haven't even read it are dying because the ones who did haven't got the joke. Knowledge is dangerous, which is why governments often clamp down on people who can think thoughts above a certain caliber.

Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent

Worth a Thousand Words: Garden at Vaucresson

Garden at Vaucresson, 1923, Édouard Vuillard

Genesis Notes: Jacob's Resume

What this overview allows us to see is how clearly Jacob's life changed every time he encountered God. Just like Jacob, our lives too change every time we encounter God. And just like Jacob, perhaps, it is hard for us to see it until we're looking back over our lives.

Jacob and the Angel, Gustave Moreau

Jacob's life had four stages, each marked by a personal encounter with God. In the first stage, Jacob lived up to his name, which means "he grasps the heel" (figuratively "he deceives")... In the second stage, Jacob experienced life from the other side, being manipulated and deceived by Laban. But there is a curious change: the Jacob of stage one would simply have left Laban, whereas the Jacob of stage two, after deciding to leave, waited six years for God's permission. In the third stage, Jacob was in a new role as grabber. This time, by the Jordan River, he grabbed on to God and wouldn't let go... Jacob's last stage of life was to be grabbed -- God achieved a firm hold on him. In responding to Joseph's invitation to come to Egypt, Jacob was clearly unwilling to make a move without God's approval.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• Father of the twelve tribes of Israel
• Third in the Abrahamic line of God's plan
• Determined, willing to work long and hard for what he wanted
• Good businessman

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• When faced with conflict, relied on his own resources rather than going to God for help
• Tended to accumulate wealth for its own sake

Lessons from his life:

• Security does not lie in the accumulation of goods
• All human intentions and actions -- for good or evil -- are woven by God into his ongoing plan

Vital statistics:

• Where: Canaan
• Occupation: Shepherd, livestock owner
• Relatives: Parents - Isaac and Rebekah. Brother - Esau. Father-in-law - Laban. Wives: Rachel and Leah. Twelve sons and one daughter are mentioned in the Bible.

Key verse:
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:15).

Jacob's story is told in Genesis 25-50. He also is mentioned in Hosea 12:2-5; Matthew 1:2; 22:32; Acts 3:13; 7:46; Romans 9:11-13; 11:26; Hebrews 11:9, 20, 21.

All material quoted is from the Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Blogging Around: Right Wing Asshole, the Miracle and the Jihadist, and Charlottesville

Ask Andrew W.K.: My Dad Is a Right-Wing Asshole

You’ve reduced your father — the person who created you — to a set of beliefs and political views and how it relates to you. ...

The world isn’t being destroyed by democrats or republicans, red or blue, liberal or conservative, religious or atheist — the world is being destroyed by one side believing the other side is destroying the world. The world is being hurt and damaged by one group of people believing they’re truly better people than the others who think differently. The world officially ends when we let our beliefs conquer love. We must not let this happen.

Ask Andrew W.K., The Village Voice

Truer words were never spoken. Go read the letter and Andrew W.K.'s whole response. Via Tony Rossi.

The Miracle That Saved a Priest From a Jihadist’s Knife

I don’t know what I prayed at that moment. I was very afraid, and I told Marie Alphonsine, “It can’t be by chance that I’m carrying you with me. If it is necessary that the Lord take me while I’m young, I’m ready, but if not, I ask you that no one else die.”

And what happened next was a miracle. Get the whole story at Aletia.

Charlottesville — Two Articles, One Answer

Former neo-Nazi Joseph Pearce (yes, that Joseph Pearce, now a well known Catholic author) examines Charlottesville Through the Eyes of an Ex-White Supremacist

I recall three separate occasions when I confronted an enemy with hatred and enmity and received in return love and friendship. In each case, the receiving of love when I was expecting hatred sowed seeds of healing in my hate-battered heart. ...

This is the challenge we face in the wake of the horrors of Charlottesville. It is to love our enemies. We should not demonize the white supremacist or the abortionist, but should love them into submission. We should not prey on them but should pray for them, hoping that, in the future, by the grace of God, we can pray with them.

Matthew Archbold looks at a moment of grace in The Suprising Thing That Happened in Charlottesville. Mark Heyer, father of the young woman who was killed, shows Christ-like love.

He spoke of forgiveness. “I include myself in that in forgiving the guy who did this,” he said. “I just think about what the Lord said on the cross, ‘Forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.’ … I hope that her life and what has transpired changes people’s hearts.”

Words like that are the only things that can.

Mark Heyer called the young man who killed his daughter “stupid.” And that's the thing. Hate is stupid. It makes you that way. There's a reason they call it “blind hatred.”

"Everyone wants the key to finding God, but there is no lock"

If you’re looking for a retreat that will bring you closer to Jesus, Julie Davis will be happy to be your retreat guide. You won’t even have to leave your house – and neither will she. She conducts this retreat of sorts in her book “Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life.”

Tony Rossi sums up the two-part Christopher Closeup radio interview we had in a really nice written interview at Aletia. Read the interview here and find links to the podcasts of the interview at the bottom of the piece.

What I've Been Reading: Adventure, Noir, and Investigative Reporting

TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson
After outsmarting a band of buccaneers, young Jim Hawkins crosses the Atlantic in search of buried treasure. Jim and the ship’s crew must brave the elements and outwit the ruthless pirate Long John Silver.

I listened to Alfred Molina's superb narration of this classic adventure story. I remembered only the beginning and that only sketchily. As the story progressed I was caught up in it and couldn't wait to get back to listening. It is truly the ultimate adventure story, expertly told.

Right up to the end I was continually being surprised by plot twists. No wonder this story is still beloved by so many.

THE TRUTH by Terry Pratchett
William de Worde is quite surprised when his printed page full of "things written down" is suddenly incredibly popular. As he publishes Ankh Morpork's first newspaper, learning as he goes, William becomes involved in solving a murder. And, thus, he also becomes Discworld's first investigative reporter.

As I continue working  my way through the Discworld novels in order I wasn't thrilled when I got to this one because it's a stand alone novel. I am much more attached to the books which are part of the several series within the Discworld books.

However, Pratchett was clearly on a roll and this book does have enough of the Watch and other regulars from Ankh Morpork that it was both enjoyable and good. Watching everyone adjust to the idea of having the media report on their actions was worth the price of admission, especially since a lot of that adjustment came from the person who inadvertently invented the newspaper in this book. Fun and worth reading.

BLACK JACK JUSTICE by Gregg Taylor
It was a simple enough case, but don't they always start out that way? When a pair of His and Hers private detectives get involved, the sparks start to fly and the blood begins to spill in earnest. With every shot that's fired, the hole digs a little deeper, and the list of people our sparring shamuses can trust gets shorter and shorter.

Fans of Decoder Ring Theatre's long-running full-cast audio series Black Jack Justice will delight in the very first meeting between Jack Justice and Trixie Dixon, girl detective. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this hard boiled detective story when it came out in print. As a longtime fan of Decoder Ring Theater's Black Jack Justice series, I could hear the voices of the main actors as I read. It was lively, humorous, and had all the banter one expects from a Chandler-esque novel.

Now they've done it one better and brought the book out in audio format. So you can actually hear the voices of the actors as they read the book. Perfect!

IVANHOE by Sir Walter Scott
Set in the familiar time of Robin Hood, evil Prince John, and good King Richard, this adventure tale has it all. It is not precisely about those three characters but they are major players. I read this for my book club (the adult equivalent of a high school reading assignment when it is for a book you've managed to avoid for years).

Consequently I listened to B.J. Harrison's excellent narration to help me get into the book. And it worked. I initially enjoyed it it on the level of adventure novel, a la Treasure Island.

I was surprised at the inventive plot twists, the laugh-out-loud humor, and most of all at Rebecca. Here is someone who is female, from a despised group, and who is only valued by most for her beauty. Yet, she is articulate, quick witted, and will not allow herself to be used as a pawn or allow others to get away with facile explanations for their own evil actions. What a role model!

Overall, Ivanhoe was a reminder not to avoid a classic just because the first chapter seems a little difficult or because one thinks the plot is hackneyed. Highly recommended.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Valkyrie

The Valkyrie via Brandywine Books

Well Said: Using Time

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.

Jean de la Bruyere

Worth a Thousand Words: The Hammock

The Hammock, Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, 1895

Well Said: Not knowing how the world works.

Barry would have been all right if he hadn't become a physicist. But all that nonsense about mass and energy got him believing he really knew how the world worked. And he didn't. He never did. And that's what got him killed.

Jack McDevitt, The Devil's Eye

The Maltese Falcon and the God Shaped Hole - on SFFaudio

Jesse, Paul, Maissa, and I go to surprising places in our conversation about the classic hard boiled detective story, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Catch it at SFFaudio!

Well Said: Getting Older

You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”

George Burns

This makes me think of Raymond and Thelma, my grandparents. No matter how much older they got, they were never old. They are my role models in many ways and this is one of them.

Worth a Thousand Words: Evening at the Coast

Evening at the Coast, taken by Remo Savisaar

This makes me long to be in Galveston.

Worth a Thousand Words: Mufti Reading in his Prayer Stool

Jean-Léon GERÔME, Mufti Reading in his Prayer Stool
via French Painters

Well Said: Conversion and the Looking Glass

Conversion is like stepping across the chimney piece out of a Looking Glass world, where everything is an absurd caricature, into the real world God made; and then begins the delicious process of exploring it limitlessly.

Evelyn Waugh

I really can't add anything to the perfection of that observation. It does explain the depths I suddenly began seeing in the everyday world.

Glen Campbell, rest in peace

It's funny. My mom loved Glen Campbell so, as a kid, I thought of him as pop music. (Also based on the radio stations he was often played on. I'd never heard of "crossover" music.) And my family was very snobby about country music so I never associated him with that.

Then I married a country music lover (to be honest, he loves practically every sort of music) and just listening to that wild variety began a broader education. Imagine my surprise when he highly praised Glen Campbell and talked about what he did for country music. I had to listen with new ears ... and heard a master.

Recognizing a lot of the famous faces around him in that clip made me realize that I knew a lot more about country music of that time period than I realized. Seeing their admiration warmed my heart.

Glen Campbell was brought vividly to mind when one of my favorite BBC radio shows, Soul Music, did an episode on one of Campbell's iconic songs, Wichita Lineman. You can listen here.

Many thanks to Marc whose email brought all this to mind and inspired this post.

Worth a Thousand Words: Gorgeous Stained Glass

Domestic window by Dirck Crabeth for the house of Adriaen Dircxz. van Crimpen, of Leiden. (1543)
via Wikipedia

Van Crimpen was a member of the government. The scenes show seven scenes from the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament and five scenes from the Acts of the Apostles. Though the house is still standing, the stained glass is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.