Summer Listening — Treasure Island, Elijah, Movie Wala, Learn Hindi from Bollywood Movies

I'm linking to websites, but these are all on iTunes or available from other podcast providers.

CraftLit is back with Chapter one of Treasure Island. This episode has split science teams - scorpion stings - and rappelling down waterfalls - and that's not even touching the book. Hop in your boat, raise your sails, and have a listen.

Heather at CraftLit has been taking a well deserved break while she adjusted to a new job and many other things. But she's back with Treasure Island and I'm thrilled. No one else has Heather's ability to dig deep into a story. If you haven't tried this podcast before, this is the perfect opportunity. Heather plays the audio for each chapter, filling in listeners on needed context, and raising interesting ways to consider the story in relation to our own lives.

St. Irenaeus Ministries scripture study podcast is beginning a new study of Elijah, one of my favorite prophets.  Right after Habakkuk. I mean, we've all got a top five prophet list. Don't we?

I've mentioned this podcast before. It's scripture study that is practical. The teacher is extremely insightful in giving connections between scripture and daily life. I don't always agree with him, but he keeps it real. Although he has an orthodox Catholic point of view, this is the podcast I often recommend to non-Catholics.

We are Flo and Tanvi! Join us as we talk about Hindi movies aka Bollywood. Each season, we will talk about specific categories like Marital Dramas, Family Saga, etc. We are not critics (thank god for that!), we pick a movie and talk about our favorite songs, favorite scenes, gossip and why we picked that movie for that category - All served with a side of nostalgia!

With my love of both Bollywood and podcasts, it was inevitable that I search for a place where they intersect. In the first season Flo and Tanvi don't discuss movies indepth, simply covering the plot in a few sentences.They are more interested in discussing the fashion, songs, and acting. As I've been delving into the second season, they've been concentrating more on the movies themselves and I've enjoyed that a lot. When they've covered movies I have seen, such as Monsoon Wedding, they've opened new vistas for my enjoyment since there are cultural things I didn't pick up on until hearing their discussion.

Even when they're talking about movies I haven't seen (which is most of them), they will take little conversational side trips that open up Indian culture to me in a fascinating way. I've learned about Indian mothers and families, the hazards of getting groped in crowds in India, how NRI (non-resident Indians) talk in London, and how adorable Shah Rukh Khan is in the iconic movie DDLJ. (We're still trying to crack the code on DDLJ's popularity - it is definitely a cultural thing!)

It's a really specific topic, but Movie Wala Podcast is a lot of fun.

Watch enough Indian movies and you begin picking up words. Dil means heart. Achha means ok. Zindagi means life.

You also start wondering why so many Indian sentences end with "hai." Turns out that it's a conjugation of "to be" and Hindi sentences put the verb last. So that's one thing solved. Not by this podcast, though. I found it when looking for grammar but I kept listening because it's really funny.

Learn Hindi from Bollywood Movies is pure comedy and hard to describe. Luckily, I found an interview with the podcaster, Arjun Krishan, which does a good job.

Mr. Krishnan integrates dialogue from Hindi movies -- often gems of language construction and delivery in their own right -- into loopy scenarios of his own invention to build a kind of fantastical basic Hindi that will help you navigate the world of masala films.

A recent episode, for example, focuses on the pragmatic topic of how to ask someone their name in Hindi. Instead of a typical scenario of meeting someone on a train or at a party, Mr. Krishnan imagines employing police interrogation techniques like Amitabh Bachchan in "Inquilaab" (1984).

I'm not learning any Hindi from them but I am laughing — a lot. Arjun stopped adding new episodes in 2014 but there are over a hundred there to enjoy.

Big Bend National Park

Jason Merlo Photography, Big Bend National Park (February 24, 2019)

Signs of Life by Scott Hahn

A clear and comprehensive guide to the Biblical doctrines and historical traditions that underlie Catholic beliefs and practices. Single chapters for each topic illuminate the roots and significance of all things Catholic, including the Sign of the Cross, the Mass, the Sacraments, sacred images, the celebration of Easter, Christmas, and other holidays, daily prayers, and much more.

I picked this up cheap on the Kindle during a daily deal at Amazon but never got around to reading it. Then my book club chose it and once I began, I was impressed at the depth with which each custom was covered. Partly that has to do with the connection to the biblical roots, as the subtitle says. Partly it is due to the way it is written, which is thoughtful while being very accessible.

Sometimes I was surprised by what I found in a custom I thought I thoroughly understood, like the idea that the longing of Advent now reflects the post-Christian world. Sometimes I was reminded of practices which I'd fallen out of, like intercessory prayer. I was often especially struck by the "Ponder in Your Heart" segment ending each custom, taken from the writing of saints, Church Fathers, the Catechism, or modern spiritual writers.

I had to get a print copy so I could mark my favorite parts for later reference. I read a custom a day which made a great devotional for 40 days. Definitely recommended.

Note: be sure you get the full book with all 40 customs. There is a special Augustine Institute version out there which only has 20 customs. I was sent that one by used book stores more than once until I bit the bullet and bought the hardcover.

Flaming June

Frederic Leighton, Flaming June, 1895

I simply love looking at this gorgeous painting, the fresh and beautiful young woman, and thinking about the wisp of dazzling vista presented tantalizingly behind her.

Sita Sings the Blues

This is a creative delight. The Indian story of The Ramayana is told three ways, all from Rama's wife's point of view ... the titular Sita. An illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets is interspersed with musical interludes voiced with tracks by 1920's jazz singer Annette Hanshaw and scenes from creator Nina Paley's life. You can stream this movie free on YouTube as the creator, unusually, makes it available under a Creative Commons License.

We watched this way back in 2010 after reading Roger Ebert's 4-star review. It introduced us to Anette Hanshaw's music and the Ramayana, though we had no idea what that was.

Having now watched so many Indian movies we thought we'd rewatch it and see how it held up. We still found it delightful and now had a further frame of reference, having come across so many movie shortcut references to celebrations of the Ramayana. To the point when Rama goes after the golden deer, three of us exclaimed, "That's why there's a deer!" At which point our oldest daughter, who hasn't seen nearly as many of these movies as we have, shot us a look that made us realize just how deep we were diving.

We also could appreciate the intermission and the fact that there were so many song and dance numbers, albeit Annette Hanshaw and not Indian music. Clearly creator Nina Paley knew her way around a Bollywood movie or two.

It's not perfect and the modern day story is not that interesting, despite the parallels. But the three shadow puppets retelling the story, correcting each other's versions, and commenting on the classic tale more than made up for other imperfections. It was great the second time around.

It isn't a Bollywood film, but if you want an easy to understand, entertaining version of the Ramayana, this is it. Many of the pantomimes at religious festivals featured in movies will be much clearer!

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Arrrr Mateys! It's The Pirates of Ersatz on SFFaudio

We discuss one of my very favorite humorous science fiction books - The Pirates of Ersatz by Murray Leinster. Episode 535 of SFFaudio.

Spit of Land

Remo Savisaar, Spit of Land

Click on it to see the photo larger ... I love the way the water moves and the sun hits the trees.

O Lord Jesus, let me be your lute.

O Lord Jesus, I surrender to you all my will. Let me be your lute. Touch any string you please. Always and forever let me make music in perfect harmony with your own. Yes, Lord, with no ifs, ands or buts, let your will be done in this family, for the father, for the children, for everything that concerns us, and especially let your will be done in me.

St. Jane de Chantal

I especially like the lute imagery with God choosing the string of my life which he'll blend in harmony with the others with which he plays a symphony. Beginning with my family.

Plum and Birds

Plum and birds, Emperor Huizong

The Joyous Festival

The Joyous Festival, Gaston La Touche
via J.R.'s Art Place

Theology is about happiness

Theology is never reducible to the utilitarian function of apologetics. Theology is about happiness. Happiness is as much in the intellect as in the heart, and it stems from understanding the truth about ultimate things, and being headed in the right direction, being oriented existentially.

Thomas Joseph White, OP, The Light of Christ

Hand coloured photographs of 19th-century Japan

Hand colored albumine prints – a process which used the albumen found in egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper – taken around 1880.

Here are a couple of my favorites but be sure to see all of them at The Public Domain Review.

Faith in Action: Pro-Life Women Deliver Semi-Truck Full of Supplies, $72,000 to the Border

The #BottlestotheBorder campaign ... collected more than $120,000 worth of supplies and donated more than $70,000 in aid funding to multiple respite centers, where migrants who are legally in the U.S. are temporarily housed and cared for while they connect with family members and figure out their next steps.

A fellow church-goer of one of ATTWN staff members had heard about the initiative and, as the owner of a trucking company, offered to drive an 18-wheeler to the border for the group, Johnson said. The catch: the truck had to be full.

“We did the first registry and filled that up in a couple of days, like in 48 hours it was full,” Johnson said....

“By the end it was completely packed full of supplies,” Johnson said. [...]

The politics behind the border crisis are frustrating to Johnson, she said, because they often dehumanize migrants and distract people from doing something concrete to help the situation.

She said people have asked her if her efforts to bring supplies to migrants means that she supports an open-border policy. She doesn’t.

“No I don’t support lawlessness, I don’t support an open border, I support legal immigration, doing it the right way, but the bottom line is I don’t have the answer, I don’t know the answer,” she said, “but I can deliver these wipes so that babies’ butts are clean and they’re not getting infections. And I know how to make sure that a baby can get fed, and that’s really what this is about. And that’s what it is to be the Church, to meet the needs that are right in front of us.”

Absolutely. There's a lot more to the story. Read it at National Catholic Register.

Jury Duty Today!

Fingers crossed I'll be back soon, but in the meantime I'm off doing my civic duty at federal court. Later gators!

UPDATE
I wasn't selected from the 70 person jury pool for the 2-1/2 week criminal federal trial. Whew! Though it sounded as if it would have been interesting.

Why it is fitting that Jesus did not write a book

Christ is unique among teachers, because he does not only instruct externally through words, ... but also enlightens us interiorly by grace. Christ, the eternal Wisdom of God, moves the heart and mind from within so that we can perceive intellectually the truths that he reveals. This, Thomas Aquinas argues, is one of the reasons it is fitting that Jesus did not write a book during his lifetime, but entrusted his teaching to others: so that we would not confuse the real presence of Christ among us with a text he wrote, but would instead learn of his presence through the teaching of the apostolic Church, a process that he assists and works through, by the presence of his grace acting in those who teach and in those who are instructed.

Thomas Joseph White, The Light of Christ

That never occurred to me. But, yes, it makes sense.

Wild Raspberries

Wild Raspberries, Duane Keiser

The Gripping Story of the Second Approved Miracle for Cardinal Newman

Melissa was bleeding because the placenta had become partially detached from the wall of her uterus and blood that was meant to nourish her eight-week-old unborn child was escaping through the tear.

An ultrasound scan had also identified a sub-chorionic haematoma, a blood clot on the foetal membrane that was by that time almost three times the size of the child.

Doctors could treat neither mother nor daughter. They fully expected Melissa to miscarry and warned her that her own life might be in danger from a haemorrhage. She had to be ready to call 911 at any time.

What happened when crisis came resulted in the second miracle required for Pope Francis to recognize Cardinal John Henry Newman as a saint. It's a gripping story. Read it at Catholic Herald.

Rehearsal

The rehearsal, Peter and Barbara Bridgmont by Edward B. Gordon

This painting is part of Edward B. Gordon's tribute to his acting teacher. It has several paintings and a lovely written tribute (scroll to the bottom for the English). I love the teacher just from the tribute, especially this bit.

He was not a big fan of Stanislavsky. „Method Acting“ was just as absurd to him as painting by numbers for a painter. Why should you experience something real when you could play it? Acting is not real, it should never be. It is a game that may become the mirror of the soul of the audience. Reality is transformed, a board becomes a jeweled sword. An old limping man becomes a young Romeo, an inconspicuous girl a powerful queen, that’s the magic of acting.

Yes.

Masks and Truth

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.

Oscar Wilde

So true. And it sends my thoughts off in a lot of directions: the people I know who absolutely will tell you the truth without a mask, Adam and Eve hiding their nakedness from God (which is where the mask comes in), confession behind the screen versus face-to-face, and much more.

Dangal

Dangal is an extraordinary true story based on the life of Mahavir Singh and his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film traces the inspirational journey of a father who trains his daughters to become world class wrestlers.

I really enjoyed this sports film with Aamir Khan showing his commitment by gaining 66 pounds for a total of 216 in order to play the role. Superb acting all round and a sport I was unfamiliar with added to our interest.

Most compelling of all was the way this movie hit the expected sports film/coming of age beats with unexpected twists. The girls are being forced to live their father's dream but his dreams also are for his country's honor. Beyond that his tough methods become a celebration of women's abilities and talents (twist!) — this in a country where often women are seen as nothing more than a burden to marry off to an unknown man for a life of domesticity.

By the end, we'd traveled Geeta's path with her — learning to appreciate her father's wisdom and her own hard won skills. We were also exhausted — the wrestling sequences were so vivid that we were worn out.

I especially loved the moment when Geeta is watching DDLJ with her new teammates. I myself don't love this movie but know it is a quintessential Hindi film. The moment shows so much about what Geeta has been missing and what she will gain from this time of her life. (And also, in a very small way, how much Indians connect through their favorite films, which I just heard discussed in the Movie Wala Podcast episode about Monsoon Wedding.) Of course, what Geeta is experiencing is far from her father's path and we also see the results of a different way.

It is, of course, a story celebrating women, but that point became even more vivid when I read this in a review.

What's very significant is that Mahavir's family hail from a village in the state of Haryana. Due to female foeticide, Haryana has the lowest female-to-male child ratio in India. This film was actually allowed tax-free status in a number of Indian states, including Haryana, as part of the Indian government's campaign against female foeticide. And from what I can tell, the true facts of the Phogat family's life were twisted a bit in the film to support this agenda - reportedly, in reality Mahavir was not disappointed that all the children born in his family were female.

As the reviewer mentions, the real coach's story is even more amazing. For one thing, all of his four daughters and his two nieces (taken in when his brother died) became respected, medalling wrestlers. This story obviously had special resonance in India but it applies worldwide on a variety of levels, as witnessed by the fact that it is in China's top 20 top grossing films. It is India's top grossing film in foreign markets - it's a universal story.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Worth a Thousand Words: Starry Night Over the Rhone

Van Gogh, Starry Night over the Rhone, 1888

Bael

Bael, Ellen Schutt
via U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection.
 Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705

The USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection documents fruit and nut varieties developed by growers or introduced by USDA plant explorers around the turn of the 20th century. Technically accurate paintings were used to create lithographs illustrating USDA bulletins, yearbooks, and other series distributed to growers and gardeners across America.

Explore it for yourself!

Inspiration

From my quote journal.

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London

3 Good Movies: Neerja, Sui Dhaaga, Andhadhun

We had a lucky run last weekend with three great movies. They are each very different so you might find something you'll like too.

Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization.

I don't love movies about hijackings or terrorists, but I was so interested in finding out how a 23-year-old woman could save 359 lives that I was really intrigued by this movie. It totally paid off. The story wound several threads of Neerja's life together through flashbacks so we could see some of the events that prepared her, in a way, to keep her head and do the right thing even when terrified. The acting and directing were great. I, probably like most of the aunties who saw this, was fighting back sobs by the end. It was an inspiring hero's tale.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Hannah and Rose discuss this at An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

A sweet, charming, feel-good movie which showcases Varun's and Anushka's subtle acting abilities as they play Mauji and Mamta, an ordinary couple, struggling to begin a small clothing business. Sui Dhaaga means The Needle and the Thread which is apt not only for the clothing business but for how we see this young couple work together and grow closer to create a life together. I really enjoyed the ordinary setting of humble home and family, complete with traditional overbearing father. Mauji and Mamta each inspire the other in different ways without using any of the typical tropes we'd see in an American version of the story.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Tom's review:

The story of a blind pianist who witnesses a murder. But that was just the first twist in this 2018 crime thriller. It was a heck of ride to the last frame. It got a bit dark, but never gory. It was critically acclaimed and a huge box hit. Box office was 14 times its budget.

It is worth watching, pretend it is a French noir film. (It’s based on a French short.) here is the trailer. It has subtitles. It is available on Netflix.

If a Hollywood studio does not redo this for the American market, they missing bet.

I found it very disturbing without actually showing anything disturbing. It definitely left all of us feeling unsettled. I'm not sorry I saw it but I won't need to see it again. Very much the way I felt after seeing Martin Scorsese's After Hours.

However, it was really popular and the acting and script were superb. Tabu deserved her first billing, especially once I found that she wasn't told anything about her character before the scenes she would play. It might be just the thriller that you talk about all summer.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

Girl Reading a Newspaper

Girl Reading a Newspaper by Wada Eisaku

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I'm rereading this magnificently written book just because. I can't believe I hadn't reviewed it here so am hastily pushing this book your way. It is not a typical Civil War book or I wouldn't like it. This is truly something special. Here's the review I posted on Goodreads in 2012.

Against all odds I loved this book. I wanted both sides to win. This despite being initially unnerved to see maps when I opened it. Maps with arrows indicating troop movements hither and thither around Gettysburg.

I do not care about maps in books. Even for Lord of the Rings I ignored the maps. I hasten to add that I actually love real maps ... on a wall, in an art book, on a blog. I just do not want to have to make my mental image when reading have to conform to the reality of a map.

Feeling brave despite my unnerving experience I soldiered on. (ha!) I would like everyone to note that my reading of Coraline (for both Good Story and also SFFaudio) was not in vain. Bravery consists in keeping going when one is afraid (or even merely unnerved).

It only took reading the descriptions of the leaders to begin embracing the book. The author makes all the personalities so accessible, all the military talk so clear, and sets the tale in clear, grounded writing.

For example, I just finished reading the Battle of Little Round Top. I felt as if I was in the battle itself, while not being dragged into the grim details. Watching through Chamberlain's eyes, one can see the decisions, the chaos, the necessity that drives the way the battle went. And, Hood was right. Of course, we could tell that all along just as Longstreet could.

It is simply an amazing book in communicating the humanity, the flaws, the errors, and the brotherhood and love of these men ... and the tragedy of the battle. I now have a small crush on General Longstreet. Also on Chamberlain.

=========

I originally read this for our podcast where you may listen to it here: Good Story #36. Scott learns that Texas is it's own direction, and Julie changes her opinion about Robert E. Lee. Neither is certain where in the timeline to find Lincoln's vampire slaying.

Francis warns German Catholics they can’t just do their own thing

At last. Pope Francis has been telling the German cardinals to work things out themselves ... and then when that didn't work, to try again. But now he gives very specific thinking.

As the Catholic Church in Germany prepares to embark on a synodal process motivated in part by a desire to stop a hemorrhage of faithful, Pope Francis has sent them a letter reminding them they don’t walk alone but with the universal Church.

In the missive he also reminds the Germans that a “structural” reform, simply changing to adapt to modern times, is not the solution.

The Church’s raison d’etre, Francis wrote in a letter released by the Vatican Saturday, is that God “so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that all who believe in him may not die, but may have eternal Life.”

[...]

Believing that solutions are purely structural, Francis argued, is “one of the first great temptations at the ecclesial level.”

“Without having the Gospel as its soul,” Francis wrote, a well-organized and even modernized ecclesial body could become a “gaseous” Christianity that has no evangelical zeal.

“Each time the ecclesial community tries to leave its problems alone and focuses exclusively on its forces or its methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ends up increasing and perpetuating the evils it was trying to solve,” Francis said.

Crux has the story.

Kingfisher

Remo Savisaar, Kingfisher

Louis De Wohl's Saint Books

Louis De Wohl is a forgotten treasure - whose books I encountered a few years ago.

He was German and Catholic and between the late 1940s and 1960 he wrote a ton of historical fiction about saints' lives and Biblical stories. They were bestsellers at the time. In fact, sixteen of them were made into movies.

I discovered his novels when Ignatius Press reissued them but have discovered that a lot of people still haven't heard of them. Of course, some are better than others, but when they are good they are so interesting and also so inspirational!

Best of all our library has a lot of his books!

I recently read Lay Seige to Heaven which is about St. Catherine of Siena. I thought I knew all about her but it turns out I only knew the merest basics. It focused me on the Eucharist in a way I hadn't expected. That made me reread The Quiet Light about St. Thomas Aquinas which I enjoyed just as much as the first time ... and which reinforced my Eucharistic gaze.

Here are the 4 reviews I featured previously, although they are far from all of De Wohl's books that I've read and enjoyed.

• The Joyful Beggar - St. Francis
• The Quiet Light - St. Thomas Aquinas
• The Restless Flame - St. Augustine
• Set All Afire - St. Francis Xavier

They are easy to read but have given me a lot of food for thought. If you want a dose of history and inspiration they might be the perfect summer read!

Even Hindus Eagerly Await Canonization of India’s ‘Patroness of Families’

KUZHIKKATTUSSERY, India — Enthusiasm is growing even among Hindus as they join Catholics in awaiting the announcement of the date for the canonization of Blessed Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, who in 1914 founded the Congregation of the Holy Family (CHF), a community of women religious in southern Kerala state.

“Mother is not an ordinary Christian for us,” P.K. Mohanan, a member the village council for Kuzhikkattussery, told the Register. “She is an icon of love and charity. All of us respect her.”

Read all about it at National Catholic Register. I'd never heard of this saint but you can't watch as many Bollywood movies as I have without knowing about southern Kerala! So I feel a sense of connection just based on that slight bit of geography. Also, she seems like a really amazing person, just as any saint should!

I would also add that "even Hindus" is probably not as impressive as it sounds to us. Hindus often hold a variety of views that include other faiths. Such as the fact that some see Jesus as a god, just not the only God. So, it's great that they acknowledge her saintliness, but it doesn't have the same impact as if Muslims were flocking to this tomb. That would be something new indeed.

Fighting With My Family

Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone.

I was interested in this partially for the back-scenes look into the professional wrestling world. Also, The Rock is in it, very occasionally. So that was also a draw.

What we found was a coming-of-age sports movie that hits the familiar beats but in a funny, quirky, and thoughtful way that makes it rise above the ordinary. The cast is charming, the story interesting, and the fact that it's based on a true story gives a little extra interest.

They also gave a surprising number of takes on answering the question of what happens when your lifelong dream comes true ... and you suddenly have to reevaluate your dream. Or, conversely you don't get your lifelong dream. How do you pick yourself up and move on? These are standard questions for any sports drama but this movie gave us different perspectives, even if glancingly, from different characters which added a layer of nuance we didn't expect.

There were a few plot progressions that left us scratching our heads but we were willing to overlook them for such an enjoyable film.

The Animals As They Are

Les animaux tels qu’ils sont, which Google translates as “The animals as they are” is a book published in France in 1959 that offers 90 plus examples of how to draw animals using simplified geometric forms.

Lines and Colors

These are charming, both in technique and finished drawing. I love to think of generations of little French children drawing these animals. You can see more on Wikipedia and Flickr.

City Lights Just After Sunset

Edward B. Gordon, City Lights Just After Sunset

Baptism - the true light that enlightens every man

Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.

St. Gregory Of Nazianzus

quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1243

This made me think of a baptism I attended a couple of weeks ago. The mother said afterwards that now she could relax because her child was safe. I didn't know people still thought that way and being raised a heathen, myself, my children were baptized well after infancy. I'm a godmother as well as a mother — I know how important baptism is but the quote above made me really feel it. It sank into me somehow.

Stree (2018)

In the small town of Chanderi, the menfolk live in fear of an evil spirit named "Stree" (Woman) who abducts men in the night during an annual festival. Everybody diligently makes sure the inscription O Stree, Come Tomorrow is written on their walls to keep the ghost away. Vicky falls in love with a mysterious girl, who is only seen during the annual festival season. Could she be Stree?

This is a comedy-horror film in the way that Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was ... tongue-in-cheek humor while turning the conventional story on its head. It was super fun while being quite suspenseful in places. I was happy that this wasn't gory in the way an American movie would have been. It was interesting to see that there are ghost stories that originate in all parts of the world about brides whose lives were cut short.

And there must be a lot of cultural influence from Western horror films. That means you don't have to know Bollywood films to enjoy this as many of the tropes were the ones we all know .... like "don't split up - stay together!" Or as we were yelling at the screen, "Be like wolves, not lions!"

Plus, you know, a few songs and dances! Which is even better!

This was a sleeper hit last year and just hit Netflix recently.

Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Tasty Dandelions

Remo Savisaar, Tasty Dandelions

Letter to a Suffering Church by Bishop Robert Barron

Preface

This book is a cri de coeur, a cry from the heart. I am a lifelong Catholic, and I've been a priest for thirty-three years and a bishop for four years. I have dedicated my life to the Church. The sexual abuse scandal has been for me, for millions of other Catholics, and especially for the victim-survivors, lacerating. I have written this book for my fellow Catholics who feel, understandably, demoralized, scandalized, angry beyond words, and ready to quit. What I finally urge my brothers and sisters in the Church to do is to stay and fight — and to do so on behalf of themselves and their families, but especially on behalf of those who have suffered so grievously at the hands of wicked men. Of course, I’m also happy if those outside the Church find some illumination in these chapters as well.

I want to be clear about something from the outset: I am not speaking in the name of my brother bishops, or of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, or of the Vatican. I have no authority whatsoever to do so. I am speaking in my own name, as a Catholic, a priest, and a bishop. My prayer is that these reflections might encourage Catholics who are attempting to navigate today in very choppy waters.

The Vatican, USCCB, and other bishops should be so lucky as to have Bishop Barron's book speaking for them. If they are wise they will embrace it and get copies into the hands of their congregations. Robert Barron gives not only a cry from the heart but perspective and counsel which both encourage and console.

This little book doesn't take long to read but it's packed with food for thought and gives historical and scriptural perspective. That may make it sound a bit detached or trite. Letter to a Suffering Church is anything but.

Barron condemns the wicked — it's been too long since I heard that word applied to the priests who violated the souls and bodies of their victims. He offers understanding and solace to those victims. He reminds us that the Church has been dragged through the dregs of corruption by the clergy before and of the fight it took to cleanse it.

Above all Barron offers inspiration and a fighting spirit as he encourages Catholics to stay and fight for the Church to be what Christ calls her to be — a pure source of Truth for a world crying out for God and love. Even though the world may laugh at that idea right now.

I'll be rereading this book for my own future inspiration moving forward. I strongly recommend it for all of you too.

This book is only a dollar a copy so it can become widely accessible, with all proceeds going to organizations that support sexual abuse victims. Order it here. Parish resources are here.

Well Said: Most People

From my quote journal.

In most cases, people, even wicked people, are far more naive and simple-hearted than one generally assumes. And so are we.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Bluebonnets

Bluebonnets, taken by Jason Merlo

Act of Spiritual Communion

I was vaguely aware of the idea of spiritual communion which is done when you can't make it to Mass or can't receive communion for some other reason. Many saints have recommended this, including St. John Paul II.

However, when I came across a discussion of the practice by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, it drew my attention. His prayer it touched me so greatly that I wanted to  share it, especially coming up to the Sunday of Corpus Christi.

There is no substitute for communion at Mass, of course, but this is a wonderful way to keep our desire for the Eucharist burning and alive the rest of the time.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things: I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you, and I unite myself entirely to you, as if you had already come. Do not permit me to be ever separated from you.

Jesus, source of all my good, my sweet love, wound, inflame this heart of mine, that it may always burn for you.

Act of Spiritual Communion, St. Alphonsus de Liguori
via A Year With the Eucharist

The Annunciation

The Annunciation, John William Waterhouse

I don't think I've seen an Annunciation like this before, where Mary looks so taken off guard and interrupted in daily work outside.

Evil is a vacuum.

Three thousand years in Hell have made this much clear to me: evil is nothing. It's a vacuum. It's a space where something should have been but isn't. Cowardice is the absence of courage. Malice is the absence of love. Falsehood is the absence of truth. And so on. My point is this: the more attached you are to evil, the less you actually are. So I was only half-right when I said we weren't quite dead. The truth is, we weren't quite alive because we had filled our lives with emptiness.

J. Augustine Wetta, The Eighth Arrow

Cinematographe Lumière

The poster advertising the Lumière brothers cinematographe, showing a famous comedy (L'Arroseur Arrosé, 1895).

Monks in Space!

In physical life we might easily say, it’s a coincidence, monks just happen to be the best space-tool for the space-job. But this is a conversation about stories, too, and coincidence does not sit easily in a story’s stomach.

Space is the “final frontier.” It’s the unmapped territory, the uncomprehended edge, the giant question mark. Space contains mystery on mystery. Ask yourself where we came from, where we’re going, what happened in the immense gulf of before-time to bring us to this moment, and how our atoms will, over millions of years, decay—whether our culture will survive the next century or the next millennium—what life is and whether it has any destiny to speak of—the answer is out there in space. Or maybe what’s out there are only more questions—an endless sequence of questions curled up and hiding inside other questions, like the coiled-up higher spatial dimensions.

Max Gladstone mulls over why so much science fiction has monks in space. I enjoyed this a lot. You probably will too so go read it! Thanks to Mark for the heads up!

The Visit

The Visit, Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, 1915.
Via J.R.'s Art Place.

A Year With the Eucharist

I'm not too far along in this book but suddenly realized that Corpus Christi Sunday is coming. Naturally I wanted to give a heads up on this wonderful resource for drawing closer to the Eucharist.

I'm only on Day 9 but have found these daily meditations to be of inestimable value. They refocus and reconnect me with Jesus through the sacrament of the Eucharist - which I realize only makes sense to Catholics. But that's who this book is for, those who believe the Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. I especially like the brief prayer that ends each reading which makes me take a deeper moment than I might in just reading each meditation.

Each reading begins with a brief summary to orient the reader to the particular aspect of the Eucharist which will be commented upon. Then an excerpt from a saint, pope, poet, scripture, or other writings on the Eucharist takes us deeper into meditation and thought. This is followed by a question or two which help readers relate fully to what was just read. A brief prayer ends the session.

Tan Books has done this book proud, as with all those in the series. I have the e-book because buying a physical copy for a friend gave me a special unbelievably cheap deal. But this is really a book you want in physical form to hold in your hands. My daughter Rose has a copy and the cover may not be actual leather but it certainly feels like it. Pages are gilt-edged and the ribbon marker is sturdy. Moreover, the book design is elegant and decorative in an understated but classic way.

Das Schlossportal (The Castle Gate)

Ferdinand Knab, Das Schlossportal, 1881

Eternity with the Trinity. Boring?

At this point the question spontaneously arises, What will we do from this point on? Won't it be boring to spend all eternity with the same three Persons, even if they are divine? We could answer with another question: is it ever boring to enjoy feeling wonderful? People get bored of everything except "feeling wonderful," and eternity brings "infinite well-being." ...

... The best answer to the question "What will our life be like with the Trinity?" is found in a legend narrated by a modern German author. In a medieval monastery there were two monks, Rufus and Rufinus, who had a deep friendship. They spent all their free time trying to imagine and describe what eternal life would be like in the heavenly Jerusalem. Rufus was a builder, so he imagined it as a city with golden doors studded with precious stones; Rufinus was an organist, so he imagined it as full of heavenly melodies.

They ended up making a pact that whichever of them died first would return the following night to reassure the other that things were indeed as they had imagined. One word would do. If things were as they had imagined, he would simply say Taliter! ("Exactly!"). If things were different -- but this seemed completely impossible -- he would say, Aliter! ("Different!).

One night while he was playing the organ, Rufinus died of a heart attack. his friend stayed awake anxiously all night, but nothing. He kept vigil and fasted for weeks and months, but nothing. Finally on the anniversary of his death, Rufinus entered his friend's cell at night in a circle of light. Seeing that Rufinus was silent, Rufus -- sure of an affirmative answer -- asked his friend, "Taliter? That's right isn't it?" But his friend shook his head no. Desperate, Rufus cried out, "Aliter! Different?" Again his friend shook his friend no.

Finally his silent friend breathed forth only two words: "Totaliter aliter -- Completely different." Rufus understood in a flash that heaven was infinitely more than what they had imagined and could not be described. He also died shortly after because of his desire to go there. This story is a legend, but its content is nevertheless biblical:

No eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him.
(see 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Now that's something to think about, isn't it? Knowing that my vision is limited, nevertheless, I always have imagined Heaven as a divine library, which tells you where my passions lie (as if y'all didn't know that already).

Chameleon

Chameleon by Ustad Mansur, court painter to the Mughal Emperor, c. 1612.
Via J.R.'s Art Place.

The Trinity, Part III - The Understanding of Unity

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

The Eastern vision of the Trinity is above all, then, a call to unity. At first sight, this could appear to contrast with what we know of Greek and Latin theologies. It is well known that in discussions of the Trinity, the Greeks and Latins went in opposite directions: the Greeks began with the divine Persons, that is, from plurality, and proceeded to nature and thus to unity; the Latins, on the other hand, began with nature, or divine unity, and with the Greeks, plurality led to unity. In the Latin vision, this characterization is clearly confirmed by the fact that the treatment of divine unity in Western theology -- the De Deo uno ("concerning the oneness of God") -- precedes the treatment of divine plurality, the De Deo trino ("concerning the triune nature of God")...

The different visions of the Trinity are reflected in the way the church is seen in the East and in the West. This is worth emphasizing, because it can help reinforce the desire and necessity for full unity between them. For those in the East, the plurality of the churches is an assumption that is taken for granted. The problem, or challenge,is how to ensure an effective and efficacious unity undergirding the autonomy of the individual churches. It is just the opposite for the Catholic Church" unity is the strongest and most obvious assumption, guaranteed by the exercise of the primacy by Peter's successor. The problem, or challenge, is how to allow the required room for diversity, i.e., for the pluralism and autonomy of the local churches. In the East, pluralism is the departure point and unity is the goal; for the West, unity is the departure point and plurality is the goal. The same is true of their respective trinitarian doctrines: the pitfall for the Latins to avoid has always been Monarchianism, i.e., excessive insistence on unity; for the Greeks, on the contrary, it has been tritheism, i.e., excessive insistence on distinction. The call to unity for the two "sister" churches arises from the very profundity of the mystery that we both venerate. In a fully achieved unity, each church would conform and make the other whole, preserving both from the risk to which each is exposed.

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Ernesta

Cecilia Beaux, Ernesta (also known as "Child with Nurse"), 1894
via Wikipedia

This little lady has a look of our goddaughter so I just couldn't resist.

The Trinity, Part II - Profound Peace and Unity

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

... all three are wearing blue garments as a sign of the divine nature they have in common. But on top of or underneath the blue garments, each one has a distincitive color: the Father, the angel to the left, has an indefinable color almost of pure light as a sign of his invisibility and inaccessibility. The Son, in the center, is wearing a dark tunic as a sign of the humanity with which he has clothed himself. The Holy Spirit, the angel to the right, wears a green mantle as a sign of life, since he is "the one who gives life." ...

One thing is especially striking as we contemplate Rublev's icon: the profound peace and unity that emanate from the whole. A silent cry comes forth from the icon: "Be one as we are one." The saint for whose monastery the icon was painted, St. Sergius of Radonezh, is known in Russian history for having brought unity among warring chieftains and for having thus made possible the liberation of Russia from the Tartars, who had invaded it. His motto was that "through the contemplation of the most Holy Trinity we can overcome the hateful divisions of this world."

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Still Life with Eggs

Georg Flegel (1566-1638), Still Life With Eggs
Source, via Lines and Colors

This looks both soothing and delicious. I don't know why I love looking at it but I do.

The Trinity, Part I - In Eastern Spirituality

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

To get to the heart of Eastern and Western spirituality, we can take as our starting point the artistic representation of the Trinity that is the most typical for each of the two churches.

For the Orthodox Church, that would certainly be Rublev's icon of the Trinity...

One thing should be said immediately about this icon. It does not purport to directly represent the Trinity, which is, by definition, invisible and ineffable. Attempting to do so would be contrary to all the canons of Byzantine ecclesiastical iconography. Instead, it depicts the three angels who appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre (see Genesis 18:1-15). In that tradition, before and after Rublev, Abraham, Sarah, the calf and an oak tree often appear. This episode, in fact, is read by the patristic tradition as an early prefigurement of the Trinity. The icon is one of the artistic forms that follow a spiritual reading of the Bible. It is, thus, not the atemporal Trinity that is represented, but the Trinity in salvation history.

All the experts agree that Rublev's icon is the zenith of all iconographic art in terms of its power for theological synthesis, its richness of symbols, and its artistic beauty. It conveys the very rhythm of trinitarian life. Unceasing motion and superhuman stillness, transcendence and condescendence, are simultaneously represented.

The dogma of the unity and trinity of God is expressed by the fact that the three Persons represented are distinct but closely resemble each other. They are contained within a circle that highlights their unity. They are contained within a circle that highlights their unity, but their diverse motions and postures speak of their differences.

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

I know so little about looking at art that this was a revelation not only for the concept of the Trinity but also for the way to examine what the artist was communicating. More to come in Part II.

San Juan Capistrano Bell

San Juan Capistrano Bell, Belinda Del Pesco

Dor

Dor is the story of two women whose lives become intertwined by dire circumstance (the title means "string," as in the thing that connects people or situations). Meera is a young woman living in the rural desert of Rejasthan state, strictly confined by the customs of her traditional Hindu family. Zeenat, a Muslim, is a more progressive woman from a mountain state to the north.

The two women seemingly have nothing in common, except that Zeenat desperately needs Meera's help to save her husband's life. It is this unlikely connection—and the redemption it offers them both—that is the heart of Dor.

Bollywood Kitchen

This is a hard one to describe without giving too much of the plot away, which is interesting considering it comes off as a quiet little movie. But the director/writer managed to pack in a lot of story while still focusing on the two women whose lives are the center of it. We were captivated. Definitely recommended.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

Hannah and Rose discuss Dor in episode 52 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity

I wrote this for a past series of bulletin inserts. Holy Trinity Sunday is approaching and since trying to wrap one's brain around the concept of the Trinity is so difficult for me, I thought that y'all might like this too.

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Blessed Trinity. This, the ineffable mystery of God's intimate life, is the central truth of our faith and the source of all gifts and graces. The liturgy of the Mass invites us to loving union with each of the Three Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This feast was established for the Latin Church by Pope John XXII, to be celebrated on the Sunday after the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is the last of the mysteries of our salvation. Today we can say many times, savoring it, the prayer: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

[St. Teresa] writes: Once when I was reciting the "Quicumque vult," I was shown so clearly how it was possible for there to be one God alone and three Persons that it caused me both amazement and much comfort. It was of the greatest help to me in teaching me to know more of the greatness of God and of his marvels. When I think of the most Holy Trinity, or hear it spoken of, I seem to understand how there can be such a mystery, and it is a great joy to me.

The whole of a Christian's supernatural life is directed towards this knowledge of and intimate conversation with the Trinity, who become eventually the fruit and the end of our whole life (St. Thomas). It is for this end that we have been created and raised to the supernatural order: to know, to talk to and to love God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, who dwell in the soul in grace.

In Conversation With God Vol 6
Special Feasts: January - June

===================

Trinity Sunday celebrates the most profound mystery of our faith: The Holy Trinity, the presence of God as Three in One. It is called a mystery not because it is a puzzle that we attempt to solve, but because it is a reality above our human comprehension. We may begin to grasp it intellectually, but ultimately must accept that we can only know the Holy Trinity through worship, symbol, and faith. What a challenge this poses for the Christian believer who knows and accepts the Holy Trinity dwells in our soul in grace, but also calls us to a relationship with Him. How do we do this? In our limited state, how can we know and love a mystery?

We do this through the small daily actions we can take of meditating on instructions on the Faith and reciting prayers composed in honor of the Trinity. For instance, although we recite it so often that it tends to slide by our consciousness, the Glory Be invites grace into our souls when we pray:

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

Certainly, we cannot hope to know the Holy Trinity unless God himself reaches out to us first and helps us along the way. Making ourselves open to God and raising our hearts to Him in petition, we can join in this prayer:

My Lord and my God, my only hope, hear my prayer so that I may not give in to discouragement and cease to seek you. May I desire always to see your face. Give me strength for the search. You who caused me to find you and gave the hope of a more perfect knowledge of you, I place before you my steadfastness, that you may preserve it, and my weakness, that you may heal it. I place before you my knowledge, and my ignorance. If you open the door to me, welcome the one who enters. If you have closed the gate, open it to the one who calls. Make me always remember you, understand you and love you. Increase those gifts in me until I am completely changed.

When we come into your presence, these many things we talk about now without understanding them will cease, and you alone will remain everything in everyone, and then we will sing as one an eternal hymn of praise and we too will become one with you.

St. Augustine, De Trinitate, 15, 28, 51

Lent by Jo Walton

Young Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.

It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will. It’s a miracle that he’s friends with Pico della Mirandola, the Count of Concordia. It’s a miracle that when Girolamo visits the deathbed of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” the dying Medici is wreathed in celestial light, a surprise to everyone, Lorenzo included. It’s a miracle that when Charles VIII of France invades northern Italy, Girolamo meets him in the field, and convinces him to not only spare Florence but also protect it. It’s a miracle than whenever Girolamo preaches, crowds swoon. It’s a miracle that, despite the Pope’s determination to bring young Girolamo to heel, he’s still on the loose… and, now, running Florence in all but name.

That’s only the beginning. Because Girolamo is not who—or what—he thinks he is. He will discover the truth about himself at the most startling possible time.

How do I write about this book? It feels like a work of genius and I am badly in need of someone to discuss a few things with. However, until I have a friend who has also read it, this inadequate review will have to do.

The book description tells the story just adequately enough to give you a sense of the atmosphere without spoiling the story. The main character, devout and talented priest Girolamo, can see demons and cast them into Hell. He's got the gift of prophecy. He is also a most appealing character as we watch him try to make Florence into the Ark of God.

This seems an unlikely topic for fantasy writer Jo Walton but she does love to take a topic and dive deep while she adds fantastic layers which enliven while adding insight to the main theme. Consequently, Lent is a melange of 15th century Catholic theology, Florentine and Vatican politics, demons, Hell, metaphysics, and friendship.

Above all, surprisingly, it is a meditation on what it means to love God and what it means to be threatened with losing Him. I've seen a few reviewers say they're unclear about the point of the book, but to this Catholic it seems clear. And I like what I see. Even if you don't agree with me, you will be left with a lot of food for thought wrapped in an entertaining story. Highly recommended.

EXTRA
These images and comments from Jo Walton are fascinating. Best viewed after reading the book so no spoilers creep in.

Woohoo for our power going on this morning!

Dallas had a whale of a wind storm, with torrential rain, and a lot of us were without power. Ours came back on this morning, though the power company (using text wisely and well) warned we may have other outages as problems down the line come to light. Plenty of others don't have power still, including our next door neighbor who is on a different power line.

Hannah and Mark, as arborist employees, were out last night until dark giving estimates and lining up lists for the crews to tackle this morning. When the storm was still raging Hannah had had three texts and an email beginning the onslaught of work needed. It never occurred to me before she became an arborist that there are other emergency workers than power or first responders who have to jump into action when a big storm comes. Her car is flooded in their apartment garage so they borrowed Tom's car so they could start work yesterday.

We are lucky because our power is on, a cold front followed the storm so the house was quite comfortable, we have a gas stove so I felt like a pioneer woman cooking dinner last night with no other power ... and our refrigerator and freezer held the chill well ... though we did have an impromptu sundae party last night as our ice cream took on soft serve texture. And we lit all our emergency candles (votives, tapers, and one pillar candle) and sat talking in the soft light.

A Sense of Place

The temperature has dropped and the smell of the corn in the cooler air is even more wonderful than before. Birds are flying overhead—veering specks too high for me to know what they are—and the sky is very pale, nearly colorless, turning to pale pink down near the band of soft gray-green haze that marks the horizon. The trees there, on the horizon, and a scattering of farm buildings and a silo seem to float in the haze, suspended and unearthly, as if in a mirage.

David McCullough, Brave Companions

This writing is so evocative. I know that feeling, that place, even though I've not been to that specific one. But I've been to the Kansas heartland, driven empty roads between small towns, experienced it. My memories entail wheat fields with waves like a golden ocean as the wind drives through it. It carries me back in time.