Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo

In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.— C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

I remember being surprised and interested to learn that Dorothy Sayers and C.S. Lewis were friends who exchanged comments about writing and many other things in their acquaintance. I was intrigued by the idea of what the famous mystery writer and a famous Inkling had to discuss. That's because, while I knew a lot about C.S. Lewis's life, I knew only the basics about Dorothy Sayers. I'd forgotten that when she'd taken the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries as far as she felt she could, Sayers turned to writing theological books and plays, translating Dante, and in general serving her Christian faith. So, of course, she and Lewis were on the same path.

This book does a good job of tracking their friendship, what it meant to each of them, and how they supported and critiqued each other's work. It also does a good job of giving brief but comprehensive biographies for each, so I learned a lot more about Sayers' life. And, in the context of that friendship, it helped me see C.S. Lewis more clearly.

There is an emphasis throughout holding up Sayers' and Lewis's friendship as an ideal proving that men and women can be friends without succumbing to sexual attraction. The idea that my friendship with a man would lead to us automatically flinging ourselves into each other's arms was a very strange idea to me. I understand prudently keeping an eye on anything that might strike a spark. It is a very rare circumstance in my experience. I actually tend to have as many male as female friends. However, I discovered it is evidently a well known assumption in some Evangelical circles. So much so that you should've seen the Facebook page for the book launch light up with passionate (haha) arguments about the book promoting incorrect ideas. It doesn't detract from the book overall but it is an odd thread woven throughout. And I suppose if this is a thing you care about, then this book will be of extra interest.

All things considered, I enjoyed filling in the story of these strong-minded but mutually respectful famous friends. Their friendship is the sort that I have with a few people myself and I liked reading it.

If You Can Get It by Brendan Hodge

Jen Nilsson has an MBA, a nice condo, and a fast-track Silicon Valley job. Then her sister, Katie blows through the front door, dumping cardboard boxes and drama onto Jen’s just-swept floor.

Maybe Jen can turn aimless Katie into a model adult. But when her own life hurtles off the tracks, Jen turns to Katie for support and begins to reassess the place of family, and love, in her life.

I couldn't put this book down, which is really surprising when you consider it is the sort of story that I usually avoid (2 sisters making their way in the modern world today).

These sisters are polar opposites who are 10 years apart, so there is a generation gap also. We follow Jen through career crises which shake her confidence in herself. Her experience in China made me laugh. I can easily believe the scenario is true to life. I really liked all the business experiences — they were well explained and I was on board. Meanwhile, Katie plays X-box all day until told to get a job. Which she breezily does at a Starbucks. I liked watching Katie find her levels of competence, none of which had to do with a job in the business world.

The parents are no help. They recently found deep faith and are creeping the girls out with their holier-than-thou-ness and convenient lack of memory about early parenting failures. (I especially enjoyed that reminder for us faithful in the completely secular world. As Blaise Pascal said, "One must have deeper motives and judge everything accordingly, but go on talking like an ordinary person.")

The publisher compares Jen and Katie to the sisters in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. (I'd say the book is more like Emma, actually, considering Jen's journey from having the perfect life to realizing others might have more on the ball than she thought.)

Thinking of that helped me see why I liked this book. Jane Austen talked about normal, ordinary life with regular people who were out of money, had lost their boyfriends, had silly parents, and who thought they were in control of their lives. This book is the same sort of story. It is not Jane Austen to be sure. But it doesn't try to be. In some senses it reminds me of the gentle novels by Elizabeth Caddell or Enchanted April or Miss Buncle's Book. Although it is not those novels either. They are hard to categorize and so is the appeal of this one.

Author Brendan Hodge is weaving threads of providence, faith, and how to best live a fulfilling life. Those things are often found in domesticity, the work-a-day world, and family. This story does that very well.

Definitely recommended.

Christ and the Woman of Samaria

Christ and the Woman of Samaria, c. 1619-20
Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)

Tom and I took a day trip to Fort Worth last Saturday. We went to the Kimball Museum and the Amon Carter Museum. Both were free and it was lovely to be able to wander around on a long date, albeit with masks most of the time.

Standing face to face with this large painting, I was captured by the expressions. I'm familiar with the story but hadn't ever imagined it, hadn't thought at all about the mood of the conversation. Here we see the woman drinking in Christ's words with an open, intelligent expression. She's captivated. Her face is in the dark but the light is creeping over it slowly as she begins to understand. Christ has a thoughtful, tender look and you feel his gentle sincerity. Of course, his face is in the light.

The flavor of scripture

To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches.

Saint John Chrysostom

The Art Critics

The Art Critics by Michael Ancher
via Gandalf's Gallery

Second Hand Booksellers

Second Hand Booksellers, Spring by T. F. Šimon

Mr. Pancks, whose resources seemed equal to any emergency...

I am always fascinated by how sharply Charles Dickens can draw minor characters. Mr. Pancks is one of my favorites from Little Dorrit. He is immensely practical and I really love the way he handles Mr. F's Aunt in this scene. She obviously has some form of senile dementia and he is completely unflustered while surprising the reader (or at least me) with his solution.

“Therefore Flora said, though still not without a certain boastfulness and triumph in her legacy, that Mr F.'s Aunt was 'very lively to-day, and she thought they had better go.' But Mr F.'s Aunt proved so lively as to take the suggestion in unexpected dudgeon and declare that she would not go; adding, with several injurious expressions, that if 'He'--too evidently meaning Clennam--wanted to get rid of her, 'let him chuck her out of winder;' and urgently expressing her desire to see 'Him' perform that ceremony.

In this dilemma, Mr Pancks, whose resources appeared equal to any emergency in the Patriarchal waters, slipped on his hat, slipped out at the counting-house door, and slipped in again a moment afterwards with an artificial freshness upon him, as if he had been in the country for some weeks. 'Why, bless my heart, ma'am!' said Mr Pancks, rubbing up his hair in great astonishment, 'is that you?

How do you do, ma'am? You are looking charming to-day! I am delighted to see you. Favour me with your arm, ma'am; we'll have a little walk together, you and me, if you'll honour me with your company.' And so escorted Mr F.'s Aunt down the private staircase of the counting-house with great gallantry and success.

Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

Gospel of Matthew: The Irony of the Pharisees' Decision

Matthew 12:14

This is a familiar story for us. In the temple, on the sabbath, the Pharisees ask Jesus, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" There was a man with a withered hand in the synagogue and after responding to them with a question, Jesus heals the man. The Pharisees then resolve to put Jesus to death. Perhaps because this is so very familiar, I never caught the irony that George Martin points out below.

Christ healing the man with a withered hand, Byzantine mosaic.

Matthew does recount the reaction of those who had questioned Jesus about healing on the Sabbath. But the Pharisees went our and took counsel against him to put him to death. The phrase, "put him to death" could also be translated, "destroy him." By doing good and showing mercy on the Sabbath, Jesus has put his own life in danger. This is the first notice in Matthew's gospel that Jesus has mortal enemies. It is deeply ironic that those who consider healing a violation of the Sabbath then hatch deadly plans on the Sabbath. ...

Quote is from Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life by George Martin. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

City News and Coney Island Diner

Neon signs, Mansfield, Ohio - City News and Coney Island Diner
Photographer: Brian Butko, Creative Commons License, some rights reserved

I love these old neon signs.

Independence

From my quote journal. This works no matter what the source, but it had extra resonance when I read it in The Last Monk of Tibhirine.

Independence is not freedom.

Elisabeth Lafourcade

Listen Up: Morning Glory

Gloria Purvis, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Msgr. Charles Pope, Fr. Bjorn Lundberg, Fr. Vincent De Rosa are talking about everything important to today's Catholic: Prayer, Life, the Church, Family, and the Culture.

This is essentially an hour-long Catholic morning show, hosted by Gloria Purvis and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers. There is always a third person joining them, usually a priest. They will discuss a current news topic including things like statues being removed, Black Lives Matter protests, and the Supreme Court decision for the Little Sisters of the Poor. Sometimes the current topic is not specifically tied to a headline, such as discussions about food deserts, authentic feminism, or Catholic responses to immigration.

They also will have brief psalm readings to open each half hour (the show is an hour long) and talk about Catholic stuff like devotions to help Monday morning back-to-work stress, how to talk to fallen away friends about the faith, or why nuns wear habits. Often there is a "saint of the day" discussion and they are good about tying them into real life issues or that day's topics. It is a really nice blend and I enjoy the hosts, who are very personable.

I first heard of Morning Glory via an editorial at Our Sunday Visitor after the show was dropped by a major Catholic radio network for being "uncomfortable to listen to." I'd never heard of the show and even if I had this wasn't one I would have tried. I don't love morning shows, news talk, or Catholic talk shows and I don't have a lot of listening time. I mean, how am I going to fit in Rachel Watches Star Trek if I spend all my time listening to EWTN? Priorities, people!

However, I was intrigued by an EWTN show that was so topical (and controversial?) that it was dropped like a hot potato. So I tried an episode about statues being removed. And was pleasantly surprised by the nuanced response, the informed give-and-take of the discussion, and the Catholic take on everything. I might not always agree in the details with someone's take but for the big picture, I was in agreement. They also don't talk everything to death. There is just enough coverage to give food for thought and then they're on to something different.

So I tried another. And then another. With each show my liking grew. I may not keep up with each and every day's show, but there is always a Morning Glory on my iPod for easy access.

Their website is here. It's available as a daily podcast through iTunes or various podcast providers.

Go Away - in hard language

How do you tell a man to go away in hard language? Scram, beat it, take off, take the air, on your way, dangle, hit the road, and so forth. All good enough. But give me the classic expression actually used by Spike O'Donnell (of the O'Donnell brothers of Chicago, the only small outfit to tell the Capone mob to go to hell and live). What he said was: "Be missing." The restraint of it is deadly.

Raymond Chandler in a letter to his British publisher

Rivals

Henry Woods - Rivals [1891]
Via Gandalf's Gallery

This makes me laugh at myself. The young man in the painting is smoking. However, to my modern eyes it looks for all the world as if he is on a smartphone.

Rouen Cathedral series

Claude Monet did a famous series painting the facade of the Rouen Cathedral studying the changes that time of day and light make to appearance. I love these. See more images and read more here.

What is an apostle really?

What is an apostle really? ... It is difficult even to consider them "great religious personalities," if by this we mean bearers of inherent spiritual talents. John and Paul were probably exceptions, but we only risk misunderstanding them both by overstating this. On the whole, we do the apostle no service by considering him a great religious personality. This attitude is usually the beginning of unbelief. Personal importance, spiritual creativeness, dynamic faith are not decisive in his life. What counts is that Jesus Christ has called him, pressed his seal upon him, and sent him forth. ... It is not he who speaks, but Christ in him.

Romano Guardini, The Lord

Corn Off the Cob

When you suddenly realize your one big pot is being used for something else, what do you do with corn on the cob? You take it off the cob and remember that fresh corn is another thing which frozen cannot substitute for.

Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Marguerite

Marguerite (1878) by Hugues Merle
Via Books and Art

You don't have to feel sorry to be sorry.

Sincere sorrow for sin does not necessarily require having to feel sorry. Just like love, sorrow is an act of the will, not a feeling. And in the same way as one can love God deeply without any emotional reaction, one can also be truly sorry for sin without experiencing anything sentimental. Real sorrow is seen principally in the way one unhesitatingly avoids all occasions of offending God and is ready to do specific acts of penance for any infidelities committed. These are the things to help us atone for the punishment our sins deserve, to overcome bad inclinations, and to strengthen us in doing good.

What are the acts of penance that are pleasing to God? they are: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, small mortifications, putting up patiently with the disappointments and difficulties of life, being ready to accept the monotonous aspects of our job and the tiredness that is part and parcel of work. In particular, we should always be ready and eager to go to Confession well, truly sorry for our faults and sins.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God,

Vol. 4, Ordinary Time: Weeks 13-23

Lady with a Monkey on the Pier

Port Aransas, 1949. Via Traces of Texas

So many questions. First, that outfit. Second, the monkey.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #15 — Friday Night Lights

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

15. Friday Night Lights

Texas, football, Billy Bob Thornton ... 'nuff said.

Well, maybe that's not enough for most people so I will 'splain.

Thornton is the coach of the Odessa, Texas, football team during a season where they have a shot at the championship. The locals are football crazy, especially as their economy has seen better days and this is their one outlet and hope for their children's futures. The fast, gritty, "real", jump-cut documentary-type style helps give a true sense-of-place. We see the coach's struggles on many levels as well as those of the players ... and it is a pretty accurate look at how Texans feel about football.

A memory of holiness

Alai suddenly kissed Ender on the cheek and whispered in his ear. "Salaam." Then, red faced, he turned away and walked to his own bed at the back of the barracks. Ender guessed that the kiss and the word were somehow forbidden. A suppressed religion, perhaps. Or maybe the word had some private and powerful meaning for Alai alone. Whatever it meant to Alai, Ender knew that it was sacred; that he had uncovered himself for Ender, as once Ender's mother had done when he was very young, before they put the monitor in his neck, and she had put her hands on his head when she thought he was asleep, and prayed over him. Ender had never spoken of that to anyone, not even to Mother, but had kept it as a memory of holiness, of how his mother loved him when she thought that no one, not even he, could see or hear. That was what Alai had given him: a gift so sacred that even Ender could not be allowed to understand what it meant.

Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

I love the idea about why Ender's mother's love and Alai's gift of himself is so sacred.

Summer Evening Whinchat

Summer Evening Whinchat, Remo Savisaar

What are the devil's usual effects?

What are [the devil's] usual effects? ... He is often called diabolos in the Greek of the New Testament, a word derived from dia-balein, (to throw apart, to scatter). God is a great gathering force, for by his very nature he is love; but the devil’s work is to sunder, to set one against the other. Whenever communities, families, nations, churches are divided, we sniff out the diabolic. The other great New Testament name for the devil is ho Satanas, which means “the accuser.” Perform a little experiment: gauge how often in the course of the day you accuse another person of something or find yourself accused. It’s easy enough to notice how often dysfunctional families and societies finally collapse into an orgy of mutual blaming. That’s satanic work.

Bishop Robert Barron,

Word on Fire Bible, commentary on Mark 6:6-13

Decks Awash

Montague Dawson - Decks Awash
via Gandalf's Gallery

Thursday

Thursday by Walter Dendy Sadler (1880)

This makes me smile —and it is supposed to. It is from My Daily Art Display which has a good piece on Walter Dendy Sadler.

Many of Sadler’s humorous paintings featured monks and monastic life. In his 1880 painting, Thursday, which is also known as 'Tomorrow will be Friday', he depicts a group of Franciscan monks fishing. These friars were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays, as a reminder that Friday was the day when Christ was crucified.

The "no meat" Fridays are still in effect for Catholics these days, by the way, though it is often mistakenly thought that rule was dropped after Vatican II. Read more here.

The Rocket

Edward Middleton Manigault, The Rocket, 1909
via Arts Everyday Living

Gospel of Matthew: Gut-Wrenching Compassion

Matthew 9:36

Translations that say Jesus was "moved" or "felt compassion" aren't really conveying the depth of the original Greek.

The Resurrection of the Widow's Son at Nain, James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

When Jesus saw the crowd of ordinary men and women, he was moved with compassion. The word which is used for moved with compassion (splagchnistheis) is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. It is formed from the word splagchna, which means the bowels, and it describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being. In the gospels, apart from its use in some of the parables, it is used only of Jesus (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13). When we study these passages, we are able to see the things which moved Jesus most of all.

So that's our homework. Go look up those passages and see what moves Jesus to the depths of pity.

It is rich food for thought to me to consider that he was moved so much by people who were like sheep with no shepherd. That is equal to some of the other, possibly more understandable things that moved him so. I think of how it was when I was like one of those sheep and how happy I was to find that shepherd. How many of the people we know are the same? Searching, bewildered and dejected.

Quote is from Daily Study Bible Series: Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 by William Barclay. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

Jesus Calming the Storm

Lu Hongnian, 20th century, Chinese, Jesus Calming The Storm
via J.R.'s Art Place

I really love depictions of scriptural events by people from different cultures, especially those focusing on Jesus. Fascinating to see how recognizable the event is and to see the differences in how we'd usually see it depicted. For example — those waves!

Our soul's home

Prayer is not a stratagem for occasional use, a refuge to resort to now and then. It is rather like an established residence for the innermost self. All things have a home: the bird has a nest, the fox has a hole, the bee has a hive. A soul without prayer is a soul without a home.

Abraham Heschel,

Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity

Making life easier, not making life harder

We should always try to relieve others from whatever seems to weigh them down, just as Christ would have done in our place. Sometimes this will mean our doing some small act of service. At times it will mean giving a word of encouragement or of hope. at others we will help someone to glance up at the Master so that he comes to see his situation in a more positive light; it may be a situation which had seemed to overwhelm him simply because up till then he had felt he must face it alone. We should think too of those aspects of our behaviour with which sometimes, without really meaning to, we make life a little harder for others ... our whims and fancies, our rash judgements, negative criticism, an lack of consideration for others, an unkind word ...

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, vol. 4,
Ordinary Time: Weeks 13-23

Back Yard Happy Hour

Back Yard Happy Hour, Belinda Del Pesco

Missing Peace by N.K. Holt

The McKay family's idyllic life in Iowa is about to implode.

A mysterious rosary found by soldier John McKay in war-torn Iraq foreshadows an obscure prophecy. As the rosary’s mystique grows globally, his sister, Janey McKay, is threatened when a radical extremist group escalates the stakes by expanding their fight to the U.S. heartland.

But can terror destroy a faith that launches miracles?

This book is essentially an inspirational story wrapped in the tale of searching for a mysterious and miraculous rosary's origins. The main characters are a brother and sister from a solid, Catholic midwestern farming family, a Texas soldier without any family, and a priest struggling with thriving in a new assignment.

It is told in a basic, straight-forward style that I associate with Louis L'Amour westerns (which I like) or adventures from the early 1900s (which I love). You're not coming to this for high literary style. You're coming to it to follow the trail of the old beggar, his mysterious rosary, and the flash of green light that occasionally accompanies miracles. At least that's what held my interest. There is also a family saga of sorts and a love story, both of which I was much less interested in but which were good in their own ways. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Full disclosure - this was a review copy.

The Gateway, Tangier

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Gateway, Tangier

Gospel of Matthew: Everyone Who Acknowledges Me

Matthew 10:26-33

Chapter 10 has Jesus' exhortation telling his followers not to be afraid. At the end of this section his comments suddenly change focus from God to himself ... and in that he reveals something more of himself to us.

Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255–1319), Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles

32 Jesus adds a final reason for his disciples' carrying out the mission he gives them with confidence instead of fear. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. Acknowledging Jesus before others broadly includes the disciples' public witness and more narrowly refers to their testimony before tribunals (10:17-18). Jesus speaks of his disciples acknowledging me: after his resurrection, the message his disciples will proclaim will center on Jesus more than on the coming of the kingdom (see Acts 2:36, for example). Jesus promises that those who acknowledge him to others he will acknowledge before his heavenly Father. Jesus will make his acknowledgment at the last judgment, when God will sort out good from evil. Jesus will claim as his own those who acknowledged that they belonged ot him. He adverts to his special standing with God, whom he speaks of as my heavenly Father. Jesus is not an ordinary defense witness but the beloved Son of the Father (3:17). Because Jesus will vouch for them at the last judgment, his disciples can proclaim him and his message without fear, despite whatever persecution they encounter.

For reflection: How have I acknowledged Jesus by my words? by my actions?

Quote is from Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

The Banjo Lesson

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson

A Movie You Might Have Missed #14: How to Murder Your Wife

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

14. How to Murder Your Wife

Tom and I both remembered this movie from our childhoods and it was even funnier than I remembered. Jack Lemmon is a cartoonist and the ultimate New York playboy who, in a drunken interlude at a bachelor's party, marries the girl who pops out of the cake. She disappears after he has fantasized about killing her in his comic strip and he soon finds himself on trial for murder.

The movie not only satirizes the proverbial "battle of the sexes" a la 1965 but the stereotypes of many other things as well. It is, literally, laugh out loud funny. A special pleasure is Terry Thomas as Lemmon's valet who is entirely too bloodthirsty for comfort at the idea of murdering Lemmon's wife.

It is seriously politically incorrect so you really have to keep the satire in mind, depending on your mindset and ability to remember the common context of the 1960s.

Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City

Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Well Said: A Marked Stop Brings Right Perception

Taking into account where he was, the interest that had first brought him there when he had been free to keep away, and the gentle presence that was equally inseparable from the walls and bars about him and from the impalpable remembrances of his later life which no walls nor bars could imprison, it was not remarkable that everything his memory turned upon should bring him round again to Little Dorrit. Yet it was remarkable to him; not because of the fact itself; but because of the reminder it brought with it, how much the dear little creature had influenced his better resolutions.

None of us clearly know to whom or to what we are indebted in this wise, until some marked stop in the whirling wheel of life brings the right perception with it. It comes with sickness, it comes with sorrow, it comes with the loss of the dearly loved, it is one of the most frequent uses of adversity.

Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

I read this to Tom and he said, "That is just simply true." Yes. It is. Little Dorrit ... what a book.

The Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation

I have really enjoyed Henry Ossawa Tanner's art ever since I first came across it a couple of years ago. I'll be running a short series of his work.

You can see other paintings and learn more about the artist at my daily art display which has begun a series on Tanner ... that's what reminded me to post some of his work now.

George Floyd, the Catholic Response, and Where It Leaves Us

I received an email from a long-time reader who said that the recent news about George Floyd has been blasting from most news sources almost nonstop but he is greatly disappointed with the lack of Catholic response to the murder. And specifically from Happy Catholic.

It is nice that my reader is under the misapprehension that this is a popular or well-known blog simply because I've been around since 2004. Actually, I am not used to anyone asking or caring what I think about news items. Broad news items are are not really my focus which is why I haven't brought up opinions about politics or COVID-19 tactics. Generally when I speak up about current events it is because of things that are specifically Catholic such as  outrage over how many people knew about Cardinal McCarrick's involvement in the sex scandals and said nothing. It may be minimal, but it is there.

George Floyd's terrible murder as well as that of others have preyed much upon my mind and have been the subject of many of my prayers (specifically Sandra Bland whose death has haunted me ever since it happened). I also have been praying a lot for police officers, both for the good ones who do the right thing and for the bad ones to have their eyes and hearts opened.

My reader's pastor may have been lack-luster in his comments, but Catholic priests and bishops around the country have been vocal.

Here are a few key links that will lead you to further reading.

• Pope Francis and U.S. Bishops Respond to George Floyd's Killing - YouTube and not too long. I liked the 5 takeaway points.
• Open Wide Our Hearts: the enduring call to love. a pastoral letter against racism. In 2018, the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) published this 32 page reflection and call to action against racism. 
• Killing of George Floyd exposes blind spot on racism, Catholic advocates say - from Crux Now where there are other good pieces
• Pentecost and the Fires in Our Cities - Word on Fire. The George Floyd connection is in the last two paragraphs, but gets right to the point.
• Catholic leaders are reacting to the George Floyd case. Here’s what they’re saying. - America Magazine which has a good sampling with pull quotes from a wide range of leaders.
  
• USCCB and (Arch)Diocesan Statements on the Death of George Floyd and National Protests. Wow. So many statements.
  

Catholic clergy is not just writing and talking. They are walking too. This inspired me.

Clergy in Minnesota, including the Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, participated in a silent walking protest June 2 to pray at the location where George Floyd died in police custody. Archbishop Hebda offered a Mass for the soul of George Floyd and for his family May 27.

Source

So where does this leave us?

If you are dissatisfied with a lack of comment or direction or action — then you are the one who has noticed. You are the one God has given this job to.

Meet with your pastor about what your parish can do. Don't ask what are the bishops doing. There are 264 of them in this country. There are millions of lay Catholics. What are each of us doing?

Simply by raising the point you are giving your pastor information — that people want more. Working together with our priests and bishops is when we make a difference as Catholics.

Busy Time

Busy Time, Remo Savisaar

How and why to cook

'Now, just one more question, Mrs. Appleyard,' the Editor said, hoping she would break another cookie. 'I've heard it said that a well-known painter when asked what he mixed his paints with, said "With brains." Now do you feel that--to sum up what you've told me--people should cook with brains? May I quote you?'

Mrs. Appleyard put another batch of cookies into the oven.

'Brains are not enough,' she said. 'You have to like things: the dishes you cook with, the people you buy the butter from, the field where the crows fly over the corn and the wind that blows through their wings. You have to like the table you put the food on, and the people who sit around it. Yes, even when they tip back in your Hitchcock chairs, you have to like them. You don't just like how the food tastes--you like how it looks and smells and how the egg beater sounds. You like the rhythm of chopping and the throb of the teakettle lid. You like to test the frying pan with water and see it run around like quicksilver. You like the shadow in pewter and the soft gleam of silver and the sharp flash of glass. You like the feel of damask napkins and the shadows of flowers on a white cloth. You like people eating in their best clothes in candlelight, and in their dungarees on a beach in the broiling sun, or under a pine tree in the rain.

'You like the last moment before a meal is served when the hollandaise thickens, the steak comes sputtering out of the broiler, the cream is cooked into the potatoes and the last drop of water is cooked out of the peas.' Here she was silent long enough to take the correctly lacy and golden cookies off the pan. 'Not with brains,' she repeated, putting down the spatula. 'With love.'

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Cookbook

Exiles and fresh fish

Noone who has ever lived by the sea feels quite at home when fish comes out of a can. The first thing these exiles ask for on coming home is fish. When Hugh came in from the West the other day, Mrs. and Mrs. Appleyard did not even with until they got him out of the South Station, but rushed hi into the oyster bar and revived him with a dozen freshly opened raw oysters. It was pleasant to see the color flow back into the boy's pale cheeks and the sparkle return to his lustreless eyes.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

A Movie You Might Have Missed #13: Bullets Over Broadway

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

13. Bullets Over Broadway

A struggling playwright (John Cusak) is forced to cast a gangster's moll in the star part of his play in order to get it produced in the Roaring 20's New York. The moll is talentless and the playwright soon discovers that one of her assigned bodyguards has more writing talent than he does. Cusak's character soon falls for an aging diva whose attentions just add to the confusion.

A light, slapstick piece, this is one of Woody Allen's best films, perhaps because he isn't in it. It also raises good questions about the artist's debt to the creative muse and the price one pays to create.

Mayan Ruins

Mayan Ruins, Yucatan, Robert S. Duncanson

Gospel of Matthew: Sharing a meal with sinners

Matthew 9:9-13

After Matthew was called by Jesus, they went together to Matthew's for dinner. And the Pharisees get their knickers in a twist, though you notice they pick on the disciples about it, not on Jesus directly.

I knew that Jesus having a meal with sinners is showing the world that he isn't ashamed to be seen with them, to treat them as brothers. However, I think it really sank in that Jesus is expressing a covenant relationship with these sinners. Or maybe it is that my understanding of covenant is much deeper than it used to be.

It also made me reflect more on the covenant and shared life I experience within the Church when I take communion during Mass. Again, this is something I knew. But this made me really think about it on a deeper level somehow.

The Meal in the House of Matthew (Le repas chez Mathieu), James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

Tax collectors were typically associated with sinners. Working for Herod Antipas, tax collectors in Galilee were viewed as traitors to God's people. They also were known for demanding more money than they weree supposed to collect. Jesus' calling Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple would have been surprising; again it signals that christ has come to be a light to all the world, not just to the upright. Also scandalous is that Jesus goes to Matthew's house for a meal. In ancient Judaism, table fellowship expressed covenant solidarity. Shared food and drink symbolized a shared life. By sharing a meal with many tax collectors and sinners, Jesus identifies himself with these covenant outsiders and welcomes them into his kingdom.

Quote is from Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri. This series first ran in 2008. I'm refreshing it as I go.

I am trying to think of the last time I waited so excitedly for a chance to sit down and read the Bible.

That's because my new Word on Fire Bibles arrived. We got the evangelization pack which had one leather-bound version and 4 paperback copies.

As soon as the box was opened we all began excitedly showing each other various features.

It is above and beyond anything I could have asked for myself. I mean to say, they designed a typeface for the pull-quotes. That is my kind of commitment to beauty.

Even the paperback is really great, which is what I'd expect but I was curious to see for myself. The pages are high quality paper, the gold type is there just as in the leather version. I was wondering if it would stay open in your hand without forcing the spine — and it does!

I've dipped in a little here and there and the commentary is as good as the design and thought provoking yet accessible.

It truly is, as they said when it was announced, a cathedral in print. Thank you, Bishop Barron!

They are sold out but are taking orders for the reprint. Here's the video in case you missed it before.

Word on Fire Bible

Eating the food of the country where you happen to be

For people who never live somewhere near the sea, Mrs. Appleyard has a profound pity. Fortunately most of the inland dwellers do not need the pity because they do not know what they are missing. fish that has to travel on ice for days is satisfactory to them, and that is quite all right with Mrs. Appleyard so long as she doesn't have to have an of it.

Eastern lobster pursues the traveller across the continent and is even offered as a great delicacy on the Pacific coast, Mrs. Appleyard discovered recently. She had to use considerable ingenuity to avoid it and to get chili con carne instead. She believes in eating the food of the country where she happens to be. The food of Kansas, for instance, is definitely not lobster, but Mrs. Appleyard had a steak in Kansas once that was a pattern by which all steaks, past and future, will not be judged.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

"Sometimes you put off a book review because you are nervous that you will not do it justice."

That's how Jeff Miller (a.k.a. The Curt Jester in Catholic blogging) begins his review of Thus Sayeth the Lord. I couldn't be more complimented by that sentiment.

I have respected Jeff for so long for his discernment, sense of humor, and love of the faith. For him to give a glowing review such as the one he left on his blog, Amazon and Good Reads means so much to me.

He also touched on something that hasn't been brought up by anyone else.

There is a whimsical aspect to this book that both pulls you in and surprises you. From the typefaces used to the folksy way that Julie naturally communicates you might think that these are just quick summarizations. Easy to digest, but not really serious scholarship and insight. The easy to digest part is correct until you get hit upside-the-head with a flash of insight and you wonder “Why didn’t I notice this before?” Then you start to notice the serious study invested to be able to pass on the work of scriptural scholars.

I myself almost had forgotten the amount of research and study I did into the prophets before I wrote about each one. Thank you Jeff for noticing and reminding me!

Go read the whole review to see what else he points out.

And then get your very own copy!

Cookies and hurly-burly

Cake-baking is an undertaking needing a certain amount of quiet and concentration. Cookies can be made in the middle of any hurly-burly that is going on. There is a game played on the lawn outside the kitchen at Appleyard Centre that is like deck tennis except that it is played with the lid of a tin biscuit can. This pastime, with its accompanying shrieks from the gentler sex and the occasional crash of broken glass, has often been the background for cooky-baking. So have the voices of croquet battlers and of those turning cartwheels, the crack of rifles aimed at tin cans, and the grunts that go with a form of wrestling known as pig-piling. Or, if the weather is rainy those who look forward to dividends of broken cookies crowd into the kitchen, joggle the elbow of the cook and keep her mind active with a peculiarly searching form of Twenty questions. Is is under these circumstances that Mrs. Appleyard turns out a batch of Oatmeal Lace Cookies.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

Family Photo

Family Photo, Remo Savisaar

Some of the best reading in the world is found in cookbooks

Some of the best reading in the world, Mrs Appleyard says, is found in cookbooks. She ought to know because she began to read them as literature long before she took to wielding the egg beater. There have been frequent periods in Mrs. Appleyard's life when she was on short rations. Her doctor has told her to lose three hundred pounds and she has. No, she has not vanished in the process She is still moderately substantial. She has merely lost thirty pounds ten times. During those periods when her too, too solid flesh was melting, she has learned to sublimate her yearnings for chocolate cake and lobster Newburg by reading cookbooks. She has fortunately discovered that she can get a pleasantly stuffed feeling by moving her eyes rapidly from left to right over menus that begin with twenty assorted appetizers and end with Baked Alaska.

Louise Andrews Kent, Mrs. Appleyard's Kitchen

Callooh Callay! Thus Sayeth the Lord print version releases TODAY!

Thus Sayeth the Lord was originally slated to release on March 31 but Covid-19 intervened. The Kindle version has been available but now you can get the print version.

I love the layout on this book and you can get it for yourself now!

Head on over to Amazon and pick up your own copy!

Airlift - an amazing true story in a film Hollywood would be proud to have made

An American's Guide to Bollywood has been sheltering in place, following all of Shah Rukh Khan's helpful tips.

Today they are back! Woohoo!

Hannah and Rose discuss the 2016 Akshay Kumar film Airlift, about the evacuation of 170,000 Indians from Kuwait at the beginning of the Gulf War. This is a family favorite. For one thing, I never knew this happened. Inspiring and historical, plus I love Akshay Kumar and this is one of his best performances.

Hear about it in episode 15.

Brown Bear Cubs

Brown Bear Cubs, Remo Savisaar

Ideology and giving oneself

“Let’s think of that moment when a woman washed the feet of Jesus with the nard, so expensive: it is a religious moment, a moment of gratitude, a moment of love. And he [Judas] stands apart with bitter criticism: ‘But this could have been used for the poor!’ This is the first reference that I have found, in the Gospel, to poverty as an ideology. The ideologue does not know what love is, because he does not know how to give himself.”

Pope Francis, Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday

I never thought about the fact that the very word "ideology" distances one from the issues at hand. It systemizes and organizes and studies with a cool head. At least that's what I picked up when looking up the definition.

Whereas we are called upon to make it personal, to give with our whole hearts, to plunge in up to our elbows, to give of what is precious without counting the cost.

Mastoid (Drinking Cup)

Mastoid (Drinking Cup), 500-480 BC, Athens
via the Art Institute of Chicago

This cup was shaped to fit easily in the drinkers hand, and was likely used as part of the Greek symposium. Much like modern academic symposiums, in which people discuss a topic of common interest, debunking old theories and putting forth new hypotheses; the men of ancient Athens regularly got together in private homes to exchange ideas. Afterward the participants might continue the conversation, discussing their impressions in greater detail or simply socializing over a drink. As the evening progressed, participants engaged in other pleasures, including games, performances, and sex. Wine played a major role in fueling these evenings, and as such the myriad vessels used in the symposium often paid homage to drink.

Here, the god of wine Dionysos rides astride a donkey. Before and behind him satyrs - the gods half man half goat companions - are visually aroused by the scene; while a Maenad - their female counterpart - leads the procession while strumming a lyre. The background of this scene is decorated with winding vines, enforcing the themes of wine, revelry and music.

Art Institute of Chicago

Sometimes History Yells

History does not always repeat itself. Sometimes it just yells, "Can't you remember anything I told you?" and lets fly with a club.

John W. Campbell Jr.

That's why I have so many headaches!

A Movie You Might Have Missed #12 — Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

 

Anyone who enjoyed the Wallace and Gromit shorts will enjoy this. Their British sense of humor and timing ... so funny.

Billed as "the world's first vegetarian horror movie," this finds Wallace and Gromit running a pest control service to help the villagers who want to grow prize-winning produce for their annual vegetable competition.

Loaded with ingenious Rube Goldberg inventions, spoofs of old monster movies and classic movies, and their trademark sight gags, this is a treasure for all ages.

Waves Breaking

Claude Monet, Waves Breaking

Your Enemy

Remember that your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. This may leave you an opening to become his friend.

Robert A. Heinlein

Bluebonnets, Mason County, Texas

Bluebonnets, Jason Merlo Photography

Talents

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

Henry Van Dyke

This is often less elegantly said as "Perfect is the enemy of good." I like this version better.

Rereading — Lectio Divina Bible Study: Learning to Pray in Scripture - Stephen J. Binz

I'm rereading this by virtue of using it for afternoon prayer. It's so good I decided to rerun the review I wrote way back in 2013 when I first read it.

As I have mentioned before, Stephen Binz is a passionate advocate of Lectio Divina, the ancient practice of studying and praying using Scripture.

Focusing on different topics such as the Creed, the Mass, the Sacraments, or Prayer, Binz shows where they are found in the Bible, gives context for full appreciation, and helps readers learn about deeper prayer as found in the steps of lecto divina: Listening, understanding, reflecting, praying, and acting.

I have used many Bible studies, but Learning to Pray in Scripture is one of my favorites. Binz shows different sorts of prayers by moving through the Bible to show the various characters who employ them under different circumstances. I felt as if I grew to understand each particular person whose prayers were highlighted. This is only natural after considering them at length, but it is partly the result by Binz's thoughtful commentary and prompting questions.

Binz often brought up points of view that had never occurred to me, such as the comment below that prayer doesn't have to be theologically correct. I'd never thought about such a thing before and it made me wonder if I was a bit too "correct" in trying to speak to God "properly" rather than just trying to have an honest conversation, no matter where it led us.

I also really appreciated the overview of prayer which covered forms of Biblical prayer and how to use them today, the disposition to cultivate for prayer, and the characteristics of prayer as seen in the lives of Israel's heroes, ancient prophets, Jesus' life, and more. Suddenly I was thinking about prayer and how to converse with God in a whole new way.

I can't praise Binz's prayer prompts highly enough. All too often, such prompts are simple and surface level. Worse, they often don't relate to my own life or needs. His cut to the heart of our relationship with God and always leave me pondering and talking to God. That's really a rare reaction for me when reading such prompts, as I said.

The snippets below just scrape the surface in the treasures that are found within this book. All Scripture is quoted completely in the book so you need no other references, although I didn't include it below.

Abraham's Intercessory Prayer for Sodom
Genesis 18:16-33

Listening
In establishing the covenant, God had promised to make Abraham a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. This bold prayer of intercession teaches us what it means to pray humbly but confidently in the context of a covenantal relationship with God. We have the same opportunity to intercede before God for the people of the world.

Understanding
… Abraham first chooses the number fifty as his bartering figure: save the city on behalf of fifty righteous people. He purposely chose a low number, thinking that in the typical haggling style of the Middle East, God would choose a much higher number, and then they would eventually meet somewhere in the middle. But Abraham's strategy is undone by god's immediate acceptance of his offer. Lowering the offer to forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten, Abraham discovers that God is far more merciful than he had imagined.

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

The Prophet's Prayer of Lament for Israel
Isaiah 63:15-64:12

Reflecting
Since prayer is conversational and emotional, it does not have to be theologically correct. What are some of the outrageous questions and statements found in this prayer? In what ways to these kinds of utterances enrich my prayer?

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The Prayers of Christian Believers
Acts 1:12-14 / Acts 4:23-31

Acting
Like the early Christians in Jerusalem, continue letting the words you pray become the life you live.

• Rather than ask God to spare them from hardship, the early Christians prayed only for the courage to face it and to keep on speaking God's word with boldness. For what purpose do I need to pray for boldness? What can I do today to claim the strength and courage God offers to me?

A Terrific Review from a Demanding Reader : "Davis knows how to dress scholarship in casual clothes"

Patrick O'Hannigan and I have known each other for many years, both through this blog and over at Good Reads. I know he's not always easy to please, so that made me very pleased with his review of Thus Sayeth the Lord. It's coming out in actual print — woohoo! — next Monday.

Slide on over to Amazon for all of Patrick's review (as well as others) and order your own copy. Here's a bit of Patrick's.

Emotional intelligence and biblical scholarship wrapped into one package can be intimidating, but here they are not, because Davis is patrolling the scriptural outfield. This book presents brief, insightful examinations of people like Moses, Deborah, and Elijah. It also draws practical moral advice from each of their stories. It's great stuff.