Good Listening, Catholic Style

Here are a few podcast episodes that I really enjoyed in the last few days:  

• Disney and Theology.
  Brandon and Father Blake at The Burrowshire Podcast discuss the The Disney Renaissance (aka The Disney Decade), lasting from 1989-1999, and examine the religious themes of four Disney films: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
   
• Catholicism and Race.
  Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (a favorite speaker of mine) is on Catholic Answers Focus with an answer to the scourge of racism — imitating Jesus. Our society refuses this path, preferring a culture of constant critique and revolution. It is time that the revolutionaries heard the hard truth—their cure is no cure at all. Real healing requires us to take up the Gospel with courage and humility.
  
  
•  The Poison of Indifference.
  Indifference does not mean you don’t care; it just means you don’t care enough to move. Father Mike Schmitz's homily about allowing one’s circle of interest to outstrip one’s circle of influence.
  
  
• The Best Argument for Outlawing Assisted Suicide.
  Trent Horn reports on a worrisome uptick in assisted suicides in Canada and lays out a blueprint for arguing against this offense to innocent human life.

REREAD — Catholic Family Fun by Sarah A. Reinhard

I reviewed this book when it came out in 2012. All these years later I am a godmother and a grandmother and sat down to reread this for inspiration. It is even more of a treasure now that I know I'll have reason to use it myself ... and soon!

I'm rerunning the review for anyone who doesn't know about this wonderful resource.

Right now the wind may have gone out of your summer sails and family time together may be more about feudin' and fightin' than enjoying each others' company.

I've got the solution. How about trying:

• Unbirthday Party
• Mystery Food Night
• Backyard Circus
• Silly Story Hour

Catholic Family Fun is a guide families can use for having a great time together, often using supplies from around the house or just plain imagination. Sarah Reinhard has a variety of ingenious ways to have fun in an old fashioned way that doesn't seem "old fashioned." The headings alone point you in the right direction. Who can resist Silly Things to Do Together, Story Starters, or Outdoor Adventures?

Each activity has a several variations, starters to help you get going, faith angles, and a way to "make it yours." There must be over a hundred possibilities when you consider all the alternatives. Some of these are activities that we did with our children when they were little but many of the variations are new to me. I'd have loved this book as an idea generator for a way to grow closer to the kids.

In keeping with the faith theme, the sections Faith with Fun, Ways to Serve, Saints to Celebrate and Praying Together are all just as fun and ingenious as the rest of the book. Somehow I never thought of doing the housework together while singing the Divine Mercy chaplet but just thinking about the house ringing with that song is one that makes me smile.

Although it is Catholic Family Fun, you could easily give it to families who don't care about the Catholic angle. Fun is fun no matter what a family does or doesn't believe. In the faith areas, many of the service ideas, for example, work just as well for any faith orientation with a bit of creative tweaking.

Just reading this book cast my memory back to sleepovers our girls would have when the big event was a musical show. The kids planned, costumed, and scripted it using Disney soundtracks. The next morning, all the parents got a show. Nothing we bought them could have given the fun and excitement they had from those evenings. This book is full of similar ways of "making" your own good times.

Full disclosure: when this book showed up in the mail, I immediately began thinking of which young mother of my acquaintance would be the recipient. Certainly, I planned on reading a few sample chapters at best. Therefore, this book's best testimony is that a third of the way into it, I was wishing I'd had it when my children were small and planning to tuck it away thinking "grandchildren someday."

Families with small children or grandchildren need this book. Period. If I had the cash, I'd keep a supply on hand to distribute to my many friends with small children. This could not only save their sanity but give them the reputation as the most fun mom on the block.

I will leave you with this lengthy excerpt because it makes the point about what a treasure this book is much better than I can. I chose this because I could easily imagine how much fun my husband and the kids would have had planning a course and then coming up with other variations. It shows how flexibility and creativity are the order of the day so that you can get on with having the fun.

Obstacle Course

Prep: High 2-4 hours
Duration: Less than 1 hour
Cost: Medium

My adult love of obstacle courses began recently, when a friend whose house is a frequent landing place for us suggested using an obstacle course setup to teach some math concepts. Watching our then-preschoolers laughing, and then observing how they started playing and modifying on their own, I was hooked.

I began to see the backyard as a canvas. Add some simple ingredients—a hula hoop, some lawn chairs, a folding table, a sawhorse, some PVC pipe, a ball or two, a baby pool, and anything that strikes your fancy from the house or garage. Spend a little time arranging, and voila! An obstacle course!

You may not have a large backyard—or even any backyard—but a room in your house, cleared out, could just as easily host your obstacle course. For that matter, you can build a miniature obstacle course on your kitchen table and race marbles or small objects through it.

Here are some of my ideas for obstacle courses. Let them spark your imagination—and be sure to get input from your family. You may find that creating and building the course if part of the fun!

1. The Whole Body Challenge: This is the full-blown backyard version of the idea. Gather your materials and dedicate an evening to devising and building an obstacle course. These tasks could be part of your family fun agenda.

a. Materials you could use: lawn chairs, buckets, small balls (plastic or foam), beach ball, sports balls (soccer, basketball), PVC pipe, baby pool, folding table, backyard play structures, rope, hula hoops, cardboard boxes, bandanas (for blindfolds), safety cones (overturned buckets, old tires, laundry baskets, or large cardboard boxes can serve the same purpose).

b. A few obstacle ideas to get things started:

• Balance beam: lay a length of or a plank (wood or cardboard) along the  ground. The object is to walk along it.
• Ball toss: place a bucket a distance away from a pile of balls. Toss the balls into the bucket. Bonus for doing it blind-folded.
• Crawl: line up a row of chairs (or a long bench) and crawl underneath it.
• Kicking weave: Put safety cones (or overturned buckets) in a row, with a beach or soccer ball at the end. Weave among them, kicking the ball.
• Repetition on the play set: find a way to use the different parts of your backyard play set. Go up and down the slide three times or swing five times back and forth. Try the same course backward—either facing backward or doing things in the opposite order.

2. Tabletop obstacle course ...


3. Croquet with a twist ...

Faith Angle

1. Life Obstacles ...
2. Old Testament obstacle course: Build an obstacle course around an Old Testament Bible story. For example, you could use a sandbox for a desert and have a wading pool nearby for a sea, and then have everyone sprint to escape the Egyptians (reference Exodus 14). You could build a maze—life size using cardboard or smaller using toilet paper rolls—for the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert, winding up with a feast in the "Holy Land."
3. Saint Obstacles ...

Make It Yours

• Make it a race to the finish! Use a stopwatch to time the participants as they go through the courses.
•  Pair up into teams. Have one team build the course and the other team go through it. who built the harder course? Who completed it faster? 
• Relays are always a fun way to change things up. Give each team a stick to serve as a baton; if the baton drops, the team has to start over. 

One More Step, Mr. Hands

One More Step, Mr. Hands, N.C. Wyeth
illustration for Treasure Island (1911) by Robert Louis Stevenson

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls by Hiroshi Yoshida
via J.R's Art Place

 

What a little heaven you must inhabit, with angels no bigger than butterflies!

Or it might be the third case, of the madman who called himself Christ. If we said what we felt, we should say, “So you are the Creator and Redeemer of the world: but what a small world it must be! What a little heaven you must inhabit, with angels no bigger than butterflies! How sad it must be to be God; and an inadequate God! Is there really no life fuller and no love more marvellous than yours; and is it really in your small and painful pity that all flesh must put its faith? How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your small cosmos, scattering the stars like spangles, and leave you in the open, free like other men to look up as well as down!”

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

This is so fascinating when considered with our world 113 years after Orthodoxy was written. With the denial of religion and the underpinnings of Western culture, we can see that there are an awful lot of people who are like "the madman who called himself Christ."

Psalm 20 — The King and the Community Can Trust the Lord with Their Desires

When you see others in affliction, comfort them by praying with them in the words of Psalm 20.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

Several sources point out that this is a royal psalm, invoking blessing on the king during Israel's time of trouble. How many times have we asked God to give us wise rulers, to inspire them to right action, and to bless the outcome of their decisions? I don't know about you, but in my church we do it every Sunday. 

John Paul II points out how this psalm connects us with Christ who is, of course, the ultimate king. His actions and judgments we can trust unreservedly.

King David, David Jarvis (some rights reserved)

The Messiah as Ultimate King

... chariots and horses (cf. v. 8) are mentioned and seem to be advancing on the horizon; however, the king and his people put their trust in the Lord who marches with the weak, the oppressed, those who are victims of the arrogant conquerors.

It is easy to understand how Christian tradition transformed this Psalm into a hymn to Christ the King, the “consecrated one” par excellence, “the Messiah” (cf. v. 7). He comes into the world without armies, but with the strength of the Spirit. He launches the definitive attack against evil and guile, against arrogance and pride, against lies and egoism. The words Christ addressed to Pilate, emblem of sovereign earthly power, reverberate in our ears: “I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice” (Jn 18: 37).

2. In reviewing the structure of this Psalm, we notice that it reveals in filigree a liturgical celebration being held in the Temple of Jerusalem. It depicts the assembly of the sons of Israel who pray for the king, head of the nation. Indeed, it opens with a fleeting reference to a sacrificial rite, one of the many sacrifices and holocausts offered by the king to the “God of Jacob” (Ps 20 [19]: 2), who does not abandon “his anointed” (v. 7), but protects and supports him.

The prayer is deeply marked by the conviction that the Lord is the source of security: he goes to meet the confident desire of the king and of the entire community, bound by the terms of the covenant. The threat of war hangs in the air, with all the fears and risks to which it gives rise. The Word of God does not appear as an abstract message, but rather a voice that adapts to humanity’s miseries, great and small. It is for this that the Psalm uses military language and reflects the oppressive climate of war in Israel (cf. v. 6), thus adapting to the feelings of men in difficulty.

John Paul II, General Audience, Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

Preparing for the Matinee

Preparing for the Matinee, Edmund Tarbell

 

Eiffel Tower from Below

Eiffel Tower from Below

 

Whether or no man could be washed in miraculous waters, there was no doubt at any rate that he wanted washing ...

Modern masters of science are much impressed with the need of beginning all inquiry with a fact. The ancient masters of religion were quite equally impressed with that necessity. They began with the fact of sin – a fact as practical as potatoes. Whether or no man could be washed in miraculous waters, there was no doubt at any rate that he wanted washing. But certain religious leaders in London, not mere materialists, have begun in our day not to deny the highly disputable water, but to deny the indisputable dirt. Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Still Life with Oranges by Adelaide Palmer

Still Life with Oranges by Adelaide Palmer

Sharing food ...

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M. F. K. Fisher

We should be displeased at what displeases God

We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased at what displeases him. In such measure then you will be in harmony with God's will, because you find displeasing in yourself what is abhorrent to your Creator.

St. Augustine, Sermon

Pazzi Madonna

Donatello, Pazzi Madonna

 

Psalm 19 (part 3) — Right Relationship with Nature and God

As you wonder at the order of creation, the grace of providence and the sacred prescriptions of the Law, sing Psalm 19

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

Psalm 19 reveals the truth about what "everybody knows" in ancient and modern times. First  it sets the record straight for the pagans living around them at the time by pointing out that the sun, moon, and stars are not divine beings.

Psalm 19 has some enlightenment for us today too. It points out that the Law is a source of delight and love, rather than the idea of punishment or restriction that our narrow modern understanding of the word "law" might suggest.

A star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud,
ESA/Hubble (click the image to see it larger)

19:1. The Heavens Tell the Glory of God

A Rebuke to Idolators. Athanasius: Creation ... points to God as its Maker and Artificer, who reigns over creation and over all things, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; whom would-be philosophers turn from to worship and deify the creation that proceeded from him, which yet itself worships and confesses the Lord whom they deny on its account. For if people are awestruck at the parts of creation and think that they are gods, they might well be rebuked by the mutual dependence of those parts; which moreover makes known and witnesses to the Father of the Word, who is the Lord and Maker of these parts also, by the unbroken law of their obedience to him ... Against the Heathen

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

Demythologizing the Cosmos

What we usually recognize as inanimate creation is here given life and voice as the heavens and skies "declare," "proclaim," and "pour forth speech in praise of the creator. ... [The verbs and participles] emphasize the continuously ongoing nature of the proclamation made by the heavens ... This is, then, a continual outcry of nature to God from the moment of creation until now and on into the future.<br><br>In a more subtle fashion the heavens in Israelite Scripture proclaim that Yahweh is the only true God. In the pagan world of the ancient Near East the heavenly bodies — sun, moon, stars — were divine beings who exercised power over their own realms and over humans. In Psalm 19, however, the sun appears not as an independent deity but as one of the "works of [God's] hands" who carry out his bidding ... By removing the polytheistic element of creation the biblical poets emphasize the sovereignty of Yahweh over the created universe. In this way the heavens with all their features testify to the glory and creative might of the one who made them.

Psalms vol. 1 (NIV Application Commentary)

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

Torah as Guidance and Blessing

As Psalm 19 suggests, Israel proclaimed the Torah to be no onoerous burden but instead the source of wisdom (19:7), joy (19:8b), and light (19:8d). Torah is both precious (19:10a) and pleasurable (19:10c). ...

It is this broader understanding of Torah that makes the traditional translation "law" such an inadequate interpretaion of this complex concept. We tend to equate Torah and law on a one-to-one basis that leads us frequently to misunderstand what Israel experienced through her long acquaintance with Torah. ...

The purpose of Torah is to "warn" the faithful servant of Yahweh (19:11a) to remain on the path that leads to "reward" (19:11b). By its buidance, one is empowered to understand one's errors and to avoid "hidden faults" or "willful sin" (19?12-13a). Rather than restriction, Torah offers freedom from the rule of sin and consequently escape from divine judgment (19:13b-c).

The appropriate response to Torah, according to the psalmists, is "delight" (1:2; 119-70, 77, 92, 174) and "love" (119:97, 113, 163), not some grim-lipped adherence. It is through Torah that life is preserved (119:93, 149, 165). It is little surprise that the later postbiblical celebration of the end of the yearly Torah reading cycle and the beginning of the next was called Simhat Torah ("Joy of the Torah"), emphasizing the joy that the Jewish community experiences in having the Torah to guide their lives before God. ...

Rather than a heavy burden, rightly understood, the law was the guide to continued life and restoration of communion with the holy God.

Psalms vol. 1 (NIV Application Commentary)

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

C/o Kancharapalem

From a schoolboy’s crush to a middle-aged bachelor’s office romance, four love stories spanning age, religion and status unfold in a small Indian town.

Kancharapalem is the name of a little neighborhood, which some of the residents actually call their village, in a small Indian town. Telugu is spoken there so this is not a Bollywood film but a Tollywood film, as the Telugu-language film industry is called. This movie features four very sweet love stories which engaged us from the beginning. Interesting side note: none of the 80 people in the film are actors.

Director Venkatesh Maha recruited most of his cast, nearly 80 non-actors, who are from the town itself. While no one in the town took seriously that he was making a film, they had shown great enthusiasm to act nonetheless. — Wikipedia

And they do a great job. The critics loved this and so did we. It went on my favorite movies of 2021 list as soon as we saw it.

Hannah and Rose talk about it in episode 46 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

It is streaming on Netflix and for rent on Amazon and various other places.

Tasty Caterpillar

Tasty Caterpillar, Remo Savisaar

I do not have to win the world ...

I do not have to win the world, even for Christ: I have to save my soul. that is what I must always remember, against the temptation of success in the apostolate. And so I will guard myself against impure means. It is not our mission to make truth triumph, but to testify for it.

Henri de Lubac, Paradoxes of Faith

Worth a Thousand Words: Celia Thaxter's Garden

Celia Thaxter's Garden, Isles of Shoals, Maine - Childe Hassam
Source

August Afternoon

Childe Hassam, August Afternoon

 

When people forget to worship God

When people forget to worship God they begin to worship human beings, and from there it is but a short distance to tyranny.

Jonathan Sacks, Exodus: The Book of Redemption

À Chloris

À Chloris, Edward B. Gordon

 

Psalm 19 (part 2) — God's Self Revelation

As you wonder at the order of creation, the grace of providence and the sacred prescriptions of the Law, sing Psalm 19

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

God's creation is a revelation. The more we learn, the more we wonder at the intricacy of the natural world, all of which is a mute testimony to God's creative genius.

God's law is a revelation. Below we will see some Jewish commentators about the connection with the sun and Torah. Of course, the Church Fathers didn't miss that connection and further connect the sun with Christ.

Christus helios, the mosaic which is interpreted as Christ-Sol (Christ as the Sun).
From the necropolis under St. Peter's Mid-3rd century

The classical Jewish commentators all point to the connection the psalmist makes between the sun and the Torah. These connections include:

• The Torah enlightens man, just as the sun lights his way (Rashi)
• Both the sun and the Torah testify to the glory of their Creator (Ibn Ezra and Radak)
• The Torah is more perfect, whole, or complete than the powerful sun (Metzudat David)
• While the sun conveys God's glory and greatness in the physical world, the Torah expresses God's glory in the spiritual realm (Malbim).

Wikipedia

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

19:6. Nothing Hidden from Its Heat

The Benign Light of Christ. Ambrose: Christ fills his world with copious lights, since "his going out is from the end of heaven, and his circuit even to the end of it, and there is no one who can hide himself from his heat." Benignly he gives light to all, wishing not to repel the foolish but to correct them and desiring not to exclude the hard of heart from the church but to soften them. Hence ... Christ in the Gospel invites them, saying, "Come to me, all you who labor, and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." On His Brother Satyrus

19:10. To Be Desired

Desirable Light. Clement of Alexandria: "Sweet is the Word that gives us light, precious above god and gems; it is to be desired above honey and the honeycomb." for hos can it be other than desirable, since it has filled with light the mind that had been buried in darkness and given keenness to the "light-bringing eyes" of the soul? For just as, had the sun not been in existence, night would have brooded over the universe notwithstanding the other luminaries of heaven, so, had we not known the Word and been illuminated by him, we should have been nowise different from fowls that are being fed, fattened in darkness and nourished for death. Let us then admit the light that we may admit God; let us admit the light that we may admit God; let us admit the light and become disciples to the Lord. Exhortation to the Greeks

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

Banded Demoiselle

Banded Demoiselle, Remo Savisaar

A Movie You Might Have Missed #44: Ink

It's been 11 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.

The power of dreams is stronger than you think.

As the light fades and the city goes to sleep, two forces emerge. They are invisible except for the power they exert over us in our sleep, battling for our souls through dreams. One force delivers hope and strength through good dreams; the other infuses the subconscious with desperation through nightmares.

John and Emma, father and daughter are wrenched into this fantastical dream world battle, forced to fight for John's soul and to save Emma from an eternal nightmare. Separate in their journey, they encounter unusual characters that exist only in their subconscious. Or do they?

This is actually a movie that almost everyone missed. I know I did. I never heard of it until Mom showed me the dvd. Intrigued by the description, she'd had it for a long time and hadn't watched it. It has a slow start (just let the first 20 minutes wash over you) but then the story pulls you in. We both found ourselves emotionally invested by the end of the film and talked about it through dinner afterward.

Part of the slow start is necessary to explain the world you are dropped into. The story is ultimately a tale about free will, how our choices affect those around us, and, ultimately, the power of love. I also really appreciated that this was made on a shoestring ($250,000) and the way they managed locations and special effects without affecting the otherworldliness of the film. Lastly, I liked the storyline effects with different color themes telling us whose eyes we were seeing through. The filmmakers did a good job with telling an inventive story in a way that kept us engaged.

The Fortune Teller

The Fortune Teller, Georges de la Tour

Anyone who has truly known God

Anyone who has truly known God can never be cured of him.

Francois Mauriac

The Storm Spirits

The Storm Spirits (1900). Evelyn De Morgan (English, 1855-1919).

Rain, thunder, and lightning are beautifully personified in this painting. Via Books and Art where there is more about the artist and painting.

Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Charles J. Chaput

Time has a purpose. The meaning of a sentence becomes clear when we put a period at the end of it. The same applies to life. When we talk about things worth dying for, we're really talking about the things worth living for, the things that give life beauty and meaning. Thinking a little about our mortality puts the world in perspective. It helps us see what matters, and also the foolishness of things that, finally, don't matter.

This was a good series of reflections on big questions of life (and death) written by Archbishop Charles Chaput after his resignation upon turning 75 was accepted by Pope Francis. He gives us the benefit of  his years of experience as he comes close to the end of his own life. 

Each chapter is a series of connected reflections which rather threw me off until I realized that it wasn't intended as one coherent narrative driving toward a goal at the end of each chapter. Each chapter has a single topic like friendship or memory or leadership. Each ties up nicely at the end but the middle leaves one time for reflections and pondering, just as the author intends.

I liked this a lot and was interested to see how many current happenings and cultural touchstones Archbishop Chaput incorporated from COVID-19 shut downs to The Lord of the Rings to Fortnite. As well he includes plenty of ancient wisdom from both pagans and Christians. It is an easy read and one that I recommend.

State Tree, State Nut, State Pie — Pecan!

Texas State Horticulture Society, January 1916

From Traces of Texas, where we learn:

Traces of Texas reader Blair Krebs is the Executive Director for the Texas Pecan Growers Association and of course he loves studying the history of pecans in Texas. And why not? After all, it is the state tree, state nut, and state pie. This year the Pecan Growers Association is celebrating their 100-year anniversary and has been going through their archives to celebrate at their show from July 18-21 in San Marcos. They found the attached photo of the Texas State Horticulture Society meeting that took place in January 1916. The group merged with others to become the Texas Pecan Growers Association.

This is particularly appropriate since we were sure to take smaller highways when we went to Fredricksburg last weekend. One place we always enjoy driving through is San Saba, the "Pecan Capital of the WORLD!" 

The pecan orchards around town are impressive and the "Mother Pecan Tree" has been used to produce many great pecan varieties. I love knowing where some of the pecans may have come from that I use year-round.

Psalm 19 (part 1) — The Glory of Nature and the Law

As you wonder at the order of creation, the grace of providence and the sacred prescriptions of the Law, sing Psalm 19

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

This is my favorite psalm so I've got more to say than usual. Once upon a time, I thought I'd memorize some Scripture and when I flipped the Bible open I was at Psalm 19. I partially memorized it before I began looking at different translations and just falling in love with it. I'm a nature love so that spoke to me and I, too, love the Word (and God's law) so that spoke to me too. Linking them up was the sun — is it the law, is it Christ, or is it just a transition from nature to man and the Law? Obviously, I could go on and on.

That was years ago and I really need to get back to memorizing it. But I do read it all the time!

We'll look at it in three parts — and we still won't be saying everything that can be said about this beautiful psalm.

Today, we're going to let C.S. Lewis take center stage. It was one of his favorite psalms too! He says it all succinctly and much better than I do.

Harmony of the World (1806)
showing a heliocentric universe; Psalms 19:2 is one of four verses
quoted at bottom of the illustration

My other great favourite is XIX.  First, the mere glory of nature (between the Psalms and Wordsworth–a long gap in history–you get nothing equal to either on this theme). Then the disinfectant, inexorable sun beating down on the desert and ‘nothing hid from the heat thereof’.  Then–implied, not stated–the imaginative identification of that heat and light with the ‘undefiled’ law, the ‘clean’ fear of the Lord, searching every cranny. Then the characteristically Jewish feeling that the Law is not only obligatory but beautiful, ravishing: delighting the heart, better than gold, sweeter than honey. Only after that, the (more Christian like) self examination and humble petition. Nearly all that could be said before the Incarnation is said in this Psalm. It is so much better Paganism than the real Pagans ever did! And in one way more glorious, more soaring and triumphant, than Christian poetry. For as God humbled Himself to become Man, so religion humbled itself to become Christianity.

C.S. Lewis, Letter to Mary Van Deusen

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds, John Constable

The Phantom Carriage (1921)

I came for the special effects. I stayed for the gripping drama.

What made me want to watch this silent movie was that it was ahead of its time in using multiple superimpositions and double exposure to create ghostly effects. I was expecting a ghost story with lots of over-the-top horror. I didn't expect there to be multi-layered stories within stories, nonlinear timelines, and some of the most affecting, subtle acting I've seen in any movie. It was also Swedish which gave the story a different pace and feel.

On New Year’s Eve there is a legend that the last person to die in a year, if he is a great sinner, will have to drive the Phantom Carriage for a year,  picking up the souls of the dead. That's where the special effects come in. Most of the movie, though, tells us the story of David Holm who is a bitter and cruel drunkard continually in a loop of being both a victim and victimizer. A Salvation Army sister believes that he's got a kernel of goodness buried somewhere which can lead to his redemption and repeatedly tries to help him.

This is a really good drama, although the middle section was hard to  follow sometimes as the narrative switched between timelines without many title cards. By the end I was on the edge of my seat, horror-stricken by the possibilities being alluded to by something as simple as a glance, and by the end I was moved by genuine emotion.

And, I'll just say that there is not doubt that Stanley Kubrick was well acquainted with this film based on a very recognizable scene that we all know from one of his famous films. I'll let you experience the surprise for yourself when it turns up.

Gene Autry playing baseball

From Traces of Texas where we learn:

Gene Autry playing baseball in Childress, Texas, 1937. Check out those boots! Gene was a Texan, of course, having been born in Tioga, Texas in 1907.

This photo courtesy the Childress County Heritage Museum via The Portal to Texas History.

I couldn't resist since it is the perfect accompaniment to the James Bond quote today.

James Bond and Texans

[James] Bond reflected that good Americans were fine people and most of them seemed to come from Texas.

Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

On Vacation ...

We're just taking a short trip for a belated anniversary celebration. It is our first trip since Mom came to live with us and the COVID pandemic. Needless to say, I've been looking forward to this a lot!

We're going to Fredricksburg in the Texas hill country. It's a flourishing tourist town with that German flourish you find in so many hill country towns. There are two things we know we'll visit. First, St. Mary's (a painted church of Texas). Click through to get an idea of how wonderful these churches can be. We stopped in once when we were driving through on the way to San Antonio. I'm looking forward to a chance to worship there as well as look around more. Second is the Admiral Nimitz museum (he grew up in Fredricksburg) or as it is properly titled The National Museum of the Pacific War. However, part of the fun of visiting somewhere is seeing what you come across unexpectedly.

As always, I'm really looking forward to the long car trip with Tom. We listen to music, sample audiobooks, I knit, and we talk. The sort of talking you do over several hours (or days) has such a different quality than normal conversations during everyday life. The changing landscape, the music and stories, and even roadside experiences all weave in together to bring out subjects you wouldn't think of otherwise.

It can be a golden time. At least it is for us.

The USCCB, Abortion, and the Eucharist

 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been in the news lately because of a document they voted to draft on the Eucharist — specifically because it will call a lot of attention to President Biden. He's got a determinedly pro-abortion stance while still regularly attending Mass and taking Communion. 

A couple of pieces on this caught my eye and I thought you might be interested too.

GetReligion, which is excellent for observing how the media covers religion, pointed out that although Joe Biden and Pope Francis are routinely lumped together as being "liberal" (per the NY Times, etc.) so that it sounds as if they are in complete agreement, the Pope is consistent about abortion being gravely wrong. Here's a bit but read it all here.

Any short list of classic Pope Francis remarks about abortion would have to include the 2018 speech in which he asked, using a Mafia image: “Is it just to resort to a contract killer to solve a problem?”

There was more: “Interrupting a pregnancy is like eliminating someone. Getting rid of a human being is like resorting to a contract killer to solve a problem.” While some people support abortion rights, Francis added: “How can an act that suppresses innocent and defenseless life as it blossoms be therapeutic, civil or simply human?”

Or how about this quote, drawn from a 2020 address to the United Nations?

“Unfortunately, some countries and international institutions are also promoting abortion as one of the so-called ‘essential services’ provided in the humanitarian response to the pandemic. … It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child.”

While there is no question that Pope Francis is a progressive on many issues linked to economics, immigration and other political topics, he has continued — sometimes in blunt language involving evil and the demonic — to defend the basics of Catholic moral theology.

Ed Condon over at Pillar Catholic News, which I've begun reading and like a lot, has a good point about what might be needed before a Eucharistic document can really be taken in properly. How about reminding us Catholics that sin is real and has consequences for our souls? Which made me begin praying harder for Joe Biden because with great power comes great responsibility for moral choices in our nation. Here's a bit but read it all here.

During this past week’s debate, many bishops spoke about the context of sin and reception of Communion. Several of them were at pains to emphasize that “we are all sinners” and “no one is worthy” to receive the sacrament. This is true, to a point, and the reason why penitential rites are a central part of the Eucharistic liturgy.

But the Church, like any reasonable parent, makes clear distinctions between kinds of wrongdoing. A child sneaking chocolate is in need of correction, yes, but a child playing with fire needs a dramatic intervention to prevent graver harm.

...

Within the context of the conference’s discussion on Eucharistic coherence, the real problem, it seems, is not the number of pro-abortion politicians receiving Communion. It is the number of Catholics who don’t seem to acknowledge there’s actually such a thing as the state of grave sin, still less a terrible spiritual harm attached to it.

How to address this crisis may now become the elephant in the conference room at future USCCB meetings. One possible way forward, though, seems to suggest itself.

…

The bishops may find their efforts to revive belief in, and devotion to, the Eucharist prove a non-starter, unless Catholics can first be convinced why they need its salvific power. While a teaching document on the Eucharist is now being drafted, the bishops may find they need to first issue a similar document on sin and the sacrament of penance.

What is More Pleasing Than a Psalm?

We take a bit of a break from looking at a specific psalm to consider this quote from Saint Ambrose. It was one of the readings from a recent Liturgy of the Hours and really hit me where I live. That in itself is a nice milestone for me since I used to be able to take or leave the psalms. Hopefully our considerations of them has brought you a bit closer too.

Also, here's a painting of the author, Saint Ambrose, that I find very beautiful.

Giovanni di Paolo, Saint Ambrose

What is more pleasing than a psalm? ... It is the voice of complete assent, the joy of freedom, a cry of happiness, the echo of gladness. It soothes the temper, distracts from care, lightens the burden of sorrow. It is a source of security at night, a lesson in wisdom by day. It is a shield when we are afraid, a celebration of holiness, a vision of serenity, a promise of peace and harmony. It is like a lyre, evoking harmony from a blend of notes. Day begins to the music of a psalm. Day closes to the echo of a psalm.

In a psalm, instruction vies with beauty. We sing for pleasure. We learn for our profit. What experience is not covered by a reading of the psalms?

St. Ambrose, bishop
Explanation of the Psalms

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

Goodachari (The Spy)

Gopi, alias Arjun, is the son of an ex-RAW agent Raghuveer. Brought up by his uncle Satya, he wants to be an agent just like his father and uncle. But Satya wants him to lead a normal life and not be killed like his father was. What happens in Gopi’s life that turns everything upside down?

Goodachari is a super solid spy movie made in a very Western style with good production values. Its Indian heart showed in the hero's tearful, sentimental love for his father and country, as well as the many flashbacks along the way. It surprised us several times In very satisfying ways with plot twists. 

This is a "Tollywood" movie, meaning that it is from the Telugu-language film industry. It is clear that the director of this movie learned a lot, possibly from the Baahubali movies (the second of which is the second top grossing film of all time in India). The Baahubali movies are the ones that really sent us into the Indian film world in a big way. Those movies featured tight stories, and kept us on the edge of our seats. Goodachara, though completely different, doesn't disappoint on those points.

Here's hoping the sequel gets made soon. I'm ready to see Agent 116 save India again. Jai Hind!

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

Sizing Up

Sizing Up, Karin Jurick

Another from Karin Jurick's long running series of people looking at art. She has a great story from Jamie Wyeth, the artist of the original pig painting about his encounter with it and what happened in the end. Do go read it at the link above.

Tower of Jericho

The 8000 BC Tower of Jericho at the site of Tell es-Sultan.

Jericho as an image of the world

This was a recent reading in the Liturgy of the Hours and it blew my mind.

The capture of Jericho

Once Jericho was surrounded it had to be stormed. How then was Jericho stormed? No sword was drawn against it, no battering ram was aimed at it, no javelins were hurled. The priest merely sounded their trumpets, and the walls of Jericho collapsed.

In the Scriptures Jericho is often represented as an image of the world. There can be not doubt that the man whom the Gospel describes as going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and falling into the hands of brigands is an image of Adam being driven out of paradise into the exile of this world. Likewise the blind men in Jericho, to whom Jesus came to give sight, signified the people in this world who were blinded by ignorance, to whom the son of God came.

Jericho will fall, then; this world will perish. Indeed in the sacred books the end of the world was proclaimed long ago. How will the world be brought to an end, and by what means will it be destroyed? The answer of Scripture is: By the sound of trumpets. If you ask what trumpets, then let Paul reveal the secret. Listen to what he says: The trumpet will sound, and the dead who are in Christ will rise incorruptible. The voice of the archangel and the trumpets of God will give the signal, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Then the Lord Jesus will conquer Jericho with trumpets and destroy it, saving only the harlot and her household.

Jesus our Lord will come says Paul, and he will come with the sound of trumpets. He will save only the woman who received his spies, that is, his apostles, in faith and obedience, and hid them on the roof of her house; and he will join this harlot to the house of Israel. But let us not bring up her past sins again or impute them to her. She was a harlot once, but now she is joined to Christ, chaste virgin to one chaste husband. Listen to what the Apostle says of her: He has determined to present you to Christ as a chaste virgin to her one and only husband. Indeed, Paul himself had been born of her: Misled by our folly and disbelief, he said, we too were once slaves to our passions and to pleasures of every kind.

If you wish to learn more fully about how this harlot ceased to be a harlot then listen to Paul once again: And such were you also, but you have been cleansed and made holy in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. To assure her escape when Jericho was destroyed, the harlot was given that most effective symbol of salvation, the scarlet cord. For it is by the blood of Christ that the entire Church is saved, in the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom belongs glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

From a homily on Joshua by Origen, priest
(Hom. 6, 4: PG 12, 855-856)

Gochujang Chicken and Tortellini

 This is a real hybrid recipe. I  couldn't imagine the final dish, coupling as it does the unlikely combination of cheese tortellini with Korean chile paste. And some honey. And some fontina cheese.

But it works. Really well.

Find out more at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Tea Service

Tea service by Albert Anker, c. 1890s.
via J.R.'s Art Place

 

The vessel was just comfortable for two people; there was room only for necessities ...

The vessel was just comfortable for two people; there was room only for necessities, and Flambeau had stocked it with such things as his special philosophy considered necessary. They reduced themselves, apparently, to four essentials: tins of salmon, if he should want to eat; loaded revolvers, if he should want to fight; a bottle of brandy, presumably in case he should faint; and a priest, presumably in case he should die.

G.K. Chesterton, The Innocence of Father Brown,
The Sins of Prince Saradine

Canticle — Daniel 3:57-88, 56

 Let every creature bless the Lord

We begin taking a bit of a break from Psalms with an  occasional look at the Canticles, as I mentioned in this book review.

Fiery Furnace, Toros Roslin, 1266

Let's look first at this Canticle for Sunday morning prayer of the first week.  (The Liturgy of the Hours goes in four week rotation.)

I'm a real sucker for anything that shows us God's reflection in nature. This one, featuring the song of the three young men in the furnace in the Book of Daniel, does that in spades. Here it is.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.

I never thought about the three young men being connected with the resurrection, especially so early that icons of them have been found in the Roman catacombs.

In this text, in the form of a litany, it is as if our gaze passes all things in review. Our gaze focuses on the sun, the moon and the stars; it settles upon the immense expanse of the waters, rises to the mountains, lingers over the most varied elements of the weather; it passes from hot to cold, from light to darkness; considers the mineral and vegetable worlds, dwells on the various types of animals. Then the call becomes universal: it refers to God's angels, reaches all the "sons of men", but most particularly involves the People of God, Israel, the priests and the holy ones. It is an immense choir, a symphony in which the varied voices are raised in praise to God, Creator of the universe and Lord of history. Prayed in the light of Christian revelation, it is addressed to the Trinitarian God, as we are invited to do by the liturgy which adds a Trinitarian formula to the Canticle: "Let us praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".

It is traditional to associate the Canticle with the Resurrection. Some ancient records show the existence of the hymn in the prayer of the Lord's Day, the weekly Easter of Christians. Moreover, iconographical depictions which show three young men praying unharmed amidst the flames have been found in the Roman catacombs, thereby witnessing to the effectiveness of prayer and the certainty that the Lord will intervene.

John Paul II, Psalms & Canticles, May 2, 2001 homily

An index of canticle posts is here.  

Digging into the roots of our faith

I just figured out that I'm partway into a pilgrimage in seeing just how far back the roots of our faith reach into Jewish tradition, history, and overall context. (Hint: it goes all the way back to the beginning and all the way to the top).

Its so exciting! And you know what that means. I've got to share the good stuff with you.

As we know I've lately been digging into the Psalms (and beginning tomorrow, some of canticles too!) with the help of the Church Fathers and other commentaries. 

That and the strong recommendation from The Burrowshire Podcast led me to dabbling in the Liturgy of the Hours which, in turn, led me to Saint John Paul II's and Pope Benedict's excellent homilies on the psalms and canticles. 

Topping off my deep immersion in Jewish and Old Testament context was Rabbi Sacks' essays Genesis: The Book of Beginnings. I'm now about halfway through his essays on Exodus which are similarly eye opening in connecting Catholicism to Jewish context.

Suffice it to say, I recently realized that God had positioned me for a deep, deep dive into connecting the Old Testament with Jesus. It is so fascinating to see how far back (like all the way to the beginning) that Jesus' priesthood stretches, how much deeper the liturgical readings are linked than the obvious connections we can see, and to feel it all come together.

Recently it all came together in a perfect storm of resources from author John Bergsma.

First, my daughter Rose alerted me to a Pints with Aquinas podcast episode where John Bergsma talks about the Biblical basis for the priesthood of Jesus. This had some stunning connections which make so much sense once someone has pointed them out. Bergsma recently wrote Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood which went straight onto my wish list after seeing the sample and hearing that podcast episode.

I am not surprised at considering that Bergsma's collaboration with Brant Pitre (another excellent author who shows "Jewish roots" connections) on A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament is a simply wonderful scholarly overview of contemporary understanding of the language, literature, history, and culture of the ancient Hebrews. This was a big investment for me but well worth the money. I love it.

But Bergsma's been busier than I realized. Looking around on Amazon for the priesthood book I also came across two other treasures.

I approached the first discovery warily. I've got devotionals the follow the daily and Sunday Mass readings. This would have to offer something different and I felt as if most devotionals tended to fall into the same few general categories. 

However, The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year B delighted me by focusing on the readings from a deep connection to scripture that wasn't held down to the excerpts that the liturgy uses. Bergsma's background as a Biblical scholar comes to the fore in identifying unifying motifs and intriguing connections that you don't see a lot of the time. I splurged on it as my book to buy this month and it is truly wonderful for anyone who loves Bible study and the Sunday Mass liturgy.

Bergsma's connection with the Ave Catholic Notetaking Bible is simply in writing the introduction (as far as I can tell). But I'm grateful to have this Bible called to my attention. Rose got her own copy so I've been able to see it up close and it is on my wish list now.

Here's why.

I've used the same Catholic study Bible (1980) since I converted. It's got the accumulated notes of 20 years from Bible studies, commentaries, and anywhere else that I found something I was afraid I'd forget. I like having all these notes in one place, but I hate having nowhere to write. And as you can see, some of these pages are full!

The pictures and reviews of that notetaking Bible make me itch to begin transcribing everything into a place with enough room.

Honey Jar with Comb

Honey Jar with Comb, Duane Keiser

 

Determined

Determined, Remo Savisaar

 

Psalms & Canticles by John Paul II

The daily Liturgy of Lauds, in addition to the Psalms, always offers a Canticle from the Old Testament. Indeed, it is well known that besides the Psalter [Book of Psalms], the true prayer book of Israel and later of the Church,  another sort of "Psalter" exists, found among the various historical, prophetic and sapiential [relating to wisdom] pages of the Bible. It also consists in hymns, supplications, praises and invocations, often of great beauty and spiritual intensity.

John Paul II, Psalms & Canticles:
Meditations and Catechesis on the Psalms and Canticles of Morning Prayer

Toward the end of his life and pontificate, John Paul II began a series on of homilies on the psalms and canticles of morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. They were collected in this book. When I began dabbling in the Liturgy of the Hours I picked it up. It is a real  treasure.

Saint John Paul II's homilies going through the psalms and canticles for morning prayer used over the 4 week period. His commentaries are both accessible and rich, giving the context in which they were first prayed and then showing how they show us Christ. They often end with a connection to a Church Father or saint who spoke about a particular psalm. I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

I discovered that JPII followed that up with a series of homilies covering evening prayer, which Pope Benedict XVI finished when his predecessor died before finishing commenting on the four weeks of Hours of the Liturgies.  The book versions of these are out of print or ridiculously expensive and a Catholic publisher would be doing the faithful a great service in reprinting them (so that's my plea, moving on). Luckily, some industrious soul made a linked reference to all the homilies. See the second chart in this location for links to the evening prayer homilies which are posted at the Vatican website.

 

These have been so enriching that I will be sharing a few of the insights in an occasional post on the Canticles that I'll be interspersing these occasionally with our psalms series.

Sunday Mass Obligation Restored in Massachussetts

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston as well as the bishops of Springfield and Fall River in similar statements Wednesday announced that the faithful are once again required to attend Mass starting the weekend of June 19-20.

Associated Press, via CruxNow

Woohoo! Another sign of the return to normal living!

View of Riva on Lake Garda

View of Riva on Lake Garda by Alois Arnegger

Creation and the Creator

If creation is beautiful, how much more beautiful must its Creator be?

St. Augustine