Caesar at the Rubicon

Caesar at the Rubicon by Wilhelm Trübner, 1880.

How often any fond dog owner has seen this acted out! Certainly I have, most recently when the Christmas cookies were all on the sideboard and Jeeves, our male Boxer, had his eye out for opportunity! 

 I have seen the phrase about crossing the Rubicon before but never really knew what it meant. There's a whole article on it at Wikipedia, of course! So for anyone else who wonders, now we know.

Julius Caesar's crossing the Rubicon river on 10 January, 49 BC[1] precipitated the Roman Civil War, which ultimately led to Caesar's becoming dictator for life (dictator perpetuo) and the rise of the imperial era of Rome. Caesar had been appointed to a governorship over a region that ranged from southern Gaul to Illyricum (but not Italy). As his term of governorship ended, the Roman Senate ordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome. He was explicitly ordered not to take his army across the Rubicon river, which was at that time a northern boundary of Italy. In January 49 BC, Caesar brought the 13th legion across the river, which the Roman government considered insurrection, treason, and a declaration of war on the Roman Senate. According to some authors, he uttered the phrase alea iacta est—the die is cast—as his army marched through the shallow river.

Today, the phrase crossing the Rubicon is a metaphor that means to pass a point of no return.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #58: The Search for General Tso

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.

Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken?

 

This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.

Incredibly enjoyable. I knew a lot about Chinese food in America already and this still held my attention. When they did the profile on Springfield, Missouri's Chinese specialty of Cashew Chicken I knew these people had done their research. I spent many formative years in Springfield and you just weren't living if you hadn't had some Cashew Chicken recently.

It is just as described, delightfully insightful, bringing out all the important elements without dwelling on any of them so long that the story gets bogged down.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #57: The Apostle

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 hardest soul to save was his own.

 

Robert Duvall gives a tour de force performance as a zealous Pentecostal preacher hiding from his past. Now in a small Louisiana town, Sonny goes by the name of "Apostle E.F." and opens a new church with the help of a retired reverend.

Duvall gives us the story of a main character, Sonny, who is fully, tragically, joyfully human and who is always returning to God. Some of the scenes seem long but afterwards the viewer realizes that such immersion was needed to understand Sonny's world and soul.

At the end of this movie all I could think of was King David in the Old Testament. Beloved of God, loves God, inspirational, beloved by his people, and yet terribly a terribly flawed man who sent a trusting subordinate off to sure death so he could take his wife.

It is fascinating that Robert Duvall evokes these echoes in The Apostle, especially since watching the extras Duvall kept speaking of believers as "those people." He didn't mean it in a derogatory way but just that for him they are "other," a people who he is not a part of. He pulls it off because he's absolutely honest as a story teller and as an actor.

Best of 2021 — Movies

Here are my top 10 picks from the over 130 movies we watched last year.  This year, in addition to the usual sprinkling of Indian movies, there are some silent movies. I'd had some of them on my 2021 Challenge list and was surprised to fall in love with this way of storytelling. If you also haven't tried a silent movie this is your chance to try something very old that is also brand new to most of us!

As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2021. In no particular order.

I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..."

2021 BEST MOVIES

Metropolis

This movie was nuts. In a good way — a sexy female robot, mad scientist, forbidden love, a rooftop chase with fistfight, and a  horrifying chase of the heroine through the catacombs. All in a silent film that kicked off my instant interest in seeing what else silent movies had to offer (as you may see below).

(My review here.)

Avane Srimannarayana

With a name like that you know its Indian and yet it feels unremittingly like a Western as exemplified by four gunfighters who wear cowboy hats, leather dusters, and dhoti. This is a bonkers mashup of a Western, an action thriller, a swashbuckler, rivalry between murderous brothers, putting on a play, and an Indian mythological fantasy of sorts. A lot of the fun lies in all the genres that are ruthlessly shoved together with humor, excellent production values, and entertaining dialogue.

(My review here.)

The Phantom Carriage

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.

(My review here.)

Soul

Joe is a teacher who wants nothing more than to be part of a jazz band. When he is accidentally killed right after having his dream come true, he feels cheated.But Joe's got more to learn. Directed by Pete Docter who also did Up and Inside Out, this was one of Pixar's finest in years, old style like they used to be. And I was so inspired by the end. A wonderful jazz improv on living, passion, love, and sparks that comes together in one fantastic and imaginative movie.

The Man Who Feels No Pain

Surya cannot feel pain. Hearing that most children with this condition never live past the age of four, his grandpa uses martial action movies to train him to be like Bruce Lee. This seems counter intuitive, but actually works. Surya and  his childhood friend, Supri, who has her own problems, set out to right wrongs.

That's just the first part of this Indian movie and when the story heads into Surya's adulthood is when the real action begins. It is fun and funny, goofy and heart-felt, and shouldn't be missed.

(My review here.)

Mulk (Country)

This was based on a true case where a terrorist's entire family was taken to court and accused of being a terrorist cell. We were invested on the family's side, as most American viewers would be, and as the movie intended everyone to be. It was also very interesting to see how the top terrorist persuaded the family son to his cause. 

(My review here.)

Mrs. Miniver

An English middle-class family, the Minivers, experience life in the first months of World War II.  This is a classic for good reason and I fell in love with it. It is simply stunning in the way that it takes you into this family's life and then shows the effects of war on the British as WWII breaks out.

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. 

(My review here.)

 Vikram Vedha

This neo-noir film is a classic story of cat-and-mouse between criminal and policeman which kept us guessing, especially when Vedha's moral questions kept throwing new light on the investigation. It's an exciting thriller that also makes us think as each time Vedha says "let me tell you a story" with a wicked twinkle in his eye. We see new light shed on our judgment of the characters as Vikram is forced to reassess himself and the situation.

(My review here.)

Rama Rama Re

A mesmerizing and often humorous road trip with an escaped convict, an old man with a mission, and an eloping couple fleeing their enraged families. As happens with such journeys they encounter other people on missions of their own and in the end the encounters interweave to a connected tale.

 

This is a movie we enjoyed even as we gradually became aware that it was echoing parts of  the Ramayana which is an epic tale that we have encountered many times in other Indian movies. As a result, this made us think of favorite movies which depend heavily on Christian religious symbolism for deep layers of meaning below the obvious surface story. It is challenging but oh so good.

(My review here.)

Best of 2021 — Books

My top 10 picks from the over 150 books I read last year. PLUS the book I'm proudest of having read.

You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.

Note: I've been doing this since 2008 — check the label cloud in the sidebar for "Best of" to see other lists.

PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Les Miserables

by Victor Hugo

After rewatching Les Mis starring Hugh Jackman I was inspired yet again to try to read this book. It was the third time I was so inspired and this time it took! I wasn't a fan of the long, long asides but what the heck. It all came together nicely in the end. The bishop's chapters at the beginning will continue to be favorites but I'm not sure I'll ever read the entire thing again. I'm happy I read it. Anyone interested in a deep dive will like The Les Miserables Reading Companion Podcast.

 

 

2021 BEST BOOKS

All Things Made New

by Stratford Caldecott

Caldecott studies the symbolism and meaning of the Book of Revelation, as well as the prayers and meditations of the Rosary, including the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father. The examination of the actions of the Son and Holy Spirit as reflected in the Creed were especially illuminating as were  his reflections on the the way of the cross.

(Full review here.)

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles

I didn't expect to love a book about a gentleman under hotel arrest during the Russian revolution (and after) to be so wonderful. It is a wonderful balance of whimsy and history, fairy tale and reality. It tells us how to survive the rules imposed by others and how to turn dreams into reality.  This book was from my 2021 Book Challenge which just made it more gratifying that I loved it so much.

(My review here.)

All Systems Red

(Book 1 of the Murderbot Diaries)
by Martha Wells

The first thing you need to know about Murderbot is that it doesn't like humans. Even though its job is to protect them.

The second thing you need to know is that Murderbot would really rather be watching TV. Specifically the most unrealistic soap-opera science fiction available.

These books are the most fun I've had reading for a long time. The story plots are somewhat beside the point, just as in a big, splashy action thriller where what you want is action and thrills. And yet, the plots do matter because that's where we find out that Murderbot actually does care about more than watching TV.

And, you know, we kind of wind up loving Murderbot, so we care too.

(My full review of the series here.)

One Corpse Too Many

by Ellis Peters

Brother Cadfael is a monk in England in 1138 who solves murders while helping at least one young couple out of difficulties in every book. I'd tried them before but they never grabbed me. This one somehow worked. Perhaps because it was more adventure than mystery. I'm always able to guess the culprit early on but in this book I was engaged the entire time in Brother Cadfael's battle of wits with Hugh. It opened the door for me to enjoy Patrick Tull's narrations of more of the series.

Genesis: The Book of Beginnings

by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

The first book of a series of essays which work their way through the Torah in a year. Sacks has an  easy style while giving indepth, brilliant, compassionate commentary that often surprised me and sometimes changed my whole perspective on a Biblical person or their actions. Sacks is good at comparing ancient and modern worldviews. This not only clarifies Biblical context but often shows just how different our current ideas are.

(My full review.)

Orthodoxy

by G.K. Chesterton

I've often been urged to read this classic but couldn't get into it. Luckily I discovered the Pints with Chesterton podcast which made me begin reading a chapter at the time. When I got to chapter five I was hooked and couldn't put it down, zooming through the rest of this work of genius.

Monsignor Quixote

by Graham Greene

Father Quixote is a descendant of the famous book's hero. Yes, he knows the book is fictional. When he's promoted to Monsignor he goes on a road trip in his aged car Rocinante, with his friend Sancho who is the newly deposed Communist mayor of the town. 

I know just enough broad plot points from Don Quixote to see where Greene uses them in his own updated way for this charming book. The rambling trip and conversation are amusing, thought provoking, and inspiring.

Psalms & Canticles

by St. John Paul II

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.

(My full review here.)

Reclaiming Vatican II

 by Father Blake Britton

During the past five decades, the Second Vatican Council has been alternately celebrated or maligned for its supposed break with tradition and embrace of the modern world. But what if we’ve gotten it all wrong? Have Catholics—both those who embrace the spirit of Vatican II and those who regard it with suspicion—misunderstood what the council was really about?

Short review: simply excellent. Inspirational as well as informative. All Catholics should read this book.

(Read my full review here.)

Three Philosophies of Life

(Ecclesiastes—Life as Vanity, Job—Life as Suffering, Song of Songs—Life as Love)

 by Peter Kreeft

"I've been a philosopher for all my adult life and the three most profound books of philosophy that I have ever read are Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Songs." These are the opening lines of Kreeft's Three Philosophies of Life. He reflects that there are ultimately only three philosophies of life and each one is represented by one of these books of the Bible—life is vanity; life is suffering; life is love.

 

This was an excellent deep-dive into three Wisdom books which are famously difficult to understand. 

January

January, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

The month of giving New Years' gifts (a custom which seems to have died out now). Jean de Berry himself can be seen on the right, wearing the brilliant blue robe.

University of Chicago

2022 Book and Movie Challenge

2021 was the year I read Les Miserables on a whim — and it wasn't even on my list!

And it was the year that I fell in love with silent movies. In a big way.

 BOOKS

In 2021 I discovered some new favorites and was even inspired to read a book not on my list at all that I'd dropped twice before — Les Miserables. I didn't read every single book on my list. But even the ones I dropped (sorry War and Peace!) were given a fair try. And that's all I promise any book on my list. Read all about the 2021 reading challenge it here.

As usual, I'll have some challenging reading coming my way just because of outside influences. Two of Scott's choices for A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast sound rip-roaring - cowboys and Vikings!

•  Lonesome Dove (Update - to my chagrin this book is one that I hated although I really wanted to love it. I read 100 pages before calling it quits.)
•  Njal's Saga (a real Viking saga that's really long).  (Update - liked it well enough.)
  

My Catholic women's book club will be making me face a book I've managed to avoid until now:

• The End of the Affair by Graham Greene.  (Update - loved it!)
  

 The literary podcasts I listen to are doing the same with books I either have ignored or avoided. Close Reads has hit several for me this year.

• Anna Karenina — quite good with a lot of insight. I didn't love Anna herself but maybe I wasn't supposed to? At any rate, I'm glad I read it.
  
• 1984 — a great cautionary tale, not a great novel. I appreciated it but didn't love it.
  
• Laurus — magical realism, holy fool, Russian literature. What was I thinking? I hate all those things and so it makes sense that I couldn't get too far with this book. Abandoned it.
  

I hardly need to add to this list, do I? And yet ... I have a few that people keep pushing at me and I keep ducking. Let's see where an honest try takes me!

(Titles are marked in red when finished, with a few words on how they hit me.)

• Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card — because my brother-in-law (and others) will not stop telling me it is better than Ender's Game and that I should read it. Okay, okay!
  DID NOT READ — I just couldn't make myself read more than a few pages. It turns out mentally I am done with Ender's story and that universe. To be fair, I already had to struggle to read the first book, though I did wind up really liking it.
  
  
• The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. I tried a book by Horowitz once and didn't get too far. But, again, people just won't stop pushing this author in my face. I like the sound of this series where he writes himself in as the Watson to the main detective.
  FINISHED — I liked this pretty well. Horowitz does love to go on and on about himself and being an author which I liked at first and got tired of later. I did like his recreation of a modern Sherlock style detective. Without an adoring Watson (like the original stories) we see how annoying that type of person is. And also how brilliant. I don't know if I'll read any others in the series. Going to see how it settles as I think about it.
  
  
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel — I tried this a couple of times and was never interested enough to pick it up after putting it down. However, my daughter, Hannah, really liked it and recommended it. Heck, maybe the third time is the charm. FINISHED — mixed feelings on this one. I loved the writing style but something about the ending felt as if it was off. It seemed to trail off into nothing. It didn't feel like real science fiction and then when I looked up the author I found she's a novelist who liked the idea on speculating about 15 years after civilization collapses. And then wrote a novel about it. Which was unsatisfying. So I didn't love it and I didn't hate it.
  
  
• The City of God by St. Augustine — I got halfway through and then put it down, the way you do with a super duper long theology discussion. Nothing against it, but I'd read a lot and was ready for a change. Now is the time to pick it back up! NOT EVEN PICKED UP — I just couldn't get in the mood so this one isn't happening this year!
  
  
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray — This one's my daughter Rose's fault. She talked about how funny it is and that hooked me. To be fair, I forgot I meant to read this next year and began listening recently. What a snarky, fun novel so far!
  FINISHED — Aside from the humor, it was also surprisingly action packed. However, there were very long sections which today would have been cut. For me the section when the little boys were growing up was too long, but that is my modern sensibility coming through. Otherwise, though I can highly recommend it for someone who would like a big helping of snarky humor with their novel.
  
  
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke — I had to be forced to read Clarke's previous novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I liked overall. I tried this and wasn't crazy about it. However, a lot (and I mean a lot) of people love it. So I'm going to give it a better try.
  DID NOT READ — the lyrical descriptions of The World were beautiful and haunting, but 50 pages in almost nothing had happened aside from some sea gulls and The Other, both of whom I feel will be instrumental later in the book. But I just didn't care and was bored with the continual descriptions of that world when nothing else was going on.
  
  
• Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope — recommended by my daughter Hannah who fell in love with Trollope's novels this year.
  FINISHED — loved this one. So funny and insightful. Rather reminded me of the overall tone in Vanity Fair except not quite as snarky and moved along at a brisk pace.
  

More silent films - yay! Also, Batman. (Yay?) And I will finally venture out of India for my foreign Shakespearean adaptations.

• Grand Hotel starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore — somehow watching Our Man Godfrey this year made me think of this movie which I saw a really long time ago.
  
  
• Freaks directed by Todd Browning — Rose has long pushed this movie and after seeing Browning's direction of the original Dracula this Halloween I am finally on board.
  
  
• Sherlock, Jr. starring Buster Keaton (silent) — the ultimate (perhaps original) meta-film where a bored film projectionist daydreams himself into the movies he is showing. FINISHED —A slight but sweet little film but good escapist entertainment.
  
  
• Dark Knight trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan — I never saw the last movie of the Dark Knight trilogy and it's been so long that I've got to rewatch them all now. FINISHED — The third movie solved my big problems with the way that the second movie ended. Well done.
  
  
• It starring Clara Bow (silent) — Not the horror movie but the movie that made Clara Bow a star and defined sex appeal for the Jazz Age. FINISHED —Not as hilarious now as it probably was back in the day, but Clara Bow was adorable and a really modern woman. She really had "It."
  
  
• Throne of Blood directed by Akira Kurosawa — Lear, Japanese-style. I tend to like foreign adaptations of Shakespeare better than seeing English or American ones. I've explored Indian versions and now am going to see what the master in Japan did with the Bard.
  
  
• Ran directed by Akira Kurosawa — MacBeth, also by the Japanese master.
  
  
• Hamlet starring David Tennant — I love Hamlet and I also love David Tennant. So why not?
  
  
• It Could Happen to You — Rose's recommendation of a romcom with a cop and a waitress who share a winning lottery ticket. FINISHED - fine, but nothing to write home about.
  

A Movie You Might Have Missed #56 — Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

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.

"In the Oscars someone votes for you or votes against you.
Racing, you do that yourself."*

Paul Newman's famous for a lot of things: acting, popcorn, salad dressing. But I tend to forget that he also raced cars. I never realized racing absorbed him so much that he ignored his acting career for it. That's just one of the many interesting facets opened up in this film.

I picked this up because my husband loves documentaries and race cars. This seemed tailor made. I expected to tolerate it but instead I fell in love with this well rounded, subtle picture of a deeply private man.

As the documentary tracked Newman's increasing love and dedication to racing, we saw him through the eyes of acting buddies like Robert Redford, racing team members, his brother, and his wife, Joanne Woodward. Archival footage fills in the gaps but it is the heart felt stories that draw the viewer in. The film winds up not just being about racing but about everything that Paul Newman loved and his talent for focusing on what absorbed him. In the process, we also learn more about what racing means to those who participate in it.

In that sense it reminded me of Muscle Shoals where we came for the music but found surprising depth. Most documentaries don't have that sort of range but Winning is a welcome addition to documentaries that left me feeling inspired and that I could gladly watch again.

* Paraphrased.

He wil rejoice over your with gladness, and renew you in his love ...

Look at the options for the first readings for today's Mass. I can't tell you how the first always grabs my attention, coming as it does far into Advent. This is Jesus joyfully bounding toward us as his incarnation becomes reality. This is his love for each of us as he comes to bring us salvation. What a lovely, personal, and evocative image. The second is so happy and joyful at finally having the time of waiting over.

Hark! my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!

“O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.”

Song of Songs 2:8-14

or

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

Zephaniah 3:14-18a

This is followed by the Gospel of reading of Luke 1:39-45 where Mary goes to Elizabeth immediately after Jesus' conception. Notice how she went "in haste." From the first seconds of his time among us Jesus hurries to see us (a la the Father in everyone's favorite parable of The Prodigal Son). Also, it is impossible to miss that Mary's role as servant is always to show us Jesus, to point the way to her Son.

Kingfisher — Glowing Like a Jewel in the Forest

Kingfisher, Remo Savisaar

Wintery Fairy Tale Illustration - 3

Wintry fairy tale illustrations
by Russian illustrator Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942).
via J.R.'s Art Place

A Movie You Might Have Missed #55: Ushpizin

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.

You see a lemon. They see a miracle.

 

In Jerusalem's orthodox neighborhoods, it's Succoth, seven days celebrating life's essentials in a sukkah, a temporary shack of both deprivation and hospitality. A devout couple, Moshe and Mali, are broke and praying for a miracle. They can't afford to build a sukkah, they can't afford food for a feast, and they have no guests. Their prayers are answered. But those answers bring their own tests of faith, beginning with the Ushpizin, the guests that unexpectedly show up on their doorstep.

I really can't believe I haven't mentioned this movie here before. It became an instant favorite as soon as we watched it.

Above all, the story is that of Moshe and Mali as we watch their relationship tested. Their chemistry and love is undeniable and forms the backbone of the story. Each wants the best for their marriage and each other and yet, as is always the case, life and especially the upcoming holiday throws unexpected challenges their way.

This is a tale of love and living your faith to the fullest which is, of course, why it resonates with me. The fact that this is managed in a light, humorous piece about such a foreign culture just goes to show the artistry that went into this film.

What's helpful to know before you watch:

• Succoth is a 7-day Jewish festival when meals are eaten in a sukkah, a temporary booth of both deprivation and hospitality. Men also sleep there. It is considered a blessing to have guests at that time.
• Moshe's orthodox Braslov Hasidism particularly emphasizes personal and emotional connection to God.
• The four species are four plants mentioned in Torah in connection with succoth, one of which is the etrog (citron fruit).
• Low level criminals in Israel can get out for a while on leave, evidently being on the honor system for showing back up again.

If you want more background information after watching, read Joseph Suzanka's review which I how I first heard of it. He has some wonderful insights and the background of the movie is almost as good as the movie itself.

Scott and I also discussed it at A Good Story is Hard to Find, where Leah's comments on the blog gives some excellent clarification on questions of the faith and attitudes in the film.

An Advent Reflection: Confessionals

Those confessionals scattered about the world where men declare their sins don't speak of the severity of God. Rather do they speak of his mercy. And all those who approach the confessional, sometimes after many years weighed down with mortal sins, in the moment of getting rid of this intolerable burden, find at last a longed-for relief. they find joy and tranquility of conscience which, outside Confession, they will never be able to find anywhere.

John Paul II, Homily, 16 March 1980
Quoted in In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez
Daily Meditations Vol. 1: Advent and Christmastide

My parish has confession scheduled 6 days between now and Dec. 23. I need it.

And yet, looking over the extensive schedule I don't see anything that doesn't inconvenience me somehow, that doesn't seem to be too much trouble.

That's gratitude for you. I'll be absolved, find tranquility, and it just isn't convenient enough for me.

Hey, I told you I need it. That's just proof positive.

Wintery Fairy Tale Illustration - 2

Wintry fairy tale illustrations
by Russian illustrator Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942).
via J.R.'s Art Place

Finch

A man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family in one man's quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he's gone. Tom Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot, played by Caleb Landry Jones, to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can.

This rather reminded me of The Terminal in that it was charming but had a lot of missed opportunities to be a great movie instead of a good movie. It was enjoyable enough as it was and has the virtue of being that rare thing these days, a fairly cheerful post-apocalyptic movie. Acting, direction, and production values were all great — it was just the story that was lacking. And even that was good enough. Just not great. My sister, however, really liked this for the questions it left her with after viewing — so your mileage may vary.

Wintery Fairy Tale Illustration - 1

Wintry fairy tale illustrations
by Russian illustrator Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942).
via J.R.'s Art Place

 

King Richard

Richard Williams serves as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players in history.

I came hoping for to see Will Smith in a good movie for a change – and that's what I got! We know how Venus and Serena Williams' stories turned out but here is the person who planned their careers and motivated them. 

Not being interested much in tennis I had never heard of their father, Richard, or his publicity grandstanding. Watching the story unfold was fascinating, even as we also gradually saw that Richard was anything but perfect. Yet, even with all his flaws, he still achieved his goal for his daughters. 

 It is too long but Will Smith delivered an outstanding performance reminding us that he really can act. Overall a movie that kept us captivated the whole time.

Jacek Malczewski - Self Portrait With Palette

Jacek Malczewski - Self Portrait With Palette
Via Gandalf's Gallery

I feel as if this is the very embodiment of insouciance.

December

December, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

In the forest of Vincennes, fabled for its game, a wild-boar hunt has caught a boar which is being torn apart by the boarhounds. In the background is the Chateau de Vincennes, long a residence of French royalty.

University of Chicago

What Else I'm Reading for Advent — 25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas

I came across this free at Amazon when cruising for Christmas holiday books back in 2010. It proved to be a very good series of reflections and suggestions for how to make December more meaningful leading up to Christmas. In short, it is a Protestant-style Advent book. Gosh, that is a long time ago and I think I've read it every year.

What makes this different is that the author focuses on linking the spiritual meditations and activities to the familiar holiday songs and things all around us. It was amazingly effective thanks to that and a nice complement to the Catholic Advent reflections that I normally use.

One caveat: the author is not as careful with some of his research as he could be. Just from my general knowledge I spotted two places where he subscribed to popular Christian wishful thinking in the origins of items, namely the candy cane and the Twelve Days of Christmas. We've all come across these in those emails that get sent around every year and then been discredited via Snopes or some other myth-buster site. He uses them effectively nonetheless as there is no harm in reflecting on those items using those faith-focuses. It is just that it would be nice if the author had fact checked better. This also made me a bit wary in trusting some of his other seemingly convenient stories such as that of the Christian origin of the evergreen tree for Christmas. It may be true but if he got the other things wrong, how can I know unless I check all these other facts too?

Regardless, this does not detract too much from the value that these reflections have for the regular Christian who is trying to keep his head in the midst of the regular bombardment of advertising and flurry of activities.

The Little Street

The Little Street (1657–58), Johannes Vermeer

After reading a new book ...

It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones. Every age has its own outlook. It is especially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books ... Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us.

C.S. Lewis, “On the reading of old books,” God in the Dock

Waxwing

 

Waxwing, Remo Savisaar

I am very tired of this Government, which I have never seen ...

I am very tired of this Government, which I have never seen, and which is always insisting that I must do disagreeable things, and does no good to anybody.

Naomi Novik, Throne of Jade

Spoken by a dragon but applies equally well to regular human beings.

A Donkey

Jacques-Laurent Agasse, A Donkey

 

Man is the only amateur animal

Man is the only amateur animal; all others are professionals. They have no leisure and they do not desire it. When the cow has finished eating, she chews the cud; when she has finished chewing, she sleeps; when she has finished sleeping, she eats again. She is a machine for turning grass into calves and milk—in other words, for producing more cows. The lion cannot stop hunting, nor the beaver building dams, nor the bee making honey. When God made the beasts dumb He saved the world from infinite boredom, for it they could speak they would all of them all day talk nothing but shop.

C. S. Lewis, Rehabilitations

Death was not part of nature

Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

St. Ambrose, from a book on the death of his brother

Well, ain't that the truth! I've often thought I didn't want to live forever and as a science fiction lover I've been shown many examples of what we imagine purely human immortality to be like. With a dose of God's grace, that makes it the "remedy" St. Anselm describes.

Daily reminders of the resurrection

Consider, beloved, how the Lord keeps reminding us of the resurrection that is to come, of which he has made the Lord Jesus Christ the first fruits by raising him from the dead. Let us look, beloved at the resurrection that occurs at its appointed time. Day and night show us a resurrection; the night lies in sleep, day rises again; the day departs, night takes its place. let us think about the harvest; how does the sowing take place, and in what manner? The sower goes out and casts each seed onto the ground. Dry and bare, they fall into the earth and decay. Then the greatness of the Lord's providence raises them up again from decay and out of one many are produced and yield fruit.

Saint Clement I, Letter to the Corinthians

This never occurred to me. I am used to seeing the liturgical year echoed in the natural year, of course, but to look at daily reminders of the resurrection — blows my mind.

How hungry are you?

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.

Yogi Berra

A Movie You Might Have Missed #54 : Tell No One

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.

Eight years ago, Alex's wife was murdered.

Today she emailed him.

Tell No One (2006 ‘Ne le dis à personne’)

Tell No One, as Jack Black says in School of Rock, "will test your head, and your mind, and your brain."

That's because it is a truly fast paced thriller which one must keep up with while reading French subtitles. Sometimes we had to go back and reread a couple which were obliquely referring to plot points while delivered quickly in brief bursts. However, it was definitely worth it.

This director must love American thrillers. Tell No One has the pacing, sound, look, and (most importantly) plot of a top notch Hollywood thriller. Partly that's because the original story is from Harlen Coben who cowrote the script with the director. Partly that's because the acting and directing were right on target.

The many twists keep you guessing and just when you are convinced that you've seen a couple of loose ends go by, they get neatly wrapped up. I was even more impressed when I read Roger Ebert's review afterward and realized many of the subtle points that I missed.

If you give enough thought to the film, you'll begin to realize that many of the key roles are twinned, high and low. There are two cops closely on either side of retirement age. Two attractive brunettes. A cop and a crook who have similar personal styles. Two blondes who are angular professional women. Two lawyers. One of the assassins looks a little like Alex, but has a beard. Such thoughts would never occur during the film, which is too enthralling. But it shows what love and care went into the construction of the puzzle.

This is a movie that is definitely worth watching at least twice.

Interpreting "millenial"

She shrugged. That was millennial for no. And for yes. And for several other things, but Kenny spoke fluent millennial, so he understood Noorja's shrug as a no.

Fabian Nicieza, Suburban Dicks

The Elephant of Louis IX of France

The Elephant of Louis IX of France,
a gift to Henry III of England,
drawn by the Benedictine monk Matthew of Paris in 1255 AD.
Via J.R.'s Art Place.

See deep heaven

What do you see when you look up? See God's creation. See the heavens, resounding with praise and glory. See deep heaven, swirling with light and life. Then see even deeper — see Christ and look out with joy.

We are redeemed. We need not fear the dark.

Christiana Hale, Deeper Heaven

Kelp Gatherers on the Beach

Willem George Frederik Jansen - Kelp Gatherers on the Beach
via Gandalf's Gallery

Psalm 29 — The Lord Blesses His People with Peace

If in a spirit of gratitude you wish to teach how one should make a spiritual offering to the Lord, sing Psalm 29.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

The first line of this psalm says, depending on your translation, "Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones..." (or O Heavenly beings or "sons of gods"). The literal translation of the word is 'elim which is the plural of the word for "god." However you slice it (and there are a lot of ways to slice depending on which experts you are reading) it is undeniable that the original reference was to pagan gods. 

We can look at this short psalm as proclaiming the glory of God and his power over creation but that understanding of speaking to the pagan gods in the beginning gives the whole thing a real "in your face, you pagan gods!" 

I like it. I like it a lot.

Lebanon Cedar

It is clear, however, that Israel employed terms like this—'elim ("gods"), bene 'elim ("children of the gods"), and related uses of 'elohim ("gods") and bene 'elohim ("children of God/the gods, heavenly beings, cf. Job 1:6, 2:1)— because she was immersed in a culture dominated by polytheistic belief systems and often struggled with pressure to conform. We know that Israel struggled with the temptation to worship gods other than Yahweh down to the exilic period, at which time (and only then) did absolute monotheistic belief in the existence of Yahweh alone take root firmly in the exilic community.

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The pinnacle and climax of the theophany comes at the height of the storm's power, as all those gathered in the temple worship Yahweh with a loud acclamation of "Glory!" With this shout the worshipers fulfill the call of the opening verses: "Ascribe to the Lord ... glory and strength ... due his name." This cry of acknowledgement is wrested from them almost against their will as the blasting, crashing, flashing display of divine power cannot be denied. All tremble! All worship! All know the glory of Yahweh!

Psalms vol. 1 (The NIV Application Commentary)

Seeing the psalm as a declaration against the pressure to conform to other beliefs makes me think of my own struggle to keep secular society from getting a good hold on the way I think. I have to shake off certain modern attitudes repeatedly to keep the right attitude toward God.

Maybe that's why I love what the comment above says about the "blasting, crashing, flashing display of divine power" which is the glory of God. Reread the psalm with those two ideas in mind and you might become as fond of this psalm as I have.

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

A Movie You Might Have Missed #53 : Meet the Patels

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.

Mom: She lives in India. She’s a bit heavy but has a Master’s in engineering. 

Ravi: So she’s overweight and an engineer and an Indian. That’s not the best pitch, Mom.

Ravi Patel is a first generation Indian-American. After a failed relationship he realizes that his ideal bride would be an Indian raised in the U.S. since he was too. But he has trouble finding such women. His mother is overjoyed to help since she's a famous matchmaker who has been frustrated because her own children won't accept her help. Filmed by his sister, Geeta, Ravi spends a year trying to find love in traditional Indian style.

A lot of reviewers have called this predictable and in one sense it is. We have a feeling that we know who Ravi will wind up with the entire time.

However, there are a lot of other threads combined in the year of matchmaking Indian style. It is those threads that provide more depth than simply who Ravi will like enough to marry.

Vignettes give context for cultural views of marriage, whether of older Indian couples talking about how their marriages were arranged or of young married couples containing either one or both Indian spouses. The comments that both Geeta and their parents drop throughout the filming combine to become a reflection on the importance family and attachment to culture plays, especially in immigrant families.

It was fascinating watching everyone struggle to adapt their native culture to that of their adopted American homeland. For instance one wonders how the Patel parents felt as they adapted the standard Indian matchmaking process in an effort to meet their American son halfway. We also see how this struggle makes Ravi look more deeply at his own life.

This is an amusing, light piece, but one that is also heartwarming and genuine, with insights to share beyond what you might expect.

NOTE: this is NOT a Bollywood movie but does reflect many basics of Indian cultural norms, especially in their respect for parents.

Relaxing

Relaxing, Remo Savisaar

Ashes and Fire

Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire.

Gustav Mahler

I'm with Mahler, as any good Catholic should be.

The Obsolete Science Behind Roe v. Wade

Grazie Pozo Christie's editorial for the Wall Street Journal brought up a point that I'd never thought about — ultrasound technology in the 1970s was a dinosaur compared to what we have today. The question of a 15-week-old fetus's humanity is very apparent today compared to when Roe v. Wade was originally considered. 

Here's the part that inspired me in case you don't have a WSJ subscription (they have a firewall) but do go read the whole thing if you are a subscriber and missed it.

Nestled within their mothers, these fetuses on average are 6.4 inches long and weigh 4.1 ounces. They have the proportions of a newborn—seemingly all head and rounded belly. The major organs are formed and functioning, and although the child receives nutrients and oxygen through the mother’s umbilical cord, the fetal digestive, urinary and respiratory systems are practicing for life outside the womb. The sex of the child is easy to discern by this point. The baby swallows and even breathes, filling the lungs with amniotic fluid and expelling it. The heart is fully formed, its four chambers working hard, with the delicate valves opening and closing.

A healthy baby at 15 weeks is an active baby. Unless the child is asleep, kicking and arm-waving are commonly seen during ultrasound evaluations. The fetal spine is a marvel of intricacy, and it is most often gently curved as the fetus rests against the mother’s uterine wall. Often, I watch as babies plant their feet against the uterine wall and stretch vigorously. Sometimes a delicate hand—with all five fingers—approaches the face and appears to scratch an itch. Fingernails aren’t visible, but they are present. We can see how the bones of the leg meet the tiny ankles and the many-boned feet.

At 15 weeks, the brain’s frontal lobes, ventricles, and thalamus fill the oval-shaped skull. The baby’s profile is endearing in its petite perfection: gently sloping nose, distinct upper and lower lips, eyes that open and close. With the advent of 3D ultrasound, we can now see the fetal face in all its detail.

These are the patients I encounter daily in my work as a radiologist. Clearly human, clearly alive, no longer mysteriously hidden from the eyes and knowledge of man, they ask us to consider them not disposable nonhumans but valuable members of our human family.

Pizza

A pizza delivery boy learns the hard way that it's better to stay on the porch and wait for payment than to enter ... a haunted house!

This was our last scary movie for Halloween viewing and it did a better job than I thought it would. I expected a humorous ghost story. This was anything but that. It was a full-on a horror movie and well done. As with most Indian films, it was too long. A few sections of the second half were fairly redundant but I don't want to say more because part of the pleasure is watching the plot unfold.

Vijay Sethupathi stars as the delivery boy. I've enjoyed his performances in Vikram Vedha as a clever criminal and Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum as a tender-hearted thug helping a naive girl who lives in the apartment next door. This is an earlier movie that helped catapult him into his fame as the People's Treasure of Kollywood films. Let's just say I've become a fan and am looking forward to seeing more of his movies.

This is available streaming on Amazon Prime.

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

Psalm 28 — Plea for Divine Assistance

If you suffer from the weakness of nature as the plots against you grow more shameless so that you have scarcely any rest, then cry out to the Lord, in Psalm 28.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

The things the psalmist complains about are things we understand well, showing once again that human nature never changes. The thing that can change is adding God to the equation, in whom we trust and whose promises we can believe.

David Composing the Psalms, Paris Psalter, 10th century

 This commentary considers the implications of this plea against the wicked from the psalm:

Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work,
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back upon them what they deserve.

Retribution

In our psalm, it is interesting to note the kinds of "work" for which the psalmist's enemies are condemned. It is not that these are murderers or thieves—there is no indication of physical assault or robbery. Instead they are described as "two-faced" or deceptive in their relations with others. They "speak peace" to their neighbors—expressing a concern for others' well-being—while actually harboring resentments and "malice" toward those they address. This is an interior attitude of self-focus and self-concern that is not visible to those around about. Yet lack of integrity in inner thought and outer expression is one of the sinful attitudes commonly addressed in the psalms.

... Even in the world of human relationships, hidden motivations and attitudes often are received through actions more than words. Malice in the heart will ultimately inform what the hands do.

Psalms vol. 1 (The NIV Application Commentary)

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

The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life by Kendra Tierney

When my social media feeds fill up with photos of donuts on the first Friday of June (National Donut Day), I can see that we as a society are hungry for community and shared experiences (and donuts, of course).

While I'm not here to tell you that you shouldn't observe Compliment Day on January 24 (I would never, and your hair looks great like that), I am here to tell you that, for Catholics, there is a whole world of days we could be celebrating together—days that have been marked by crazy community fun long before you could put a hashtag on it. We did it before. And there's no reason we can't do it again.

Kendra Tierney has written a supremely usable book of how to celebrate the liturgical year at home. It is informative, it is practical, and it is fun. You can see from the excerpt above that she has a good sense of humor and that comes to the fore here, in the best possible way.

If you've been wondering how to incorporate more than Easter and Christmas into your Catholic family life then this is the book for you. It includes plenty of activity, food, and decoration and idea stories. One of the most valuable parts is when Tierney tells the reader how she tells the stories of saint days or liturgical observances to her small children. This gives a real template that readers can make their own.

I bought it as a gift for my grandson, by way of giving it to his mother who is the person most likely to put it into action. I didn't have to read the whole thing because I could see that it was just what I was looking for. However, I did read it all just because I enjoyed it so much. This would make a great gift for any young family or even ones with older kids.

Psalm 27 — The Lord is My Light and My Help!

If you experience the harsh and vehement attacks of the enemy, and they crowd against you, despising you as one who is not anointed, and on this very account they fight against you, do not succumb to these attacks bu sing Psalm 27.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

The opening words really set the theme of the entire psalm

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

With this deep trust, we should be able to get through anything. But still, being human, when we face evil and deep trouble face to face we get anxious and cry out to God. The psalmist does likewise, later turning to exhortations that God not does not forsake him and hears his pleas.

Coat of arms at Oxford University
showing first verse of Psalm 27

Pope John Paul II covered this psalm in two parts, as it has been divided for the Liturgy of the Hours. They may both be read here. It us just loaded with good insights. I especially like the Syrian prayer which applies this to temptation and the idea (below) that sometimes our tribulation comes from being utterly alone.  This psalm applies to every situation of life. Do go read it since I will just put a few bits here for easy reflection.

The Lord is my light and my help!

The faithful know that being consistent creates ostracism and even provokes contempt and hostility in a society that often chooses to live under the banner of personal prestige, ostentatious success, wealth, unbridled enjoyment. They are not alone, however, and preserve a surprising interior peace in their hearts because, as the marvelous “antiphon” that opens the Psalm says, “the Lord is light and salvation… the stronghold of life” (cf. Ps 27[26]: 1) of the just. He continuously repeats: “Whom shall I fear?”, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”, “My heart shall not fear”, “Yet I will trust” (cf. vv. 1, 3).

It almost seems as though we were hearing the voice of St Paul proclaiming: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8: 31). But inner calm, strength of soul and peace are gifts obtained by seeking shelter in the temple, that is, by recourse to personal and communal prayer.

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Confidence in God in times of tribulation

Even in solitude and the loss of the closest ties of affection, the person of prayer is never completely alone since the merciful God is bending over him. Our thought goes to a well-known passage from the prophet Isaiah, who attributes to God sentiments of compassion and tenderness that are more than maternal: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49: 15).

Let us remind all elderly persons, the sick, those neglected by everyone, to whom no one will ever show tenderness, of these words of the Psalmist and the prophet, so that they may feel the fatherly and motherly hand of the Lord silently and lovingly touch their suffering faces, perhaps furrowed with tears.

Pope John Paul II, General Audience April 21 and 28, 2004

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