Back from Florida!

 My goodness this was a vacation full of great stories! We drove to Florida which is a two-day trip from Dallas because we like to have that time alone together and to see the countryside unfold. The purpose was to attend my nephew's wedding to a lovely girl of Bangladeshi descent.

About half of the stories are about the incredible inconveniences we encountered in travel, in lodgings, in things - essentially. Luckily, the other half of the stories — the more important half — are wonderful stories of all the people. We got to have a mini-family reunion with my brother and sister, with my sister-in-law's family who showed up in force (they are such great folks), and to spend quite a lot of time with the bride's family who were simply lovely and gracious. Those moments left us happy and with so many wonderful memories.

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to send my mother some photos every day for her "Skylight" - picture frame. She couldn't be there in person but she could follow along the activities a little that way. I never would have thought to take so many photos if I hadn't been wanting to let her share our experiences some. So that was beneficial in two ways!

We also discovered that having seen almost 200 Indian films gives you some credit that lets the conversations be very genuine and interesting. Which was also wonderful!

The happy couple is off to a good start and we came home with some very interesting stories!

Lesser Spotted Eagle

 

Lesser Spotted Eagle, Remo Savisaar

Off to Florida!

We're actually driving and not flying but I just love this old poster. My nephew is getting married next weekend and Tom and I are taking the opportunity for one of our favorite activities — a road trip!

Other than the October saint litany or feast day posts,  I'll be off the air until next week. See you then!

The Promenade

The Promenade by Richard Gower
via my daily art display

The thing that keeps life romantic and full of fiery possibilities

Life is always a novel. ... Our existence is still a story. ...

But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any rate, should be settled for us without our permission. If we wish life to be a system, this may be a nuisance; but if we wish it to be a drama, it is an essential.... The thing which keeps life romantic and full of fiery possibilities is the existence of these great plain limitations which force all of us to meet the things we do not like or do not expect. ... Of all these great limitations and frameworks which fashion and create the poetry and variety of life, the family is the most definite and important.

G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

Eye opening. And heart breaking. A must-listen.

 The Sinister Plot of the Trangender Movement

Today’s children face many new adversities that past generations could never have imagined. Filmmaker, Don Johnson sits down to discuss his new film Dysconnected, and the truth behind this radical movement that is being pushed on our children.

We've seen a number of letters in the Wall Street Journal lately from women who are so happy that they weren't born recently enough to have their strong tom-boy tendencies seen as being a gender problem. That made me interested in listening to this piece which I highly recommend.

 You can read the transcript at Catholic Answers Focus and find the link to the documentary there also.

The Girls

The Girls by Shen Ming Chun
via my daily art display

Climb down a chimney into any house at random, and get on as well as possible with the people inside.

Of course the family is a good institution because it is uncongenial. It is wholesome precisely because it contains so many divergencies and varieties. It is, as the sentimentalists say, like a little kingdom, and, like most other little kingdoms, is generally in a state of something resembling anarchy. ...

The best way that a man could test his readiness to encounter the common variety of mankind would be to climb down a chimney into any house at random, and get on as well as possible with the people inside. And that is essentially what each one of us did on the day he was born.

G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

We have to love our neighbor because he is there.

We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbor. ... That is why the old religions and the old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke, not of one's duty towards humanity, but one's duty towards one's neighbor. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable. ... But we have to love our neighbor because he is there — a much more alarming reason for a much more serious operation. He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us.

G.K. Chesterton, Heretics,
On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family

I have seen the first line of quote interpreted, often by realtors, as meaning that our neighbors are a precious gift. And they are, but not in the sweetly sentimental way that the realtors put forward. We may, in fact, like our neighbors. But often our neighbors are a source of great trial. They are given to us by God in order to try us, to test us, to teach us.

What is equally sobering is we are given to them, as their neighbors, for the very same reason.

A bowl of oranges and one lemon

Still life by Oscar Ghiglia, early 1900s.
Via J.R.'s Art Place

 

Bear Bottles!

These are so adorable. I came across them at Gandalf's Gallery where there's always something that catches my fancy.

Pair of Bear Bottles [c.1740-50]

Bear Bottle [c. 1740-50]

A Movie You Might Have Missed #76 — All of Me (1984)

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.

A screwball comedy that should be better known.

Rich, eccentric Edwina Cutwater  (Lily Tomlin) plans to transport her soul into the body of a beautiful young woman. But it goes wrong. And Edwina's soul has accidentally taken over the entire right side of her lawyer, Roger Cobb (Steve Martin). He still controls what's left. Now, Edwina and Roger are living together in the same body. He's losing his job. He's losing his girlfriend. And he just can't seem to get her out of his system. No matter how hard he tries.

Movie Tagline

"All of Me" shares with a lot of great screwball comedies a very simple approach: Use absolute logic in dealing with the absurd. Begin with a nutty situation, establish the rules, and follow them. The laughs happen when ordinary human nature comes into conflict with ridiculous developments.

Roger Ebert

I'd forgotten just how funny this movie is. We saw this in theaters when it came out and I remembered the big plot points. However, I hadn't seen it for many years so that details of the physical comedy, timing, and the witty screenplay made me laugh out loud. In fact, we were all laughing out loud, which was a lovely way to begin the weekend.

This celebrates not only Steve Martin's acting but merges that with his gift for physical comedy in a way that really works. This really also benefits from the sharp comedic timing of Martin, Tomlin and director Carl Reiner.

The "life after death" theme and humor could put this into loosely into the same category as Ghostbusters if you want a light, non-scary Halloween movie. Though, of course, it is more about living than dying.

El Jaleo

El Jaleo, John Singer Sargent
Isabella Gardner Museum

 I found this because I was reading about an exhibition about Sargent and Spain. Isn't it great? It's about 12 feet wide. Imagine the impact that would have on a room.  Read more here.

Well Said: Quotations

I always have a quotation for everything -- it saves original thinking.

Dorothy Sayers

Obviously, she and I are cut from the same cloth when it comes to loving quotations.

Ad Limina: A Novella of Catholics in Space by Cyril Jones-Kellett

I loved this book. The bishop of Mars has to take his regular trip to Rome to check in with the pope. This is a normal thing in the Catholic Church and I liked seeing it applied to the future when we've got colonies in outer space.

As the bishop makes his way through the vagaries of travel to Earth, he sees the wondrous things people have built, he meets people living under different political systems that dominate each society, and we see his inner growth. When he got to Earth, he had no idea what to expect and neither did I. What happened and the result was a surprise.

This book was a solid science fiction book anchored in Catholic teachings. Somehow it did it without being heavy-handed or preachy — at least to my eyes. It had moments that showed the author's real love of science fiction. The bishop's epiphany when he walked on the surface brought tears to my eyes, his difficulties adjusting showed Cy Kellet's ability to realistically consider the differences between growing up in space versus on Earth, and the bishop's ability to truly appreciate the positive about different cultures' accomplishments was evidence of his open mindedness.

Highly recommended.

Roosting Cranes

Roosting Cranes, Remo Savisaar

Well Said: This One for China, Lord

It's a good reminder for me of just how much of my daily life can be offered for others in prayer.

When sister passed by she heard Sister Maier dedicating each onion to the cause. "This one for China, Lord. This one for India." This continued until the pan was empty and Inez had shed her last onion-tear for the missions.

Sr. Immolata Reida, Selfless

The World of Dreams

Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema - The World of Dreams
via Gandalf's Gallery

A Movie You Might Have Missed #75 — To Be or Not to Be (1942)

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.

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in efforts to track down a German spy.

Jack Benny and Carole Lombard shine in this satire directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch, a master of screwball comedy. It is a unique movie in the way it alternates comedy with really poignant moments — the poignancy would have been more so in 1942 when the Nazis were in Poland. Watching this made me especially appreciate Lombard's acting skill. It was her last film and released a month after she died.

This movie was highly controversial when it was released in 1942. That's hard to image watching it today but when the movie was released there'd been nothing but bad news from Europe, the U.S. hadn't entered the war yet, and nothing seemed to stop Hitler in his goal of world domination. This movie seemed in very bad taste.

But Ernst Lubitsch had an important message beneath the screwball humor — Nazis were not unbeatable superhumans, but simply deluded and incompetent human beings who chose to follow a ridiculous leader like Hitler. And they could be beaten — as a troupe of Polish actors shows us. And never more entertainingly so than in To Be or Not to Be.

It was remade by Mel Brooks in 1983. Don't waste your time on that version. The original is best.

Golden Herrings

Alain Rouschmeyer, Golden Herrings, via Gandalf's Gallery
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

What adds a whole new dimension is this description from the artist:

"When he discovered these golden fishes lined up on this newspaper, he did not imagine for a moment that they would be his school snack every time his grandmother came to babysit him. She made sure to convince her grandson of their nutritional and gustatory qualities. After a few hesitant bites, the young boy quickly agreed with her and the golden herrings became their ritual as soon as he had put his schoolbag on a chair and they were both at the kitchen table.”

Kaw-u-tz, a Caddo woman

Kaw-u-tz, a Caddo woman, 1906
Photographer: George Bancroft Cornish.
Via Traces of Texas who found this at SMU'S Degolyer Library

 My goodness, she is drop dead gorgeous! And the beading on her necklace must have taken forever.

Lagniappe: Error Message Haiku

Collected over time from error messages.

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.

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

Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.

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

You step in the stream,
but the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

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

Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

King Charles III, defender of persecuted Christians

 I wasn't aware of this but am glad to see that the new king has a long history of defending persecuted Christians — something which gets ignored a lot of the time. 

Here's a bit from The Pillar where you can read much more.

It’s hard to identify the precise moment that Charles publicly embraced the cause of suffering Christians. But he took a significant step in 2013, when the Islamist group ISIS was rampaging across Syria and Iraq.

The future king visited a Coptic Orthodox Church center and a Syrian Orthodox church that year in southeast England, before hosting a reception for Middle Eastern Christians at Clarence House, his London residence.

“The Prince has expressed concern about the current challenges facing Christians in some Middle Eastern nations and wanted to meet members of those communities resident in the UK to find out more,” his office explained at the time.

“The Prince of Wales wants to draw attention to the importance of harmony and understanding between peoples of all faiths.”

Charles met the Middle Eastern Christians with Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a coordinator of the “A Common Word” initiative, in which Muslim leaders reached out to their Christian counterparts following Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address. Through contacts like the Jordanian prince, the heir to the throne kept abreast of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

From 2013 onward, Charles began to speak out frequently and insistently on behalf of persecuted Christians.

Against the Sky

Against the Sky by Frank W. Benson, 1910
Via J.R.'s Art Place

Both heartless and good natured

The great family characteristic of the Stanhopes might probably be said to be heartlessness, but this want of feeling was, in most of them, accompanied by so great an amount of good nature as to make itself but little noticeable to the world. They were so prone to oblige their neighbours that their neighbours failed to perceive how indifferent to them was the happiness and well-being of those around them. The Stanhopes would visit you in your sickness (provided it were not contagious), would bring you oranges, French novels, and the last new bit of scandal, and then hear of your death or your recovery with an equally indifferent composure.

Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers

I read this paragraph three times when I first encountered it. It was so funny and I couldn't imagine how it could be possible to have two such traits. Then I saw how Trollope fleshed it out in the story and my question was answered.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #74 — Gaslight

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.

After the murder of her aunt, Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) leaves London for Italy to start a new life. While there, she falls in love with the charming Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). They marry and return to London where Paula begins to notice strange goings-on: missing pictures, strange footsteps in the night, and gaslights that dim without being touched. As she fights to retain her sanity, her new husband's intentions come into question.

IMDB

A classic for a reason. If you only know the term "gaslight" but not where it came from, then you need to watch this movie. If, like me, you haven't seen it for a very long time, then you are overdue for a rewatch.

All the actors are simply wonderful at conveying mood and mindset through much more than words. The director's masterful use of light and shadow makes the most of the black and white format. Note the sequences outside the bedroom doors where the shadows of the railings fall across the people, looking like jail cell bars. And the clothes - by Irene - are glorious.

My favorite character was Miss Thwaites, the nosy old lady who lived across the square and was dying to get into the house where a murder had happened. She added much needed comic relief and we all adored her.

Walk of Mary Across the Mountains

Maximilian Liebenwein, Walk of Mary Across the Mountains

 I first saw this at Lines and Colors where there are links to bigger versions and Charley's previous post on Liebenwein.

The inspired richness of human experience and the Bible

We can say with Aquinas that "grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it." The Bible is a book of human authors as well as of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, it is the product of a vast human religious culture with its internal traditions, external influences, occasional crises, and its moments of intellectual resolution. It is this richness of human experience that is inspired, not a magical world of human authors removed from normal human life and circumstances. As Austin Farrer once noted, the Bible is like a love-letter written by a soldier fighting in the trenches on the battlefield. There is some blood and dirt on it and the paper is torn, but the message is beautiful and we can understand it. The divine word speaks to us truly, but does so through the gritty reality of human historical life.

Thomas Joseph White, OP, The Light of Christ

Beautifully put and so very true.

Two Idlers

"Two Idlers" by Robert Frederick Blum, 1889
via J.R.'s Art Place

It's like a lovely Labor Day dream isn't it?

Praying the Rosary Like Never Before by Edward Sri

This is an amazingly thorough book on the rosary which includes so much for meditation. I knew a lot of the information in the front half of the book — history, prayer techniques, why pray the rosary — but it was well put and easy to read.

The second half of the book, focusing on the mysteries, was simply amazing. It has Edward Sri's trademark excellent Biblical connections which lead us into salvation history. It pauses for moments of reflection which open the heart of the person praying. I really appreciated the fact that Sri used St. John Paul II's teachings as touchpoints throughout this book. I have always loved JPII's apostolic letter on the rosary and Sri not only used this but mined other homilies and works for deeper meaning from this saint.

I also loved the way that Sri didn't focus on just one moment for each mystery but would look at it from many angles. For example, in the Presentation we are shown how Luke is pointing us toward the story of Samuel, how Simeon is responding to the Holy Spirit, and how Simeon's phrasing has special prophetic resonance.

The cherry on the sundae, so to speak, was when I found a scriptural rosary guide included at the end. Each mystery is given ten short verses from the Bible, one for each bead of the decade. These can be used in a variety of ways — simply for reflection before beginning the decade, to help keep focus on the mystery, to be said before each bead, or other options as they strike the person praying. I only recently came across this idea but really like it a lot and Sri's selections are more thorough than others I've seen.

I will add here that I rarely pray the rosary myself, but I like to read different meditations on the mysteries just to use for my own contemplation. This is an excellent resource for that as well as saying the rosary.

I read the Kindle version which is fine for reading but which doesn't have chapters linked from the book's TOC or have the footnotes linked, which is a major problem for moving around inside the book. I'll be getting the print version at some point because I want it around for anyone in the house to pick up.

It wasn't perfect and there were a few things I didn't love. None of these are deal breakers but I wanted to mention them.

First, the reader is never instructed in how to pray the rosary, with the actual prayers. I realize this book is high level, but it wouldn't have taken that much space. There was an illustration under the heading How to Pray the Rosary but it simply showed the order to say the prayers with the beads. As someone who is a convert I can say that you simply have to put these prayers in an easy to find place for the eager beginner who picks the book up.

Second, I read the Kindle version which is fine for reading but which doesn't have chapters linked from the book's TOC or have the footnotes linked, which is a major problem for moving around inside the book. I'll be getting the print version at some point because I want it around for anyone in the house to pick up. 

Lastly, the group study questions sounded as if they were written by someone giving a quiz to be sure the readers paid attention and then jammed in at the end of the chapters. Ugh. The author gave plenty of prompts through the material and these questions really broke the mood for me.

Morning Awakening

Morning Awakening, Eva Gonzales

This painting is of Eva Gonzales's sister Jeanne who was in over 20 of her paintings. I love that she painted her sister so much.

Speaking ill-naturedly of others ...

Considering how much we are all given to discuss the characters of others, and discuss them often not in the strictest spirit of charity, it is singular how little we are inclined to think that others can speak ill-naturedly of us, and how angry and hurt we are when proof reaches us that they have done so.

Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers

Fritillaries in a Copper Vase

Vincent van Gogh, Fritillaries in a Copper Vase, 1887

 Vivid. Bright. Full of life. Like a flame captured in a vase.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #73 — Midnight (1939)

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.

When out-of-work showgirl Eve (Claudette Colbert) arrives in Paris with no work in sight, she asks taxi driver Tibor (Don Ameche) to drive her from club to club. But the more time she spends with Tibor, the more Eve realizes that he is falling for her. Unwilling to accept his feelings, Eve escapes to a charity concert, meets the charming Georges (John Barrymore) and disguises herself as a Hungarian baroness. But love-struck Tibor is not willing to let Eve go without a fight.

This is a lovely bit of hilarious farce, beautifully acted by big stars in a script by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett.

Supposedly Wilder hated last minute script changes so much that he began his own directing career so no one would do that to him again. We can thank this movie for giving us Wilder the director whose movies I love so much.

This particular movie has fire-cracker dialogue, a delightfully twisty farcical plot, and tons of charisma. Perfect for viewing any time but especially perfect for our current anxious times.

If you like this, try It Happened One Night for more of Claudette Colbert or Trouble in Paradise directed by comic genius Ernst Lubitsch (a major influence on Billy Wilder) for a couple pulling cons on the rich in witty style.

Till we can become divine ...

Till we can become divine, we must be content to be human, lest in our hurry for change we sink to something lower.

Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers

I love that Padre Pio never quits on anyone — Shia LaBoeuf's conversion

This is a wonderful story. I will be praying that Shia La Beouf's conversion takes deep root. Here are the basics, but do go read the whole thing.

LaBeouf said he believes God used his eagerness to resurrect his lagging movie career to put him on a path to healing and personal peace.

The turning point was an offer to play the lead in Abel Ferrara’s new film, Padre Pio — which premieres in Venice next week.

Though he knew little if anything about the famous Italian saint, or Catholicism in general, LaBeouf lept at the chance.

As it turned out, it wasn’t his career that God wanted to save, LaBeouf believes.

The Franciscan friars he spent time with to prepare for the role made him increasingly curious about the faith that inspired Padre Pio.

A Retreat for Lay People by Ronald Knox

I now can see why C.S. Lewis called Ronald Knox the wittiest man in Europe. At times I kept forgetting I wasn't reading Chesterton but was reading a collection of Monsignor Knox's talks he'd given on many retreats for us regular folk - a.k.a. lay people.

These are really wonderful because Knox seemingly effortlessly combines practical advice, inspirational thoughts, and unexpected ways to think about God and our relationship with him. I got a kick out of the times when Knox would say "my own translation of this Scripture might give a better sense" and I'd remember that, of course, the Knox Bible was done by this priest who had such a chatty, friendly style in these talks.

I read a chapter each morning with my coffee and it was the perfect start to my day. Here's a sample of some of the down-to-earth yet utterly surprising images that delighted me and have stuck with me.

Being alive to God means something a little more complicated; it means that the thought of God is at the very apex of our unconscious minds all the time, overflowing all the time into our conscious thoughts, our conscious acts. ...

We read of the patriarch Enoch, that he walked with God. We usually, I think, get the wrong idea of that word "walked in the Old Testament. We think of it as if it meant going on a kind of pilgrimage, laboriously plodding on and on, along a path that has been mapped out for you, but of course it doesn't; it means walking up and down, strolling about at your leisure, taking a turn up and down the front lawn—that is the sort of picture we want to have in our minds when we hear about people walking with God. Enoch walked to and fro, went about his daily business and his daily pleasures, but always with God.

If only we were more like that! If only we could walk through the world at God's heels—so close to him, so alive to his presence, that we could share everything with him, refer to him every moment of sunshine, every shadow of uncertainty in our lives; accept everything he sends with conscious gratitude; obey the least whisper of his call! Even if it is sitting in a room where its master is at work, see who the dog, though it is half asleep on the floor, is awake all the time to him; he has merely to throw a word to it and you will hear it rapping its tail on the floor, for very pleasure that some notice has been taken of it—if we could be grateful, instinctively grateful, for every breath of grace that passes over our souls, and acknowledge it, at once, as God's gift!

Letter

Letter, Okada Saburōsuke

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

Trollope's comic masterpiece of plotting and backstabbing opens as the Bishop of Barchester lies on his deathbed. Soon a pitched battle breaks out over who will take power, involving, among others, the zealous reformer Dr Proudie, his fiendish wife and the unctuous schemer Obadiah Slope.

I listened to Timothy West's narration on Audible, which is wonderful. This is one of the last of my self-assigned books to read for my 2022 book challenge.

No wonder this is one of Trollope's best loved books. It is a lot of fun and perfect light reading. It makes me think of Thackeray's Vanity Fair although this book is gentler than that but it has the same vibe for me. He carefully builds a complicated tangle of characters who come clashing against each other quite naturally as each works toward a single-minded goal.

I grew quote fond of almost every character as we followed their trials and travails in doing things seemingly as simple as throwing a summer party — which is not simple at all as it turns out. Even the few people you love to hate have their moments of humanity as comeuppances are delivered.

I can foresee reading the entire series. 

Well Said: Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean

One of my favorite quotes from an author whose prose captures me every time I glance through one of his books.

In everything that can be called art there is a quality of redemption. It may be pure tragedy, if it is high tragedy, and it may be pity and irony, and it may be the raucous laughter of the strong man. But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. ...

If there were enough like him, I think the world would be a very safe place to live in, and yet not too dull to be worth living in.

Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder

I'd say that this applies not only to the hard boiled detective but to how we live our own lives.

A Fishing Boat at Sea

Vincent Van Gogh, A Fishing Boat at Sea, 1888

Family Photo

Family Photo, Remo Savisaar

This picture of this little boar family is so sweet.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #72 — A Face in the Crowd

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.

POWER! He loved it!
He took it raw in big gulpfuls...
he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood!

Lonesome Rhodes (Andy Griffith) is a homespun philosopher and country singer discovered in a drunk-tank by a radio show producer in Northeast Arkansas (Patricia Neal). His charm and disarming honesty make him an influential overnight sensation. As Rhodes moves up the ladder into bigger markets he is courted by people who want to use his influence with his adoring audience who mistake image for truth. But the people behind the scenes know what he's really like.

You've never seen Andy Griffith like this! He could really act. Who knew there was so more to his abilities than he displayed on The Andy Griffith Show or Matlock? Despite that, it's Patricia Neal whose quiet performance anchors the film. Keep an eye on her subtle reactions for a deeper reading of the story.

This is a spiritual cousin to the also little known Ace in the Hole directed by Billy Wilder. That film examines sensationalist journalism while this one dives into the intertwining of cult of personality, mass media (TV) and politics. This was the second and final collaboration between Elia Kazan and Bud Schulberg after On the Waterfront. In its own way it is equally as good a film and definitely should be better known.

Irises

Vincent van Gogh, Irises, 1889

Vase with Cornflowers and Poppies

Van Gogh, Vase with Cornflowers and Poppies
via Arts Everyday Living

Last year, I painted nothing but flowers to accustom myself to a a color other than grey, that’s to say pink, soft or bright green, light blue, violet, yellow, orange, glorious red.

Vincent van Gogh, letter to sister Willemien,
late October, 1887

Starry Night

Starry Night, Jean-François Millet

This goes along with today's quote. Click on the link to see the stars fill the screen more. I also like finding paintings of stars that aren't Van Gogh's. Nothing wrong with his paintings but his stars are seen everywhere.

When he calls the stars, they answer "Here we are!"

But the one who knows all things knows her [Wisdom];
he has probed her by his knowledge—

He who established the earth for all time,
and filled it with four-footed animals,

Who sends out the lightning, and it goes,
calls it, and trembling it obeys him;

Before whom the stars at their posts
shine and rejoice.

When he calls them, they answer, “Here we are!”
shining with joy for their Maker.

Such is our God;
no other is to be compared to him:

He has uncovered the whole way of understanding,
and has given her to Jacob, his servant,
to Israel, his beloved.

Thus she has appeared on earth,
is at home with mortals.

Baruch 3:32-38

I always love it when scripture personalizes nature's response to God. It adds a new dimension to His creation and to how it speaks to us in a way deeper than words (Psalm 19). This one's for Hannah - Happy Birthday, nature lover!

A fern in a glass of water

A Fern in a Glass of Water, Duane Keiser

 

Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.

Literature and fiction are two entirely different things. Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. A work of art can hardly be too short, for its climax is its merit. A story can never be too long, for its concusion is merely to be deplored, like the last half-penny or the last pipelight.

G.K. Chesterton, In Defence of Penny Dreadfuls

Courtyard of the Pazzi Chapel

Carl Georg Anton Graeb, Courtyard of the Pazzi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence
via Gandalf's Gallery

People must have stories

But people must have conversation, they must have houses, and they must have stories. The simple need for some kind of ideal world in which fictitious persons play an unhampered part is infinitely deeper and older than the rules of good art, and much more important.

G.K. Chesterton, In Defence of Penny Dreadfuls

A Movie You Might Have Missed #71: The Old Man and the Gun

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.

A True Story...Mostly.

Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities. 

Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck) and a new acquaintance (Sissy Spacek) who might be falling in love with him.

A solid film which is more thoughtful and interesting than a lot of people have given it credit for.

I first heard of this as a fitting last work for Redford because of the good natured manner and the twinkle in his eye. This did not sound compelling. But listening to The Next Picture Show talk about it made me give it a try.

It is leisurely and character driven — which seems funny for a movie about a detective and bank robber playing cat and mouse, but there you go — and that's where the interest comes in. When you consider the other two main characters and their lives in contrast to Tucker, then you find the movie's substance.

Also it is only an hour-and-a-half. Like one of Tucker's robberies, you're in and out before you know what hit you ... and you're smiling at the end.

Evening Bells

Evening Bells, Carlos Schwabe

My OSV article — Exploring 6 great Christian authors (and how to start reading them)

I had the opportunity to write an article for Our Sunday Visitor which was a lot of fun to write. It includes a sidebar of Christian authors who wrote about things other than faith — like mysteries — but who managed to slip an overtly Christian book into the mix nonetheless.

Here's the introduction and then you can go read the whole thing for yourself online.

“Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.” — Flannery O’Connor, speaking about the Eucharist

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” — G.K. Chesterton

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, there’s always laughter and good red wine.” — Hilaire Belloc

Each of these quotes is famous because it pinpoints a truth that is simultaneously reassuring and startling. Yes, the Eucharist is more than a symbol. Yes, children do know about danger. They also need to know it can be overcome. Yes, the Catholic faith is good, delicious and life-affirming.

These quotes are just the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to dive past the quotes and into the work of six great Christian authors of the 20th century to see why they’re so often talked about and cited in the Catholic world. Most people have a superficial sense of these writers and their works. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are well-known for tales of Narnia and hobbits. Flannery O’Connor seems disturbing, G.K. Chesterton seems confusing, and Graham Greene seems depressing. Hilaire Belloc is practically forgotten — except for the quote above.

But what they all share is a love of Christ and a unique way to bring his message to the world. They wrote to help us readjust our vision to the correct angle for a deeper truth. If you’ve read these authors’ well-known works, we’ve got treasures off of beaten paths. If you have been intimidated by their reputations, we’ve got the perfect “gateway” work to help you see the world — and the Faith — through their eyes.

Horses, Chickens and Pigs in a Farmyard

Horses, Chickens and Pigs in a Farmyard, John Frederick Herring Jr.

 This seemed as if it went perfectly with today's quote!

Lagniappe: Why I like chickens and pigs ...

It may be helpful if I preface this by saying that the author had been saying his horses' tetchiness over windy days wears him out. Though I think this works on its own too...

This is why I like chickens and pigs. In a high wind, pigs lie close together at the back of their house, snoozing, straw pulled over their heads. The chickens sit on their perches knitting and doing their accounts.

Verlyn Klinkenborg, More Scenes From the Rural Life

The Natural Home of the Human Spirit and The Ambassadors

The Catholic Church is the natural home of the human spirit. The odd perspective of life which looks like a meaningless puzzle at first, seen from that one standpoint takes on complete order and meaning, like the skull in the picture of the Ambassadors.

Hilaire Belloc to G.K. Chesterton
upon hearing of his conversion to Catholicism

Just to make it easy I'm including the painting that Belloc was referring to. You can see the odd shape in the bottom of the picture which, viewed at just the right angle, is seen to be a skull.

The Ambassadors, Hans Holbein the Younger

Wikipedia tells us:

The distorted skull which is placed in the bottom centre of the composition, rendered in anamorphic perspective, is meant to be a visual puzzle as the viewer must approach the painting from high on the right side, or low on the left side, to see the form as an accurate rendering of a human skull.

Hence, Belloc's comparison. I must say, for my own part, Belloc hits the nail on the head. The world didn't make true sense to me until I looked at it through the lens of Church teachings. 

Here's the skull, adjusted so we can see it as if we were the ones coming down the staircase.

The anamorphic skull, viewed  at an oblique angle

Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World by Simon Callow

Simply superb. Simon Callow reads his own work and I highly recommend the audiobook for those who are so inclined.

This is a brief but comprehensive biography of Dickens told by an affectionate fan who is nonetheless clear eyed about Dickens' positive and negative qualities. Callow is an actor by trade and his appreciation for Dickens is in large part for someone who was always "performing" and thrived most when he had a relationship with his audience.

I myself didn't realize what a talented actor Dickens was or how many theatrical performances he was a part of, especially since in Victorian times amateur plays were a common pastime. When you've got friends the likes of Thackeray and Wilkie Collins, you know the screenplay will be terrific, there will be lots of fun getting the show together, and you'll pull in quite a crowd. No wonder Dickens loved driving those performances!

As I said, this is a comprehensive biography and I highly recommend it. I was left with a greater appreciation for Dickens' genius and a real sympathy for those who lived with that genius running their lives. It must have been glorious but tiring to be one of Dickens's friends or family! 

Daikon-gashi, from the series Twelve Scenes of Tōkyō (Tōkyō jūnidai)

Hasui Kawase, Daikon-gashi,
from Twelve Scenes of Tōkyō (Tōkyō jūnidai)

The Cross is Our Glory Given by God

The Cross was his Glory. Jesus did not speak of being crucified; he spoke of being glorified. Therefore, first and foremost, a Christian's glory is the cross that he must bear.. It is an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ. We just never think of our cross as a penalty; we must think of it as our glory. The harder the task a knight was given, the greater he considered its glory. The harder the task we give a student, the more we honor him. In effect, we say that we believe that nobody but he could attempt that task at all. So when it is hard to be a Christian, we must regard it as our glory given to us by God.

William Barclay, John, vol. 2

Typing this up to share here, I suddenly thought of an "assignment" from God that I've been dodging. I got an odd lurch in my stomach thinking of the fact that it is an honor, that nobody but me could attempt that task at all, as Barclay says above. I've got new motivation now!

Tommaso di Folco Portinari and Maria Portinari

Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, born 1456)
painted by Hans Memling, location The Met

Click through on the link above to see this extraordinary art up close. It is just amazing in the beauty and realism. Originally these were part of a triptych which had a painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus in the middle, so each would have been facing that painting in prayerful devotion.

I discovered this via Lines and Colors, where we are told:

Look at the superb rendition of the couple’s eyes, the subtle modeling of the faces, the delicate variation of color in the skin, as well as the intricate attention paid to the woman’s jewelry, both of their rings, and the woman’s fingernails.

As if that wasn’t enough to wow the viewer, Memling has added a bit of trompe l’oeil trickery with a faux inner frame, overlapped subtly by the man’s cloak and the shadow of the woman’s praying hands, and more overtly by the veil of her headdress.

The Lines and Colors post features several parts of the paintings enlarged so you can get a great look at the details.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #70: Obit

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.

An inside look at life on the New York Times obituaries desk.

How do you put a life into 500 words? Ask the staff obituary writers at the New York Times. OBIT is a first-ever glimpse into the daily rituals, joys and existential angst of the Times obit writers, as they chronicle life after death on the front lines of history.

A charming piece that looks at obituary writers for the New York Times. Inevitably one begins thinking, however tangentially, not only about the mechanics of the thing but about people and history and one's own life. Well done and we all enjoyed it.

Golden sunrise at the wetland delta

Golden sunrise at the wetland delta, Remo Savisaar

So What?

The more you say, "I must not worry," the more you will. I think it better simply to offer the worrying to God. ...

I have the temperament which just has to face the worst possibility, and I think, when one does, one realizes that the very worst can be accepted. My way is to say in every emergency, "Now what is the worst that can happen?" and then, "So what?" That works with me.

Caryll Houselander

This has become my habit. When faced with imaginings of the worst things I finally had to face the fact that I have almost no control over a lot of my life.

If I have no control, I know who does and to whom I must turn — Jesus. And so I imagine the worst, turn it over to Jesus to help me if it should happen and then can say, "So what?"

Everyday life calls for the equipment provided by daily Scripture reading

What are you saying, man? It's not your business to pay attention to the Bible because you are distracted by thousands of concerns? Then Bible reading belongs more to you than to the monks! For they do not make as much use of the help of the divine Scriptures as those who always have a great many things to do. ... But you are always standing in the line of battle and are constantly being hit, so you need more medicine. For not only does your spouse irritate you, but your son annoys you, and a servant makes you lose your temper. An enemy schemes against you, a friend envies you, a neighbor insults you, a colleague trips you up. Often a lawsuit impends, poverty distresses, loss of possessions brings sorrow. At one moment success puffs you up; at another failure deflates you. Numerous powerful inducements to anger and anxiety, to discouragement and grief, to vanity and loss of sense surround us on every side. A thousand missiles rain down from every direction. And so we constantly need the whole range of equipment supplied by Scripture. ...

Since many things of this kind besiege our soul, we need the divine medicines, so that we might treat the wounds we already have, and so that we might check beforehand the wounds that are not yet, but are going to be, from afar extinguishing the missiles of the devil and repelling them through the constant reading of the divine Scriptures. for it is not possible, not possible for anyone to be saved who does not constantly have the benefit of spiritual reading.

St. John Chrysostom
via The New Jerusalem Bible Saints Devotional Edition

This quote above is only part of a longer piece. It is down to earth, pithy, and full of common sense. I always like seeing things that show our lives are not as different in the basic as we think they are. This one's full of reminders.

I really love this Saints Devotional Bible. It's got quotes that I haven't seen elsewhere but which are perfectly matched to the scripture being commented upon. I also really love Saint John Chrysostom. Every time I read something he's written, no matter where I come across it, I can see why he's called "Golden Tongue." I'm going to have to find a longer work and settle down to taking in his writing.

From the Terrace (The Boston State House in the Distance)

Abbott Fuller Graves - From the Terrace (The Boston State House in the Distance)
via Gandalf's Gallery

Click the link above to see the picture full screen. It's just lovely.

Sin can't completely obliterate the image of God in man

Sin has not been so powerful that it could completely obliterate the image of God in man, but only "soil it, deform it and weaken it. It was able to wound his soul but not annihilate it. It was able to darken his intellect but not destroy it. Sin managed to open a way for hatred, but not to eliminate man's capacity for loving. It twisted man's will, but not to such an extent as to make rectification impossible" (F. Suarez). This is why, although man tends towards evil when he lets himself be led by his fallen nature, he can nevertheless, with the help of grace, overcome those disordered passions and possess and communicate to others the peace Christ won for us.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, vol. 4

This is a great reminder that to never give up, never surrender!

Divan Japonaise, Duckomenta

VOLKER SCHÖNWART (interDuck): Le Divan Japonais

This art is one of the Duckomenta paintings (see the book below for more background.) I love them so much.

Here's the original painting for comparison.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Divan Japonais

Here is where I discovered Duckomenta.


Die Duckomenta by interDuck

I received this as a gift long ago and looking through it recently I fell in love all over again. The only flaw is that I can't read German, but the art speaks for itself.

Classic art, from caveman days forward, documents a mysterious tribe of ducks known as the interDucks who once lived very public lives in a society parallel to that of mankind. (I picked this up from the website.)