Heresies and How to Avoid Them, edited by Ben Quash and Michael Ward

Ten top theologians, all practising Christians, tackle ten ancient heresies and show why the contemporary Church still needs to know about them. Christians need to remember what these great early heresies were and why they were ruled out, or else risk falling prey to their modern day manifestations. The book contains key scriptural passages relevant to each heresy, a glossary of terms, and summaries of historical Church documents in which these heresies were defined and outlawed.

This really is just like the book blurb describes it — reacquainting Christians with ancient heresies and how one might encounter them today. I was surprised to see that a tendency I really hate — to talk about the God of the Old Testament as a hateful deity and Jesus of the New Testament as correcting that OT god with his love and sweetness — is the ancient heresy of Marcionism. Aha! (The Trinity is three persons, ONE essence. As Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.")

Anyway, some of the chapters are easier to understand than the others but all are good. Each begins with a quick summary of the heresy, followed by key scriptures which refute the errors. Each of the authors also took pains to point out that the heretics and their teachings were often well intentioned in desiring to clarify a misunderstanding about the faith. Often the heretics simply didn't go far enough in thinking things through and then dug their heels in when their theories were questioned and shown to be inadequate.

The generous attitude of the authors does not mean that they condone heresy. It does mean that they look upon it as "provocative stimuli, catalysts for energetic thought." Otherwise how can one counter it? That is how I have felt when encountering it, as I did very shortly after converting and innocently sashaying out to a bookstore to pick up books about Catholicism. I was quite surprised to see that there were a lot of divergent schools of thought about various topics in the Church. I quickly learned to educate myself in the why's and how's of the Church's dogma and doctrine so I could evaluate what I came across. Many such opportunities to dig deeper into our own faith are presented to us today and that "generous attitude" of one that I think is valuable to remember when we find ourselves confronted with heresy today.

The final chapter and the epilogue point out how dangerous heresy is and why orthodoxy is important. Both are excellent reminders of the importance that real truth makes to our relationship with God.

Broken Egg

Duane Keiser, Broken Egg

Just Plain Fun: Confess, Fletch; Honor Among Thieves; and Game Night

 Sometimes you just want to watch a fun movie that doesn't give you more than a good time. We recently saw three of them that were just plain fun and, as my mother said, silly in just the right way. They also strike me as highly rewatchable. I look forward to doing so.

Confess, Fletch

The roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.

This is a solid murder mystery like they don't make any more. Extremely entertaining, quick witted, funny, and keeps you guessing. Also, we need more Jon Hamm in humorous roles.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure. It's an infectiously good-spirited comedy with a solid emotional core.

This captured the sense of the gameplaying while also being a good fantasy adventure movie for any viewer. As a Baldur's Gate game player it was distinctly weird to recognize town names and city buildings and spells and suchlike. 

You know the basic beats of who will grow in what way and what sorts of personal challenges they must face. But that frees you up to sit back and enjoy the show, letting the humor and quests take you on a very entertaining ride.

Game Night

Max and Annie's weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks arranges a murder mystery party -- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.

After watching Honor Among Thieves we discovered that the same team wrote and directed Game Night, which somehow I'd missed when it came out. This is another movie where the only goal is to entertain, which it does spectacularly.

The type of movie is familiar so we could relax and go along for the ride, enjoying the twists on the familiar beats. There were so many familiar, favorite actors that it was the icing on the cake to have both Jason Bateman and Kyle Chandler in the film together. And it was really fun to see Chandler playing against type.

Ketchup

Ketchup, Edward B. Gordon

Vintage

Vintage
by James Neil Hollingsworth

The Demands of Despair ... and of Hope

Despair demands less of us, it's more predictable, and in a sad way safer. Authentic hope requires clarity — seeing the troubles in this world — and imagination, seeing what might lie beyond these situations that are perhaps not inevitable and immutable.

Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

I never would have thought to label despair and hope in this way but, of course, this cuts to the heart of the two emotions.

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

We all know the basics of this story. On a cold and snowy night, a mysterious traveller shows up at the Coach and Horses inn. His face is swaddled in bandages, he never removes his dark glasses, and he always wears gloves. The curious villagers have various theories for these oddities but it is generally assumed he is an accident victim. When the truth is revealed it is almost incomprehensible — he is an invisible man. As he struggles to survive and discover the antidote, we follow his progress in a story that is funny, exciting, and alarming. 

I have liked this book as a scary tale ever since I first read it many years ago. As I've grown older and wiser I increasingly appreciated H.G. Wells's skill, both as a writer and as an observer of human nature. This book does a lot in relatively few pages. It tells a story that we don't expect to be truly scary because it is so old and well known. However, by the time that Kemp was fleeing from the invisible man, seeking asylum in a bar, and everyone was worried about which doors they forgot to lock, I felt real chills of terror.

H.G. Wells asks the question, "What would you try to get away with if you were invisible?" We've seen a lot of super hero movies look at this sort of issue but this early piece of science fiction is one of the most effective. It also serves as a nice corrective of the modern tendency to give every villain a sympathetic back story. The invisible man actually has a story that you can feel sympathetic about at the beginning. Very quickly, however, the reader is disabused of any tendencies to think him misunderstood, put upon, or simply different.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this again.

Scott Danielson and I discuss the book in episode 311 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Juli (July)

Juli (July), Theo Van Hoytema

 

30 Days with Married Saints by Kent and Caitlin Lasnoski

30 Days with the Married Saints will help you to pray with a variety of holy married men and women of the Church from well-known couples like Mary and Joseph to lesser-known couples like Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi (the first couple to be beatified together). Each day contains vivid portraits of heroically virtuous married saints as well as prayers, moving reflections, questions, and practical suggestions to enrich your marriage and inspire you and your spouse on your journey of sanctity.

I picked this up because my husband and I are the Spiritual Directors for an upcoming marriage enrichment retreat. I'm so glad I did because otherwise I would have missed this wonderful devotional.

I was impressed by the range and variety of the married couples presented for our contemplation. In some cases, both spouses were saints. In many more, as one might expect, one was a saint and the other was along for the ride, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. For example, we're all familiar with Saint Monica whose husband was violent, faithless, and unfaithful to her. However, after twenty years of marriage he was baptized shortly before his death.

On the other hand, Blessed Frederic Ozanam who founded the Saint Vincent de Paul Society had a loving, supportive wife. They both worked to keep their marriage full of small, daily reminders of affection. This is despite the fact that he was incredibly busy as a professor, journalist, and helping poor households as a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul society.

Many of the couples merit several chapters. The chapters in this small book are never longer than three or four pages which have been a good amount for my husband and I to read together every day. Each chapter has an opening prayer, modern illustrations of living the examples found in the saints' lives, points for reflection and a closing prayer. I tend not to like reflection prompts but the ones in this book are thoughtful and often highlight angles I might not have considered.

Highly recommended.

The Complete Home

The Complete Home: An Encyclopedia of Domestic Life and Affairs. 1879.
via Books and Art

This is a really glorious book cover. I can only imagine how proud Mrs. Julia McNair Wright must have been when it was published. I also like the beauty implied by the flowers and ornaments, which would be the beauty that a purchaser would hope to bring to their home with the helpful tips inside.

The Wolf-Leader by Alexandre Dumas

Often cited as the first werewolf novel ever written! From the author of adventure classics like The Three Musketeers and The Count Of Monte Cristo, a lost tale of revenge, wishes fulfilled, and a ravenous nature that will take a bite out of you!

Drawing from his own youthful experiences of folklore, Alexandre Dumas tells the story of Thibault, a young man who makes a pact with a talking wolf who promises to grant his wishes. Though he is promised revenge against those who wronged him, Thibault's life only gets worse. His vengeance lays itself bare, but the villagers suspect him to be a werewolf as well!

This is pushed as a werewolf story but it is really a Faustian tale. I know of Faust only by reputation but my impression was always that he was a bit of a clever fellow. Thibault is not. It's fun watching this unfold, especially with the unusual nature of the devil's request for each wish granted. As Thibault progresses in his desires, he encounters different situations that gradually move up through the social strata. This leads to a lot of amusing situations strewn amongst the Faustian choices that are made.

Overall this was rather like infusing the hijinks of The Three Musketeers into a supernatural story with a moral center. It simultaneously was entertaining and thought-provoking as the story proceeded. Recommended if your taste runs in that direction.

A Portrait Of a Christian De Falb

A Portrait Of a Christian De Falbe, Anders Zorn

I'm a big fan of Anders Zorn, but I've never seen anything that looks like this. The combination of visual styles, contrasting between extreme realism in the dog and child with the much more impressionistic fabrics and background makes me think of Gustav Klimt in some ways.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with Daughter Julie

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with Daughter Julie

During the 40 year period from 1778 to 1818 Vigée Le Brun painted 37 self portraits. 17 were originals and 20 were copies. We've got a copy of one of those self-portraits on the wall of our bedroom. Seeing it at The Kimbell Museum, she struck me as so sweet that I wanted one to take home. It never occurred to me that there would be more than one. I find this portrait with her daughter to be equally as sweet.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #85: U Turn (2016)

It's been 12 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.

Rachana, a young reporter, is dismayed at the number of illegal u-turns and resulting traffic accidents, and she wants to write a story about it. In pursuing a lead, she finds herself in the middle of a police case dealing with a series of murders. While freeing herself of false accusations, she becomes part of the investigation process. What is behind the mysterious deaths and how are they are all connected to the flyover road?

This thriller is perfect for the wind up to Halloween. One of the most shocking things about it is something that Western audiences will find inexplicable — to have the divider between opposite sides of a highway made simply of large bricks which anyone can move so they can do a U-turn anywhere they feel like it. This blew our minds.

It is the number of U-turns which the young reporter, Rachana, is investigating. Her theory is that this leads to a lot of accidents and deaths. She's right, but not in the way that she originally thinks. Strangely tied to a number of deaths, the unfolding mystery was really intriguing and well told. Keep your eyes open for the number of "U"s showing up, including the beginning where we are upside down and do a u-turn to see the road right side up. 

I can see why this movie is on so many "must see" lists. It is a great thriller and since it is Indian, it is also not too gory.

Note: a "flyover" is what we would call an overpass. That took us a little while to figure out.

Streaming on Netflix now. This is the original which is in the Kannada language. It has since been remade in three other Indian languages.

July

July, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

More of the harvest; the sheep are being shorn and the hay is being reaped. The chateau behind them is that which formerly stood on the Clain at Poitiers. University of Chicago

Catechism of the Spiritual Life by Cardinal Robert Sarah

It seemed to me that the eclipse of God in our postmodern societies, the crisis of fundamental human and moral values, and its repercussions even in the Church, where we observe confusion on the subject of divinely revealed truth, the loss of the authentic meaning of the liturgy and a diminished understanding of priestly identity, forcefully demanded that a genuine catechism of the spiritual life be offered to all the faithful. ... This book is a catechism of the interior life. It intends to indicate the principal means of entering into the spiritual life; its purpose if practical, not academic.

This is a meditative, deep look at the sacraments and how they help to form and develop our spiritual lives. Cardinal Sarah's premise is that by following Jesus in the sacraments, like the Hebrews followed Moses in the desert, we will find the path out of our own interior wilderness to true closeness and joy in the Lord.

There's a chapter on each of the sacraments plus one on prayer. Sarah draws on the writings of theologians, saints, and popes (especially Pope Benedict XVI) in a way which is often reflective rather than instructive. This allows for slow, deep reading which opens up our own thoughts.

I was most intrigued when Sarah would comment on the modern world and the Church today. These were used not only as a reflection on the need for the sacraments but also on how to live our lives as Catholics in current culture. The answer, he tells us, is always personal conversion and a return to holiness, a return to a close relationship with Jesus.

Above all, Sarah's hope is that this spiritual catechism will help us reorient ourselves to see the beauty of God's plan for our lives. At the conclusion of the book, Sarah says of the interior wilderness:

In the wilderness, we understood that it is nor our job to take our interior life in hand. We have to let ourselves be formed. We have to let God form us. We have to let ourselves be led and instructed by God. Of course, we are not entirely passive. We have our part in the work. But our labor consists primarily in our willingness to be soft clay in God's hands, suited to be modeled according to his merciful plan.

Amen.

Tiger in the Snow

Tiger in the Snow, Katsushika Hokusai

I don't know what Hokusai was going for, but this tiger just looks so darned happy and maybe a little goofy. It definitely makes me smile. I also really love the way that the tiger's extended claws are echoed in the branch tips thrusting through the snow. The flowing body and shape the stripes make also are echoed in the shape of the bushes. What a great piece.

Carp Leaping Up a Cascade

Carp Leaping Up a Cascade, Katsushika Hokusai

 This is one of my all time favorite pieces of art, much less one by Hokusai. It is so evocative.

Couldn't Put It Down — The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

More of the books I've been delighted to find I still really enjoy even though I first read it decades ago.

 

Mrs. Pollifax is a widow in her 60s who is extremely bored with her life. When her doctor advises her to try something she always wanted to do, she remembers a youthful longing to be a spy. Showing up at the CIA to apply, she is mistaken for one of their regular couriers and given a simple assignment. That assignment leads to an adventure which takes her to a career in espionage.

This is a bit of a love letter to the first six novels in the Mrs. Pollifax series from 1966-1983. They are that rarest of all creations, the cozy spy novel.

My mother would bring home the latest from the grocery store and it would get passed around. We all enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax's personality and ingenuity, as well as the author's talent for weaving an enjoyable spy novel. There is suspense and mystery but also the light, personal touch that Mrs. Pollifax herself injects into every situation. Of course her lack of experience and training means that she winds up getting deeper into every assignment than her handlers expected. Her interest in the people and situations around her lead to a sort of inspired mayhem resulting from Mrs. Pollifax logically from trying to achieve her goal under circumstances that rapidly spin out of control. 

I'm finding the books also serve as time capsules for living in the days of the Cold War and other political situations that I'd almost forgotten about. It all feels familiar and yet so far away as I read. Dorothy Gilman also took a great deal of care with the geography and culture of these far away places. I didn't realize it so long ago when I was first reading, but they really are a good, if casual, look at the countries Mrs. Pollifax visits.

My favorites are the first six books but there are many more to try.

Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit

Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit, Katsushika Hokusai
from the celebrated Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series

Helping people or helping yourself ...

When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.

Thomas Sowell

Well, well, well. That rings really true!

Hibiscus and Sparrow

Katsushika Hokusai, Hibiscus and Sparrow, 1830
via Wikipaintings

What can I say? I love Asian art, especially by Hokusai. This combines a sense of movement and calm that I like. And I love the balance of the coral and green.

Brochevarevarura (Who Shall Save the Day?)

This story has the framework of an aspiring scriptwriter who is telling the story to an actress who he hopes to interest in starring in the film he's writing. The film pops in and out of this framework and it is interesting to see how the story can subtly change going forward based on the actress's questions or comments.

As it begins, three slackers (or as they are charmingly called in India - back benchers) try anything and everything to make passing marks. They meet another low performer who is a young lady and the principal's daughter. When she runs into trouble, they turn all their limited resources into helping her out.

For the first half of the movie, this was all good and well, but I kept wondering what led to all the good critical reviews and audience enthusiasm. It seemed very ordinary in many ways. However, about halfway through a plot twist popped up that left us astounded and intrigued. This made all the difference as the movie exploded into action and we were glued to the story.

I would like to rewatch this someday because there are hints in the beginning which are fulfilled by the end. I know that we missed some but the obvious ones were a real pleasure when they popped up. This was cleverly written and well acted and directed. Definitely recommended.

A Wild Sea at Choshi

Katsushika Hokusai, A Wild Sea at Choshi, c. 1833
Via Arts Everyday Living

This is so well done that you can feel the movement of the boats, the spray from the waves, and the wild ride. Possibly also the terror at the danger!

The Lord, the Word, the Shepherd and Mary

The Lord entered (Mary) and became a servant;
the Word entered her and became silent within her;
thunder entered her and his voice was still;
the Shepherd of all entered her and became a Lamb ...

St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor (aka "Harp of the Holy Spirit)

This is so poetic and contains such depth. I love this for reflection.

God has planted us where we are — for our holiness

This is a really long quote but it holds together so well in reflecting on the particular circumstances of our own lives and God's desire for us to grow in holiness — so we're reading it all!

All times are good times for entering into the depths of sanctity; all circumstances are opportune for loving God more, for our interior life feeds, as plants do, on the stuff of the circumstances in which we are immersed. Growth is the work of the Holy spirit. Plants do not choose the ground in which they are nourished; the sower lets the seeds fall to the earth, where they prosper, converting the useful elements in the soil, with the help of rainwater, into the substance of the maturing grain. And so what is sown ripens and reaches up and grows strong.

With even greater reason we will grow in strength, because it is our Father God who has chosen the terrain and gives us the graces necessary for us to bear fruit. The plot of earth where Our Lord has planted us is the particular family of which we are part, and not any other. We grow up among those who form our initial immediate environment, with all their virtues and failings and idiosyncrasies. The rich mould we are rooted in is our work, which we must love so that it will sanctify not only us, but also our colleagues, our classmates, our neighbours ... The earth from whose nutrients we have to produce fruits of holiness is our country, our own country, our city, our town, the prevailing social or political system, our own condition of life and no other. It is there, in that environment, in the midst of the world where the Lord says we can and must live all the Christian virtues, developing them with all the demands they make on us and not allowing them to be stunted or to wither. God calls people to holiness in every circumstance: in war and in peace, in sickness and in health, when we think we have triumphed and when we face unexpected defeat, when we have plenty of time and when time is at a premium, so that we seem barely to manage to do what we must. Our Lord wants us to be saints at all times. Those who do not rely on grace, and habitually see things with a completely human outlook, are saying constantly: this now, is not the right tim for sanctity ..., later ... perhaps ...

Let us not think that in another place, in another situation we would be ready to follow Our Lord more closely and carry out a more fruitful apostolate. Let us leave that mystical wishful thinking to one side. The fruits of sanctity Our Lord expects are those produced in and from the environment in which we find ourselves, here and now...

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Volume Three: Eleventh Week, Tuesday

Kingfisher, carnation, iris

Kingfisher, carnation, iris by Katsushika Hokusai

 This reminds me that I really love Hokusai's work. Perhaps next week we'll look at some more!

Praying with Saint Augustine by Sara McLaughlin

“This book is powerful. Anyone who prays these prayers from the heart will be changed from the heart.” ― From the foreword by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D.

For years, there have been no books of St. Augustine’s prayers available. Finally, in this treasure trove, you will find select prayers from his works ― some of the most potent prayers ever composed. As you read the innermost thoughts of the greatest Church Father, you will be transported in time and learn how to pray with the heart of a saint. St. Augustine’s timeless words will help you encounter the “Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new” face-to-face and experience the relationship between praying and believing.

These precious gems are uplifting and accessible to all. Covering a range of topics and styles, they include praise and petition for health, docility, forgiveness, restoration, and salvation. You will also find prayers glorifying the Trinity’s attributes, such as wisdom, light, goodness, mercy, and truth, as well as intimate prayers of adoration to the Incarnate Word.

I think that Sara McLaughlin must love Saint Augustine as much as I do, although it never occurred to me to look for a collection of his prayers. She, however, went on the hunt and found that only a few books which were fairly incomplete and out of print. Being a woman after my own heart, she decided to compile one herself.  

She combed through Since St. Augustine's writings since he's is well known for combining prayers with his writing. That's a big job since he was a prolific writer. What she found has been published in a collection of inspirational, beautiful prayers which have been divided into five categories: Praise, Revealing God's Attributes, Adoring the Incarnate Christ, Forgiveness and Salvation, and Petition. Sometimes they are a sentence or two long. Sometimes they cover several pages. 

Of course, the point of prayer is to bring us closer to God.  As I pray my way through the book, I am rediscovering Augustine's honesty, love for God, and deep insight coming through. It informs my own love of God. It carries me closer to knowing both God and myself a little better. This is Augustine's special way, of course, and why I love St. Augustine as an elder brother beckoning me down the road toward the Lord.

I'm so glad that Sara McLaughlin undertook this labor of love so that I can benefit as well. Highly recommended.

Purple Irises

Leslie Wagle

I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.

We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God's universe is made; this is the way it is structured.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have seen this truth in so many places — with my family and friends, work, and neighbors. Most lately it has become apparent in my volunteering with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. It comes up repeatedly to me not only when I meet SVdP neighbors who ask for our help but in the weekly meetings where the group comes together. 

We help each other along or we get in each other's way. We're all woven together on our way to God. How do I become the person who helps more than I hinder? That's the question we must all ask as we strive to become saints.

Irises

Irises, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh
via Wikipedia

Iris

Iris by Himmapaan

 Irises are one of my favorite flowers and Himmapaan's rendition is so lovely. Let's have a week of irises!

Word & Song by Anthony Esolen

Word & Song is the place to go for meditations on the beauty and sometimes the wildness of the English language, on English poetry and hymns, and on the sometimes forgotten gems of the Golden Age of film. What’s a teacher but someone who says, “Come, look at the great thing I’ve found!” Well then, we’ll be looking at — and listening to — some great things!

I came across this daily newsletter halfway through Advent and it was a delightful accompaniment to the season. 

I've continued reading it through this year. Every day I'm treated to the latest entry in one of the categories like Word of the Week, Hymn of the Week, Movie of the Week, and much more. They are short but substantial. And they continually beautiful art to illustrate whatever overall point is being made. They are a refreshing start to my day and a touch of beauty to carry with me.

They truly are fulfilling their mission recently stated in asking readers to spread the word:

We do genuinely hope to reach as wide an audience as possible with our daily dose of things good, beautiful, and true, a push back in an uplifting way against the distressing, ugly, and false messages that all of us have to face down every day in our benighted* times.

I've had several conversations lately with people who are disheartened by the state of our popular culture. Here's one of the remedies. Check it out.

Girl in a red dress reading by a swimming pool

Girl in a red dress reading by a swimming pool (1887). Sir John Lavery (Irish, 1856-1941). 

Hey, I didn't know they had swimming pools in 1887.

Couldn't Put It Down — The Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters

Another of the books I've been delighted to find I still really enjoy even though I first read it decades ago.

What did it all mean? The note with the hieroglyphs was found in the pocket of a man lying dead in an alley. The only other item of interest was a piece of jewelry, a reproduction of the Charlemagne talisman. It was good, so good that Vicky Bliss thought she was being shown the real jewel. The goldwork was done by a master; the jewels weren’t glass but top-quality synthetic stones. What did it mean?

Vicky didn’t know … yet. But on the sunbathed streets and in the moonlit courtyards of Rome, she was going to find out—if the dangerously exciting young Englishman didn’t get in her way…

I've read this many times since Vicky Bliss is my favorite of author Elizabeth Peters' heroines. However, I haven't read it for a long time so when I saw that the Barbara Rosenblat narration was available on Audible, I got ready for an enjoyable reacquaintance. Her narration really did make the book even better.

The Vicky Bliss series is made up of cozy adventure mysteries with a no nonsense heroine who is a curator at an art museum. When she meets up with a charming art thief the combination is quite fun. As with many favorites I've recently reread after a decade or so, I remembered the big surprises but was startled by other plot twists that I did't remember. The setting in Rome and Tivoli, the charming art thief, the eccentric household where Vicky is investigating, and the sheer adventure of the escapades that she gets embroiled in are all enhanced by a nice layer of humor that makes for lighthearted entertainment.

My favorites of the series are this one, Silhouette in Scarlet, and Trojan Gold. Any of them can be read as a standalone, though all build on the relationship between Vicky and the art thief. 

It is fluff but my kind of fluff.

Psalm 38 — Prayer in Sickness

 When you feel the Lord's displeasure, if you see that you are troubled by this, you can say Psalm 38.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

This is a penitential psalm of David where everything has gone wrong because of his sins, which he freely admits. The result is disease, desertion by family and friends, attacks by enemies, and personal helplessness. Yet, just when the list of disasters hits its height, the psalmist declares confidence in the Lord. 

But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;

    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Now that's faith! That's hard to do, especially when literally everything is the worst it can be. The psalm is left open-ended as David begs the Lord to act.

Do not forsake me, O Lord
O my God, do not be far from me;
make haste to help me
O Lord, my salvation.

Here's a basic observation about the acid test for knowing how loathsome sin actually is. David feels it and we do too under similar circumstances to those that John Chrysostom describes.

38:5 After the Fact

After the Fact, Saint John Chrysostom. Our bedroom is our heart, for there we toss and turn if we have a bad conscience, but there, if our conscience is easy, we find rest. .. But the person of whom our psalm is speaking retired there to hatch his evil plots, where no one would see him. And because such wickedness was the subject of his meditation, he could find no rest, even in his heart. Homilies on the Gospel of John.

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

There is a bigger point to be gleaned from those final words asking the Lord to act.

If salvation is God's possession, if it is in some sense particularly his, then it is in his control and not simply at the beck and call of humans—no matter how righteous they may be. This awareness of the freedom of God to give or withhold his deliverance is not as clearly expressed in the psalms as in, let's say, Job, Ecclesiastes, or the prayer of the three friends of Daniel (Dan 3:16-18). It is in the final analysis not deliverance but God whom the three friends of Daniel, the psalmists, and Job seek to know and experience. It is this realization that lies behind the psalmist's exclamation at the conclusion of Psalm 38, "O Yahweh, my salvation!" (pers. trans.). Even if the desired deliverance delays or does not come, God is the continuing source of hope and salvation, now and into the future.

Psalms Volume 1 (The NIV Application Commentary)

An index of psalm posts is here.

Catholics Invited to Pray an Act of Reparation on Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

 It honestly didn't occur to me that the Dodgers are honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on the very day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That simply compounds and makes obvious the overt anti-Catholicism on display. 

U.S. bishops calling on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16 “as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.” Here is their announcement (emphasis added):

Catholics Invited to Pray an Act of Reparation on Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
June 12, 2023

WASHINGTON - On June 16, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, joined by Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, have called on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart, and make an act of reparation—an act offered to the Lord with the intention of repairing the spiritual damage inflicted by sin. 

The bishops’ invitation to the faithful follows:

“Catholic Christians traditionally recognize June as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During this time, we call to mind Christ’s love for us, which is visible in a special way in the image of His pierced heart, and we pray that our own hearts might be conformed to His, calling us to love and respect all His people.

“This year, on June 16—the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated. This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy.

“It has been heartening to see so many faithful Catholics and others of good will stand up to say that what this group does is wrong, and it is wrong to honor them. We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16, offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.”

I will be posting the Litany on Friday.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #84 — The Admiral: Roaring Currents

It's been 12 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.

Based on a true story, this is the astonishing tale of a legendary battle against overwhelming odds: the embattled Koreans with 12 ships against the invading Japanese navy with 300 ships. And also of the extraordinarily talented Admiral Yi  Sun-sin who masterminded a victory. 

We'd never heard of this admiral or battle because it is from halfway around the world and long ago. It's always nice to find another fascinating story from history while you're watching a great movie. 

It was well acted, directed, and edited so that I could not only follow the naval battles but tell apart key characters who, to my unschooled eyes, were hard to tell apart because of unfamiliar uniforms. I especially liked the Admiral's son who is learning tactics and whose reactions mirror ours. The spy and his wife also were favorites of ours, especially as their importance to the battle was revealed.

Hansan: Rising Dragon  is a prequel of another of the younger Admiral Yi's lauded battles. The third and final movie is Noryang: Deadly Sea. Both are wonderful also.

We got the dvd from our library which had subtitles so we got the all the actors' original intonations. I understand that it originally streamed with dubbed English. It's available to rent on Amazon.

Summertime

Summertime by Mary Cassatt, c. 1894
via Wikipedia

There's something about Mary Cassatt's art. I simply love it.

The Painter's Garden

Der Garten der Malerin (The Painter's Garden), Edward B. Gordon

I've followed Edward B. Gordon for years and have featured many of his paintings here over the years. This lovely piece is made even lovelier by his reflection on it.

When my mother set eyes on this piece of land in 1999, there were only a few old oak trees and grass. If visitors were announced, you could see them on the horizon a week beforehand. Then she traded her paints, canvases, brushes and pencils for spades, Wellington boots, wheelbarrows and watering cans. The lines of her new drawings were bamboo grasses, birches and fruit trees, the perspective became an avenue, planes and shapes became bushes and leaves, the colours of her palette became the magnificent blossoms of rhododendrons, roses and lilies, dandelions and lavender. It fills my heart with deep humility and great joy to be able to paint all this 24 years on.

The world must be hungry

Eight out of ten letters about Cross Creek ask for a recipe, or pass on a recipe, or speak of suffering over my chat of Cross Creek dishes.

"Bless us," I thought, "the world must be hungry."

And so it is. Hungry for food an drink — not so much for the mouth as for the mind; not for the stomach but for the spirit.

... Food imaginatively and lovingly prepared, and eaten in good company, warms the being with something more than the mere intake of calories.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek Cookery

It really is the company that makes the meal come alive. Rawlings wrote this in 1949 so it is unsurprising she was getting so many letters about food, many of them from soldiers overseas. However, it inevitably calls to mind Proverbs 15:17, which takes it one step further "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."

The Importance of the Family Table

The table was the place for family business and for family quarrels as much as a place for eating. but most important, it was where we shared stories and learned lessons. I remember one night when the subject of managing money came up. Daddy took ten dimes out of his pocket and laid them out on the tablecloth. He said, "You give the first dime to the church. The second dime goes in your savings account. And you live on the rest." That, he said, was called tithing, and is how we should manage our money and our lives.

At that small white table in our hot kitchen, we learned the values and traditions that I later tried to teach — to recommend to — my own children.

Robert Khayat, quoted in A Gracious Plenty

This was my own experience too in raising our own children. The dinner table is where you catch up on everyone's day, hear about interesting things people have read or heard that you wouldn't have come across otherwise, and generally enjoy each other's company. Years later, with a grown daughter and my mother living with us, the dinner table serves the same function. It's a social time that I enjoy greatly and benefits us in ways we wouldn't otherwise experience.

June

June, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

Harvest time - the peasants are moving the meadow in unison, with the Hotel de Nesle, the Duc's Parisian residence, in the background.

University of Chicago

Texas Bluebonnets 2023

Bluebonnets, Jason Merlo (shared by permission)

Winters in the World: A Journey through the Anglo-Saxon Year by Eleanor Parker

Winters in the World is a beautifully observed journey through the cycle of the year in Anglo-Saxon England, exploring the festivals, customs, and traditions linked to the different seasons.

Drawing on a wide variety of source material, including poetry, histories, and religious literature, Eleanor Parker investigates how Anglo-Saxons felt about the annual passing of the seasons and the profound relationship they saw between human life and the rhythms of nature. 

It celebrates some of the finest treasures of medieval literature and provides an imaginative connection to the Anglo-Saxon world.

I expected this book to be interesting. I didn't expect to fall in love with it. Eleanor Parker weaves a tapestry of poetry, literature, history, religion, and language to go through the seasons and practices of the Anglo-Saxon year. The result is a masterpiece that gave me a real sense of connection with the people of long ago.

I was surprised to see how much I resonated with the Anglo-Saxon poetry. I've read Beowulf and really enjoyed it. The poems featured in this book were beautiful, nuanced, and had a depth of meaning. They spoke to me in a way that a lot of other poetry doesn't. I'll be picking up an anthology of them for future reading.

I also was surprised to see how integral the Catholic faith was in the Anglo-Saxon world. I'd expected to read a fair amount about pagan rituals but the author made it clear that this was a Christian world with only a glancing relationship with pagan religions. The way the faith was practiced then was, of course, different than now but there was enough in common to make me feel a connection with those times. In fact, I now am interested in getting my hands on some of Aelfric's homilies, many excerpts of which were featured in this book.

Most of all I felt a deep appreciation with the sacred cycle of time both then and now. I really love the Catholic liturgical cycles and how they connect with the natural world. This book brings that to the fore since the Anglo-Saxons were so much more in tune with nature and the seasons.

All this combines to make a work of rare value. It will be interesting to the history or literature buff. For me, I found my prayer life took on new focus and depth. As I went through my day or the recent liturgical seasons, I thought of those long-ago Catholic Anglo-Saxons doing the same thing, taking it seriously, knowing that prayer matters, that saints will rush to your aid, that God gives us all that is good in life beginning with the riches of the natural world around us.

Highly recommended.

Sister Wilhemina and When it comes to bodies, just how ‘incorrupt’ is ‘incorruptible’?

The Catholic internet is buzzing with news of the body of Benedictine Sister's foundress Sister Wilhemina seemingly being incorrupt. I mentioned it here.

The Pillar has a couple of great pieces about this. The first, When it comes to bodies, just how ‘incorrupt’ is ‘incorruptible’? is about what it means to be incorrupt and how the Church evaluates it.

The second is from JD Flynn who lives close enough to drive over and see for himself what's going on. It turns out he's not the only one. Thousands are flocking to Gower Abbey and a fascinating part of the story is how the locals are all pitching in to make the experience work smoothly, from parking to bathrooms to crowd control. 

Read I want to see for myself which has a really indepth piece including interviews with the nuns, pilgrims, and locals. Here's a bit:

Indeed, I am not an expert, but I spent a fair amount of time in the direct presence of Sr. Wilhelmina’s body, and I was astounded by what I saw: Her skin, though now covered with a light transparent layer of wax, appeared to be intact and preserved, and limbs and hands and feet seemed not to have decomposed at all. I was most astounded that as I knelt directly in front of her body, there was no odor at all of decay or decomposition.

Since the nun was not embalmed, buried four years ago, and found with a cracked coffin in wet and muddy earth, that seems extraordinary to me. Again, I am not an expert, and I allow that there might be some natural explanation of what’s happened to Sr. Wilhelmina’s body, but I was astounded — and as readers know, I’m often pretty cynical.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I drove to Gower Abbey. I half-believed there might be no one there at all. Instead, I came upon a crowd of thousands who had come to see the nun, and had come to pray. Some were devout Catholics, some were not Catholic at all. Some came skeptically, and some came hoping for a miracle.

Dinner at a Boarding House

A salesman who travels southern Georgia and Alabama was told of a boarding house in a small town in his territory that had great food. One day he saw some cars parked outside of a house that looked right and went in. There were about ten people sitting at a big dining table heaped with food. He took an empty chair. He was a chatty type, and so were they. They passed the platters, and he ate his fill. When he stood up and asked the lady at the head of the table how much he owed her, she said, "Oh, you don't owe anything. This is a private home. We hope you enjoyed your dinner.

Gail Greenblatt, quoted in A Gracious Plenty

This is the ultimate in gracious hospitality. I wonder what we would do if someone came walking in and sat down at the table, exuding bonhomie, and joined in as if he belonged there. I feel sure we wouldn't have handled it with the aplomb of that family.

Clock at Church of the Holy Spirit

Finely carved clock of the Church of the Holy Ghost in Tallinn, Estonia,
work by Christian Ackermann (late 17th century)
Via Wikipedia

This is the oldest public clock in Tallinn, and reminds us how important the Church was for daily life: religious services, announced by a peal of bells, would have structured the day and the week. The central sunburst on the clock refers not only to the passage of the sun across the sky, but also to the light of God, which was often depicted like this in the 17th century. The Holy Spirit frequently appears at the centre of this light and His presence can be assumed here, from the name of the church itself.

Today we combine the art and inspirational quote. That is often the case in Richard Stemp's wonderful book The Secret Language of Churches & Cathedrals. Not only does it, as the subhead says, decode the sacred symbolism of Christianity's holy buildings, but the author's commentary often lifts my spirit higher as he connects the realms of art, faith, and place.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #83: The Outfit

It's been 12 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 gripping and masterful thriller in which an expert tailor (Mark Rylance) must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.

This little film is like a puzzle in a box. Every time you think you know how the pieces fit, another twist comes up to throw the viewer (and our master tailor) for a loop.

I came for Mark Rylance and he didn't disappoint. The rest of the cast were perfect at being various "types" of gangsters needed. We've seen these gangsters before but not used precisely as they are here. We've not seen the tailor anywhere before. I liked the way the characters all had more than one dimension and could be almost likable at times.

I saw this described as an old school thriller and also as an unpredictable whodunit and both descriptions were right. Definitely worth a watch.

Stained Glass and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Stained glass depiction of Jesus and His Most Sacred Heart, in Germany.
via Wikipedia

Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of your well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto you in the name of sinners. In your great goodness, grant pardon to those who seek your mercy, in the name of the same your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, world without end.

Looking at Light

In the same way that Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Light of the World, and yet remained a virgin, light can pass through glass without altering the glass. When the glass is coloured, the symbolism deepens: the light takes on the same colour as the glass, just as God had “passed through” Mary, and took on her nature, humanity, in the form of Jesus.

Richard Stemp, The Secret Language of
Churches & Cathedrals

Saint in Prayer

Saint in prayer, Joaquín Sorolla, 1887

I love Sorolla's paintings. This one must have been a favorite because he "always kept it in a special place in their house, as revealed by many of the photographs of the artist’s various studios and dwellings." Read more at the Museo del Prado's site.

I myself like the fact that we can't see the face. It could be any of us and, indeed, is what we should be striving for — to become a saint!

Juni (June)

Juni (June), Theo Van Hoytema

 

Ransomware and Rereading — The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

At the beginning of May the City of Dallas suffered a citywide ransomware attack. All city services had to learn to operate again without the computer. The police and emergency services went back to the time-honored practice of using radio dispatchers and a pen and paper. The courts have been closed because legal materials for each case were online and now are gone ... or buried in whatever there is left of the system. As far as we can tell, they're having to rebuild the whole system from scratch.

As library users, this has been almost the equivalent of when the pandemic hit. There is no computer access, of course. You can go to a local branch and peruse the materials. But you must just see what that particular branch has. There's no citywide access to the catalog or, for that matter, no catalog to check at all. 

You can check out materials. They enter the info into a Word file which will be reintegrated with the whole system when it is back. I have no idea how they're going to know what everyone already had checked out. They aren't accepting materials back in because they have no way to check them back in.

Of course, we figure the library will be the last system to come back to normal once Dallas systems begin coming back online. They're a pretty low priority in the big picture.

Which is a very long introduction to why I've been rereading so many goldie oldies from our own shelves. (Well, that and the flu.) It's been kind of nice being forced to fall back on our own resources and rediscover so many books I love.

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies...

This another one that I loved when it came out and haven't reread for a long time. Consequently, I remembered the big beats but not a few of the twists toward the end. Likewise, I'd forgotten the many elements that made this compelling. I found it grabbed me by the throat and I couldn't put it down — what a great read!

To quote another review, this is "a near-perfect short fantasy novel" and "an original work fantasy lovers shouldn't overlook."