UPDATED: Covenant and Conversation series — a new look at the Pentateuch

Updated to include Numbers: The Wilderness Years.

Each week, synagogues around the world read a section from the Torah (the five books of Moses). The cycle begins with Genesis and ends with the last verses of Deuteronomy 12 months later. The Covenant & Conversation series has essays commenting on each of the weekly readings.

These essays are by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who was the Chief Rabbi of the U.K. for some 20 years. I'd read his editorials occasionally in the Wall Street Journal and always found them insightful, inspirational, and down to earth. When I discovered he'd done this series I began at the beginning with Genesis. What I found was a work of genius.

These essays have the same easy style I remembered while giving in-depth, brilliant, compassionate commentary that often surprised me and sometimes changed my whole perspective on a Biblical person or their actions. Sacks is good at comparing ancient and modern world views. This not only clarifies Biblical context but often shows just how different our current ideas are. These are stories about people and Sacks never forgets that. He looks at what Torah is showing us that is the same not only in those ancient times, but in our own lives. After all, the word of God is eternal, applying to all time and all people.

There is much here that resonates with the Catholic soul, simply because the Jews are our elder brothers in the faith. However, a Christian reading these essays will be sharply reminded that there is a Jewish way of thinking about the first five books of the Bible, and, indeed, about God and worship, which is particular to the Jewish people. That is a real cultural wake up call and one that I found sometimes jerking me to the realization that this is different. The thinking, the response to God and His call, the way of dealing with other people — it can be very different, while still being anchored in our common knowledge of the one, personal God. 

A quick example is that I was surprised by the Jewish custom of reading Torah every year. Just like us! No, I realized. We're just like them. The first Christians were Jewish and I am well used to finding parts of Catholic liturgy that reflect they were patterned after those Christians' original faith. That was an easy mental adjustment, one that left me happy at another proof of our family ties.

Here are the books I've read so far. I'll add to this as I go along continue, which I will, with the last two books in the series.

Genesis: The Book of Beginnings by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

I learned new ways of looking deeper at familiar stories such as when Isaac is tricked into giving his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. I found deeper sympathy and new insights into lesser characters. Who knew she was not only crafty but also tactful? Or that Judah's encounter with Tamar led to a life-changing realization that helped him pass Joseph's test when the brothers all go to Egypt seeking grain? I already loved Tamar but now I have more sympathy and admiration for Judah's growth.

Here are a few of the themes emphasized as being core parts of Judaism, which surprised me.

•  Love of words and language, both as forms of worship and of what make us human.
• Treasuring children. "Ours is a supremely child-centered faith" says Sacks.
• God making space so that people can exercise free will and make mistakes.
• The importance of the land God gave them, of Israel.
• The Torah is meant to be heard, not read silently. "Judaism is supremely a religion of the ear, unlike all other ancient civilizations..." says Sacks.
• The necessity of the struggle to do God's will and of going one step more than we are asked.
  

These might seem like no brainers, reading this list. It's not that Catholicism doesn't have these elements but they don't define us the way that Sacks made clear they define the Jewish people. I found myself understanding a little better their pride at their indestructibility, the ancientness of their faith, and their role as God's chosen people.

There is a fair amount of midrash considered throughout. Midrash is textual study and interpretation of scripture that uses questions, examines what is left unsaid, and fills in with their own stories to form a running commentary. I'm not crazy about midrash as it can range far afield sometimes. I'm not Jewish so perhaps that is understandable. Sacks sometimes includes midrash in order to keep following the logical train of thought and sometimes so that he can introduce a different interpretation.

Quibbles about midrash aside, this is a work of genius. Highly recommended.

Note: A few excerpts are shared here.

Exodus: The Book of Redemption

This second in the series, focusing on the book of Exodus, is simply wonderful and just as good as his first in the series about Genesis. This book in particular shows Sacks' skill at not only examining the stories of the Bible but in giving us context for the rituals that are so lovingly detailed. Regardless of how dense and uninteresting they appear to the modern reader, Sacks' context gives us a way to see how they still apply to us and our relationship to God in modern times.

As before, a certain amount of midrash is considered, but it is often used to take the reader forward to consider how Exodus affects us today.

 

 

Leviticus: The Book of Holiness 

 

This is the third in Sacks' series, focusing on Leviticus, and I approached it with a bit of trepidation. As he notes, there are only two stories in the whole book and those are quite brief. Therefore, he spends a lot of time setting up the book itself. The introduction is 50 pages long but it is pure gold. First, we are told that:

Leviticus is the central book of the Pentateuch, the Torah. This makes it the most important of the five. Biblical literature often works on the principle of mirror-image symmetry (chiasmus), structured in the form of ABCBA. In any work so patterned, the climax is not at the beginning or the end but in the middle. At the centre of the five Mosaic books. Leviticus is the axis on which they turn.

So, boring it may be but it is also key to the Pentateuch, the heart of the Old Testament, and we should pay attention. 

He also points out that this book is the purest expression of the priestly voice. The rest of the introduction explores that voice and what the priest means to Judaism, especially in contrast to those of king and prophet. This sounds dry but is actually fascinating, which is the case with the essays which make up the body of the book.

If you ever wanted to see what's the deal with Leviticus, this is the spot to start. 

Numbers: The Wilderness Years 

This fourth in the series, focusing on the book of Numbers, is equally as wonderful as the previous three books. I should have remembered that if Sacks could make Leviticus riveting and relatable then he should be able to do the same for the Book of Numbers. After all, Numbers does have a lot of stories that continue the Book of Exodus in finally getting the people to the promised land. 

However, as Sacks' duly points out, it is also a bit of a mishmash. All mixed together we find census lists, laws, camp set up details, itineraries which just list one location after another — it's challenging to a modern reader. Sacks shows us how the entire book comes together as a narrative of the hard work to achieve freedom which is the ongoing task not only of the nation of Israel but of each one of us. 

It makes compelling reading.

Landscape Alphabet

Early 20th century, L.E.M. Jones.

I love alphabets and the creative ways that artists find to display letters. When I first saw these I fell in love. It was really hard to choose which to include here to try to lure you into looking at all of them.

I love the C for the creative use of the ocean. I love the Y for the cows. I love the cottage and cottager hidden mid-Z, as well as the little pond at the bottom of the hill.

These can be found at the British Museum. Just click on a letter to see it up close. Their description is brief: "Series of 26 landscape scenes shaped as letters of the alphabet; rebound in a 20th-century binding."

I tend to read everything as SF.

Samuel R. Delaney has talked about the importance of reading protocols, and reading SF as SF. I tend to read everything as SF. ...

People talk about SF as a literature of ideas, as if you can't find ideas in Middlemarch or The Hunt for Red October. I don't think it's so much the literature of ideas as the literature of worldbuilding.

In a science fiction novel, the world is a character, and often the most important character.

In a mainstream novel, the world is implicitly our world, and the characters are the world.

In a mainstream novel trying to be SF, this gets peculiar and can make the reading experience uneven.

Jo Walton, What Makes This Book So Great

What Walton means by saying she reads everything as SF is that she is always aware of contextual clues that give her hints as to what the world in the book is like.

I, too, read everything as SF in that same way. Which makes Dickens and Eliot and all sorts of other authors much easier to dive into, let me tell you.

And Walton puts her finger on why I have never really cottoned to mainstream authors' "science fiction" books. I'm expecting science fiction and they're just donning the costume in order to deliver a different sort of book altogether.

I first posted the above in 2014. It is the same now as ever. Perhaps even moreso now that I've read books like Station Eleven.

"... and yet she was a happy woman."

Miss Bates…had never boasted either beauty or cleverness. Her youth had passed without distinction, and her middle of life was devoted to the care of a failing mother, and the endeavour to make a small income go as far as possible. And yet she was a happy woman, and a woman whom no one named without good-will. It was her own universal goodwill and contented temper which worked such wonders. She loved every body, was interested in every body’s happiness and quick-sighted to every body’s merits; thought herself a most fortunate creature, and surrounded with blessings in such an excellent mother and so many good neighbours and friends, and a home that wanted for nothing. The simplicity and cheerfulness of her nature, her contented and grateful spirit, were a recommendation to every body and a mine of felicity to herself.

Jane Austen, Emma

Would that I could do as well as Miss Bates under similar circumstances. She would have driven me just as crazy as she drove Emma with her non-stop twittering. But it helped keep everyone around her both kind in return and generous against her poverty and need. And gave them an excellent example for their own lives.

Why I am Now a Christian — from Muslim to Atheist to Christian

The lesson I learned from my years with the Muslim Brotherhood was the power of a unifying story, embedded in the foundational texts of Islam, to attract, engage and mobilise the Muslim masses. Unless we offer something as meaningful, I fear the erosion of our civilisation will continue. And fortunately, there is no need to look for some new-age concoction of medication and mindfulness. Christianity has it all.

That is why I no longer consider myself a Muslim apostate, but a lapsed atheist. Of course, I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity. I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognised, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her story from faith to atheism and back to faith again, albeit a different one. It is a story worth considering for the times in which we live. Definitely read the whole thing.

This is via Brandywine Books who prefaces it with a reflection on how people are persuaded. He includes this key quote from Pascal's Pensees.

When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true, and admit that truth to him, but reveal to him the side on which it is false. He is satisfied with that, for he sees that he was not mistaken, and that he only failed to see all sides. Now, no one is offended at not seeing everything; but one does not like to be mistaken, and that perhaps arises from the fact that man naturally cannot see everything, and that naturally he cannot err in the side he looks at, since the perceptions of our senses are always true.

People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali's piece is a splendid example of the journey from believing what you are told to examining both sides for yourself and living based on those conclusions.

Still Life with Lemons

Paul Coventry-Brown, Still Life with Lemons

It's hard to find modern still lifes that I like, but Paul Coventry-Brown hits the spot.

Uncle Tom's Cabin and Achieving Your Goal

There’s no happy ending ... Nevertheless, we might well say that is exactly Harriet Beecher Stowe’s point. In 1852 slavery had not been abolished. Slaves were still on the plantations and many of them were in the hands of people like Legree. Her book was written to shame the collective conscience of America into action against an atrocity which was still continuing. So a happy ending would have been, frankly, a lie and a betrayal. ...

Most of the charges are basically true. Stowe did stereotype. She did sentimentalize. She offered a role model which later offended African American pride. On the other hand, what she did worked. She wasn’t trying to provide a role model for African Americans. She was trying to make white Americans ashamed of themselves. ...

Perhaps the short answer to her critics is to ask, “Do you want glory, approval, all those good things? Or do you want to achieve your goal?”

Thomas A. Shippey, Heroes and Legends

Shippey only had a half hour discussion of Uncle Tom as a hero and so he glossed over some of the things with which one could take issue in his statement. For example, I'd say that Stowe was trying to provide a role model for all of us, often in the slaves she wrote about, but you have to look at it with a Christian focus to see that clearly.

That aside, I love his defense because I love the book so much. Without context it is easy to cast stones at anyone. And we're all in that glass house where we don't want the stones cast back at us. Our lives and viewpoints have context which we'd like understood also before we are judged.

Dusk on Fraser's Hill

Dusk on Fraser's Hill
Source: EatingAsia, published under a Creative Commons 2.0 license

The greatest sin of the Christian

The greatest sin of the Christian is to be joyless.

Dorothy Sayers

That's so true, isn't it? I have often read and heard how different people have become interested in Christ because they wonder how a Christian they know manages to stay joyful and peaceful even under the hardest circumstances. Or even just in everyday life, because, let's face it, that can be hard enough.

Clara The Rhinoceros

Clara the Rhinoceros, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, 1749
via WikiPaintings

Clara was very famous and I thought this painting was fascinating.

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

 I have very fond memories of this book from 2015, always tinged with regret that Jim Butcher postponed the sequel. Now I see that the sequel will soon be released and that's the perfect reason to relisten to this book which I enjoyed all over again. I'm rerunning my review just in case this idea grabs you too.

This is the beginning of a new Jim Butcher series. People live in city-state spires well above a hostile world, using crystals for energy. A likable group of heroes come together when their spire is attacked by a rival. It's got a steampunk feel and a bit of naval emphasis that is intriguing since I'm about halfway through Master and Commander. Oh, and talking cats. Actually with some people who can "speak" cat. It's a different thing altogether and, at this point, pulled off fairly well.

Although there are goggles and airships and everyone is very polite, this is really space opera rather than steampunk. Butcher is using standard space opera-esque characterizations and motivations but the tale that is unfolding is anything but predictable. This is helped along by a superb narrator who would entice me to listen to just about anything he read.

I like the people, especially the aetherialists (spelling is variable here since I listened and haven't seen the print version). Their likable zaniness makes a weird kind of sense. I especially like the subtle flashes of humor throughout, such as Bridget always calling Gwen's attention to the fact that her actions weren't so much heroic as rashly putting them all in danger. And thus Butcher undoes the standard space opera trope at that point by making us realize we were all agreed with Gwen originally because it was just what we expected.

I've been trying to think how to describe the feel of this book and this reviewer's comment struck me as right:

This book is what might happen if Joss Whedon handed Jim Butcher the reins and said, "Dude. The people want more. Pretend Firefly had a half-sibling. Now author a new book series and blow them away."

Overall, recommended as a rollicking good adventure in an interesting new world.

Ball in the Concert Hall of the Winter Palace

Ball in the Concert Hall of the Winter Palace during the Official Visit of Nasir al-Din Shah,
in May 1873 (1874). Mihály Zichy.
Via Books and Art

Before I even knew the name of this piece, I flashed on Russian Ark, a most unusual film which I didn't know enough Russian history to fully understand. I still found it fascinating and obviously they did a good enough job to make me instantly connect it with this art from that time period.

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Alfred Tennyson

This was Anthony Esolen's poem for last week. Find out why Tennyson insisted that it be last in any collection of poetry printed, even if he had written other poems after it chronologically.

Still Life with Apples

Still Life - Study of Apples, William Rickarby Miller - 1862

Doesn't this look remarkably fresh and modern? I feel as if I could reach in and get a delicious piece of fruit.

I'm really lucky that the Central Market has about 20 varieties of apples right now. You walk into that section and the apple smell just fills the air. This painting makes me want to head right over there!

A Movie You Might Have Missed #92 — Broadway Danny Rose

This is part of our mini-festival showing my mother our favorite Woody Allen movies. As with most of this list, hardly anyone has ever seen it so I'm giving you a heads up!

Danny Rose (Woody Allen), a hopeless New York talent agent, is a tireless workhorse for his eccentric, unimpressive acts. When Rose signs has-been lounge singer Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), he knows he has to go to great lengths to keep his new client, which means escorting Canova's mistress, Tina (Mia Farrow), to the singer's shows. The only problem is that her ex-boyfriend is a jealous gangster who thinks Rose is her new man and wants revenge.

We saw this screwball comedy when it came out and upon rewatching I had only the vaguest memory of the stereotypical characters. What I forgot, or hadn't noticed the first time around, was the sheer humanity exhibited by Woody Allen and Mia Farrow at the end as their characters reach crisis and must deal with it. That raised it up a star in my estimation.

Berne Lighthouse

Berne Lighthouse, Edward B. Gordon

I've enjoyed Edward B. Gordon's paintings for many years now. This one is so evocative of place that I can almost feel myself there.

A Young Cynic

There is nothing as pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothign to believing nothing.

Maya Angelou

This was a completely new perspective and so beautifully put. Trust Maya Angelou for that!

Nefarious — A clumsy Christian movie that might still be worth your time.

INCLUDES SPOILERS

On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer gets a psychiatric evaluation during which he claims he is a demon, and further claims that before their time is over, the psychiatrist will commit three murders of his own.

I'm giving this movie a dual rating.

As a movie: 0 stars. It's like a Christian textbook on demons and basic pro-life teachings. As a devout Catholic what offends me aren't the beliefs expressed but the fact that it was done with a sledgehammer. This is why I avoid Christian movies. They are so often extremely clumsy just like this.

This is not to say that there weren't some bright spots. Sean Patrick Flanery's performance was very good. I did like the device through which the three murders were committed. There were very powerful moments building to the discovery that the abortion had been performed and also leading up to the execution. The small moment of cruelty practiced by the demon on his victim was particularly vivid, denying him that last meal which was so important to him. These, however, weren't enough to recommend it as a film.

As a Christian: 3 stars. In many ways this is like The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It will have meaning to a Christian audience that's lost on everyone else. The theology in this movie was right. I haven't been able to shake the demonic expression of absolute contempt and hatred for humans as expressed by the condemned man, who we never doubted was possessed. It is given a tangible quality that is a good reminder that the invisible battle is raging fiercely. It has been sticking with me since I saw it.

Also of value. Interestingly, what we viewed as being a straight Christian movie once we were watching, wasn't understood that way by my mother at all. An 89-year-old atheist, she simply saw it as a horror movie since she was completely unfamiliar with the Christian concepts in the demon's and the psychiatrist's conversations. Later she was musing on the agony that was conveyed by the film and said that she thought it was a good movie. That made the movie worth watching for us.

The Italian Seamstress

Eugen von Blaas - The Italian seamstress

 I just find this so appealing. I first saw it at lines and colors where Charley Parker has some more info about the artist.

Jordan Peterson's wife, Tammy, is in RCIA and will join the Church at Easter

Here's a bit but do go read the whole thing. It is a rich and inspiring story.

“When (my doctor) took me into the office, his hands were shaking and he handed me these papers to sign over to have another surgery and he said, ‘I’m sorry but we did another biopsy and what you have is much more aggressive than what we thought. You have what we think is 10 months to live.’ And my husband and I were quite shocked,” she recalled.

Peterson immediately went to see her son, Julian, who lived nearby.

“I think at that moment, when my son looked at me with such grief and a love that was deeper than I had for myself, what I felt lift off of me was my own cynicism and my own self-doubt because I think I had given that up to God,” she said.

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

Carolyn Weber arrives at Oxford a feminist from a loving but broken family, suspicious of men and intellectually hostile to all things religious. As she grapples with her God-shaped void alongside the friends, classmates, and professors she meets, she tackles big questions in search of truth, love, and a life that matters. Surprised by Oxford chronicles her conversion experience with wit, humor, and insight into how becoming a Christian changed her.

Halfway through I was already recommending it to every Christian I know. Having finished it I am still doing so.

Great First Lines — The Haunting of Hill House

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.

Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

The opening paragraph from the book I consider to be the best ghost story ever written. A bold claim but true.

A Child That is Yours and Yet is Mysteriously a Stranger

There is nothing more thrilling in this world, I think, than having a child that is yours, and yet is mysteriously a stranger. You are the gate through which it came into the world, and you will be allowed to have charge of it for a period; after that it will leave you and blossom out into its own free life, and there it is, for you to watch, living its life in freedom. It is like a strange plant which you have brought home, planted, and can hardly wait to see how it will turn out.

Agatha Christie, An Autobiography

Someone asked me recently how it felt to cooperate with God to create your child. I never thought of it like that at the time because I wasn't Catholic or even Christian. 

We have two wonderful daughters and I love seeing the way they have blossomed out into their own lives. I watch our little grandson with the same interested anticipation that I had with our girls. We are often complimented and given much credit for how they have turned out. I hardly ever know how to take that because I feel it is more a matter of simply nurturing what was there already.

As always, my favorite Agatha Christie said it perfectly in her extremely readable autobiography quoted above.

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints VI

Magnificat has this wonderful litany in month leading up to All Saints' Day. We've reached the end of it!

If any of these meditations spoke to you, take the time to look up a bit more about that particular saint. You might find a new friend to help you to a closer relationship with Christ.
This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add your favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint John Eudes: "With his own hand God the Father has impressed on Mary's heart a perfect semblance of the divine qualities of his love." R

Saint Claude de la Colombiere: "My Jesus, let me live in your heart and pour all my bitterness into it where it will be utterly consumed." R

Saint Paul of the Cross: "The soul whom God wants to draw to deepest union with him by means of holy prayer must pass through the way of suffering during prayer." R

Saint Alphonsus Liguori: "We must love God in the way that pleases him, and not just in a way that suits ourselves." R

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: "O Jesus, sure joy of my soul, give me but a true love of you. Let me seek you as my only good." R

Claude de la Colombiere

Saint John Vianney: "the soul can feed only on God; only God can suffice it; only God can fill it; only God can satiate its hunger. Its God is absolutely necessary to it." R

Saint John Neumann: "Though God hates sin more than any other thing, he loves us poor miserable sinners. He ardently desires the welfare of our souls as if his own happiness depended on it." R

Saint Therese of Lisieux: "You alone, O Jesus, could satisfy a soul that needed to love even to the infinite." R

Saint Bernadette Soubirous: "O Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I am the child of your sorrows. My tender Mother, here is your child, who can do no more. Have pity on me." R

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini: "Stretch every fiber of my being, dear Lord, that I may more easily fly towards you. May your Spirit, which once breathed over the chaos of the earth give life to all the powers of my soul." R

 

Detail of St. Therese a photograph
taken in the courtyard of the monastery of Lisieux
Easter Monday, April 15, 1894.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe: "Shall the urge for complete and total happiness, inherent to human nature, be the only ned to remain unfulfilled and unsatisfied? No, even this longing can be fulfilled by the infinite and eternal God." R

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: "Holy realism has a certain affinity with the realism of the child who receives and responds to impressions with unimpaired vigor and vitality, and with uninhibited simplicity." R

Saint Katharine Drexel: "May your faith be increased so as to realize the fact that you are never alone, wheresoever you may be, that the great God is with you, in you." R

Saint Faustina: "Jesus, I trust in you." R

Saint Pio: "If the soul longs for nothing else than to love its God, then don't worry and be quite sure that this soul possesses everything, that it possesses God himself." R

Saint Damien: "In the face of the too real dangers that surround me I repeat: 'Lord, I have placed all my hope in you. I will never be confounded.'" R

Padre Pio

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints V

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany in the month leading up to All Saints' Day. There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Angela of Merici: "Strengthen, O Lord, my senses and my affections that they may not stray into any betrayal of trust." R

Saint Francis Xavier: "God our Lord knows the intentions which he in his mercy has wished to place in us, and the great hope and confidence which he in his goodness has wished that we should have in him." R

Saint Ignatius of Loyola: "As long as obedience is flourishing, all the other virtues will be seen to flourish and bear fruit." R

Saint Teresa of Avila: "Be joyful for there is someone who loves your God as he deserves, who knows him as her only Son." R

Saint John of the Cross: "You considered/That one hair fluttering at my neck;/You gazed at it upon my neck/And it captivated You." R 

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: "As God is above all created things, honors, possessions, so should our internal esteem of his Divine Majesty surpass our esteem or idea of anything whatever." R

Theresa of Avila, Peter Paul Reubens

Saint Philip Neri: "My Jesus, if you want me, cut the fetters that keep me from you." R

Saint Robert Southwell: "Jesus, possess my mind with your presence and ravish it with your love, that my delight may be to be embraced in the arms of your protection." R

Saint Isaac Jogues: "My hope is in God, who needs not us to accomplish his designs. We must endeavor to be faithful to him." R

Saint Peter Claver: "Man's salvation and perfection consists in doing the will of God, which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of their lives." R 

Saint Vincent de Paul: "But for divine grace in would be in temper hard and repellent, rough and crabbed." R

 

St. Vincent de Paul

 

Mirror, Mirror on Halloween

In this 1904 Halloween greeting card, divination is depicted:
the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room
hopes to catch a glimpse of her future husband.

I didn't know there used to be Halloween greeting cards! I like the shadow of the witch on the wall behind her ... just for fun or a sly commentary on those who practice divination, however innocent seeming?

Wait a minute, what were we talking about? — Memento

Most of this review is from 2005 when we originally watched this movie. After rewatching it I thought I'd highlight it again. Back then no one knew who Christopher Nolan was. Now everyone does and it is interesting to see him break out with techniques and themes that we are much more familiar with in 2024. Plus — it's a super good movie.

This possibly may be the definitive film noir. We follow Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) as he tracks down the man who raped and murdered his wife. However, Shelby was left with permanent short term memory loss as a result of an injury when trying to defend his wife ... and thereby hangs a fabulous piece of movie making as well as a fascinating story. He can't make new memories so how can he investigate a crime? Or even keep track of his own life?

Director Christopher Nolan takes us through the movie backwards, beginning at the end and working his way to the beginning in short jumps of time. We are just in the dark as Shelby when he wakes each morning thinking, "Where am I? Hotel room ... ok ..." and begins to regain his place in time with the aid of body tatoos, polaroids with notes jotted on them, and various friends (or are they?) he encounters. At first the jumps cover comparatively long time periods to give us the knack of following the movie. Towards the end when we are in the rythym, the jumps become shorter and shorter as the essence of the mystery is revealed. 

When Leonard points out that memories lie and only documented facts can be trusted, he is right. He goes on to prove that point in a most unlikely way during the movie. But one must be sure they are not manipulating themselves, whether consciously or unconsciously. In some ways it is a fascinating look at one's capacity to lie to oneself and, ultimately, in how we deal with guilt ... whether we are consumed by it or whether we can accept reality as it is and move on to a better future.

There were a few plot holes but they may be forgiven considering the complexity of this piece. Indeed, they may be my own deficiency because this movie was moving so fast by the end (beginning?) that it occasionally was hard to think back and put various pieces in their proper places. Nonetheless it is still really wonderful.

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints IV

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany this month leading up to All Saints' Day. There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Gregory the Great: "We have been truly set free from subjection to sin because we are united to him who is truly free." R

Saint Maximos the Confessor: "God made us so that we might become partakers of the divine nature and sharers in his eternity, and so that we might come to be like him through deification by grace." R

Saint Bede the Venerable: "We should rejoice that the Lord deigns to visit our hearts, and that he deigns to illumine this Passover of our good actions by his benevolent presence." R 

Saint Bernard: "In the measure that grace's kingdom is extended, sin's power is weakened." R

Saint Dominic: "I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you more effectively than during my life." R

Saint Francis of Assisi: "May I feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, Son of God, were inflamed." R

Saint Anthony of Padua: "Let us pray that the Lord Jesus Christ pour his grace into us by means of which we ask for and receive the fullness of true joy. R 

Saint Clare: "Live and hope in the Lord, and let your service be according to reason." R

St. Dominic in Prayer, El Greco

Saint Thomas Aquinas: "The life of man consists in the love that principally sustains him and in which he finds his greatest satisfaction." R

Saint Catherine of Siena: "When we love something we don't care what sort of abuse or injury or pain we might have to endure to get it; we are concerned only with satisfying our desire for the thing we love." R

Saint Bernardine of Siena: "If we but recollect the name of Jesus, it is to fight with confidence -- for this name subjects all the fury of our enemies to us." R

Saint Catherine of Genoa: "God lets the soul share his goodness so that it becomes one with him. The nearer the soul comes to him, the more it partakes of what is his." R 

Saint Thomas More: "The brothers of the patriarch Joseph could never have done so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred." R

Thomas is girded by angels with a mystical belt of purity
after his proof of chastity.
Painting by Diego Velázquez.

A Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Israel

We ask that on Tuesday, October 17, everyone hold a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Let us organize prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the Rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary. Although most probably in many parts of our dioceses circumstances will not permit large gatherings, it is possible to organize simple and sober common moments of prayer in parishes, religious communities, and families.

Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has put this call out for today. Read the whole thing here.

Snap-Apple Night

Snap-Apple Night, painted by Daniel Maclise in 1833,
shows people feasting and playing divination games on Halloween in Ireland.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie.

As you'd expect, this was tons of fun. I especially enjoyed the way Charlie's common sense and regular life experience gave him an edge in dealing with rival super villains.

I will say that the beginning seemed a bit slow, mostly because we already knew the "surprise" that was revealed in slow stages to Charlie — that his uncle was a super villain. I mean to say, it's in the title. And the book blurb. So I was a bit impatient over how slowly this was unrolled for us.

However, the pace picked up once those first few chapters were over and he'd followed the cat. It's perfect for those moments when you just want popcorn for your brain.

A Cloud and Landscape Study by Moonlight

A Cloud and Landscape Study by Moonlight, Johan-Christian-Clausen Dahl

This seems so evocative of autumn and also the upcoming celebration of Halloween.

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints III

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany this month leading up to All Saints' Day.  There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Athanasius: "It is the Father's glory that man, made and then lost, should be found again' and, when done to death, that he should be made alive, and should become God's temple." R

Saint Ephrem the Syrian: "O Jesus, in that hour, when darkness like a cloak shall be spread over all things, may your grace shine on us in place of the earthly sun." R

Saint Charles Borromeo: "The candle that gives light to others must itself be consumed. Thus we also have to act. We ourselves are consumed to give a good example to others." R

Saint Catherine De' Ricci: "You have been reborn with him through a holy desire to live a new life, looking at yourselves as reflected in his life." R

Saint Cecilia: "To die for Christ is not to sacrifice one's youth, but to renew it. Jesus Christ returns a hundred-fold for all offered him, and adds to it eternal life." R

St. Cecilia, Guido Reni

Saint Leo the Great: "Let us be raised to the one who made the dust of our lowliness into the body of his glory." R

Saint Patrick: "I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism, through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, through the strength of his Resurrection with his Ascension." R

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: "All my pleasure in this land of exile is that of having every other kind of suffering found on the cross, deprived of every other consolation except that of the Sacred Heart." R

Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort: "In Mary alone, by the grace of Jesus Christ, man is made godlike as far as human nature is capable of it." R

Saint Benedict: "What is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us? See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life." R

Saint Columba: "Loving Savior, inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for you to receive as God." R

Saint Benedict of Nursia by Fra Angelico

Excusing Hatred Against Jews

 Here's a solid chunk of the first piece of the Pillar's newsletter about attitudes toward Jews in this war between Hamas and Israel. This is what strikes me too. I am praying for peace. I am going to fast on the Oct. 17 day of fasting and prayer that has been called for. While all that's happening, do go read the whole thing that this extended excerpt came from.

My view is undoubtedly colored by all of this, but there are still some things I think can be seen clearly enough.

You can have your own opinions on the proportionality and even morality of Israeli policies and actions in Gaza over the decades.

And you can pray, like me, that somehow the Israeli government and military might be dissuaded, even now, from visiting total and indiscriminate revenge on the people of Gaza.

But no one celebrates the deaths of civilians in Gaza. When a bomb claims the life of a Palestinian mother or child, crowds do not gather in the streets of Paris and Vienna to revel in their deaths. After the attacks last weekend, in which murder and rape and carnage were livestreamed on social media, no one demanded a worldwide “day of rage” to legitimize and support Israeli violence.

They do gather and celebrate and seek to legitimize it all, though, when Jews are killed. Not Israelis, Jews.

People who celebrate such things are not motivated by grievance, or a frustrated sense of justice, but by hatred — hatred not of a system, or a circumstance, or a government, or even a nation. It is hatred of a people.

It is a hatred so deep and fierce and bitter that it moves them to shout victory slogans at the violent desecration of women and the literal slaughter of actual infants.

And yet this goes largely excused among us - however much we might bluster about some things being supposedly unacceptable.”

What Are Ghosts?

Without our action or invitation, the dead often do appear to the living. There is enormous evidence of "ghosts" in all cultures .... We can distinguish three kinds of ghosts, I believe. First, the most familiar kind: the sad ones, the wispy ones. They seem to be working out some unfinished earthly business, or suffering some purgatorial purification until released from their earthly business. These ghosts would seem to be the ones who just barely made it to Purgatory, who feel little or no joy yet and who need to learn many painful lessons about their past life on earth.

Second, there are malicious and deceptive spirits -- and since they are deceptive, they hardly ever appear malicious. These are probably the ones who respond to conjurings at seances. They probably come from Hell. Even the chance of that happening should be sufficient to terrify away all temptations to necromancy.

Third, there are bright, happy spirits of dead friends and family, especially spouses, who appear unbidden, at God's will, not ours, with messages of hope and love. They seem to come from Heaven. Unlike the purgatorial ghosts who come back primarily for their own sakes, these bright spirits come back for the sake of us the living, to tell us all is well. They are aped by evil spirits who say the same, who speak 'peace, peace, when there is no peace'. But the deception works only one way: the fake can deceive by appearing genuine, but the genuine never deceives by appearing fake. Heavenly spirits always convince us that they are genuinely good. Even the bright spirits appear ghostlike to us because a ghost of any type is one whose substance does not belong in or come from this world. In Heaven these spirits are not ghosts but real, solid and substantial because they are at home there: One can't be a ghost in one's own country.

That there are all three kinds of ghosts is enormously likely. Even taking into account our penchant to deceive and be deceived, our credulity and fakery, there remain so many trustworthy accounts of all three types of ghosts - trustworthy by every ordinary empirical and psychological standard - that only a dogmatic prejudice against them could prevent us from believing they exist. As Chesterton says, "We believe an old apple woman when she says she ate an apple; but when she says she saw a ghost, we say 'But she's only an old apple woman." A most undemocratic and unscientific prejudice.

Peter Kreeft, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven

As we head closer to Halloween, this seems like a good topic. And so interestingly told as is everything that Peter Kreeft writes.

Reading Devotions to Grandfather

Reading Devotions to Grandfather, Albert Anker

This is just so sweet. The earnest concentration of the young reader, the half-asleep grandfather. I love it.

Couldn't Quit Listening — Third Eye by Felicia Day

Once upon a time, in the magical land of San Francisco, there lived a not-so-ordinary girl named Laurel Pettigrew. She was supposed to be the Chosen One. The plan was simple: she would vanquish the great evil Tybus in an epic battle. But destiny had other ideas, and Laurel's performance in the whole heroics department was a colossal flop.

Now, instead of being a legendary hero, Laurel's the resident pariah of the magic realm. Until a girl looking for a hero comes along some secrets that might just give Laurel a shot at redemption and a chance to rewrite her destiny.

Ever since seeing The Guild webseries I've been a Felicia Day fan. Here she combines tropes of fantasy quests where a Chosen One must vanquish the ultimate villain. When the Chosen One fails and winds up reading tarot cards in a seedy part of San Francisco is when the fun begins.

Whether you want something light and fun that will make you laugh or are just having a bad day, this is the book to pick up. It's quick, fun, and well acted by a star cast including Neil Gaiman as the Narrator, Wil Wheaton as the evil one's local enforcer, and Sean Astin as a less-than-complete vampire.  My favorite character was the morbid high school counselor who is otherwise normal but tailor-made for Frank the vampire. Just thinking about their courtship puts a smile on my face.

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves, Edward Okuń

 It has gotten just a touch chilly for our morning walks. We won't have autumn colors until next month probably, but that's what paintings are for!

The 2024 Schedule is Here for A Good Story is Hard to Find

 We've got mystery, a novel from Japan, sci-fi, Shakespeare, a deal with the devil, and much more! We are proud to present the 2024 schedule for A Good Story is Hard to Find!

• Jan. 9 — Guest - Kim Lawler - book or movie TBD
• Jan. 23 — The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 
• Feb. 6 — Bholaa
• Feb. 20 — The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin 
• March 5 — Soul (Pixar) 
• March 19 — The Rosary by Romano Guardini 
• April 2 — Father Stu 
• April 16 — Passage by Connie Willis 
• April 30 — Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 
• May 14 — Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 
• May 28 — Dum Laga Ke Haisha 
• June 11 — Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias Buckell 
• June 25 — The Bridge on the River Kwai 
• July 9 — Christy by Catherine Marshall 
• July 23 — Little Miss Sunshine 
• Aug. 6 — The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany 
• Aug. 20 — King Lear by Willy Shakes 
• Sept. 3 — Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis 
• Sept. 17 — Mulk 
• Oct. 1 — Midnight Mass, Ep 1-3 
• Oct. 15 — Midnight Mass, Ep 4-7 
• Oct. 29 — The Wolf-Leader by Alexandre Dumas 
• Nov. 12 — Green Book
• Nov. 12 — To Know Christ Jesus by FJ Sheed 
• Dec. 10 — North by Northwest

Now those are some good stories!

Azuma Gorge

Azuma Gorge by Kawase Hasui

We don't have fall colors yet but this helps with my desire for them!

Laments for Israel

 I heard over the weekend about the barbaric attacks upon Israel but it was very briefly as bombings and military attacks. I had pressing family matters at the moment and also don't read news much online so it wasn't until I saw the paper yesterday morning that I learned more about the full extent of the aggression and the horrifying treatment of the innocent people there. 

Of course, I am praying for them wholeheartedly. I also was struck by the fact that I have been reading the many laments in the psalms as I slowly work my way through them. The more things change, the more they are the same. 

The psalms aren't a bad place to start when we don't have adequate words to beg God to protect the innocent and turn away evil.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1

Mother's Ill

Mother's Ill by Gaetano Chierici

I found this at J.R.'s Art Place where he points out:

Notice how everyone seems to be after one another's food in this painting: the father is cooling down a spoonful for baby, but three other children are grabbing for it as well! And the boy seated on the floor is in imminent danger of having cats and chickens stealing his meal.

Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery

When two prized jackfruits disappear from a politician’s garden, a spirited cop’s investigation takes an unexpected turn as she digs for the truth.

We all really loved this movie which follows Inspector Mahima Basor and her team as they pursue the ridiculous case of two stolen jackfruits. Everyone realizes it is a waste of resources but no one will say no to the politician. As you might expect there is a fair amount of humor but it is usually gentle and understated, which can be a rarity in Indian movies.

We learn a little about the team and what they care about — a dowry for a daughter, a promotion for a constable, a way to balance husband and career. And we meet other characters, most notably a village reporter who is hoping for a big story and dives into the jackfruit investigation. All are likable and even the villains aren't too heavy handed. 

The character development and plot twists were perfectly paced, and wove some serious topics very naturally into the story without heavy-handed moralizing. You don't have to be Indian to enjoy this light hearted film though I'm sure there are many little moments that we missed. 

The talented cast included some actors we have long enjoyed — Sanya Malhotra in Dangal and Badhaai Ho, Vijay Raaz in Monsoon Wedding and Gangubai Kathiawadi. All did a great job and I hope to see other movies with these actors especially the young constable and the local reporter.

Definitely recommended.

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

October

October, Theo van Hoytema