Our Freedom and Our Nature — Dignitas Infinita on Human Dignity

We must rediscover the fact that our own nature is not an enemy or a prison. It extends a hand to us so that we might cultivate it.

Through our nature, ultimately the Creator himself is the one who extends his hand to us, who invites us to enter into his wise and loving plan for us. He respects our freedom and entrusts our nature to us as a talent that is to be made productive. In the gender ideology, there is a deep rejection of God the Creator. This ideology has real-life theological and spiritual consequences. In opposing it, the Church is not making herself the intransigent, inflexible guardian of a supposed moral order. She is fighting so that each human being may encounter God. The first place where he awaits us is precisely our nature, our profound being that he offers us as a gift.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, The Day is Now Far Spent

I came across the above excerpt in an old quote journal at the same time when I was reading the declaration “Dignitas Infinita” (Infinite Dignity) on Human Dignity. You could hardly come across a better summary of what the declaration discusses.

There are a couple of things where I wish the absolute statement of "no more war" or "no death penalty" could have been balanced by an acknowledgement that some circumstances make it regretfully necessary to impose them in order to defend the innocent. Just war and the death penalty are not intrinsic evils the way the other issues are that are addressed. 

However, overall it is precisely the sort of statement we need in order to clarify that what the Church teaches, she teaches out of love for each person's inherent dignity and freedom. I encourage you to read it for yourself. It is a welcome clarification which will serve as an anchor for the meaning of dignity, human freedom, and what we owe to each other. As we are reminded when we read it:

Even today, in the face of so many violations of human dignity that seriously threaten the future of the human family, the Church encourages the promotion of the dignity of every human person, regardless of their physical, mental, cultural, social, and religious characteristics. The Church does this with hope, confident of the power that flows from the Risen Christ, who has fully revealed the integral dignity of every man and woman. This certainty becomes an appeal in Pope Francis’ words directed to each of us: “I appeal to everyone throughout the world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right to take it from us.”

Notes on Mark: Choosing the Disciples

Ordaining of the Twelve Apostles, James Tissot

MARK 1:16-20
Why so many fishermen? It never occurred to me to think about that since everywhere Jesus went the place seemed to be crawling with them. In support of that observation, here is some interesting information about Galilee and fish.

There were many fishermen in Galilee. Josephus, who, for a time, was governor of Galilee, and who is the great historian of the Jews, tells us that in his day three hundred and thirty fishing boats sailed the waters of the lake. Ordinary people in Palestine seldom ate meat, probably not more than once a week. Fish was their staple diet. Usually the fish was salt because there was no means of transporting fresh fish. Fresh fish was one of the greatest of all delicacies in the great cities like Rome. The very names of the towns on the lakeside show how important the fishing business was. Bethsaida means House of Fish; Tarichaea means The Place of Salt Fish and it was there that the fish were preserved for export to Jerusalem and even to Rome itself. The salt fish industry was big business in Galilee.

There are also some very interesting observations about Jesus calling the disciples. I knew a lot of this but it is thought provoking to see these all listed here.

It is naturally of the greatest interest to study the men whom Jesus picked out as his first followers.

(i) We must notice what they were. They were simple folk... they were fishermen. That is to say, they were ordinary people... A man should never think so much of what he is as of what Jesus Christ can make of him.

(ii)We must notice what they were doing when Jesus called them. They were doing their day's work, catching the fish, mending the nets... The man who lives in a world that is full of God cannot escape him.

(iii) We must notice how he called them. Jesus' summons was, "Follow me!" It is not to be thought that on this day he stood before them for the first time. No doubt they had stood in the crowd and listened; no doubt they had stayed to talk long after the rest of the crowd had drifted away... He said, "Follow me!" It all began with a personal reaction to himself; it all began with that tug on the heart which begets the unshakable loyalty.

(iv) Lastly we must note what Jesus offered them. He offered them a task. He called them not to ease but to service... He called them to a task wherein they could win something for themselves only by giving their all to him and to others.

All excerpts in this post are from: The Gospel of Mark (The Daily Bible Series*, rev. ed.) by William Barclay.

* Not a Catholic source and one which can have a wonky theology at times, but Barclay was renowned for his authority on life in ancient times and that information is sound.

 ===== 

Sources and Notes Index

Lotus Lilies

Lotus Lilies by Charles C. Curran, 1888

This seems unreal doesn't it?

The Church Seen from the Inside

If from the outside, you liook at the stained-glass windows of an old cathedral, you will only see pieces of dark glass held together by strips of black lead. But if you enter in and view it from inside, against the light, you will see a breathtaking spectacle of colors and shapes. It is the same with the Church. Whoever sees it from the outside, with the eyes of the world, will only see its dark and gloomy side. But from the inside, with the eyes of faith and a sense of belonging, you will see what St. Paul saw, a wonderful bulding in whom the whole structure is joined together, a spotless spouse, a great mystery!

Raniero Cantalamessa, The Power of the Cross

I've read this idea in at least one other place, but it is powerful each time. Cantalamessa puts it beautifully.

Total Eclipse in Dallas 2024

It was a cloudy day but enough holes happened that we saw most of the eclipse, except for the totality. There was a thick gray cloud over the sun for that 4 minutes, darn it!

However, that didn't matter much because we were enveloped in darkness. The birds completely stopped singing. There was no traffic at all on the busy street that we live near. We saw Venus come out.

It was so fast and so surreal. We are in the midst of an amazing creation, complete with mysteries like eclipses that bring us alive to the universe.

Waiting for the eclipse ... feeling like we're in the 1950s with 3-D glasses

The Totality — it really was like night fell in just a flash.

The view of our house as we looked in from the back yard — it was really dark in there.

We like a festive feel in the back yard so we have Christmas lights a la a Mexican restaurant.
They're on a light sensitive timer — and came on during the totality. It was so dark that 
we couldn't see the fence across the back yard. 

TV You Might've Missed 8 — The Fiery Priest

Nobody messes with Father Kim Hae Il. He's ready to bring the Holy Order to serve justice, one fist at a time.

This is a really fun K-drama action thriller about Father Kim, a priest with big anger management issues. Following the mysterious death of a beloved elderly priest, Father Kim attempts to bring the culprits before law. The journey in taking down the gangsters and corrupt officials in the city is both dramatic and funny. 

We were a bit worried about how the priesthood would be depicted. I'm happy to say that the show represented Catholicism well. We felt there must have been a Catholic adviser or writer. Even when a couple of women rhapsodized about Father Kim's good looks, it never went further than simply noticing and a bit of a crush, which eventually wore off and was never acted on. Father Kim's struggles to overcome his sins are real and we were impressed by the fact that many characters wound up in prayer or looking for divine help with their problems. 

That's not to say that it was spiritually deep or sappy. Most of the show is taken up with the investigation, plot twists, and character development. But it is a thread that is always just below the surface. The last episode blew us away and I even shed a few tears.

This was a really popular show that grew by word of mouth. It features parodies of popular movies and dramas which we obviously didn't get. However, you often could tell when they were happening. The drama was genuinely engaging, the mystery of who killed Father Lee was a great springboard for a lot of other plot points, and we especially enjoyed the Catholic parts.

A fellow reviewer on Letterboxd summed up well:

The depiction of "fiery/mad" priest is really genius. Something I never imagine, yet something that I NEEDED the most. Being a priest means being a leader, not a God. They hold a big community, but they're not a sinless bcs they're human after all. And anger is one of human nature. We should and needed to be angry for the sake of change the world and speak for injustice.

I personally love the endings. Sometimes we misinterpreted the terms of "forgiveness". Forgiveness doesn't mean we could run from our sin, but rather realize ourselves that we're wrong and we must atone it by fighting the evil inside us.

It is certainly a special action show that leads to such a review. And I agree with it.

Streaming/Viewing Notes:

This is streaming free on Kokowa. The show has 40 episodes, but don't panic. They are actually 20 hour-long shows which are broken into two pieces so they could put ads in the middle when it ran in Korea. Evidently, there's a law that you can't run ads except before and after shows. This is how some shows get around that law.

Just fyi, it sags in the middle and we almost stopped watching but decided to give it one more episode to prove its worth. It turns out that was the one where everything suddenly hit high gear and took off.  

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 9

Easter Saturday

"Today bring to Me
the Souls who have become Lukewarm...

...and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

Source

++++++
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 8

Easter Friday

"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory...

...and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Source

++++++
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 7

Easter Thursday

"Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy...

...and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

Source

++++++
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 6

Easter Wednesday

" Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children...

...and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence. "

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Source

++++++
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 5

Easter Tuesday

"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church...

... and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Source

++++++
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 4

Easter Monday

"Today bring to Me
those who do not believe in God
and those who do not know Me...

...I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Source: EWTN

++++++

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 3

Easter Sunday

"Today bring to Me
all Devout and Faithful Souls...

...and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Source

++++++

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 2

Holy Saturday

"Today bring to Me the Souls of
Priests and Religious...

...and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Source: EWTN

++++++

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Divine Mercy Novena: Day 1

Good Friday

"Today bring to Me all mankind,
especially all sinners...

...and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Source:EWTN

++++++

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day
for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.

Litany of the Cross

What else for Good Friday?

Bergen Crucifix

Litany of the Cross

The cross is the hope of Christians.
The cross is the resurrection of the dead.
The cross is the way of the lost.
The cross is the saviour of the lost.
The cross is the staff of the lame.
The cross is the guide of the blind.
The cross is the strength of the weak.
The cross is the doctor of the sick.
The cross is the aim of the priests.
The cross is the hope of the hopeless.
The cross is the freedom of the slaves.
The cross is the power of the kings.
The cross is the water of the seeds.
the cross is the consolation of the bondsmen.
the cross is the source of those who seek water.
The cross is the cloth of the naked.
We thank you, Father, for the cross.
Source

Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

Source: EWTN

This novena begins on Good Friday and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the Sunday after Easter.

I really like this simple but somehow all-encompassing prayer. The more prayer requests I see from people in my own life and around the blogosphere, the more I understand those saints who were moved to pray for the sins and troubles of mankind in general.

I'll be posting the prayers daily.

Rereading: The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg

A delectable, rollicking food memoir, cookbook, and loving tribute to a region, a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother.

Margaret Bragg measures in "dabs" and "smidgens" and "tads" and "you know, hon, just some." Her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck. But she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls. The irresistible stories in this audiobook are of long memory -- many of them pre-date the Civil War, handed down skillet by skillet, from one generation of Braggs to the next.

This is much more memoir than recipe book. There are plenty old customs, living through hard times, and personalities in Rick Bragg's family tree. I am not one who likes stories of dysfunctional families and I appreciate that the dysfunctions are smoothed out or merely hinted at because the emphasis is on how the recipe came into the family or how someone learned to cook. By listening to the stories in the kitchen we can take the good with the bad, especially when it comes with a helping of Axhead Soup or Chicken and Dressing.

I recently picked up the Kindle version when my mother was in the hospital and I needed some comfort reading. It more than filled the bill, although I read only a little here and there since I discovered that what I really longed for was author Rick Bragg's narration of the book. Now she's home again and I am still very slowly reading and listening a bit here and there as I find the time to truly savor it. It is as comforting as the food and stories it describes.

And, although I have only read the recipes, I may actually choose one or two to make. Beginning with those beans cooked with ham, a dish I dearly love.

Litany for Lent

This seems the perfect litany to prepare us for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Via a spot with many litanies for you to explore.

Christ, our Lord,
you endured the agony in the garden
to strengthen us in prayer.
Christ, have mercy.

You carried your cross to save us.
Christ, have mercy.

You were nailed to the cross to heal our wounds of sin.
Christ, have mercy.

You died on the cross to bring us eternal life.
Christ, have mercy.

You were raised to life so that we could live with you for God.
Christ, have mercy.

Practical advice on rebuffing temptation

Having just posted recently a look at how almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are corrections for temptation, I thought this was a good follow up.

 

Practical advice on rebuffing Satan.

Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, 66, the archbishop of Genoa, dedicated his [2001] Lenten letter to combating the fascination of a devil who is charming, shrewd and very real. Those who follow his 10-step program are promised the ability to rebuff offers of forbidden fruit.

Ten Practical Rules to Resist Satan
Rule one: "Do not forget that the devil exists."
Rule two: "Do not forget that the devil is a tempter."
Rule three: "Do not forget that the devil is very intelligent and astute."
Rule four: "Be (always) vigilant in the eyes and the heart."
Rule five: "Be strong in spirit and virtue."
Rule six: "Tireless prayer."
Rule seven: "Adoring God."
Rule eight: "Listening to God's Words."
Rule nine: "Remembering Christ's victory over temptation. Remembering man's sharing in that victory."
Rule ten: "Be humble and love mortification."

Source

This is a good, comprehensive list. I particularly like rules four and six. If I don't notice I'm being tempted then it's hard to fight it. And once I notice, I have to ask for Jesus to give me the grace to fight the temptation. I've learned over the years that I'm lousy at doing it alone!

A Movie You Might Have Missed #95: Masquerade

15 DAYS LOST TO HISTORY.

Though it places his own life in danger, a look-alike commoner secretly takes the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.

This is based on the true fact that in the eighth year of King Gwang-hae's reign his Annals contain fifteen missing days. This movie comes up with a look-alike pauper covering for the prince who has been poisoned. It's set in 17th century Korea so there are fabulous costumes and a lot of court intrigue. Most of all there is the stellar performance by Lee Byung-hun. I can see why he's one of Korea's top actors.

I always enjoy a noble impersonation story, especially The Prince and the Pauper and The Prisoner of Zenda. This is the best I've ever seen. We know all the common twists and turns but this movie keeps you in suspense even as you fall in love with the imposter more in every scene.

I wouldn't have heard of this movie except that there's a very popular television series based on it. Now I can't wait to watch it. Don't you wait to try this one. It's really something special.

Why fasting, almsgiving, and prayer go all the way back to the beginning

Temptations of Christ, 12th-century mosaic in St Mark's Basilica, Venice
(click through to see a bigger image)

This is for anyone who ever felt as if the Church's prescription of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are picked out of a hat simply as hard things to do. Au contraire, the combination of John Bergsma' commentary with Joe Heschmeyer's observations show how fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are completely logical prescription from the Church during this time.

First, let's look at the nature of temptation.

The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16 (RSV2CE):

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.

In the Christian tradition, this threefold love of the world—lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life—is known as the three-fold concupiscence and lines up roughly with the sins of (physical) lust, avarice (greed), and pride.

We see this threefold pattern at work when Eve gives in to temptation: The woman saw that the tree was (1) good for food, (2) pleasing to the eyes, and (3) desirable for gaining wisdom.

"Good for food"—this is physical lust. "Pleasing to the eyes"—this is avarice, the desire to have more, to possess things for their beauty or value. "Desirable for gaining wisdom"—this is pride because her purpose for gaining wisdom is to make herself equal because her purpose for gaining wisdom is to make herself equal to god. As the serpent says, "You will be like God" (v. 5, RSV2CE).

John Bergsma, The Word of the Lord Year A,
First Sunday of Lent, commentary on Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Bergsma goes on to draw the connection between Eve giving into the three temptations and Jesus rejecting all three in turn. He rejects lust of the flesh when he will not turn stones into bread to break his 40-day fast. He rejects the pride of life when he rejects the temptation to throw himself from the temple and let the angels save him. (It never occurred to me that this would have been quite a publicity stunt until reading this commentary.) Finally, Jesus rejects lust of the eyes when he is shown all the kingdoms of the world and rejects the act of worship that would make them his.

The Lenten disciplines are intended to help us overcome the temptation to the same sins. Fasting combats lust of the flesh. Almsgiving combats lust of the eyes. Prayer combats pride because we must acknowledge our dependence on God.

Helping Our Relationships in the World

Joe Heschmeyer in his Shameless Popery podcast points out that these three forms of sin not only hurt us but others. He begins with the Catechism, paragraph 1434:

The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. "

He then points out that the pattern of the three temptations hurts our relationships - with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with God. Lust of flesh hurts us and  fasting is a form of self mastery to help combat it. Lust of the eyes damages our relationship to others (our neighbors) because we desire their goods so almsgiving (giving to our own goods away) is an appropriate correction. Pride of life means we put ourselves in the place of God and obviously prayer is a way to correct our relationship with him.

This was a brand new connection for me and one that has added a deeper meaning to my fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. It is a way to help fix the damage that our sin has done in the world. Simply amazing.

Heschmeyer's commentary is best listened to, however I pulled this from the episode transcript for those who want a quick excerpt.

Now, there’s a cool connection that [the Catechism] just made there because the point is this, in sin, we hurt our relationship to ourself, we hurt our relationship with God, we hurt our relationship with our neighbor.

So if you are struggling with lust of the flesh, you have a disordered relationship with yourself. Okay, well, what’s the tool that combats that, the relationship with ourself? Well, fasting, it’s a form of self mastery.

Or I’ve got pride of life. I am putting myself in the place of God and I’m desiring these worldly things and I’m getting puffed up. Well, what’s the cure for that? Prayer.

Or I’ve damaged my relationship to others, I’m being greedy. I’m dominating those around me. I’m trying to get my neighbors goods, covetousness, all of that stuff. Well, what’s the cure for that? Almsgiving. That these worldly goods that maybe I really want will give that money away. And so rather than damaging your relationship to your neighbor by getting richer and richer while your poor neighbor languishes, you give to your neighbor.

So you can see this is hopefully very clear that the damaged relationship to myself is related to lust of the flesh. The damaged relationship to my neighbor is related to lust of the eyes. My damaged relationship to God is related to pride of life.

... Therefore fasting, which works on myself, prayer which works on my relationship with God, almsgiving works on my relationship with my neighbor, are especially kind of calibrated.

Joe Heschmeyer, Shameless Popery,
The 3 Spiritual Traps (and 6 Spiritual Weapons) of Lent

Brittany Boats

Edgar Alwyn Payne, Brittany Boats

The Lion of the tribe of Judah

The author here is using the fifth chapter of the book of Revelation as a commentary on the Passion read during Good Friday. 

He has conquered! This is the news the sage was charged to make re-echo in the Church, just as the Church must make it re-echo throughout the world for all time: the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered! (The "Lion of the tribe of Judah" is the Messiah, so-called by Jacob in the book of Genesis 49:9, when he was blessing his son Judah). The Long-awaited event that gives meaning to everything has taken place. History can never go back. ...

That simple verb enikesen—"he has conquered"—contains the very principle that gives history a kind of absoluteness. It gives eternal and universal value to an event that took place at a given point in time and space. ... It represents for history what the principle of noncontradiction represents for metaphysics. It is impossible to go back to the previous state of things. Nothing and no one in the world, no matter how hard they might try, can change what happened—that is, that Jesus Christ died and rose again, that we are redeemed, that the Church was founded, the sacraments instituted, the kingdom of God established.

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, The Power of the Cross

Desert Sky

Desert Sky by Edgar Alwyn Payne

Lent: Who Do You Say I Am?

From a long ago insert I wrote for our church bulletin. 

Who Do You Say I Am?

Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. ...

Luke, chapter 4

The common practice today is to measure the Bible against the so-called modern worldview, whose fundamental dogma is that God cannot act in history—that everything to do with God is to be relegated to the domain of subjectivity. And so the Bible no longer speaks of God, the living God; no, now we alone speak and decide what God can do and what we will and should do. And the Antichrist, with an air of scholarly excellence, tells us that any exegesis1 that reads the Bible from the perspective of faith in the living God, in order to listen to what God has to say, is fundamentalism; he wants to convince us that only his kind of exegesis, the supposedly purely scientific kind, in which God says nothing and has nothing to say, is able to keep abreast of the times.

The theological debate between Jesus and the devil is a dispute over the correct interpretation of Scripture, and it is relevant to every period of history. The hermeneutical2 question lying at the basis of proper scriptural exegesis is this: What picture of God are we working with? The dispute about interpretation is ultimately a dispute about who God is. Yet in practice, the struggle over the image of God, which underlies the debate about valid biblical interpretation, is decided by the picture we form of Christ: Is he, who remained without worldly power, really the son of the living God? ...

The point at issue is revealed in Jesus’ answer, which is also taken from Deuteronomy: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Deut 6:16). ... The issue, then, is the one we have already encountered: God has to submit to experiment. He is “tested,” just as products are tested. He must submit to the conditions that we say are necessary if we are to reach certainty. If he doesn’t grant us now the protection he promises in Psalm 91,3 then he is simply not God. He will have shown his own word, and himself, too to be false.

We are dealing with the vast question as to how we can and cannot know God, how we are related to God and how we can lose him. The arrogance that would make God an object and impose our laboratory conditions upon him is incapable of finding him. For it already implies that we deny God as God by placing ourselves above him, by discarding the whole dimension of love, of interior listening; by no longer acknowledging as real anything but what we can experimentally test and grasp. To think like that is to make oneself God. And to do that is to abase not only God, but the world and oneself, too.

Joseph Ratzinger4,­ Jesus of Nazareth

-------------------------------------------------------

We are quite used to thinking of Jesus’ struggle with temptation as a scenario of the devil offering worldly methods which Jesus spurns while worshiping God. This often leads to us considering what we must struggle with or deny in order to follow Jesus.This is valid, however, we have seen this piece of scripture presented so many times that it can be easy to miss levels of meaning aside from struggle with physical desires and denial.

Therefore, it is startling to see Joseph Ratzinger boldly state that Jesus’ verbal battle with the devil is one of Biblical interpretation. It brings us down to earth with a thump. Moving to this different level of understanding scripture offers challenges to our easy doubts of God’s presence in our lives and in our world.

It is easy to doubt and to fall back on the well worn phrase “trust but verify.” Indeed, we have been taught this lesson by the world, where business and politics, to name merely two influences, have given us much reason to be wary, cynical and doubtful of claims we cannot see, touch, or prove scientifically.

However, we cannot use these criteria when it comes to friends, loves, children, spouses, or, most importantly, God. With these cherished relationships, we must learn in a way that cannot be quantified. We must release our need to control. We must listen. We must remain open. We must learn. We must trust.

We may not know what questions to ask in order to learn to love God better. Jesus came to bring us the answers before the questions were spoken. We can find them by being open to God’s living word and listening.

-------------------------------------------------------
1 Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text.

2 The theory and methodology of interpretation, especially of scriptural text.

3 Psalm 91 is a prayer of someone who has taken refuge in the security of the temple. Verses 11-12 state, “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Read the entire psalm to see the statement of God’s promises therein.

4 Pope Benedict XVI wrote Jesus of Nazareth under his own name, Joseph Ratzinger.

Feeding Time

Feeding Time by Hans Andersen Brendekilde

A Movie You Might Have Missed #94 — A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

THE IMMORTAL STORY OF LOVE AND INTRIGUE DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION!

The exciting story of Dr. Manette, who escapes the horrors of the infamous Bastille prison in Paris. The action switches between London and Paris on the eve of the revolution where we witness ‘the best of times and the worst of times’ - love, hope, the uncaring French Aristocrats and the terror of a revolutionary citizen’s army intent on exacting revenge.

This was the final movie in our 1937 Oscar winner/nominees viewing. 

We saved the best for last, without realizing it. What a fantastic movie! I have to admit that my reaction is colored by the fact that I love the book. They did such an excellent job of telling the story that I am going to have to reread the book very soon.

However, my mother didn't know the story and couldn't quit talking about it, saying the next morning, "That movie simply blew me away." So it isn't just Dickens fans who liked it.

Wikipedia says: The film is generally regarded as the best cinematic version of Dickens' novel and one of the best performances of Colman's career. I believe it. I've never seen Ronald Colman in anything but he was simply terrific. With his somewhat disheveled look and his subtle acting style, he seemed very modern. They say that he was so determined to play this role that he agreed to shave off his mustache. Wise choice. 

The movie that won in 1937 was The Great Ziegfeld. Until now we were ready to call that a good choice. No longer.

This is the movie that should have won the Oscar.

At a Book

At a Book by Marie Bashkirtseff

I mean, my hair isn't that elegant, but otherwise this is how I spend a lot of my time. Obviously!

Guide to Catholic Devotions

 This is a really complete guide to Catholic devotions, ranging to Lent and Advent to more obscure things like chaplets and devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

If the whole of Scripture were to start talking at once ...

Jesus suffered and died freely, out of love—not by chance, not out of necessity, not because of some hidden catalyst or misunderstanding that took him unawares or against his will. To assert such would be to nullify the Gospel, to remove its soul, because the Gospel is nothing other than the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus. Not only the gospel but the entire Bible is nothing other than the news of God's mysterious, incomprehensible love for people. If the whole of Scripture were to start talking at once, if by some miracle the written words were transformed into speech, that voice would be more powerful than the waves of the sea, and it would cry out: "God loves you."

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, The Power of the Cross

I'm reading this book during Lent, and it is a powerhouse of reflection. He has been the papal preacher for three different popes over 4 decades. This is a collection of his Good Friday homilies, 43 of them from 1980 - 2022. It is truly amazing to see how many different topics are found in the same collection of readings every year.

Onions and Oleanders

Onions and Oleanders by Wada Eisaku

No special reason for this one except that I love it.

Baked Salmon with Horseradish Mayonnaise

 This is our family's favorite way of having salmon and perfect for a Friday in Lent! Pick it up at Meanwhile Back in the Kitchen.

Also, I didn't share the link for last week's recipe, which is another one we enjoy on many Fridays during the year. My mother's Creamed Tuna. The nutmeg, Parmesan and walnuts raise it a bit above the usual recipe.

China Trade and Concourse — Two Mysteries by S.J. Rozan

I first read these in 2016 where they wound up on my Best Books list for the year. I was browsing my "Best" lists and picked them up to try again. They were still very pleasing and I recommend them to you!

(Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #1)

"Lydia. You're still like that, huh?" He shook his head, smiling. "You're still like that."

I wasn't completely sure what it was I was still like, but I knew I was still like that.

Lydia Chin is an ABC (American Born Chinese) living in New York's Chinatown with her mother. She's also a private investigator and we follow her on a case tracking down stolen porcelain from a small, private Chinese museum. Thus we get first-person insight into life in Chinatown, Chinese gangs, Chinese mothers (and brothers) and many other details of daily life in this unique environment.

Lydia often partners with Bill Smith who provides both brains and muscle to complement Lydia's own particular skills. The partnership contrasts work well both for mystery solving and as a story telling device.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and was interested to see that the next book is one of Bill Smith's cases, told from his point of view. So I dove right in.

(Bill Smith & Lydia Chin, #2)

"Dealing with him was distasteful," she said. "He was similar to some of our donors. Outwardly quite charming, but I don't value charm. There are other qualities I value, such as perseverance and honesty." My face must have changed. She smiled again. "You have a right to disbelieve that, after what you've heard, but honesty is a complicated virtues." "I always thought it was one of the simpler ones."

"None of the virtues are simple," Margaret O'Connor told me. "Only the sins."

I now understand why people say that the first book about Lydia Chin and Bill Smith was good but this one blew their socks off. Yes. It is a powerfully written book, from Bill Smith's point of view this time, and one that somehow has a different feel and style. The mystery is similarly labyrinthine, it is filled with interesting characters (some we loathe and some we love), and it held my interest the entire way through.

When Bobby Moran's son is killed working in his security firm, Bobby hires Bill Smith to investigate. Bobby was Bill's mentor and Bill knew the victim growing up so this one's personal. The murder was during a run-of-the-mill assignment at an elegant retirement home that is in the middle of a badly deteriorated neighborhood. With Lydia Chin working backup, Bill wades through the clues while additional murders pile up.

Interestingly, we get a nuanced look at urban blight which ranges from the victims to the exploiters to the non-profits trying to help. Not what I expected from investigating a murder in a senior community, but it was really well done.

Scott and I discussed this in episode 147 of  A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Notes on Mark: Tempted in the Wilderness

Christ in the Wilderness by Ivan Kramskoy, 1872

MARK 1:12-13

Jesus faces the same ordeal that Adam and Israel endured in the OT (CCC 538-540). He is thus tempted by Satan among the wild beasts, as the first Adam was tempted amid the beasts in paradise. He likewise retraces the steps of Israel, being led into the wilderness by the Spirit and tested for forty days as the Israelites marched in the desert for 40 years of testing. In the end, Jesus succeeds where Adam and Israel failed by resisting the devil and proving his filial love for the Father. This initiates an extended campaign against demons, death, and disease throughout the Gospel (1:25, 31, 34; 2:11; 3:5; 5:13, 39-41).

Morally: (St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in Matt. 13), Jesus endured temptation to train his disciples how to overcome the devil. No one should be surprised, then, that after our own Baptism the tempter assails us more aggressively than before. Victory is assured if, like Jesus, we commit ourselves to fasting, wait upon the Lord with patience, and have no desire for things beyond our need.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible)
by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch

I just love all those parallels between Jesus' temptation and the Old Testament. So obvious when pointed out but so hard to see when I am just reading along.

Also it is a good reminder that if Jesus suffered from temptation, so then will I. It is much easier to take when we see what is pointed out here.

No sooner was the glory of the hour of the Baptism over than there came the battle of the temptations. One thing stands out here in such a vivid way that we cannot miss it. It was the Spirit who thrust Jesus out into the wilderness for the testing time. The very Spirit who came upon him at his baptism now drove him out for his test.

In this life it is impossible to escape the assault of temptation; but one thing is sure -- temptations are not sent to to us to make us fall; they are sent to strengthen the nerve and the sinew of our minds and hearts and souls. They are not meant for our ruin, but for our good. They are meant to be tests from which we emerge better warriors and athletes of God.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series*, rev. ed.)
by William Barclay

* Not a Catholic source and one which can have a wonky theology at times, but Barclay was renowned for his authority on life in ancient times and that information is sound.

 ===== 

Sources and Notes Index

Lent: A Preparation for New Life

This is from a series of  bulletin inserts I wrote for our church, waaaaay back in 2008. 

It's good for reflection now that Lent is underway and my initial fervor may have flagged. I'm just sayin' ... it could be that I need a Lenten booster!

Lent: A Preparation for New Life

1430 Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.231431 Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart)....

1439 The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father:37 the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father’s house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father’s generous welcome; the father’s joy — all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life — pure worthy, and joyful — of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

-------------------------------------------------------

Most of us do not look forward to these 40 days of penance. Perhaps this is why the Church, in Her wisdom, mandates it for us. We would never seek this on our own.

A time of deprivation. A time of suffering. A long, gray, dreary time of doing without the little things that make life worthwhile ... coffee, chocolate, a favorite television show. This is all too often the attitude of dread that we bring to Lent.

The Church also strongly recommends that we do something additional during this time to show penance. Prayer, fasting, and service to others are among the recommended activities that we may resolve to take on. These also do not sound very attractive and often are dropped during the 40 days.

Yet it is that very attitude that is skewed from reality, as we see if we read the Catechism about interior penance. We are going about it all backwards if we merely focus on the outward sign, on what we are “giving up” or “adding on.”

This is not about outward signs and empty gestures. Lent’s purpose is to deepen our knowledge of ourselves and of what we need to come closer to a more loving relationship with God. This is the hunger that should be propelling us into Lent. This is the true change of heart and new life which God longs for us to have. The outward signs should be merely the visible supports to our inward changes.

With this in mind, we can examine our Lenten plans while asking God what He would like us to do to come closer to him. He knows our hearts better than we do ourselves. He will guide us in how to link our “giving up” and “adding on” to help us gain the interior knowledge we need.

Perhaps instead of giving up coffee altogether, we can give up the daily morning visit to Starbucks. The fifteen minutes that is saved, could be spent in prayerful reading of scripture, for which we would usually never have time. Possibly we may give up watching our favorite television show and spend the time with our families playing a game, reading aloud, or just talking. Maybe we feel called to volunteer to spend time with those in need. In that case, giving up surfing the internet may allow us to do other tasks in order to have the needed time later on.

Regardless of the outward signs, let us be sure to take full advantage of this opportunity to dig deeper, change our hearts, and grow closer to God.

-------------------------------------------------------

Footnotes

23 Cf. Joel 2:12-13; Isa 1:16-17; Mt 6:1-6; 16-18.
24 Cf. Council Of Trent (1551): DS 1676-1678; 1705; Cf. Roman Catechism, II,V,4.
37 Cf. Lk 15:11-24.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church can be found online.

The novel and the truth

He asked her what book she was reading.

"The Idiot, do you know it."

"No. What's it about?"

"It's a novel."

"I'd rather read the truth," he said.

"It is the truth."

Bernard Malamud, The Assistant

I came across this in the Kindle sample of The Novel, Who Needs It? by Joseph Epstein. I now can't wait to read it except the library doesn't have a copy. Which I find really surprising. It seems as if every library would automatically want several copies of this one.

Art Critics

Art Critics by Michael Ancher, via JR's Art Place

Painters Laurits Tuxen and P. S. Krøyer discussing an artwork in Krøyer's studio at the artists' colony in Skagen, Denmark.

Woman with Geraniums

Woman with Geraniums, Caroline A. Lord

This reminds me of my mother-in-law and how she loved to have flowering plants around.

Crushing Temptations

Obviously from a couple of years ago, this is a good reminder to me of my own Lenten realization.

In Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ, in the very first scene in the garden, as Jesus is praying in agony, he sees a snake creeping up to him. The instant he sees the snake, he crushes it, he stomps on it, he has no mercy toward it and no second thoughts, no hesitation. That's what we all have to do with temptations: stop them at their very source, their very first beginnings, the very first thoughts.

Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul, Year C First Sunday of Lent

I must say that one of my personal advances during this Lent is to recognize some temptations when they occur. This might sound obvious, but most of my temptations creep up for sins that are habitual. That makes sense. Sometimes I am fighting myself and sometimes I'm being assaulted by enemy barrages. When I'm in the middle of the battle, do I stop to ask where the blows are coming from?

Too often I don't. But having had the grace given to ask myself the question, "What if this is a temptation?" I've been able to simply say, "Go away!" I'm not always good at repeating it too many times, but sometimes just knowing it might be coming from outside is enough. Now, part of my morning prayer is to ask Jesus to show me when I'm being tempted so I have that extra help.

It strikes me, having read the quote above, that another part of my battle needs to be the immediate crushing with no second thoughts. Too often I feel as if it is natural to have a long battle with temptation, which I may win or I may lose. But the times when I've crushed the thought and refused to allow it entry, however many times there is a knock on the door — those are the times I've won.