Mark's Noble Quest by Katharine Campbell

This is a sequel to Rosaline's Curse which is a romantic comedy version of Sleeping Beauty where the 13th century young woman awakens in 2017. She encounters our modern world and Mark, a young man who is not only a nerd but also her true love. It's a lot of fun. Read that first. 

This novelette (longer than a short story and shorter than a novella) follows Mark as he tries to prove to Rosaline that he's just as brave as the guys back in the 1200s. That's not easy in 2024 but luckily a friendly fairy sends him on a quest to climb a volcano and recover a beautiful ring. While undergoing three trials. 

So it is a classic adventure set up. Except that this story is being told by Katharine Campbell which means it is charming, funny, and resonates with modern readers' lives. That's all while following the rules of such a fairytale. 

 This is highly satisfying and I only wish it were longer.

The Last Supper - Korean Art

The Last Supper, part of a series on the life of Christ by Korean artist Kim Ki-chang, 1950-53.
via J.R.'s Art Place

I really love art from foreign cultures depicting scriptural events. It makes me realize how universal they are and opens my eyes to the way other cultures see Christianity.

Great First Line: Twelve Fair Kingdoms

I should have known something was very wrong when the Mules started flying erratically.

Twelve Fair Kingdoms by Suzette Haden Elgin

You've got to want to read this after that line, just to find out what it's talking about!

The Rose

The Rose, Thomas Anshutz, via Arts Everyday Living

I love how modern the model looks, despite the clothing. It's the face and expresssion, of course. She's not demurely sitting there, she's got a look that makes you wonder what she's getting ready to say.

Spectacled Caiman and a False Coral Snake

Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) and a False Coral Snake (Anilius scytale), Maria Sibylla Merian

Anyone who has seen Killing It's first season has to admit that this is the perfect art to consider.

TV You Might've Missed 9 — Killing It

Florida underdog Craig Foster (Craig Robinson) and perky Aussie Uber driver Jillian Glopp (Claudia O’Doherty) enter the Florida Python Challenge to win $20,000 so he can pursue his dreams of owning a saw palmetto berry farm.

Like most people, one of my favorite characters from The Office was Darryl who ran the warehouse. I'm not alone. Mention Darryl and the universal response is, "I love that guy!" That's what made us try his series Killing It, about Florida security guard Craig Foster whose dream is to own a saw palmetto berry farm. He and Aussie Uber driver Jillian enter the Florida Python Challenge which we discovered is a real thing) to win $20,000 seed money.

Craig is trying to show that he can provide for his daughter and maybe win back his ex-wife. He's a good guy faced a lot of the time with choosing the lesser of two evils. Jillian becomes a good friend as well as snake hunting partner. She is the moral compass of the show. She always knows the right thing to do and will push for it even if if hurts personally. 

Killing It feels like it really belongs in the Floridian setting thanks to the irreverence and shock humor, especially in the first season which takes us on a tour of snake oil salesmen in society. The second season is all about how Craig and Jillian weather the many ethical trials that they encounter in running their business. 

All this is while never forgetting to tie up the smallest threads in each episode to finish the story, drive the point home, and make the joke bigger than it was in the beginning.

Great First Line: Equal Rites

This is a story about magic and where it goes and perhaps more importantly where it comes from and why, although it doesn't pretend to answer all or any of these questions.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

I don't love the book, but I do love that line.

Boy by the Water

Boy by the Water, Paul Gauguin, 1885
via WikiArt

This was inspired by the Lines and Colors post "Not the usual Gauguins" which I encourage you to check out. I discovered that what I disliked were the most recent Gauguins, not his early work. And there are a lot of early pieces that I liked a lot. Including the one above which evokes the sound of rippling water and cool shade, with some bird song. All in all a perfect place to while away a summer afternoon.

Man on a Balcony

Gustave Caillebotte, Man on a Balcony, Boulevard Haussmann, 1880

Great First Line: Take My Camel

"Take my camel, dear," said my Aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass.

Rose Macaulay, The Towers of Trebizond

This first line has made me try several times to read the book but, alas, I've just never been able to stick with it. That line though is so evocative. I can just see Aunt Dot and that camel! I believe she has a parasol.

Great First Line: Hogfather

Everything starts somewhere, although many physicists disagree.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Pratchett can comment on so many levels with just one funny line of text.

Saddling Up

Saddling Up, 1939, taken by Russell Lee
Via Traces of Texas

Bashi-Bazouk

Jean-Leon Gerome, Bashi-Bazouk, 1868-1869

Gorgeous headdress and look at the proud expression. I love it.

Notes on Mark: Fasting

The Disciples Eat Wheat on the Sabbath, James Tissot

MARK 2:23-28

There are good reasons for fasting but I never understood the Pharisees' question to Jesus, as it always seemed to ask why he wasn't copying the "holy crowd." Surely that would be the last reason for doing it ... which is just what Jesus points out. This is especially true when we know more about fasting in those times.

With the stricter Jews fasting was a regular practice. In the Jewish religion there was only one day in all the year that was a compulsory fast, and that was the Day of Atonement. The day when the nation confessed and was forgiven its sin was The Fast... But the stricter Jews fasted on two days every week, on Mondays and Thursdays. It is to be noted that fasting was not as serious as it sounds, for the fast lasted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and after that normal food could be eaten...

... The trouble about the Pharisees was that in far too many cases their fasting was for self-display. It was to call the attention of men to their goodness. They actually whitened their faces and went about with disheveled garments on their fast days so that no one could miss the fact that they were fasting and so that everyone would see and admire their devotion. It was to call the attention of God to their piety. They felt that this special act of extra piety would bring them to the notice of God. Their fasting was a ritual and a self-displaying ritual at that...

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

You may recall that I brought up the Pharisees questioning the disciples about Jesus' hanging out with sinners. Now, let's take another quick look at how the question about fasting is handled.

Once again, those voicing criticism aim it indirectly, as if seeking to drive a wedge between Jesus and his followers. Where as the previous question about Jesus had been addressed to his disciples (Mark 2:16), now a question about his disciples is addressed to Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark: Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture by Mary Healy

Interesting isn't it? What I always saw as fairly straight forward questions, albeit angry ones with ulterior motives, now become something much more planned and sly. The Gospel of Mark has a subtlety that it often isn't credited with and which Healy's commentary helps me to appreciate.

* 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, as are many of his general reflections.

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Sources and Notes Index

Mother Feeding Her Twins in a Cornfield

Mother feeding her twins in a cornfield by Bertha Wegmann, c. 1900
Via J.R.'s Art Place

 I love the sweet looks on the mother's and baby's face. Bertha Wegmann captured that perfectly.

More Praise for Stay by Me, Dear Friend

Joseph Reninger at Zombie Parent's Guide wrote this very nice review at Goodreads.

One of the great challenges of being a Christian is developing your personal relationship with Christ. Like most other relationships, it takes time, commitment, and interest to make progress. The goal is not simply to know the other but to love the other. When people fall in love, they think about each other all the time and want to be together all the time. It's a crazy and wonderful time. That's the way we Christians should be with Jesus, though it is much more tricky because it is so different from a romantic relationship. And it is so much more important.

Julie Davis provides a lot of devotional material to get the reader into that state of intimate friendship with Jesus. This book has, on each page, one or two related quotes, a reflection, and a short prayer. Facing pages have related materials with a shared title over the two-page spread. The reader can read one page if time is short or both pages to get some more depth or different perspectives on the same idea. The format works very well and is not tied down to days of the week or of the year. In the introduction, Davis even encourages readers to jump around. Find something useful or eye-catching or inspiring. The book is divided loosely into sections for different times of day, showing how to be aware of Jesus throughout the day, being present to Him and talking with Him like a good friend. It reminds me of Fiddler on the Roof, where the main character Tevye has a very frank and familiar way of talking with the Lord, which he does throughout his day, asking for help with a problem or complaining about a misfortune or offering advice on how to handle a situation (yes, Tevye gives advice to God!). We could all be more like Tevye and this book helps.

Highly recommended--I read through it quickly to write the review but will use it as a devotional and go through it at the proper pace.

I have long enjoyed Zombie Parent's Guide which has a lot of good book and movie reviews. Be sure to swing by see what's going on.

In the meantime, pick up a copy of the Stay by Me, Dear Friend!

Pick it up at Amazon!

Julie and Scott would love to record a podcast this week, but there's a bridge that needs building.

 This week we're deep in the jungle talking in Episode 334 about The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Palm Trees Under Glass

Palm Trees Under Glass
photographed by Will Duquette
(All rights reserved)

Stunning, no? I've gotta say ... I miss LA.

Great First Line — Huckleberry Finn

You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter.

Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

He's right on both counts. But what a great, economical way to say "sequel" and also "this is completely different."

Great First Line — Blood Rites

The building was on fire and it wasn't my fault.

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Do you think he makes those sorts of huge mistakes? Or gets blamed for them a lot?

Avocet

Avocet by Remo Savisaar

Great First Line: Johnny and the Dead

Johnny never knew for certain why he started seeing the dead.

Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett

A great first line from the Johnny Maxwell trilogy that almost no one has heard of or read. Except for me. Everyone go look for them and get reading!

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums, Tudor St George Tucker

Notes on Mark: Matthew, the Tax Collector

Saint Matthew writing the Gospel
with an angel holding the volume,
an Islamic miniature c. 1530

MARK 2:13-14
Thinking of how we feel about the IRS, we can understand why Matthew was not well liked. Then add on the facts we see below, which is that tax collectors could line their own pockets with whatever they could get away with ... well, I feel the crowd's astonishment when Jesus calls Matthew to follow him.

Matthew was a well-hated man. Tax-gatherers can never be a popular section of the community, but in the ancient world they were hated. People never knew just how much they had to pay; the tax-collectors extracted from them as much as they could possibly get and lined their own pockets with the surplus that remained after the demands of the law had been met. Even a Greek writer like Lucian ranks tax-gatherers with "adulterers, panderers, flatterers and sycophants." Jesus wanted the man no one else wanted. He offered his friendship to the man whom all others would have scorned to call friend...

Of all the disciples Matthew gave up most. He literally left all to follow Jesus. Peter and Andrew, James and John could go back to the boats. There were always fish to catch and always the old trade to which to return; but Matthew burned his bridges completely...

The odd thing is that Matthew's reckless decision brought him the one thing he can least have been looking for -- it brought him immortal and world-wide fame. All men know the name of Matthew as one forever connected with the transmission of the story of Jesus.

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

I'd like to note one other thing here. Mary Healy in The Gospel of Mark: Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture points out that although the Pharisees disapproved of Jesus, they questioned his disciples. Jesus answers because he overhears. Is this because they lack the courage to confront Jesus or because they are trying to shake the disciples' faith? An interesting point and one to consider when we ourselves are questioned similarly, as is all too common these days.

* 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, as are many of his general reflections.

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Sources and Notes Index

Godzilla Minus One

POSTWAR JAPAN. FROM ZERO TO MINUS.

In postwar Japan, a new terror rises. Will the devastated people be able to survive… let alone fight back?

We loved this for a lot of reasons. It manages to combine the monster movie action thrills of a Hollywood-style movie with the introspection of the first Japanese Godzilla movie. The result is simply fantastic, something that keeps you on the edge of your seat with adventure and also looks at surviving the ultimate catastrophe of having your society, family and life collapse. 

This was especially interesting since it is set in post-WWII Japan so you are also getting the Japanese commentary on that whole situation. Along with the biggest monster to stomp a city.

Godzilla Minus One was unavailable since the first short theater run in America due to some Godzilla licensing agreement with the Hollywood movie makers. I was thrilled to hear it is now on Netflix since we'd figured it wouldn't be allowed here until 2025. Being suspicious of streaming agreements based on something so flimsy and stupid, we wasted no time in watching it. Do thou likewise!

Mom and Babies

 

From Traces of Texas, where we are told:

Baby possums have a gestation period of only 12-13 days. That's the shortest gestation period of any mammal in North America.

There's barely enough room for them to hang on!

Great First Line - Sky Coyote

You'll understand this story better if I tell you a lie.

Sky Coyote by Kage Baker

That tells you right there what the main character is like and the way the story is going to work. Of course, Coyote is a trickster character in Native American folklore so this works perfect.y

A Parrot Ara macao

A parrot Ara macao, Edward Lear

I always think of Lear's nonsense poetry and when I am reminded that he was an accomplished artist, it delights me all over again.

Haven't heard of Edward Lear at all? Here's the poem that comes to mind when I think of him.

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!--
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!"

Great First Line - Chinaman's Chance

The pretender to the Emperor's throne was a fat thirty-seven-year-old Chinaman called Artie Wu who always jogged along Malibu Beach right after dawn even in summer, when dawn came round as early as 4:42.

Chinaman's Chance by Ross Thomas

The beginning of a great book full of scoundrels, villains, double-crossing, and a really twisty, fun plot ... just like all Ross Thomas books.

The Artist in His Museum

Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827), The Artist in His Museum , 1822

Via Idle Speculations where you may read more about the artist and museums.

Worshiping Idols

The ancient pagans, men who were highly civilized for the age in which they lived, invented idols for themselves and found different ways of adoring them. Many civilized men of our day -- new pagans -- raise up idols which are still better constructed and more sophisticated. In our day there seems to be real adoration and idolatry for everything that makes its appearance in the name of progress or that provides yet more material well-being, pleasure or comfort ... It seems that man also completely forgets the fact that he is a spiritual being destined for eternal life. Those words of Saint Paul ... are all too topical. Their God is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Phil 3:19). It is the modern idolatry that tempts Christians who no longer give any thought to the immense treasure of their faith or the great richness of the love of God.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation With God Vol 3

It seem that this is a universal problem that applies to every age as I look all around, including in the mirror, and see this tendency everywhere.

Portrait of Rosalind Russell

Portrait of Rosalind Russell. Nicolai Fechin (Russian-American, 1881-1955).
Oil on canvas. Acquired directly from the artist by Mary Pickford.
Via Books and Art

Great First Lines: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Great first lines from a mystery/horror novel that I haven't read in way too long a time.

Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo

Hiroshige (1797–1858), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo #107,
"Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo"
Via Wikipedia

I love the perspective given with the bird of prey descending in the foreground while we look past it to the landscape and defining mountain beyond.

Notes on Mark: Forgiveness is Active

Miracle of "healing the paralytic in Capernaum"

MARK 2:7

The story of the paralyzed man and his friends which we looked at last time, has a central issue being considered. The scribes ask how Jesus can forgive sins when only God can forgive. To do so is really controversial. It is saying that Jesus is God.

This also brings us to our own understanding. What is forgiveness? What does it mean to truly forgive someone?

Forgiveness, in the full New Testament sense of the term is an act and not an attitude. It is the active and embodied repairing of a broken relationship, even in the face of opposition, violence, or indifference. When a relationship is severed, each party should, in justice, do his part to reestablish the bond. Forgiveness—which of necessity transcends justice— is the bearing of the other person's burden, moving toward her even when she refuses to move an inch toward you. There is something relentless, even aggressive, about forgiveness, since it amounts to a refusal ever to give up on a relationship.

Gospel of Mark (Word on Fire), Bishop Barron commentary

Now we see why it is so startling for Jesus to forgive sin as if he were God (we know that now but they didn't at the time). He's restoring a relationship on behalf of God. It would be really presumptuous if he weren't actually God.

I really like the point about forgiveness being aggressive because it means refusing to give up on a relationship. I need to remember that myself. Forgiveness is active.

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Sources and Notes Index

Julie and Scott are having no luck fishing. If only they could hear that guy on the shore who is yelling something that seems important...

 In Episode 333 of A Good Story is Hard to Find we discuss St. Peter: Flawed, Forgiven, and Faithful: Walking with Peter from Galilee to Rome by Stephen J. Binz.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

I put the general description above but, honestly, if you saw Mad Max: Fury Road then you've already got the idea. And if you didn't, just move along - nothing to see here. We loved Fury Road so when it got good reviews we knew we wanted to see it in the hteater. Watching this on the big screen reminded us of what a wonderfully immersive experience the movie theater is. We're definitely going to try to actually go to the movies more often.

This was George Miller doing what he does best — creating Myth (with a capital "M") as he tells the story of a young girl cast into the middle of apocalyptic societies in the vast Wasteland. This could be Gulliver's Travels, the Odyssey or Iliad. The characters are archetypal, the societies encountered each tell us something of basic humanity, the themes are simple but powerful, and the adventure keeps pulling us along. I appreciated the supporting visual touches like the art included on the food convoy tank. Any people wants to tell their story, how great they are, and art is so often the way to do it — even in a society as twisted as The Citadel.

As my husband said, it is amazing how a good story told with great pacing and classic framing/images can make 2-1/2 hours fly by despite the gruesome violence.

I was grateful to Miller for telegraphing the violence and almost never dwelling for long on any of it. I was also fascinated at how he evoked Fury Road which is forward in the future but managed to one-up himself in the prototypes of the adventures and stunts that we already have seen. It isn't omnipresent. We hadn't seen Fury Road since it came out but there were echoes which made us say, "Oh that's right, this happened ..."

A good time was had by all and now I want to watch Fury Road again.

Magnolias

Magnolias, Alfred Parsons

Book Sample — Listening for His Voice

 From my new book, Stay By Me, Dear Friend. Prayer is a conversation and that means listening as well as speaking. These are the first few reflections from fthe first section — Listening for His Voice. It's launching us into new intimacy.

=========

Jesus at My Side 

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

Gospel of John 10:27 

As you can see with the shepherd beside me, he is teaching the lamb his voice as he carries it in his arms. All of them take turns with the shepherd as he holds them close and speaks to them personally. When such care is given and received, the shepherd becomes their intimate provider and protector, establishing a relationship of trust with each one individually. 

Erin Pavlicek, The Lesson of an Irish Shepherd 

-------

Jesus’ listeners would have had some of this knowledge innately when he spoke of being a shepherd and we being his flock. Thinking of him teaching the lamb to know his voice makes me melt a little. The more I take the time to listen, the more he carries me, the deeper my trust and love grow. 

Here is the firm foundation upon which our daily prayers will grow. How can we hear Jesus? 

Remain with me the whole day, Lord.

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Stay by Me, ... 

 Imagine that this Lord himself is at your side and see how lovingly and how humbly He is teaching you—and, believe me, you should stay with so good a friend for as long as you can before you leave him. If you become accustomed to having him at your side, and if he sees that you love him to be there and are always trying to please him, you will never be able, as we put it, to send him away, nor will he ever fail you. He will help you in all your trials and you will have him everywhere. Do you think it is a small thing to have such a Friend as that beside you? 

Saint Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection 

-------

Saint Teresa wrote The Way of Perfection as a prayer aid for the nuns in her convent. This is the example that made me realize that imagining Jesus at your side wasn’t some kind of New Age idea. It is the fruit of St. Teresa’s lived experience with Jesus. 

 Remain with me the whole day, Lord. 

 =========== 

... Dear Friend 

 Imagine you see Jesus sitting close to you. In doing this you are putting your imagination at the service of your faith. Jesus isn’t here in the way you are imagining him, but he certainly is here and your imagination helps to make you aware of this. Now speak to Jesus … If no one is around, speak out in a soft voice … 

Listen to what Jesus says to you in reply or what you imagine him to say … 

Imagine that Jesus is by your side all through the day. Speak with him frequently in the midst of your occupations. Sometimes all you will be able to do is glance at him, communicate with him without words. 

Anthony de Mello, Sadhana — A Way to God 

-------

 Here’s the practical application of Theresa of Avila’s advice about growing close to Jesus. When the priest on the retreat gave me this to read, I had no idea it was grounded in age-old practice. All I knew was that it worked. It certainly keeps my conversations down to earth. 

Remain with me the whole day, Lord.

GET IT AT AMAZON!

Poplars in the Thames Valley

Poplars in the Thames Valley, Alfred Parsons

Litany of the Sacred Heart

Here is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

The U.S. bishops have called on all Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart “as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.” 

It is prayed today on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a day when the L.A. Dodgers are honoring the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Sadly, this is part of the culture, part of the air we breathe.

And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)

Like Isaiah we are part of an unclean culture. We also know who our King is, the Lord of hosts — and we must make reparation.

The USCCB has a printable version that you can also download as a pdf. This is a version I've had posted for years.

Read more about the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus here.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Response: have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty,
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom dwells the fullness of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of Whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke you,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in you,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make our hearts like to yours.

Let us pray:

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Your mercy, in Your great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.

Amen.

MY NEW BOOK! Stay With Me, Dear Friend: In Jesus' Presence Through the Day

How would it feel to be such good friends with Jesus that we could bring up anything and everything — the worries no matter how small, the “wins,” the funny bits, everything strewn through our day? This book is about how to listen for Jesus’ voice and hear it every day as we go about our normal lives. The reflections and prayer prompts in this devotional help you to stay aware of Jesus’ presence while drawing closer in friendship and love.

The painting on the cover shows comfortable, relaxed conversation with Jesus. That's the goal of using these reflections and prayer prompts. They follow an idea shown to me when I went on a silent retreat a couple of years ago. What if Jesus is sitting in the chair next to me? How would I talk with him? Pretty soon it expanded my prayer time — we were chatting familiarly when I cooked dinner, drove to the post office, and walking the dog. In other words, all through the day.

I took to the technique right away, but once I was off the retreat I began seeing all sorts of quotes from the saints that showed this wasn't a new technique at all. Being me, I began collecting those prompts to help me keep it close and personal every day. In no time at all I had filled four small notebooks. 

I wanted everything easier to use and so here's the book I wished for. 

I hope this brings you closer too.

Available on Amazon. Get it here!

I'll be sharing some of the reflections here in the days to come. 

If you like the book, please review it on Amazon, Goodreads,
or wherever else you hang out on the internet!

Mowing Time

Mowing Time, Alfred Parsons

Notes on Mark: The Paralyzed Man and His Four Friends

James Tissot, The Palsied Man Let Down Through the Roof

MARK 2:1-12

I really love this story which emphasizes the power of friendship. Of course, there is so much more in it but without the friends' determination to get the paralyzed man to Jesus there wouldn't be this lovely picture from Jesus' ministry. Here are a few observations that struck me.

5 Jesus sees their faith and says …

Faith obviously includes works, if Jesus, in seeing their works, is said by Mark to see their faith. The audacity, ingenuity, exertion, and even willingness to face embarrassment that these men display are the visible measure of their faith. And everyone sees it, not simply Jesus.

6 There were some scribes sitting there and they are thinking to themselves …

Literally, "carrying on a dialogue in their hearts." Thinking was understood as the same as spoken dialogue, but carried on silently, in the heart.

8 So Jesus — who knows immediately in his spirit that this is how they are thinking among themselves— says to them …

Peter, narrating the story, says that Jesus "knew" what they were thinking; it was not a conjecture. He knew "in his spirit," not as an inference from sensed signs.

The description is meant to help us imagine how the scene appeared to those who were there. Jesus says to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forigven," and then, unexpectedly, he turns and addresses some of the others present. Imagine how startling it would be if your friend were standing in the middle of a crowded room speaking to one person and then suddenly turned around, looked at someone else across the room, and said, "You are wrong in what you are thinking."

The Memoirs of St. Peter

I always imagined that the scribes were whispering to each other or at least rolling their eyes (or whatever the ancient equivalent was) so that everyone knew they were in doubt. This commentary not only put me in the scene, but it made me realize just how startling Jesus' words would have been.

It makes me think of when Jesus meets Nathaniel (Gospel of John) and says that he saw him under the fig tree. This is so astounding that Nathaniel instantly acclaims him as the son of God.

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Sources and Notes Index

Watercolour of Ellen Willmott's Garden

Alfred Parsons, Watercolour of Ellen Willmott's Garden

Inspired by Lines and Colors where you'll see many more of Parsons' paintings.

Sticking With Prayer

In the end, it was prayer that saved Teresa [of Avila] from herself. This despite the fact that her next twenty years were spent in a state of interior civil war: she could not let go of God or leave the convent, yet she could not let go of her quest to win the love and admiration and praise of others either. Once she resumed her efforts to pray, she did so assiduously, going off to the oratory for an hour or more each day, regardless of how distracted she might be or how empty the experience. She confesses that at times all she could think about was the hour being over and states that it took actual courage for her to devote this time to God, for it was often impossible for her to concentrate. She credits this perseverance in prayer with any growth in virtue that occurred in her over the years. God continued to act within her in spite of her strong personality simply because she gave him time to do so by meeting him in prayer each day.

By Way of Grace: Moving from Faithfulness to Holiness
by Paula Huston

Can I tell y'all how hopeful this made me feel? I am not a very good pray-er in so many ways. It's easy to talk the talk ... but that walking part. Can't someone else do it? My biggest strides forward lately have been in simply forcing myself to make time to go off by myself and pray. I am thankful that Teresa was open enough to admit that she suffered so much from many of the same problems we all face ... for that gives me hope that God will do much of the work too if I am able to show myself willing by making the time for prayer.

A New Pier

Ein neuer Steg (A New Pier)
by Edward B. Gordon

In Texas, if it's a holiday weekend kicking off summertime, then that means time at the lake. This may be a German painting, but it looks like lake-time to me.

Young Woman in a Summer Shower

Suzuki Harunobu, A Young Woman in a Summer Shower, 1765

I love the dynamic quality of the young woman having lost her shoe while the wind flaps at her clothing and laundry. I can feel that wind.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #96 — The Good Earth (1937)

China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.

Wow, Louise Ranier definitely earned her Oscar! What a performance! She was also my favorite performer in The Zigfeld Follies for which she also earned an Oscar. To be fair, everyone gave top notch performances. This is the sort of movie that doesn't usually appeal to me - long dramatic sagas of families struggling to survive, especially since I'd read the book long ago and hadn't liked it much. This sold it though. By the end I was loving it.

I've seen plenty of negative comments about the fact that 1937 movie standards meant white actors portrayed Chinese characters, which would never be done these days. However, I've learned, as I read tons of old literature, that we have to keep the cultural ideas of the past in mind instead of rushing to judge by our standards. So let's just talk about the movie as it tells the story.

As I watched I kept thinking of the intended 1937 audience and how exotic and interesting this would have been to them. In fact, despite how it seems to dismissive viewers today, I feel it probably humanized the Chinese to Americans in a very positive way. Farmers certainly would've understood this family's struggles.

This was the last of the movies we viewed for the 1938 Oscar winner and nominees. It is the movie we'd have given the Oscar to, hands down. The winner, The Life of Emile Zola, is a movie that landed at the bottom of the list no matter what else we watched.

I'm really glad we embarked on Oscar project. I've seen so many movies I'd never have known I liked otherwise. This is one.

NOTE

Here's my list of all the Oscar movies we have watched. Here are the ones we liked so much that I reviewed them here to tempt you into trying them.

Bookends

Bookends
Karin Jurick

This is the perfect piece to for right after Memorial Day weekend!

Julie and Scott meticulously spliced audiocassette recordings together to make this episode.

 In Episode 332 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast we discuss: Dum Laga Ke Haisha (Heave Ho, Carry That Load)

In the Shadow of the Tent

In the Shadow of the Tent (1914). Helen Galloway McNicoll (Canadian, 1879-1915).

It's a bit early in the year to think about the seashore, but I just can't resist paintings of it.

The glue that holds a person together

The glue that holds a person together is either vanity or values.

Stephen Tobolowsky, The Tobolowsky Files,
The Wager with Freddie

Ain't that the truth!

The fire of Hell is simply the light of God as experienced by those who reject it

It has been well said by a great saint that the fire of Hell is simply the light of God as experienced by those who reject it; to those, that is, who hold fast to their darling illusion of sin, the burning reality of holiness is a thing unbearable. To the penitent, that reality is a torment so long and only so long as any vestige of illusion remains to hamper their assent to it: they welcome the torment, as a sick man welcomes the pains of surgery, in order that the last crippling illusion may be burned away. ...

There is no difference in the justice; the only difference is in the repudiation or acceptance of judgment. ... whether in Hell or in Purgatory, you get what you want — if that is what you really do want. If you insist on having your own way, you will get it: Hell is the enjoyment of your own way forever. If you really want God's way for you, you will get it in Heaven, and the pains of Purgatory will not deter you, they will be welcomed as the means to that end. ... the consequences of sin are the sinner's — to be borne, at his own choice, in a spirit of sullen rebellion or of ready acquiescence.

Dorothy Sayers, Introduction to Dante's Purgatorio

Amen, amen. May I always be ready to accept God's judgment and go joyfully in the direction of having my crippling illusions burned away.

Kindred Spirits

Asher Brown Durand, Kindred Spirits, 1849

Kindred Spirits was commissioned by the merchant-collector Jonathan Sturges as a gift for William Cullen Bryant in gratitude for the nature poet's moving eulogy to Thomas Cole, who had died suddenly in early 1848. It shows Cole, who had been Jonathan Sturges mentor, standing in a gorge in Catskills in company of a mutual friend William Cullen Bryant.

Read more here...

The Cat — and memories of Puff

via WikiPaintings

I grew up with dogs. Lots of big dogs since one of my parents' hobbies was raising Bullmastiffs and showing them. When Tom and I married we got a couple of dogs as a matter of course.

When our girls were little and cat crazy we gave in and got a cat from the SPCA. I called her Puff from my vague memories of Dick and Jane and Sally and Spot and Puff. I learned to read in those books and fine books they were too.

It was Puff who taught me how to love a cat. She was young and crazy and she enchanted the entire household, including our ChowChow who went from trying to kill cats to playing a game where Puff would dodge out from corners, throw herself under him and play with his feathers (the long fur growing from the back of his legs). After Puff was run over by a car, only several months after we got her, he continued for several weeks to slow down at her favorite "pounce" corners and wait for her attack.

Most of all, Puff loved me. She slept behind my knees, she laid on my shoulder and hit my book, she threw herself at me and shamelessly demanded attention. I was enchanted, like the rest of the household. We had another couple of cats after Puff and I loved them too, though neither was up to Puff on my cat scale of perfection.

All that is a very long way of saying that I understand why Gwen Johns included her cat in so many of her paintings. If I painted, I would too.

Notes on Mark: Leprosy

Jesus Heals the Leper by Alexandre Bida

MARK 1:40-45
I am so used to thinking of Jesus healing lepers that I really have never given a second thought as to just what leprosy is ... except that I knew there is (or used to be?) a leper colony on Hawaii and eventually bits of you would fall off. Here we have the whole agonizing description of the three types of leprosy. It gives me an entirely new appreciation for the unbelievable suffering lepers endured and the fact that Jesus was so unafraid that he would touch the lepers to make them whole.

The fate of the leper was truly hard... Let us look first at the facts.

There are three kinds of leprosy. (i) There is nodular or tubercular leprosy. It begins with an unaccountable lethargy and pains in the joints. Then there appear on the body, especially on the back, symmetrical discolored patches. On them little nodules form, at first pink, then turning brown. The skin is thickened. The nodules gather specially in the folds of the cheek, the nose, the lips and the forehead. The whole appearance of the face is changed until the man loses his human appearance and looks, as the ancients said, like a lion or satyr. The nodules grow larger and larger; they ulcerate and from them comes a foul discharge. The eye-brows fall out; the eyes become staring; the voice becomes hoarse and the breath wheezes because of the ulceration of the vocal chords. The hands and the feet also ulcerate. Slowly the sufferer becomes a mass of ulcerated growths. The average course of the disease is nine years, and it ends in mental decay, coma and ultimately death. The sufferer becomes utterly repulsive both to himself and others.

(ii) There is anesthetic leprosy. The initial stages are the same; but the nerve trunks also are affected. The infected area loses all sensation. This may happen without the sufferer knowing that it has happened; and he may not realize that it has happened until he suffers some burning or scalding and finds that there is no feeling whatsoever where pain ought to be. As the disease develops the injury to the nerves causes discolored patches and blisters. The muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands become like claws. There ensues chronic ulceration of the feet and of the hands and then the progressive loss of fingers and of toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of the disease is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death of the body.

(iii) The third kind of leprosy is a type -- the commonest or all -- where nodular and anesthetic leprosy are mixed.

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

Now, let's think about something else -- what did the leper seek? Healing, of course. But there are many sorts of healing as we shall see. Certainly this helped me see the deeper meaning beneath the request and healing.

In approaching Jesus, the leper makes a bold move. Not only does he violate the strictures of the law, but he risks encountering the familiar reaction of horror and revulsion at the sight of a leper. He kneels, a sign of both supplication and reverence (Ps 22:30; 95:6). His plea, If you wish, shows his utter confidence in Jesus' power. Significantly, he does not ask Jesus to heal him but to make him clean. His deepest desire is to be free once again to partake in the worship of God's people.

[...]

Jesus tells the cleansed man to show himself to a priest and offer the sacrifice prescribed for cleansing from leprosy (see Lev 14) ... The prescribed rite was to take two clean birds, one to be sacrificed and the other, dipped in the blood of the first, to fly away free (Lev 14:3-7). If the man complied with Jesus' word, he might have discovered a symbolic image foreshadowing Jesus' own sacrifice and helping him understand more deeply what Jesus had done for him. But for now, he is unable to contain his delight. ...

Gospel of Mark, The

(Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by Mary Healy

* 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, as are many of his general reflections.

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Sources and Notes Index 

A Maid Milking a Cow in a Barn

A Maid Milking a Cow in a Barn,  Gerard ter Borch

This seems like a nice dose of reality for some reason. I love the details. You feel as if you could hear the straw crunching under your feet.

Hansan: Rising Dragon

BEFORE THE EPIC BATTLE IN THE ADMIRAL: ROARING CURRENTS

In 1592, admiral Yi Sun-sin and his fleet face off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis, the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon, the dragon head ships known as geobukseon, in order to change the tide of this epic battle at sea.

I loved the first in this series about famed Korean Admiral Yi. I've really been looking forward to this prequel, about Yi's famous earlier victory against the dominant invading Japanese fleet. It didn't disappoint, although it wasn't quite as rich in the secondary characters as The Admiral was. Highly recommended. As with the first movie, you've got to be willing to let all the confusing characters just wash over you. It will all come straight and make sense, rewarding you with a wonderful story.

The final movie in the trilogy is Noryang: Deadly Sea which shows us the greatest battle in Admiral Yi's career.

The Moorish Chief

The Moorish Chief, Eduard Charlemont, 1878
via the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Can you imagine seeing this magnificent fellow in a 5' x 3' painting? One look from those imperious eyes must stop you in your tracks.

This is via Lines and Colors where some of the details are enlarged for our appreciation. There is also some interesting information about the painting itself.

An Excellent Approach for a Common Question

One radio guy asked me, for the umpteenth time, "Don't tell me you take the Bible literally?"

Inspired by the Holy Spirit (I assume), it occurred to me to ask, "Which parts?"

He stared at me blankly, having no idea how to reply because, in point of fact, he did not know one frickin' thing about what is in the Bible.

"Do you mean the Psalms?" I pressed him. "Of course, I don't take them literally. They're poetry. Or do you mean I should not take it literally when it says that David hid from Saul in the cave of Adullam?"

He continued to stare blankly, then finally said, "Look, I don't know all that much about the Bible."

Mark Shea

This is from long ago (2006!), but that's what blog archives are for — to find the good stuff all over again.. It works not only for clueless radio talk show hosts but also for total unbelievers.