Whee! Hug!

Whee! Hug! Timber greeting Niko. Monty Sloan, copyright Wolf Park

This is just so comical and fun!

One Huge Mouthful

 

One Huge Mouthful, Remo Savisaar

Remo consistently gets some of the most wonderful nature photography around. Check out his site and click on this photo to see it larger.

Lagniappe: Never record anything ...

I rang her and left a message identifying myself and giving an impression of urgency without actually saying anything concrete. Never record anything you wouldn't want turning up on YouTube is my motto.

Ben Aaronovitch, Moon Over Soho

If only more of us remembered this, the world would be a calmer place. More boring, sure. But definitely calmer.

Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (with some modern science commentary)

It's a Holy Day of Obligation! Check local Mass times!

Adam and Eve with the Virgin Mary (detail), Correggio, Assumption of the Virgin
via Khan Academy

The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated. ...

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption. Thus he solemnly proclaimed that the belief whereby the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the close of her earthly life, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, definitively forms part of the deposit of faith, received from the Apostles. To avoid all that is uncertain the Pope did not state either the manner or the circumstances of time and place in which the Assumption took place — only the fact of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, is the matter of the definition.

Catholic Culture, where there is a lot more info

Each year on the Assumption of Mary I like to revisit this from The Anchoress. Because it blows my mind. And the Assumption is a good time for mind-blowing. This was originally posted this at Patheos where the original post link no longer works:

When studying Anatomy and Physiology in college, the lesson that briefly discussed fetomaternal microchimerism, became instructive to me on a different level. Learning that every child leaves within his mother a microscopic bit of himself — and that it remains within her forever — the dogma of the Immaculate Conception instantly became both crystal clear and brilliant to me.

Mary, then, was indeed a tabernacle within which the Divinity did reside — not for a limited time, but for all of her life. Understanding this (and considering how the churches seemed to get it ‘way before microscopes told us anything) the Immaculate Conception made and makes perfect sense: God, who is All-Good is also completely Pure; the vessel in which He resides, then, must be pure, too, or it would not be able to sustain all of that “light in which we see light itself.”

Microchimerism also relates to the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, as well. In the psalms we read “you will not suffer your beloved to undergo corruption.” Christ’s divine body did not undergo corruption. It follows that his mother’s body, which contained a cellular component of the Divinity — and a particle of God is God, entire — would not be allowed to become corrupt, either.

I believed it anyway, but that made sense on several levels. Incredible.

Assumption of the Virgin, Correggio
where the above detail is included
Click through to the link to look at it enlarged.

Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr

I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me - a stranger. Is this some dream?

I was put back into my place without having had time to say anything to Maximilian Kolbe. I was saved. And I owe to him the fact that I could tell you all this. The news quickly spread all round the camp. It was the first and the last time that such an incident happened in the whole history of Auschwitz.

For a long time I felt remorse when I thought of Maximilian. By allowing myself to be saved, I had signed his death warrant. But now, on reflection, I understood that a man like him could not have done otherwise. Perhaps he thought that as a priest his place was beside the condemned men to help them keep hope. In fact he was with them to the last.

Testimony of Franciszek Gajowniczek,

for whom Maximilian Kolbe offered himself at Auschwitz

I have long admired Maximilian Kolbe for a lot of reasons. The most famous story about him is that of his martyrdom, when he stepped forward to offer himself in place of a married man with children.

Before World War II, Kolbe traveled to Asia and throughout Europe teaching and preaching the Gospel. He used the latest technology with the most modern printing and radio techniques. He planned to begin a motion picture studio. And then he was imprisoned in 1941 by the Nazis. He was known for walking among the bunks at night, quietly saying, "I am a Catholic priest. Can I do anything for you?"

When a prisoner escaped, Franciszek Gajowniczek was one of the ten men chosen for death in retaliation. He sobbed, "My poor wife! My poor children! What will they do?

Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward before the commandant and said, "I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place. I am old. He has a wife and children."

It took the prisoners over two weeks to die, imprisoned with no food or water, but the sounds of hymns and prayers came from the room until only Father Kolbe was left. The room was needed for more prisoners so he was killed by injection and his body was burned in the crematorium. I often think of what a blessing his presence was and what a difference he made in helping those men in their ordeal.

Maximilian Kolbe was canonized in 1982 by Pope John Paul II and declared a martyr of charity. He is the patron against drug addiction and for drug addicts, families, prisoners, journalists, and the pro-life movement. He was declared "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century" by Saint Pope John Paul II.

I think of the problems we face in our culture, the technology we have available to use in spreading the good news, the choices we sometimes are faced with ... and Maximilian Kolbe is modern enough to be a shining example of how to show God's love and truth.

Truly Saint Maximilian Kolbe is a saint for our time.

More indepth reading:

• Eye witness testimony from Auschwitz
• Maximilian Kolbe: Catholic Subversive by The Anchoress. A good overview of Kolbe's life.
• Catholic Culture has tons of wonderful resources: articles, prayers, recipes, activities and links. 

And the Winner Is — 1940

 Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

This year was exceptional and we had seen many of the nominees fairly recently so we didn't rewatch Ninotchka, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, or Wuthering Heights, excellent though they all are.

WINNER

The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

We watched this 1940 Oscar winner to kick off our next series of viewing all the Best Picture nominees. The right movie won. This remains a masterpiece. It's so true to the book, even while having to trim details to fit it all in. The performances and costuming made a feast for the mind and eyes.

 NOMINEES

A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.

It was perfectly fine but no match for most of the other nominees or winner in this stellar movie year

Judith Traherne is at the height of young society when Dr. Frederick Steele diagnoses a brain tumor. After surgery, she falls in love with Steele.

Can't hold a candle to most of the other nominees. It seems to exist only to try to make us cry.

A French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love aboard a ship. They arrange to reunite six months later, if neither has changed their mind.

This is another film that seemingly exists only to make us cry If you've seen An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle, then you know the plot.

A bookish classics professor makes an inauspicious debut at the hallowed halls of Brookfield School for Boys but eventually finds his feet, ultimately becoming something of an institution at the school.

We were surprised at the subtlety of the storytelling. Not many movies extoll the virtues of the shy person who just needs a little encouragement. A complete surprise and we loved it. My review is here.

An intellectually disabled giant and his level headed guardian find work at a sadistic cowboy’s ranch in depression era America.

The final film we watched for the 1940 Oscar nominees. A very well done version of the famous John Stenbeck novella. Like every other Steinbeck story except East of Eden this one is traumatic and I hate it.

=======

All the Oscar viewing is here.

Julie and Scott are looking for a priest. Hannah and Rose come along to tell them that this will mean danger, whiskey, and a very long wait.

We discuss The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene in episode 361 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Lagniappe: Planned Improvisation

She glanced back at where my dad ... was having a technical discussion with the rest of the band. Lots of hand gestures as he indicated where he wanted solos to come in during the set because, as my dad always says, while improvisation and spontaneity may be the hallmarks of great jazz, the hallmark of being a great player is ensuring the rest of the band is spontaneously improvising the way you want them to.

Ben Aaronovitch, Broken Homes

Aha! I always suspected as much!

The Perfect Fisher

The Master Fisher, Remo Savisaar

So beautiful.

Lagniappe: A Copper Who Is a Wizard

"You're so boring," she said. "You'd think a copper who was a wizard would be more interesting. Harry Potter wasn't this boring. I bet Gandalf could drink you under the table."

Probably true, but I don't remember the bit where Hermione gets so wickedly drunk that Harry has to pull the broomstick over on Buckingham Palace Road just so she can be sick in the gutter.

Ben Aaronovitch, Whispers Under Ground

It goes on like that for a bit, but you get the point. Makes me laugh and that's it. Nothing deeper here to see. Move along now.

Classical Paintings You Probably Didn't Know Had a Banana In Them

Mona Lisa with Banana, Evert Kwok

Here's one that seems to go with today's quote about planned improvisation —  fun riffs on famous paintings and bananas by this clever cartoonist. Check it out.

We are made for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love

The first reading, taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes, invites us ... to come to terms with the experience of our limitations and the fleeting nature of all things that pass away (cf. Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23). On a similar note, the Responsorial Psalm presents us with the image of “the grass that is renewed… in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it  fades and withers” (Ps 90:5-6). These are two strong reminders which may be a bit shocking, but which should not frighten us as if they were “taboo” issues to be avoided. The fragility they speak of is, in fact, part of the marvel of creation. Think of the image of grass: is not a field of flowers beautiful? Of course, it is delicate, made up of small, vulnerable stems, prone to drying out, to being bent and broken. Yet at the same time these flowers are immediately replaced by others that sprout up after them, generously nourished and fertilized by the first ones as they decay on the ground. This is how the field survives: through constant regeneration. Even during the cold months of winter, when everything seems silent, its energy stirs beneath the ground, preparing to blossom into a thousand colors when spring comes.

We too, dear friends, are made this way, we are made for this. We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love. This is why we continually aspire to something “more” that no created reality can give us; we feel a deep and burning thirst that no drink in this world can satisfy. Knowing this, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to satisfy them with cheap imitations! Let us rather listen to them! Let us turn this thirst into a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God. We will then find ourselves before him, who is waiting for us, knocking gently on the window of our soul (cf. Rev 3:20). It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity.

Pope Leo XIV, Jubilee of Youth Homily, August 3, 2025

 This is truly a beautiful reflection. It makes me look forward to reading Pope Leo's thoughts whenever they come my way.

beauty & grace

beauty & grace
taken by Valerie, ucumari photography
Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Be sure to click through to the original so you can see it close up. Simply amazing.

Neptune Full Disk View

Neptune Full Disk View, NASA

The picture shows the Great Dark Spot and its companion bright smudge; on the west limb the fast moving bright feature called Scooter and the little dark spot are visible. These clouds were seen to persist for as long as Voyager's cameras could resolve them. North of these, a bright cloud band similar to the south polar streak may be seen. Years later, when the Hubble telescope was focused on the planet, these atmospheric features had changed, indicating that Neptune's atmosphere is dynamic.

There's more info at the link.

Notes on Mark: John the Baptist's Self-Offering

Herodias with the Head of St. John the Baptist, Paul Delaroche

MARK 6: 14-16

One of the things I love about this commentary is how it shows context in the parallels that Mark draws for us. Granted, those are parallels I'd never notice unless they were pointed out. I guess that just goes to show that I'm not a very observant reader. However, this particular parallel and the point made about John the Baptist's self-offering is one that resonates with my Catholic soul in considering the times I unite my suffering with Christ on his Cross. 

Between the accounts of the apostles setting out on their mission and returning from it, Mark inserts an interlude: the sordid story of Herod's banquet and his execution of John the Baptist. The placement of this episode is by no means accidental. As Mark already hinted in 1:14, John's life is in a mysterious way patterned on that of Christ; his death foreshadows Jesus' death. The passion of John recounted here coincides with the first mission of the apostles, as the passion of Jesus will give birth to the Church's mission in which the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world. With this parallel Mark suggests that John's self-offering shares, in a hidden way, in the spiritual fruitfulness of the sacrifice of Christ.

Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Gospel of Mark

 ===== 

Sources and Notes Index    

Feast of the Transfiguration

Theophanes the Greek. The Transfiguration. Early 15th century.

Christ's Tabor radiance is a kind of mirror in which we glimpse the glory that God wills to give his friends. The resplendence of the Transfiguration reveals the fullness of life destined to be ours. The Transfiguration invites us to configuration. We peer into the glory that pours from every pore of the transfigured Christ, we cast off everything unworthy of our personal relationship with the Infinite, and we take on the luster of the Son of God. Jesus gazes back at us with a luminous look of love that make us desire to live his transparent beauty -- to be luminaries. Silently from Tabor's splendor, the Savior begs: "Become what you behold!"

Meditation from Magnificat 

What is revealed here is not only the glory of pure, angelic spirit, but of the spirit through the body, glory of the spiritualized body of man. Not the glory of God alone, not a piece of disclosed heaven, not only the sheen of the Lord as it hovered over the ark of the covenant, but the glory of the God-Logos in the Son of Man. Life above live and death; life of the body, but issue of the spirit; life of the spirit, but issue of the Logos; life of the man Jesus, but issue of the Son of God.

Romano Guardini, The Lord

Sunflowers

Sunflowers, Duane Keiser

Nothing says summer more vividly to me than sunflowers. It really takes me back to Kansas.

What kind of head-space am I going to be stuck in now?

There exists a quality of a book that I do not have a name for; it is approached by terms like “mode” and “voice” and “the writer’s world-view”, but isn’t quite any of these. I short-hand it as, “What kind of head-space am I going to be stuck in now?” And is it one I that will enjoy being stuck in? We seek out, I think, any favorite writer’s other books, even if they are varied, in the hopes of entering that agreeable head-space again.

Lois Bujold, reviewing Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

I like that ... "head space." Of course, she is precisely right. This is from the review that got me to try the series, way back in 2015.

Vase of Gladioli

Gustave Caillebotte, Vase of Gladiolas, 1887

The color is just so vivid. You feel as if you could reach out and touch them.

Chhaava

ONE WARRIOR, ONE AIM AND ONE EPIC SAGA

Shivaji’s death sparks the Maratha-Mughal conflict. His son Sambhaji leads resistance against Aurangzeb’s forces. Amid battles and intrigue, both sides face challenges in a struggle for power.

We love Indian historical movies. In general, there's nothing like watching gorgeously jeweled and clad men battling with wonderful choreography. In this case it is to save Maratha from the Moguls. 

Toward the end it took on the impact of mythic storytelling. The link between the king and his wife along with what we know of his lifelong question about his mother add depth to the love of country and devotion to the gods. 

I really enjoyed Vicky Kaushal's performance. I hadn't realized that we'd seen him in other films. And I hadn't realized he's married to Katrina Kaif. Lucky girl.

This was really well done and surprisingly moving at the end. I would watch it again. We're going to look for other films from this director.

God and religion

It is a great mistake to think that God is chiefly interested in religion.

William Temple

Nothing I say can improve upon this.

Architectural Alphabet

Architectural Alphabet, Antonio Basoli
via lines and colors

I absolutely love this creativity with the alphabet, as longtime readers may recall. The whole alphabet used to be available on a Russian site but doesn't show them anymore.

Never say to God: "Enough!" Simply say: "I am ready."

I ran this in May and am coming back around to it again as my mother is in home-hospice. She's lived with us for almost 6 years. Her 91st birthday will be on August 2. As with many things in life, there is no predicting how long this hospice will last, though she does seem to be slowly powering down.

As hospice was put into place, I realized that, once again, I am being asked to serve at a level that never occurred to me. Not only am I taking care of my mother physically in new ways, but our whole family is. We all have come to grips with this challenge together and it makes me love our family so much more. Even 8-month-old baby Gemma and 4-year-old Andy have done their bit as my mother becomes more herself when my daughter brings them for frequent visits. 

I have never been more thankful to be Catholic as every bit of suffering is not wasted but given dignity and purpose as God uses it for our good. It also makes me remember Thomas Merton's friend saying that we must all desire to be saints. I do desire that. Then when you recognize him pushing you a bit closer to holiiness, as I do now, you say, "yes, but ..."  

This piece is the perfect reminder that instead I must be saying, "I am ready."

Every illness and every trial is permitted by God as the means whereby we can best ensure our salvation and as the material most fitted for our sanctification. Take your illness as a penance given you by God, who knows the extant of your debts to him as well as the best way in which you can discharge them. You should be content to do as he wishes, for he is satisfied with far less than you owe him.

Read into everything God's explicit will. Suffer with our Lord, uniting your sufferings to his. Don't look for sufferings, but do not refuse them. Value them as precious marks of favor that he bestows on you. Don't desire to exchange them for others, but don't torment yourself by adding to them. Don't fix your eyes on the lash that scourges you, but kiss and adore the loving hand and heart wielding it.

God is not content to see you merely suffering with patience. He wants you to be grateful and to approve of what he does. ...

Feel a more lively gratitude towards those who brace you up and invigorate you in your pain than towards those who merely commiserate you. An unpitied pain wins greater merit before God. Never say to God: "Enough!" Simply say: "I am ready."

St. Sebastian Valfre

This is a controversial take on suffering these days. But my own experience makes it seem sound. Not that I am able to be grateful but, without understanding the big picture, I can accept that what God sends is meant for my own good. Especially difficult is the advice that we have a lively gratitude to those who "invigorate" us in our pain. I still resent those people. But remembering that advice helps lessen my resentment some.

Two Swans

Two Swans (Farbiger Holzschnitt Zwei Schwäne), Otto Eckmann

When we are most profoundly ourselves

Indeed, to the question as to what distinguishes the human being from an animal, as to what is specifically different about human beings, the answer has to be that they are the beings that God made capable of thinking and praying. They are most profoundly themselves when they discover their relation to their Creator. Therefore the image of God also means that human persons are beings of word and of love, beings moving toward Another, oriented to giving themselves to the Other and only truly receiving themselves back in real self-giving.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),

In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding

of the Story of Creation and the Fall

You can see why this book is so deeply satisfying. This excerpt can't give you a sense of the logic that Ratzinger follows but it leads inexorably to the point above. 

As someone who had God nudge them into the St. Vincent de Paul Society, I can testify about "real self-giving." It has been forcibly brought home that when Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46), he's pointing out that helping our neighbors is not only for their own good. It is also for our own full flowering as the people he means us to be. At least that is the path upon which I have found myself.

We are fated into the logic of the universe

The number that governs the whole is seven; in the scheme of seven days it permeates the whole in a way that cannot be overlooked. This is the number of a phase of the moon, and thus we are told throughout this account that the rhythm of our heavenly neighbor also sounds the rhythm of our human life. It becomes clear that we human beings are not bounded by the limits of our own little “I” but that we are part of the rhythm of the universe, that we too, so to speak, assimilate the heavenly rhythm and movement in our own bodies and thus, thanks to this interlinking, are fated into the logic of the universe. In the Bible this thought goes still further. It lets us know that the rhythm of the heavenly bodies is, more profoundly, a way of expressing the rhythm of the heart and the rhythm of God’s love, which manifests itself in there.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),

In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding

of the Story of Creation and the Fall

This continues the paragraph from yesterday, looking at how creation is a part of our very being. I love this so much.

X

"X" by Karin Jurick

I fell in love with John Singer Sargent's paintings when seeing them at the Chicago Art Institute. Clearly I am not alone. For more of Karin Jurick's art, which I know many readers of this blog enjoy, click through the link above.

The Ten Commandments are an Echo of Creation

The words "God said" appear ten times in the creation account. In this way the creation narrative anticipates the Ten Commandments. This makes us realize that these Ten Commandments are, as it were, an echo of the creation; they are not arbitrary inventions for the purpose of erecting barriers to human freedom but signs pointing to the spirit, the language, and the meaning of creation; they are a translation of the language of the universe, a translation of God's logic, which constructed the universe.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),
In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding
of the Story of Creation and the Fall

This book is simply wonderful. It's a series of Lenten homilies that Ratzinger delivered. I'd have loved to have been in the audience to receive such wisdom. I can't recommend this book highly enough. We'll see the second half of this paragraph tomorrow, continuing the idea of how deeply embedded we are in creation and creation is in us.

A Street in Venice

A Street in Venice, John Singer Sargent, 1882

When I think of Sargent the first thing that springs to mind are his wonderful portraits. Of course, he did much more. He's a master of atmosphere.

Lagniappe: Many Shades of Green

Her eyes were green, although Stallings couldn't decide whether they were sea green or emerald green. But since she looked expensive, he finally settled on dollar green.

Ross Thomas, Out on the Rim

Ross Thomas's books have some of the twistiest plots you've ever encountered. He keeps you hooked until the end. He often works in a kind of code that is funny while conveying information. I love his Artie Wu and Quincy Durant books, of which this is the first I ever read.

Psalm 47 — God is Exalted

Psalm 47 announces the Savior's ascension in to heaven ... and the calling of the gentiles.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

This is a happy one unlike a lot of the others we have read so far. It is a hymn of victory where the Church Fathers see Christ welcomed by the nations with a joyful reception.  There is shouting and clapping, singing and celebration.

Wikipedia tells us that "In Christian scholarship, Psalm 47 is one of seven 'enthronement psalms' which refer to the crowning of God as king at a festive occasion.' It has also been suggested that the theme of Psalm 47 is 'universal rejoicing for God's universal reign'."

From the Utrecht Psalter, singing praises to God with lyres or citharas.

I especially like what Caesarius of Arles says, about how to apply praise of God in our own lives to keep the devil away. It's not a bad reminder that, as Peter tells us "Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour."

47:7 The Fairest of Humankind

Sing to Frustrate Satan. Caesarius of Arles: Let us, too, lift up our voices by singing or praying in church, so that our adversary, the devil may depart in confusion at the holy sound. If notin deed, then surely in thought or word the devil usually creeps up to those who are silent or speak of idle, useless matters. When they are singing or praying he can in no way take advantage by his cunning of those whom he sees engaged mentally or vocally in God's praises.

Sermon 80.2 

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

========

An index of psalm posts is here.

Madame X

"John Singer Sargent: Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (16.53)".
In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/na/ho_16.53.htm (October 2006)

You can see why this is so famous.

John Singer Sargent's Theodore Roosevelt

John Singer Sargent, Theodore Roosevelt, 1903

I really love the story that goes with this. It completes the painting for me.

The famous expatriate artist arrived in America in January 1903 and soon received a letter from Roosevelt inviting him to live in the White House during the month of February to work on the portrait....

Together [Sargent and Roosevelt] toured the White House while Sargent looked for proper light and a good pose.... As Roosevelt led the way upstairs, so the story goes, he said, "The trouble with you Sargent, is that you don't know what you want." "No," replied the artist, "the trouble, Mr. President, is that you don't know what a pose means." Roosevelt turned sharply back, grasped the newel-post and snapped, "Don't I!" "Don't move an inch. You've got it now," responded Sargent.

Notes from Kloss, William, et al.
Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride.

Lagniappe: Mixed Signals

We approached the porch. A cockeyed "Welcome" sign hung from the center of the dirty, white door. The sign was hand-painted in blue and silver pain and had a star at the bottom, indicating the previous owners had been Dallas Cowboys fans. The doormat had a picture of a pistol and said, "We don't dial 911."

"I'm getting mixed signals," said Donut.

Matt Dinniman, The Gate of the Feral Gods

Matt Dinniman's books are fun, but fluff. Part of that fun is the sort of thing you just read. They make perfect vacation reading.

Lake in a Park

Lake in a Park, Władysław Podkowiński,
via J.R.'s Art Place

I'd love to be able to wander to this park and spend the afternoon with a book.

The action of God in history and time

The lesson repeated over and over again in the books of the Bible — unlike the one suggested by Greco-Roman paganism — is that man, in the events of history, is not the plaything of a blind fate but in the hands of a Power, a Principle, a personal God on whom all depends and who wishes to lead him to his true goal.

This is what gives the Bible its very special meaning and what was already known by its inspired authors, who, in all they wrote, had but one purpose: to bring home to men the action of God in the world and in the dimension of time. To reproach them with lack of the famous modern "objectivity" is pointless. For them, history is written at God's dictation as part of His designs: the moral writings seek to elevate man to the likeness of God; poetry in its various forms exalts the glory of the Most High and furnishes believers iwth the means of associating themselves with His work through prayer; and the midrashim bring home the infallibility of His actions.

What give the historical study of the Bible its whole import and puts the Bible as a history book in a class by itself is that this slice of events cut out of time and space reveals the divine action; in fact, it is the divine action, directed toward revelation. An indissoluble union of human realities — some of them a painful, even a lamentable sight — and transcendent and divine realities; that is the very substance of the Bible; that is what constitutes its greatness, but also its difficulty.

Henri Daniel-Rops, What is the Bible?

The most remarkable record a people ever left

So the Bible is in the first place a history. It is the record of a people, in fact the most remarkable record a people has ever left, for future generations, of all it did, suffered, believed, thought, and hoped. It is the record of a family, Abraham's, kept for about two thousand years, the record of a family that from the Patriarch to Jesus can be followed in its human destiny as well as in its providential mission. That is what gives unity to the Bible and all its heterogeneous parts.

Henri Daniel-Rops, What is the Bible?

I love this little known French author. He wrote a multi-volume series of the history of the Church up to his own time. He wrote many great books including St. Vincent de Paul,  Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, Jesus and  His Times, and he wrote this book about the Bible which is a favorite of mine.

Psyche

Psyche, William Sergeant Kendall

This kind of painting has such wonderful textures to everything — you can almost feel it with your fingertips.

Abbey Bible Illuminated Manuscript

Abbey Bible, 1250 to 1262
via Getty's Open Content Program

I really love illuminated manuscripts. Hey, we all love a Bible with pictures, right? They enhance the whole thing.

You can find more information about this at the Getty link. Here's a bit:

The illumination and marginal vignettes of the Abbey Bible are remarkable for their liveliness and delicacy. Sensitively depicted facial expressions, rare among Bibles of this era, and dynamic compositions, reveal the artist to be a skilled storyteller.

While filled with amusing figures and spirited pen flourishes, the Bible was nevertheless intended for serious use and study. The text contains many edits, corrections, and amendments, suggesting a university origin for the manuscript. The book appears to be made for a Dominican monastery and devout Dominicans and Franciscans appear prominently in its imagery.

Every moment is played against a supernatural backdrop — nothing can be humdrum

You and I are faced with one of those situations (which fortunately are not very numerous in one lifetime) which cannot possibly be adequately judged beforehand. It strikes me as a colossal gamble, or rather, a very great adventure. And personally I am considerably exhilarated by the risks! ... The greatness of the adventure perhaps consists partly in the fact that as a Catholic I can marry only once! But, as with being born, perhaps once is quite sufficient! In the Church, you know, there is a great heightening of every moment of experience, since every moment is played against a supernatural backdrop. Nothing can be humdrum in this scheme.

Marshall McLuhan in a letter to his fiancee,

The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion

I love his feeling of excitement at taking the ultimate risk of marriage! He's right!

Notes on Mark: Degrees of Relationship

Nazareth as depicted on a Byzantine mosaic

MARK 6:1-3
Here is one of the things that separates the Protestants from the Catholics. "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judah and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?"

This commentary explains the reason Catholics read this passage and still say that Mary was always a virgin. I am not putting this commentary up to start any arguing as I think it highly unlikely that anything I write will change someone's mind on this subject. It is just an FYI sort of thing for anyone who is curious as I was about how they described it.

St. Mark mentions by name a number of brothers of Jesus, and refers in general to his sisters. But the word "brother" does not necessarily mean son of the same parents. It can also indicate other degrees of relationship -- cousins, nephews, etc. Thus in Genesis 13:8 and 14:14 and 16 Lot is called the brother of Abraham (translated as "kinsman" in RSV), whereas we know that he was Abraham's nephew, the son of Abraham's brother, Haran. The same is true of Laban, who is called the brother of Jacob (Genesis 29:15) although he was his mother's brother (Gen 29:15); there are other instances: cf. 1 Chronicles 23:21-22, etc. This confusion is due to the poverty of Hebrew and Aramaic language: in the absence of distinct terms, the same word, brother, is used to designate different degrees of relationship.

From other Gospel passages we know that James and Joses, who are mentioned here, were sons of Mary of Clophas (Jn 19:25). We know less about Judas and Simon: it seems that they are the apostles Simon the Cananaean (Mt 10:4) and Judas the son of James (Lk 6:16), the author of the Catholic Epistle, in which he describes himself as "brother" of James. In any event, it is nowhere said they were "sons of Mary" -- which would have been the natural thing if they had been our Lord's brothers in the strict sense. Jesus always appears as an only son: to the people of Nazareth, he is "the son of Mary" (Mt 13:55). When he was dying Jesus entrusted his mother to St. John (cf. Jn 19:26-27), which shows that Mary had no other children.

The Navarre Bible: St. Mark

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Sources and Notes Index    

Julie hopes God sends her to India because she loves curry. Scott hopes he gets sent to Spain for the paella. They're both pretty disappointed at being sent to the corner of the local marketplace to hold up signs. But they do it anyway!

 We discuss what happened to the Apostles after Jesus' ascension — Episode 360: The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary by C. Bernard Ruffin

The Siesta

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, The Siesta

I just love this.

Testing the Truth

From introduction to the The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion by Marshall McLuhan. This is part of McLuhan's conversion story. This is written by McLuhan's son, Eric, one of the editors of the book.

At every turn, while he was investigating the background for his study of Thomas Nashe, he would encounter the Church — what Chesterton called (another book title) The Thing. It was everywhere. At one point, he later told me (and he was never very specific just when that point occurred), he decided that the thing had to be sorted out or he couldn't rest. Either it ws true, or it wasn't. Either the entire matter was true, all of it, exactly as the Church claimed, or it was the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on a gullible mankind. With that choice clearly delineated, he set out to find which was the case. What came next was not more study, but testing.

The matter had to be tested — on its own terms: that is, by prayer. He told me that the principal prayer that he used was not some long or complex formula, but simply, "Lord, please, send me a sign." He reported that, almost immediately, not one but a deluge of signs arrived. And they continued to arrive unabated for a long time. As to just what the signs consisted in and what happened next, well, some things must remain private. The reader may deduce the rest from the fact of his conversion. ...

I simply absolutely love this guy's sheer logic. Here's how it's supposed to work. So let's find out.

And, as it turned out, McLuhan was answered abundantly in the way that only God can.

The Kiss and the Heels

Via Not Pulp Covers

This came to my attention after I listened to an old episode of  99% Invisible —  Feet of Engineering. So I took extra notice. It discusses the history of high heels, pointing out that no one had worn them for a long time until they were featured in pinups for our guys overseas. And when they came home, the high heel left the dubious world of pinup eroticism and merged with fashion to become daily wear.

Go listen to the whole thing. The transcript is also featured.

"Lord, please, send me a sign."

At every turn, while he was investigating the background for his study of Thomas Nashe, he would encounter the Church — what Chesterton called (another book title) The Thing. It was everywhere. At one point, he later told me (and he was never very specific just when that point occurred), he decided that the thing had to be sorted out or he couldn't rest. Either it was true, or it wasn't. Either the entire matter was true, all of it, exactly as the Church claimed, or it was the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on a gullible mankind. With that choice clearly delineated, he set out to find which was the case. What came next was not more study, but testing.

The matter had to be tested — on its own terms: that is, by prayer. He told me that the principal prayer that he used was not some long or complex formula, but simply, "Lord, please, send me a sign." He reported that, almost immediately, not one but a deluge of signs arrived. And they continued to arrive unabated for a long time. As to just what the signs consisted in and what happened next, well, some things must remain private. The reader may deduce the rest from the fact of his conversion. ...

Eric McLuhan, introduction to The Medium and the Light by Marshall McLuhan

The "Prince of this World" is a great P.R. man, a great salesman of new hardware and software, a great electric engineer, and a great master of the media.

It is not brains or intelligence that is needed to cope with the problems with Plato and Aristotle and all of their successors to the present have failed to confront. What is needed is a readiness to undervalue the world altogether. This is only possible for a Christian... All technologies and all cultures, ancient and modern, are part of our immediate expanse. There is hope in this diversity since it creates vast new possibilities of detachment and amusement at human gullibility and self-deception. There is no harm in reminding ourselves from time to time that the "Prince of this World" is a great P.R. man, a great salesman of new hardware and software, a great electric engineer, and a great master of the media. It is his master stroke to be not only environmental but invisible for the environmental is invincibly persuasive when ignored.

Marshall McLuhan, The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion

This is even more relevant now than it was in McLuhan's time. And it was bad enough then.

Dish with Peacock Feather Pattern

Unknown, Dish with a Peacock Feather Pattern, about 1470 - 1500
via The J. Paul Getty Museum's open content program

And the Winner is — 1939

  Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

This year's movies had another delightfully mixed bag ranging from drama to screwball comedy. There are some treasures in the bunch but some real duds too.

Nominees not viewed: Four Daughters or Test Pilot. They looked good but we just couldn't track them down.

WINNER

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the two families meet things turn screwball fast.

Frank Capra's third Oscar in five years. This was vivid and lively in a way that I didn't expect. I thought this would be about the young couple but it was really about the two family patriarchs and how Jimmy Stewart's father changes. My favorite performances were from the father and the night court judge. 

 NOMINEES

Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.

Never a huge favorite of mine but it seemed just as good a candidate as the winner with an energetic telling of a classic adventure story. But blockbusters rarely win an Oscar.

A group of French soldiers during WWI are transferred to a high-security fortress and must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein.

This was really great and you can see how influential it was. Many times I recognized standard POW camp elements from movies done later on, such as the way they hide the dirt from the tunnel in the garden (Great Escape). This had deeper layers about class, nationalities, the cost of war, and the joy of peace. Really great. I'd pick this over the Oscar winner.

Ho hum. An Irving Berlin songbook accompanying a little bit of story. We couldn't believe this was nominated.

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

I couldn't take my eyes off Bette Davis whenever she was onscreen. And you can see Wyler's skill growing with every film. We originally watched this during our William Wyler series which was during Covid. This movie has the threat of plague everywhere and the comparisons made fascinating viewing.  

We all know this story. It is the play that eventually was turned into a musical, My Fair Lady. It was a very good movie. We hadn't realized how strongly the musical followed the screenplay, so much so that it echoed in our minds throughout the story. 

This had small things that distinguished it from the musical and recommended it. Higgins tells Pickering that Eliza has parrot-like skill in accents and that she's able to learn how to behave like a duchess with no problem. So even though he never compliments Eliza to her face, he respects her abilities. Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, goes to bat for Eliza to be treated more fairly. Freddy is definitely more of an idiot. Higgins is merely intrigued instead of being afraid that Eliza will be exposed at the ball. 

This was an earnest, wholesome biography of Father Flanagan's Boys Town where homeless boys were raised to be successful, well adjusted members of society. I can see why it was a feel-good selection, but it didn't age well, especially compared to the other Oscar contenders.

A young, idealistic, newly qualified Scottish doctor attempts to cure miner's lung but his attempts are thwarted. When a friend shows him how to make a lucrative practice from rich hypochondriacs, it will take a great shock to show him what the truth of being a doctor really is.

A medium pick of all those viewed, this was a melodrama about the meaning of life being greater than acquiring wealth. I did love Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell in the main roles.

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All the Oscar viewing is here.

Kerrville Flood Relief Through the St. Vincent de Paul Society

I am a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I planned on beginning to share with readers how it has thrown me out of my comfort zone in a way that has deepened my faith. 

However, this morning I received an email from the Dallas Council about how we can help our neighbors who have suffered so much from the flash flooding.

This comes first.

The Kerrville Conference is in the thick of it, helping with clothing, food, and more. You can donate here.

The council's statement is moving and inspiring. I include it below:

We stand in awe of the power of nature. We stand in horror of the devastation wrought by the flash floods in Central Texas on July 4.

We cannot stand on the sidelines and do nothing.

We do not have the skills and tools to make a real difference in the recovery effort. We can still make a difference.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at Notre Dame Parish in Kerrville is taking the lead in helping residents and visitors with food, clothing and other necessities.

You can join in helping them serve their neighbors in need by making a contribution to the Notre Dame Conference by clicking here.

...

And just as importantly, we pray with those affected by the flash flooding. We pray for the safety of those who survived, we pray for those who perished, and we hold the grieving families in our hearts that God’s loving heart will fill them with consolation at this time of unimaginable loss.