The Temptations of Jesus

The temptations of Jesus is one of the passages that I sometimes slide into when meditating on Jesus' baptism. Naturally I was delighted to read the Pope's thoughts on this same passage. As with all scripture, it is so rich and layered and there is so much that applies to our own daily lives which are lived with the constant temptation to do what we like rather than what God asks of us. Here's just a bit of that section.

Moral posturing is part and parcel of temptation. It does not invite us directly to do evil -- no, that would be far too blatant. It pretends to show us a better way, where we finally abandon our illusions and throw ourselves into the work of actually making the world a better place. It claims, moveover, to speak for true realism: What's real is what is right there in front of us -- power and bread. By comparison, the things of God fade into unreality, into a secondary world that no one really needs.

God is the issue: Is he real, reality itself, or isn't he? Is he good, or do we have to invent the good ourselves? The God question is the fundamental question, and it sets us down right at the crossroads of human existence. What must the savior of the world do or not do? That is the question the temptations of Jesus are about. ...

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

Weekend Movies

Rose chose a couple of Hitchcock movies. I wouldn't have chosen either of them ... one worked out very well and the other ... well, it was interesting.

The Family Plot ... one of Hitch's later movies and one that I remember didn't have good reviews when it came out. (Yes, I actually can remember back that far!) Not one of his better movies to be sure, although the plot was just interesting enough to keep us watching to see what happened. Not really recommended though.

Dial M for Murder ... adapted from what the trailers told us was a wildly successful play. A fascinating plot, excellent acting, and Hitch did a lovely job making what was essentially a play on film visually interesting enough that we didn't feel as if we were trapped in one room the entire time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Public Service Announcement

Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering has been hit with a "spam blog" notice. Poor thing, it is completely undeserved. However, until she can work through the system of clearing herself (which may take two days or two weeks), she's been forced "off the air" and your patience is requested (not to mention a few prayers I am sure!).

Jesus' Baptism

This book is so good! I know I've said that before but I just cannot say it enough. As if that weren't enough, last night I was lolling on the couch reading aloud parts to Tom. (Not from this section below, from further ahead in the Tempting of Jesus section.) Astonishingly enough, Tom objected to one concept, saying that he had heard somewhere that such an interpretation meant revisionist thinking.

I was shocked. Shocked!

Tom never (never) has comments like this. I was resisting being annoyed that someone would dare to question The Pope ... and then I remembered that was the entire reason he skirted having the book looked at by the Magisterium. So that people would feel free to talk over the ideas in the book without having The Pope looming in the background.

Obviously his plan is working. How can I be annoyed about that? Well, I can't.

(Also I was pleased because I attributed his conversing about these things to our evening readings together ... though he is less pleased with Beginning to Pray than I hoped. Still, we persevere...)

I became intrigued. "Who said that? I want to read it."

He couldn't remember. But he promised that if he comes across it again he will let me know.

Just a tidbit of some of the book I'm enjoying so much.

A broad current of liberal scholarship has interpreted Jesus' Baptism as a vocational experience. After having led a perfectly normal life in the province of Galilee, at the moment of his Baptism he is said to have had an earth-shattering experience. It was then, we are told, that he became aware of his special relationship to God and his religious mission. This mission, moreover, supposedly originated from the expectation motif then dominant in Israel, creatively reshaped by John, and from the emotional upheaval that the event of his Baptism brought about in Jesus' life. But none of this can be found in the texts. However much scholarly erudition goes into the presentation of this reading, it has to be seen as more akin to a "Jesus novel" than as an actual interpretation of the texts. The texts give us no window into Jesus' inner life -- Jesus stands above our psychologizing (Guardini, Das Wesen des Christentums). But they do enable us to ascertain how Jesus is connected with "Moses and the Prophets"; they do enable us to recognize the intrinsic unity of the trajectory stretching from the first moment of his life to the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus does not appear in the role of a human genius subject to emotional upheavals, who sometimes fails and sometimes succeeds. If that were the case, he would remain just an individual who lived long ago and so would ultimately be separated from us by an unbridgeable gulf. Instead, he stands before us as the "beloved Son." He is, on one hand, the Wholly Other, but by the same token he can become a contemporary of us all, "more interior" to each one of us than we are to ourselves" (Saint Augustine, Confessions, III, 6, 11).

Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)

By the way, Thursday Night Gumbo is beginning to work their way through this book also and is sure to have interesting posts ... beginning with this one.

It's First Friday!

We are three bloggers who also live in the Dallas area. We are deeply committed to ending abortion in this country. To that end, we have committed ourselves to the following: On each First Friday for the next eleven months, we will fast and pray before the Blessed Sacrament for an end to abortion. This will culminate at the annual Dallas March for Life in January of 2008, where we will join our bishop and the faithful of this city in marching to the courthouse where Roe was originally argued.

We ask anyone reading these words to join us. Fast and pray with us each First Friday, no matter how far removed you are from Dallas. Spend some time in Eucharistic adoration, and implore Christ to end this curse. We especially ask other Dallas area bloggers and residents to join us, at least in spirit. If you would rather not fast, then pray for those of us that do.

A Joint Statement

Tomorrow is First Friday

Just a reminder for those of us who are fasting for an end to abortion. Tomorrow's the day!

Bread From Heaven

The most recent of the series that has been running in our bulletin with excerpts from Sacramentum Caritatis

The Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist

The bread come down from heaven7. The first element of eucharistic faith is the mystery of God himself, trinitarian love. In Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus, we find an illuminating expression in this regard: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16-17). These words show the deepest source of God’s gift. In the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a “thing,” but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of his life and reveals the ultimate origin of this love. He is the eternal Son, given to us by the Father. In the Gospel we hear how Jesus, after feeding the crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes, says to those who had followed him to the synagogue of Capernaum: “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:32-33), and even identifies himself, his own flesh and blood, with that bread: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51). Jesus thus shows that he is the bread of life which the eternal Father gives to mankind.

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In this passage Pope Benedict XVI traces the connection between Jesus and the Eucharist. In so doing, he makes it easier for us to understand the source of the apostles’ faith in Jesus as “the bread of life come down from heaven.” Their faith is the same that has been passed to us 2,000 years later and it is good to be reminded of the original sources. If we take the time to go read the scriptural references for ourselves they come to life even more as we see the context.

We also are reminded that God’s generosity to us knows no bounds. In the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a “thing,” but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood. As Saint Catherine of Siena says, “We are purchased not with gold, nor merely with love’s sweetness, but with blood.” Jesus gives literally everything that he has and is. What is more, he does it every time Mass is celebrated which is something to contemplate before we go to Holy Communion.

Those random associated thoughts ...

... so I'm at my bank ATM this morning, right next to SMU, when I see a gaggle of high school cheerleaders walking to the campus. I remember that there's an annual cheerleading training camp that takes place for 4-5 days.

And then Rick Lugari comes to mind ... hmmm ....

Knitting a Dishcloth

Ever since I read in Mason-Dixon Knitting that they regularly knit dishcloths, I have been consumed by curiosity. How could that possibly work? Would the dishcloth actually be functional?

The driving urge to answer these questions was fueled by the fact that no matter where I look I can't find a dishcloth that isn't huge (maybe 10"x10"?) and also quite heavy. Quite difficult to get into little nooks and crannies of various utensils, lids, and so forth. I realize these things must be part of some sort of a general trend but all I wanted was the old style dishcloths that used to be so easy to pick up at the grocery store ... maybe 6"x6" and fairly thin so it is easy to manipulate in the sink.

Finally, this weekend I dropped into our local crafts shop, picked up a nice, inexpensive ball of Peaches and Creme all cotton yarn and took it home for experimentation.

Lo and behold, it worked! I cast on 30 stitches onto size 8 needles, knit up a half-linen stitch 6"x6" square, bound off, and tried it out. It was just what I wanted, bumpy enough to do good scrubbing, yet flexible and small enough to get to every corner that needed scrubbing. Tom washed the dishes last night (what a guy!) and also gave it the thumbs up.

It is the small victories that make everyday life fun. This small victory is good for many days as I look for more stitches to try out with my little square of cotton dishcloths.

Blogwatch

NEW
Unborn Word of the Day: Michele Peate has begun a blog with the intention of:

Honoring the Unborn Christ Child, promoting the Gospel of Life, one day at a time… Each day you will find an inspirational pro-life quote of the day, with special emphasis on the Unborn Christ Child and the great hope we have in Him. Feel free to participate with comments, suggestions, and ideas!

She is the wife of author George Peate whose Unborn Jesus, Our Hope has been mentioned before here and here.

RETURNING

• I am thrilled that Roz and Therese Z. at Exultet are back! These two have provided me with much inspiration in the past.
• Remember Enbrethliel (sp?)? She's baaaaack ... just in a different setting.
  

Memorial Day: With Many Thanks to Those Who Gave All For Us

I really have nothing to offer besides my whole hearted thanks and gratitude to those who gave their lives for their country.

However, here are some pieces from others that may interest and inspire.

Today our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday started spontaneously in 1866, when a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., sought to honor those who died in the recent Civil War. Townspeople joined Henry Welles' cause to commemorate the fallen, and they decorated the graves with flowers, wreaths and crosses.Today our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday started spontaneously in 1866, when a drugstore owner in Waterloo, N.Y., sought to honor those who died in the recent Civil War. Townspeople joined Henry Welles' cause to commemorate the fallen, and they decorated the graves with flowers, wreaths and crosses.

In short order, others joined around the country and by 1868, according to the History Channel: "Children read poems and sang Civil War songs, and veterans came to school wearing their medals and uniforms ... Then the veterans marched through their hometowns followed by the townspeople to the cemetery." Soon enough, heroes from other wars were honored as well, and the day became Memorial Day.

Abraham Lincoln described our country, in his message to Congress in 1862, as the "last best hope of earth."

Dallas Morning News

• Memorial Day and the Mirror of Hope: Siggy says it well.

  ... There are really only two ways you can hurt someone. Take away their dignity or take away their hope. When a tyranny oppress a citizen, they take away dignity. When that oppressed citizen no longer believes that there are free and good people who care about them, there are left without hope. What is hope? Well, it is an average American, from an average place, that put on a uniform and fought to liberate oppressed people -- and then went home. ...
  

• Moving tribute from an Englishman (via The Anchoress):

  ... when the Americans speak of freedom, we should not imagine, in our cynical and worldly-wise way, that they are merely using that word as a cloak for realpolitik. They are not above realpolitik, but they also mean what they say.
  
  These formidable people think freedom is so valuable that it is worth dying for.

• If you want to look at a good way to connect this day to our faith, Way of the Fathers has just the ticket.


• Here's a really touching post from last year about the day from an American living in Saudi Arabia.

What Tom's Reading

Just for a change of pace ... and so that y'all know what little tidbits of information I am being fed over time. He recommends both highly.

The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios
Evidently comic books get their physics right more times than not. Although I never heard of Ant Man or Atom Man until now ... and I now know just how Spider Man got his start. The physics is presented in easy-to-understand terms and is fascinating.

Great Tales from English History: The Truth About King Arthur, Lady Godiva, Richard the Lionheart, and More by Robert Lacey
I got this for Tom for his birthday and, flipping through it, was disappointed to see that it had in it what everybody already knew. Actually, that turned out not to be the case. Instead I should have been thrilled at how much English history I have inadvertently absorbed while reading a lot of theology. The interesting thing about this book, is that while I have impressed Tom by knowing the big picture about obscure historical figures, Lacey has all kinds of little details that I hadn't come across. Short chapters make this Tom's reading when taking a break from the physics book.

A Mystery to Be Believed

Another from the weekly installments that have been appearing in our church bulletin. I can't believe I forgot to post this until now. I really have been enjoying the way that this is taking us through the document so slowly ... it makes me really think about each paragraph.

The Eucharist:
A Mystery to Be Believed

“This is the work of God: that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Jn 6:29)

The Church’s eucharistic faith
6. “The mystery of faith!” With these words, spoken immediately after the words of consecration, the priest proclaims the mystery being celebrated and expresses his wonder before the substantial change of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, a reality which surpasses all human understanding. The Eucharist is a “mystery of faith” par excellence: “the sum and summary of our faith.” (13) The Church’s faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it is especially nourished at the table of the Eucharist. Faith and the sacraments are two complementary aspects of ecclesial* life. Awakened by the preaching of God’s word, faith is nourished and grows in the grace-filled encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in the sacraments: “faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite reinforces and strengthens faith.” (14) For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is always at the heart of the Church’s life: “thanks to the Eucharist, the Church is reborn ever anew!” (15) The more lively the eucharistic faith of the People of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples. The Church’s very history bears witness to this. Every great reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the Lord’s eucharistic presence among his people.

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The “mystery of faith” that is the Eucharist is something that we may not really consider much when in the habit of going to Mass regularly. It is human nature for us to become dulled to splendor when it is presented time after time. However, Pope Benedict reminds us that we are participating in a reality that “surpasses all human understanding” in the Eucharist. We actually are partaking of the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ himself. Indeed, how is it possible to adequately understand such a thing? The answer is that we cannot understand it, at least not with the ordinary comprehension that we apply to everyday things.

Saint Augustine said, “I believe, that I may understand.” Our understanding of the Eucharist grows not through any proof or scientific understanding but because of God’s grace. By partaking in the sacraments which nourish our faith and keeping the fact of this “mystery” in our minds during the Mass we may be privileged to see just a bit better when Heaven comes to earth as the Eucharist comes to us during Holy Communion.
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(13) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1327.
(14) Propositio 16.
(15) Benedict XVI, Homily at the Mass of Installation in the Cathedral of Rome (7 May 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 752.
* Ecclesial: of or relating to a church

Tails Tales from the animal clinic

Hannah is finishing up her first week as a general assistant at a local veterinarian's clinic. She says that most of her duties consist of holding animals during examinations and walking dogs. However, the vet who hired her (there are four in the practice) enjoys training students and eventually wants her to assist some with surgeries. With that in mind, she has been an observer at three surgeries so far and covered herself with glory by not fainting although she has had to avert her gaze much of the time (understandably, I'd say!).

We get plenty of stories about individual animals, interactions with the office staff, and observations of the different ways to think about animals. All in all it is very good experience, especially for someone who is majoring in wildlife and fisheries. If there was possibly a veneer of excessive sentimentality toward animals in general it will be tempered with a layer of "real world" by the end of the summer. As someone who spent part of her childhood in the country where animals are valued but known for their proper place in the world, this pleases me.

Coming up: Dishing from the Cafe as Rose begins her new job next week bussing tables at a small 10-table cafe for a realistic sounding owner who is used to training high school students.

And the Learning Continues ...

Scroll down for update on this post.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read:

“Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the church:

-through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts it is in particular theological research which deepens knowledge of revealed truth.

-from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience, the Sacred Scripture grow with the one who reads them…” (#94)

I often don't check the comments for the blogs I visit. If you are like that too, please make an exception and read those for A Couple of Things I Never Realized Until Now. There is a wealth of good information there.

Possibly I'm the only one who needed the encouragement and instruction taking place there. Reading these comments made for a very inspirational and happy morning for me ... thanks y'all!

The reinforcement that spiritual reading is a religious devotion made me so happy because it is then that my mind and heart thrill to how God reveals Himself to us ... and, most of all, to me. That sudden recognition of spiritual reading as a method of conversation takes it from being an "interest" to being so much more. (I already knew this about the Bible, but never thought about it applying to other reading ... but how would it not? God's everywhere, after all.)

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
Save us from the fires of hell,
Lead all souls to heaven,
Especially those in most need of thy mercy.
Amen.

I say this prayer quite often and didn't think to connect it with my realization about just who is being prayed for when I pray for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them. Also check out Rick's comment about praying for the "person who is closest to getting out of Purgatory."

The article about John Lennon was interesting. To me it said not only that John was constantly seeking truth and guidance, sadly finding neither in Yoko, but also that John had an easily influenced nature. Tom and I have been talking recently about a couple of people we know like that. The thing is that if you can realize you are easily influenced, then your duty is to then make sure you keep yourself away from bad influences and only around good ones. Interestingly, he seems to have realized he was "easily led" as the saying goes, but not that Yoko was a terrible influence on him. Very sad.

Although I already was up to speed on Rick's reminder about that "heavenly beverage made of barley, sugar, yeast, hops and water" ... Ben Franklin says that one well.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to prosper.

UPDATE
Vehige, the initiator of that surprising idea (to me) of reading as a spiritual devotion, gives his routine and thoughts on practicing this devotion. Good ideas there, check it out.

I forgot to mention that when I am doing spiritual reading (meaning the Bible or the Catechism), I have my own routine. I begin by asking the Holy Spirit to come and instruct me; I use the "Come Holy Spirit prayer:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

That settles my mind on God from the beginning. So I am going to begin saying that prayer before I do my other spiritual reading.

The Old World Kitchen

A most interesting cookbook and one that I review here.

Ok, all you John Lennon haters ...

... (we'll toss Yoko in there too), here's the real question.

Are you praying for his soul (and hers too?). He obviously needs it if he arouses all this negative commentary.

If not, get on it. No excuses accepted. :-)

Fill in the Cat

I love this!. Via Neatorama.

A Few of My Latest Crushes ...

THE LOST LENNON TAPES
This podcast is self-described as:

... as originally broadcast by Westwood One almost 20 years ago. Please note that this podcast is not a rehash of the Lost Lennon Tapes LPs (which excerpted the music only), but consists instead of the original shows (from vinyl and/or tape sources) in their entireties, with narration, interviews, sponsor spots, etc. The sound quality is good, not fantastic, but the content is still as interesting as when it originally aired in the late 80's.

John Lennon was an avid audio collector and had amassed hundreds of hours of audio tapes of different events from his life by the time he died. When going through them, Yoko felt they should be shared and called upon DJ DJ Elliot Mintz, a trusted friend who had interviewed John many times, to help broadcast them. I hadn't ever heard of these, although evidently they are a well known source for bootleg tapes with Mintz's voice edited out. That is a shame because some of his interviews with John are really fascinating.

A HARD BOILED DETECTIVE (AND HIS SIDE-KICK, OF COURSE)
Indigo Slam by Robert Crais
Last Detective, The by Robert Crais
Monkey's Raincoat, The by Robert Crais
Voodoo River by Robert Crais

As people may remember from my ravings over Les Roberts' books, I am a big fan of the hard boiled detective. My latest discovery is Robert Crais' Hollywood-based Elvis Cole. First of all, you've gotta love the name. Secondly, the Hollywood base makes for an interesting background. It is not glamorous. Quite the contrary, we see the sleazy underside to the slick facade that the movie industry would like to present to the world. However, Cole's cases are not entirely based in show business and he often has to travel in pursuit of the truth.

Sometimes a hard boiled detective (who almost always has a heart of gold) has a sidekick, sometimes not. The side-kick generally is harder, tougher, and less merciful than the detective. This is not always the case, as with Travis McGee's sidekick (John D. MacDonald, author), the kind and gentle Meyer who needs McGee to protect him when they come up against villains.

Sidekicks also often act as comic relief since they often know the detective better than he knows himself. My favorite sidekick is without question is Hawk, Spencer's sidekick (Robert Parker, author). Cole's sidekick, Joe Pike, is a thoroughly violent fellow, who has toned down any personality to the point where a twitch of the mouth is like a belly-laugh. That's a little too reticent for him to be an interesting character to me. However, he also is an efficient sounding board.

I said, "She hired me to do one thing, and now I'm doing another. She hired me with every expectation that I would protect her interests, but now I'm taking this in a direction in which her interests are secondary."

We ran past a high school and shopping centers, Pike and me on our side of the street and the black runner on his, our strides matching. Pike said nothing for several minutes, and I found comfort in the loud silence. The sounds of our breathing. Our shoes striking the pavement. A metronome rhythm. Pike said, "You didn't fail her. You gave her an opportunity for love."

I glanced over at him.

"You can't put something into her heart that isn't there, Elvis. Love is not so plentiful that any of us can afford to reject it when it's offered. That's her failing. Not yours."

"It's not easy for her, Joe. For a lot of very good reasons."

"Maybe." ...

The light changed. Pike and I pushed on, and the miles crept behind us and the night grew late. We came to a park of soccer fields and softball diamonds, and we turned north, running along the western edge of the fields, and then west again, heading back to the river and the hotel. We had been running for almost an hour. We would run an hour still. Pike said, "Are you still thinking about her?"

"Yes."

"Then think about this. You've taken her as far as is right. Wherever she's going, she has to get the rest of the way on her own. That's not only the way it is. That's the way it should be."

"Sure Joe. Thanks."

He grunted. Philosophy-R-Us. "Now stop thinking about her and start thinking about Rossier. If you don't get your head out your ass, Rossier will kill you."

"You always know how to end the moment on an upbeat note, don't you?"

"That's why I get the big bucks."

Voodoo River by Robert Crais

LESS HARD BOILED BUT FUN
Moment of Truth by Lisa Scottoline
Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline

I am not generally a fan of John Grisham style stories where the lawyer solves the mystery, although I must admit that Runaway Jury, based on one of his novels, is a favorite movie. However, these two books by former trial lawyer Scottoline won my heart with their portrayal of lawyer Mary DiNunzio. She's a Philly girl, born and raised, with Italian Catholic parents living in a row house. These are a softer style than someone like Grisham or Scott Turow but the mysteries are good and the character development pleasing. Scottoline writes about other characters from the same all female law firm Rosato and Associates and I'm curious to see if I like the other characters as well as Mary DiNunzio. Fun, lawyerly fluff and perfect summer reading.

Happy Birthday to Me ... from Doubleday

Yep. That's right, Jesus of Nazareth showed up in the mail from Doubleday. I was cooking dinner and Rose opened the box for me while I excitedly told her to "Hurry!" I had to stop stir-frying chicken right then and there and dance while Rose read the front jacket flap in her best Ten Commandments trailer voice.

I won't be able to begin reading it until tomorrow (discipline is good for me, I must remember that). But I can't wait.

(My birthday isn't until Friday, but I'll take this as a birthday gift anyway!)