Superhero Highlight: The Lincolnator

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

The Lincolnator

Power: Can turn any form of currency into pennies

Back-story: As an adamant coin collector, she was demanding specialty coins from a nearby antique shop. She was so adamant that the shop owners pulled out all the stops and bestowed upon her their rarest of coins. Little did The Lincolnator realize that this PARTICULAR coin had been recovered on an archaeological dig in the cursed temples of the ancient Incan civilization. This coin, created by an extremely visionary shaman (and a handsome shaman at that) gave its owner the power to alter currency. At first, the coin possessed great power, enabling the owner to make change in whatever manner they wish, providing them with the best currency for a given situation. Over time, however, the coin has lost some of its power; now, it enables the owner to change any type of currency into pennies and pennies alone, which is odd, considering that the Incans did not use pennies. Upon discovering this new ability of hers, she set about to annoy all of her least favorite friends, acquaintances, and business associates by turning all of their currency into pennies. One day, when The Lincolnator went to a vending machine and was unable to purchase anything because it would not take pennies, she realized the error of her ways and set about using her power for good from then on.

Cover: Mild-mannered magician (and a gorgeous magician at that)

Cover name: Melinda Minkfoot

Partners: The Scrabbler, Halfsies

Introduction to partners: After joining forces with The Scrabbler, having met in an intense game of Scrabble, The Lincolnator rejoiced at her luck and walked into a nearby soda shoppe. There she saw a man she thought she knew, quickly recognized him as the Masked Marauder, and devised a plan to foil his crime. The plan was simple, so simple it was genius: pelt him with pennies until he surrenders. She quickly set her plan into action, sending wave after wave of pennies hurtling towards the man. She was then ASTOUNDED to see the man retreat back into the wall, not all the way through the wall, but about halfway into it. “The Masked Marauder can’t walk into walls,” she thought quite cleverly to herself. On closer inspection of this supposed villain, she realized he was no villain at all, but none other than Halfies, a beloved hero famous for his ability to walk halfway into a wall. Needless to say, The Lincolnator’s cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment, a cute bright red, though, endearing her forever to Halfies. At that moment, Halfies joined forces with The Lincolnator and The Scrabbler to become a terrific triad of heroes.

Arch-nemesis: Carmen Caldwell, the city’s most prominent coin collector
==========
Next superhero feature coming: Halfsies

10 Prayers God Always Says Yes To: a touching review

Y'all may remember that I was quite surprised to find myself a big fan of this book.

Ma Beck over at WardWideWeb also gives it a thumbs up.

Her review is the prelude to an endorsement of the book that is both touching (yes, I cried) and a testimony to God's persistence and goodness in giving us what He knows we need. Do go read it ...

Worth a Thousand Words

Pen Drawing by Charles Maginnis
Via Lines and Colors
Click on drawing to see larger, click through art title link for the free ebook from Gutenberg.

Like ... tragically inarticulate, you know?

The Anchoress thought I'd like this. She was right. I say that with complete conviction.

Worth a Thousand Words

Gebera Daisy
by Hey Jules who recently was awarded Image of the Week by Bird Photographers.net. And well deserved too!

Iron Man ... the Catholic Batman?

Or so Enbrethiliel's pal points out ...

"I guess I was never interested," my friend continued," because he has no innate superpowers. I read a description of him somewhere that fits perfectly: the Catholic Batman. I mean, like Bruce Wayne, he just built everyth--"

I practically knocked Skairuz's glass over in my excitement. "The Catholic Batman??? Why? How? Speak!"

"Well . . . his motivation to fight crime is based on his discovery of how his past actions have caused others, including innocents, to suffer. He's trying to atone for his sins, do penance, as it were."

As you can see, Skairuz got the best out of fifteen years of Jesuit education. ...

She's not alone. Well, The American Culture doesn't go so far as to call Iron Man a Catholic Batman, but it does a very nice piece on the redemptive quality of the movie and concludes:

It's no surprise that Iron Man benefits from impressive special effects and action sequences, but it is somewhat surprisng and pleasing that it has some truly serious ideas and characterizations and explores them with sincerity, wit, and sophistication.

Decent Films concurs:

... Here is a popcorn movie with a will to entertain, at turns evoking James Bond, Batman Begins and Transformers; if it’s not in the same league as Batman Begins, it’s better (and shorter) than Transformers, with a redemptive angle foreign to James Bond.

Directed by Jon Favreau (Zathura), Iron Man is a rare superhero origin story that is also a conversion story. ...

I have been trying not to read reviews because I really want to see this in the movies and not know every turn of the plot. However, even a cursory scan of these reviews shows that this is a superhero movie with a lot of heart. Do go read them all for a good look behind the standard superhero story.

Oh, and to answer Enbrethiliel's question ...

Is there anything more embarrassing than having Barb Nicolosi beat me to posting about a superhero movie?

No, no there isn't. As I can say from experience right now.

The Crystal Skull in Indiana Jones

For anyone worrying that the crystal skull in Indiana Jones might be based on something real ... check out one of my favorite podcasters, Skeptoid, who gives us the whole scoop.

Yep, you're right. They are fakes and they were never Mayan. But listen or read it anyway. Then you'll have the facts when someone starts worrying about ancient Mayan religions.

Opening the Scriptures: A series that lives up to its name

Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life:
Insight and Inspiration
(Opening the Scriptures series)
by George Martin

"Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"

Luke 24:32

"Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life" is a commentary that made the above verse from Luke occur to me again and again. George Martin has given us a thorough and fascinating yet highly accessible scriptural commentary that truly does let us see the Gospel of Matthew with new eyes.

The structure of the book follows this outline as Matthew is covered, section by section:

• An orientation, if needed, of the scriptural passage.


• The scriptural passage in its entirety


• Listing of Gospel parallels, Old Testament related passages, and New Testament related passages


• Verse-by-verse explanation of the text. Occasionally this is a phrase-by-phrase explanation when necessary for clarity. The Gospel phrase or verse is always bolded within these so that one can see easily what is being explicated. The explanation will often reflect a connection to the present day life in the Church. If an explanation has not been agreed upon by scholars, Martin may offer his own possible explanation or clarification but this is always within Church teachings.
  
  
  • Full quotations of related Old Testament passages within the explanations when they are necessary
  • Cross-references to Old and New Testament passages that are related to each explanation
  • Listing and page numbers of related background information that might be in other sections
    


• Reflection questions that provide opportunities to relate the scripture to one's own life


• Boxed-in background information which provides contextual information on such varied subjects as farming life in Palestine, the meaning that the word messiah had for Jews at the time of Jesus, how cosmic signs were interpreted, and what the roles of servants and slaves were in that time.

Over the years I have used many scriptural commentaries, some Catholic and some Protestant. Each has their advantages but this is the first I have encountered that has gripped me with such interest that I read it to the exclusion of all else. After perusing so many commentaries, I thought that I had a grasp of the basic considerations for many of the most commonly quoted gospel passages. Although Martin definitely covers what I already might have known from other sources, he does so with many citations to Old Testament passages that other sources have not necessarily included. As well, he is continually surprising me with a consideration that I had not thought of before. It may be a subtle point but is usually a telling one and has given me much food for thought already. I am positive that Tom already is tired of me piping up with, "Hey, listen to this!" after only reading 80 pages so far. For example:

[The Homage of the Magi
1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, a magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." ...]

2 The magi come to Jerusalem saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." They observe a star at its rising--at its first appearance in the sky. What might they have seen (a supernova? a conjunction of planets? a comet?) is a matter of conjecture, but Matthew's concern is the significance of what the magi saw, not its nature. The magi interpret the rising of the star as signaling the birth of a king of the Jews. There was ancient belief that heavenly signs marked the birth of great men. Some Jews applied the Scripture passage, "A star shall advance from Jacob" (Num 24:17), to the coming of the Messiah, and the magi may have known of this. The magi come to Jerusalem and ask about the newborn king of the Jews so that they may do him homage. The star alerted them to his birth, but Matthew does not portray it guiding them on their journey. The magi simply come to the Jewish capital city -- Jerusalem -- looking for its newborn king.

This may seem obvious to everyone else but it simply never occurred to me that the star was what began the magi on their journey but that they simply had to apply their own logic after that in going to Jerusalem since that would be a good place to begin looking for the king of the Jews. Later in the commentary, Martin points out that Herod hears about the magi, calls the priests and scribes to him to ask where the messiah was to be born, and then calls the magi to tell them to look in Bethlehem. Now, he is doing all this for his own reasons, which we know through hindsight are nefarious. I had never caught that sequence of events so clearly ... that Herod ascertained the location and then summoned the magi. I just never read the text that clearly.

Then Martin sums it up for us in another connection that I'd never made, and couldn't have made without having the previous sequence pointed out to me.

9 After their audience with the king they set out. The magi begin their quest for Jesus because of a star, a revelation through nature. (Paul writes that God reveals himself through his creation: Rom 1:19-20.) Natural revelation goes only so far: it leads the magi to Jerusalem, but not yet to Jesus. God's revelation through nature must be completed by God's revelation to his people and through their writings, the Scriptures. The prophet Micah [quoted to Herod by the scribes and Pharisees] provided the link that leads the magi on their next step toward Jesus. ...

Could you hear my mind blowing? That made such sense, clicked into place so perfectly, yet I had never come across that before.

It is not a slender book, clocking in at 668 pages, however not one page has been wasted. As you can see from above, the care which Martin gives to the commentary requires length in order to be easily understood. His thoroughness also can be appreciated when one considers that the selected bibliography contains 89 books. This book also has both a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur which are like a Catholic Church seal of approval on the accuracy with which the facts reflect Church teachings.

Word Among Us and George Martin are to be lauded for this series which I hope will continue at least through the Acts of the Apostles. I especially appreciate having relevant Old Testament passages quoted in their entirety so that the flow is not interrupted while I dash to the Bible to see the related text. Let's face it, few of us go to the actual trouble of doing that, although we should, so this is doubly welcome. As well, I like having the background information reference given wherever it might come up as a question. It is wonderful not having to thumb to end notes or search the index to find extra information.

It is still true that no one commentary covers every aspect of scriptural commentary. Others have a more specific focus on Church fathers or archaeology for example. I will still be using them. However, this is probably the most complete I have come across yet and will be the one I recommend for anyone who is interested in really learning what scripture can show us when we take the time to read through it slowly, with attention, and with prayer.

Word Among Us also generously sent Bringing the Gospel of Mark to Life, mentioning that they had heard some comments that the books were "too scholarly" and this concerned them as the books are specifically meant to be easily accessible to any level of knowledge from beginner to scholar. After reading some from both books, the only explanation I can imagine for those comments are that perhaps the purchasers expected the commentary to be similar to that of Word Among Us devotional magazine. You can see, by clicking through on the link, that the commentary in that publication is entirely personal and designed for reflection on relationship. Martin's commentary, although based on explaining the scripture verses, is no less accessible and no less suited for personal reflection. In fact, in the introduction he says that his "fondest wish" is that readers will be able to use these books for lectio divina (sacred reading) and prayer. I believe this is an entirely valid use and, in fact, am planning on this use myself.

I do have one criticism. The scripture passages from Matthew quoted in their entirety at the beginning of each discussion need to be visually delineated more clearly. Currently these sections simply blend into the overall pages which makes it very difficult to pick out where a section begins or ends. As I begin each chapter, I have been using a red pencil to box in the scripture. This has made a big difference in helping to organize the page visually, for me at any rate. Certainly it makes each chapter less intimidating when one can leaf through and see the many "sections" into which it is actually divided. Although this quibble would seem minor, I hope that the publishers of future editions would consider it.

Highly recommended.

I will be including nuggets on this blog as I continue reading through Matthew. For those who wish to begin with Mark, I leave you with this background information which, again, blew my mind, as I hadn't ever considered what he says about John the Baptist. I also appreciate the fact that Martin spends almost as much time reminding us not to read into Mark what we know from other sources as he does in other commentary. This section also gives an excellent example of Martin's extension of his commentary to an idea for our personal reflections.

COMMENT: TO READ MARK We will be most sensitive to the message Mark wishes to proclaim in his gospel if we read it as a Gospel in itself. We bring a great deal of knowledge to our reading of Mark, including what the Gospel of John tells us about John the Baptist. In the fourth Gospel, the Baptist recognizes and proclaims Jesus as the one who comes after him (John 1:26-34). In arriving at a final assessment of John the Baptist, we need to take into account all that is said about him in all four Gospels. But reading Mark's Gospel for the message it proclaims is a different matter. To do so we need to pay attention to what Mark says--and doesn't say-- and not automatically import information into Mark's Gospel from the other Gospels.

There is a second, related requirement. In reading Mark's Gospel we need to distinguish between what we know because Mark tells us and what the characters in Mark's Gospel know or do not know. Mark has told us that John the Baptist is the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus (1:1-3). But John the Baptist has not read Mark's Gospel and might not know what we know. Mark has told us from the very beginning that Jesus is the Christ (1:1), but those Jesus meets in the course of his ministry will be slow to recognize who Jesus is.

If John did not recognize Jesus, what does that tell us about the Baptist's call? Perhaps it tells us that God asked John to play a particular role but did not inform him of the full implications of his role. Something similar may well be true for many of us. We have been given certain responsibilities by God, perhaps even a clearly defined mission in life. But we may be in the dark about the ultimate outcome of our actions. We know what to do but not what it will accomplish in God's perspective.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Dearest Rose, for your eighteenth birthday I'd love to make you an elegant cake featuring two of your favorite things ...



... however, we both know that isn't going to happen. That is for people lucky enough to live near this bakery which I would surely shop at if it weren't in New Jersey and we were in Dallas.

It will be homemade and made with love ... but will be more of a basic cake ... a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting per your request.

Have a wonderful birthday and may the cake be the least part of your blessings today.

There's No Fool Like an Old Fool ... or Seeing Through Jesus' Eyes

My father is a difficult man to love.

I will not bore you with details. Suffice it to say that he is not a violent man but in other ways he gave all his children considerable reason to struggle with forgiving him over the years.

I believe that the fact that we all became Christians gave us reason to continue struggling until we, in fact, were able to forgive him and move on. Certainly in my case the Holy Spirit's intervention was key in allowing me to realize just how much of my "forgiveness" up to that time had been lip service and how easy it could be to let go of past hurts with His help if I would let it happen.

However, as is often the case when illness strikes, one's worst character flaws come forth. In my father's recent extended illness this has been the case. Once again we found ourselves struggling, not with the past, but with the present examples of behavior that is completely and unrepentantly unlovable, quite often directed at our mother.

A week ago, after a call from my sister telling me of behavior so outrageous that we could hardly believe it (as we kept saying to each other), I found myself so angry that I could hardly focus enough to speak to people in the video rental store or grocery store. I always say that I don't give up on anyone until they die ... and then I'll still pray for their soul. However, at that moment I was ready to turn my back on him forever. Period.

After a short time of indulging in composing remarks to cut him to the quick (which I knew full well that he would ignore or hang up on), I began to remember that I really should be able to take a larger view ... a Christian view.

I thought of Mother Teresa and how she could see Jesus in any soul. I thought of my father and tried to see where Jesus was in him. It was an extremely brief attempt as I quickly realized that I am no Mother Teresa and it was impossible for me to make that stretch. Sad but true.

I then thought of Jesus and how he sees our true selves, not the often unlovable exterior we show the world. I thought of Anne Rice's book and her examples of Jesus' ability to do that very thing. Heaven only knew that I wasn't going to be able to do this on my own. So there, in the prepared foods section of the Central Market, I told Jesus, "Help me see my father through your eyes. It's the only way I can get through this."

I'd like to say that I had an epiphany ... angels sang ... golden light illuminated everything ... but no. I left it with Jesus and then went back to struggling with myself to stop indulging my own temper in this matter. That struggle lasted, off and on, until I went to bed.

However, in the morning I woke up with a phrase in my mind, "There's no fool like an old fool."

You wouldn't think that would be a calming thought but somehow it removed the personal element and put my father into a category that was so common there was a folk saying about him. I remembered my friend, L, nodding wisely when listening to each tale of my father's outrageous behavior. Her grandfather was much the same and it drove his family to distraction. It really was so helpful. I wasn't angry any more.

And then, a bit later in the morning, I was thinking over the parable of the Prodigal Son. In my mind's eye my father was the one in the pig sty, but when people came to help him out of it, he would turn his head and plunge straight back in ... stubbornly ignoring everyone's best efforts to show him a better world, a better life, if only he would take a little advice.

I was able to feel pity and sorrow for him. This may be a very Catholic point of view, I don't know. He has had great opportunities given to him in his illness. And he has wasted them. Completely. He could have been restored to much greater health than he has enjoyed for about a year. He could have opened his eyes to see what a faithful and loving wife he has been given. This could have been a chance to broaden his world far beyond the ever-shrinking boundaries he has been settling for in the past years. But he has chosen to ignore it all.

This all passed through my mind in the space of a few minutes. Then I realized that my prayer had indeed been answered. I had been shown how Jesus sees my father ... with love, and pity, and sorrow ... for all the times he has been given a chance and turned away.

What a boon, a blessing, a gift ... and how it made me love and thank Jesus yet again for all that he has given to me. And for not giving up on me when I indulge in tantrums like I had the day before.

So I do not give up on my father. Not now. Not ever. He may not enjoy the fact that I do not give up on him as he will be hearing a bit more of the truth than he cares to whenever he gives me an opening. That's the price he pays for having people who love him anyway.

My father is a difficult man to love ... but I will never give up.

Worth a Thousand Words

Sun and Bird

Found at Flickr's Cream of the Crop.
Click through title link to see more of this photographer's photos.

Maybe It's About the Tow Truck Driver.

Ah yes. Words of wisdom again from Jen at "Et Tu?". A very good catch phrase to remind us that it is not about us. It is about serving God ... go read it all.

Worth a Thousand Words

Assisi taken by My Roman Adventures

Click through the title link to see more photos and also to read a charming blog.

Not Quite Such Recent News, But Also Surprising

Y'all know that I am second to none in my admiration for The Anchoress.

Now we all can know just who it is that we have been admiring under that alias. Yep, she's out. And isn't that a wonderful photo? Just brimming with personality.

Sheez, You Go Out of Town for One Day ...

... and when you come back you see that the Internet Monk's wife is converting to Catholicism.

Now, how's that for surprising news?

This is, understandably, a struggle for the Internet Monk and he is open about it. I have this couple in my prayers as they undergo this test of their relationship ... and also offer a warm welcome to Mrs. Spencer as she goes through RCIA classes.

Why One Should Always Take the Time to Read the Article

Otherwise one displays one's complete lack of thoroughness to the world when linking a passionate article about The Adverse Effects of Infidelity on Society to an article like Ivy's post I can't even be faithful to infidelity.

Without realizing that Ivy is talking about things like this in the post:

Instead, I started cheating on the sweater (bad monogamous knitter) with a pair of socks. I had been loyal to the socks at least until…

Truly this is a problem of knitting discipline, however, hardly dangerous to society. And that is the second paragraph ... not that one couldn't have told it by merely clicking through and reading the first paragraph.

As Ivy points out here with her display of those she has been unfaithful to ... yarn and knitting projects.

I am dying laughing over this y'all.

Talk about egg on your face!

Some Art for Siggy

Ten Miles to a Garage by Cassius Coolidge

Click through on the title link to see more of Mr. Coolidge's art.

Because he's a tad quick to claim that people who are not fond of modern art only like art that makes them feel "comfortable." (Not that I'm bitter or anything ... ha!)

Oho, Now Here's an Interesting Question ...

... from the comments boxes. Was Bathsheba a pagan?

If you have the scoop, go let them know.

So That's What's Wrong with the American Church

A good article from Russell Shaw about the problem of clericalism in the Church. He does define it partway into the article, but for those who, like me, haven't got a clue I will provide the definition that broke the article open for me:

Main Entry:
cler·i·cal·ism
Pronunciation:
\ˈkler-i-kə-ˌli-zəm, ˈkle-ri-\
Function:
noun
Date:
1864
: a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy

I just love Merriam-Webster online don't you?

Now go check out that article!

Ever Seen the Message in a Movie? – New Catholic Website Launches

This new site is just my cup of tea. Mark has thoughtful essays that look below the surface of movies to give us insights into the bigger picture. Y'all know that I love that because it is what makes movies into art that stretches our souls instead of simply entertaining us.

A new Catholic website, SoulFoodCinema, launches today with the aim of educating and evangelising through the medium of the movies.

Soulfoodcinema differs from other faith and film websites, in that the focus is on providing education and insights for those that are curious after having watched a film, rather than providing extensive ratings and reviews for those that are curious before watching a film.

Managing Editor Mark Banks is keen to remind people that the worldwide film industry now produces hundreds of films each year that can primarily be described as ‘character studies’, and says that these films, whether we are aware of it or not, are all communicating a message to us, either implicitly or explicitly, on how to lead our lives. In such a world Mark believes it important that Catholics filled with the Holy Spirit and a love for Jesus Christ, use their wisdom, knowledge and discernment to understand these messages and to communicate them to as wide an audience as possible; especially amongst young people. For this reason Soulfoodcinema enables readers to contribute essays on one of over 700 films already viewed by the Managing Editor, which can then be published on the internet.

Soulfoodcinema also features weekly updates of links to news stories in the field of faith and film, as well as a community chat room dedicated to discussing all aspects of the movies from a Catholic-Christian point of view.

Through his letter to the Romans Saint Paul reminds us "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will" (12:2). Mark asks that Catholics pray Soulfoodcinema will assist the Church in doing just that.