It's All Downhill from Here

For today, a highly amusing bit of pop culture from Japan (sorry Mom, you need to be able to stream video for this ...). Via Elizabeth at A Quiet Corner.

Vocations Video from the Archdiocese of Paris

Surprisingly moving...

Into the One
by mavocation

I happened across it at Roman Catholic Vocations.

Meanwhile, in real life ...

Bookish stuff
The Economist Book of Obituaries: Finished this and it took me a while because it is just over 400 pages of 2-page obituaries, densely packed with fascinating info. Obituaries of the famous and obscure as only the British can write them: dryly witty and with an eye to the seeming contradictions within each person that make us all interesting.

Inferno: no, not Dante's Inferno but Larry Niven's and Jerry Pournelle's Inferno. As I've mentioned before, it is Dante "lite" but as the book club agreed last night it is amazingly faithful to the original upon which it was modeled. In fact, one person said it was so outlandishly science fiction-ish that it was hard to read. Turns out, so is Dante's. In fact, many claim that Dante's Inferno is the first science fiction novel. Anyway, it was very thought provoking for us all on many levels, recommended, and is going to lead several people to investigate the real thing, a la John Ciardi's translation (which I, personally, can recommend).

Old Man's War by John Scalzi: An amusing military sci-fi novel based on the idea that when you become 75 you are then eligible to enlist in the Colonial Defense Force. The CDF fights off-planet threats (a.k.a. aliens) to the Earth colonies. How can a 75 year old fight a war? Oh, they've got lots of tricks up their sleeves. Fine enough in its way but nothing that's gonna knock March Upcountry or Basilisk Station off their pedestals as my favorite military sci-fi books. Scalzi is a light and usually interesting read but not very deep. Perfect summer reading actually.

Library Love: No, not a book but a realization that this means I'm down to about one real book that isn't a daily devotional sort of thing. Quelle dommage! Then I checked my library account. Ooooo, look at what will be in for me in a day or so.

• Who the hell is Pansy O''Hara? : the fascinating stories behind 50 of the world''s best-loved books
• The sons of heaven by Baker, Kage
• The uncommon reader by Bennett, Alan
• Revolutionary Chinese cookbook : recipes from Hunan Province by Dunlop, Fuchsia
• Kolymsky Heights by Davidson, Lionel
• Waiter rant : thanks for the tip--confessions of a cynical waiter by Dublanica, Steve
• Gilead by Robinson, Marilynne (for the book club)

Not that this means I'll love and read all of these. But that is the great thing about the library. I can sample and discover (and discard, if necessary) tons of interesting books that catch my fancy.

Doggishly
Pepper, our old black Lab/Great Dane mix took a turn for the worse last Friday, necessitating a stay at the vet over the weekend on an IV drip. Like a lot of big, old male dogs, his kidneys are acting up some and that causes problems with digestion, appetite, dehydration and more. However, he's back home and acting quite normal, hanging out with the family, looking upon puppy antics with a benevolent twinkle ... unless the puppy encroaches on his personal space, in which case, ferocious growls ensue. Puppy retreats. All are happy. Now, if only 11-month-old Zoe would respond to those growls. She seems to think that the warning means she just isn't being pushy enough!

Daily Mass
Making it back more or less daily now. As before, there aren't those "knocked down" moments of insight but many small things that add up to me staying on track a little bit better than I would have otherwise. Which is what makes me drag myself there (again more or less) when I am not in the mood.

Pretty in Pink ... Ice Cream
Rose suddenly became interested in ice cream recipes and that is nothing but delicious for us. She whipped up a quick little number featuring raspberries, cream, a pinch of salt ... and maybe a bit of milk? I'll have to get that recipe up for everyone. It was simple and the essence of summer on the tongue. Not to mention that glorious, natural, almost-glow-in-the-dark pink!

Is There a Chef in the House? Why, Yes There Is.
Hannah's boyfriend was in the mood to cook this weekend and on Saturday made us smothered steaks, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and fruit with yogurt-lime dip for dessert. Mmmm, that boy is a good cook, I have to say. Not sure which brand of can the biscuits were from but the rest of it was all fresh and made from scratch. The smothered steaks weren't what I usually see recipes for. This was a steak, seasoned and pan-seared, "smothered" with stir fried vegetables (red and green bell pepper, red onion, mushrooms) and grated mozzarella. Delicious. The red potatoes were mashed with sour cream and the skins left on. Again, not what I usually would think of, but delicious.

Yes, We Have No A-C.
In our office. Still. Though the management has those big air-cooling units in everyone's offices. They are supposed to reinstall the main unit tomorrow. After which we will be freezing again. I know. I know. There is no pleasing some people!

Spreading the (Catholic) Love
So, it turns out that the Darwins can't make it to San Antonio for the gathering of the blogging/podcasting/vidcasting Catholics. Luckily for us, Austin is right on the way and we'll be meeting them and Jen from Conversion Diary (for the first time! exciting!) on Sunday morning on the way home for Mass (we did say Catholic gathering, right?) and then lunch.

Rose has decided to go with us. She's got a college pal from San Antonio that she might be able to hang out with. Otherwise ... well ... I'm not sure what she'll be doing. I am sure what she won't be doing (much of, anyway) which is hanging at the Catholic conference. Because we remember our youth also and we've got a heart.

A Treasure Chest of Ancient Wisdom

Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians
Ancient Songs for Modern Hearts

All the books of Scripture, both Old Testament and New, are inspired by God and useful for instruction, as the apostle says (see 2 Timothy 3:16); but to those who really study it, the Psalter yields special treasure. ... for I think that in the words of this book all human life is covered, with all its states and thoughts, and that nothing further can be found in man. For no matter what you seek, whether it be repentance and confession, or help in trouble and temptation or under persecution, whether you have been set free from plots and snares or, on the contrary, are sad for any reason, or whether, seeing yourself progressing and your enemy cast down, you want to praise and thank and bless the Lord, each of these things the divine psalms show you how to do, and in every case the words you want are written down for you, and you can say them as your own.

St. Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus

The Book of Psalms has been the prayer book and hymnal of God's people for three thousand years. Christians came to see the psalms as the prayers of Christ, to Christ, and about Christ. Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey remind us of this. They also have a plan to help us replace the latest meaningless jingle running around our brains with the psalms.

Thirty-four psalms have been chosen as examples to help us learn how to pray, learn, and understand these ancient prayers anew as Christ's voice speaking to us. As always with these two authors, who I admit are among my favorites, the writing speaks simply and directly to our lives, our faith, and to giving us a tool to improve our relationship with God. They are masters at helping us see how the Church Fathers' wisdom still applies to our modern lives. Combining the Fathers with the psalms is a master stroke toward helping us better understand and use these timeless prayers daily.

My one quibble with this book is that I do not agree that there isn't room to include all the psalms. I tend to believe this is a restriction that was set by the publisher. This book is either the good beginning point for a series of books or a brief volume that should have been larger to contain all the psalms. Yes, it shows us how to begin to examine the psalms better. No, it doesn't suffice for our needs as very few people are going to take the trouble to see how Church Fathers have commented on psalms not included for our use. However, that said, this is an excellent resource and you shouldn't let the lack of all the psalms stop you from getting it.

I am going to begin using this as a morning devotional and as a starting point to begin fulfilling a long-held goal to try to memorize parts of my favorite psalms. I'd describe more about the book but think that you will get the flavor better from seeing how they treat a psalm. Here is an excerpt of this highly recommended book. Enjoy!

Psalm 131

David reminds us that humility—even in a king—is the proper attitude before God.

[For this psalm we use Challoner’s revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible, because St. Hilary’s exposition depends on a slightly different translation from the one found in the Revised Standard Version.]
======

A gradual canticle of David.

Lord, my heart is not exalted:
nor are my eyes lofty.
Neither have I walked in great matters,
nor in wonderful things above me.
If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul:
As a child that is weaned is toward his mother,
so reward in my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord,
from henceforth now and for ever.

======
Words to Remember
Lord, my heart is not exalted:
nor are my eyes lofty.
======

“Strike a Middle Course”
From this short psalm, St. Hilary of Poitiers, a bishop who came from a noble and wealthy family, spins a lesson in humility. Humility by itself is not enough: though we are humble, we must dare to let our souls reach up to what is most exalted.

“O Lord, my heart is not exalted, neither have my eyes been lifted up.”

This psalm, a short one, teaches us the lesson of humility and meekness. . . . Of course we are bound to bear in mind in how great need our faith stands of humility when we hear the prophet thus speaking of it as equivalent to the performance of the highest works: “O Lord, my heart is not exalted.” For a troubled heart is the noblest sacrifice in the eyes of God. The heart, therefore, must not be lifted up by prosperity, but humbly kept within the bounds of meekness through the fear of God.

“Neither have my eyes been lifted up.” The strict sense of the Greek here conveys a different meaning: “have not been lifted up” from one object to look on another. Yet the eyes must be lifted up in obedience to the prophet’s words: “Lift up your eyes and see who has displayed all these things” (see Isaiah 40:26). And the Lord says in the gospel, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white unto harvest” (see John 4:35). The eyes, then, are to be lifted up: not, however, to transfer their gaze elsewhere, but to remain fixed once for all upon that to which they have been raised.

Then follows: “Neither have I walked amid great things, nor amid wonderful things that are above me.” It is most dangerous to walk amid mean things and not to linger amid wonderful things. God’s utterances are great; he himself is wonderful in the highest: how then can the psalmist pride himself as on a good work for not walking amid great and wonderful things?

It is the addition of the words “that are above me” that shows that the walking is not amid those things which men commonly regard as great and wonderful. For David, prophet and king as he was, once was humble and despised and unworthy to sit at his father’s table; but he found favor with God, he was anointed to be king, he was inspired to prophesy. His kingdom did not make him haughty; he was not moved by hatreds: he loved those that persecuted him, he paid honor to his dead enemies, he spared his incestuous and murderous children. In his capacity of sovereign, he was despised; in that of father he was wounded; in that of prophet he was afflicted; yet he did not call for vengeance as a prophet might, nor exact punishment as a father, nor requite insults as a sovereign. And so he did not walk amid things great and wonderful which were above him.

Let us see what comes next: “If I was not humbly minded but have lifted up my soul.”

What inconsistency on the prophet’s part! He does not lift up his heart: he does lift up his soul. He does not walk amid things great and wonderful that are above him, yet his thoughts are not mean. He is exalted in mind and cast down in heart. He is humble in his own affairs, but he is not humble in his thought.

For his thought reaches to heaven; his soul is lifted up on high. But his heart, out of which proceed, according to the gospel, evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and railings (see Matthew 15:19), is humble, pressed down beneath the gentle yoke of meekness.

We must strike a middle course, then, between humility and exaltation, so that we may be humble in heart but lifted up in soul and thought.

Then he goes on: “Like a weaned child upon his mother’s breast, so will you reward my soul.”

We are told that when Isaac was weaned, Abraham made a feast because, now that he was weaned, he was on the verge of boyhood and was passing beyond milk food. The apostle feeds all that are imperfect in the faith and still babes in the things of God with the milk of knowledge. Thus, to cease to need milk marks the greatest possible advance. Abraham proclaimed by a joyful feast that his son had come to stronger meat, and the apostle refuses bread to the carnal minded and those that are babes in Christ.

And so the prophet prays that God, because he has not lifted up his heart, nor walked amid things great and wonderful that are above him, because he has not been humble minded but did lift up his soul, may reward his soul, lying like a weaned child upon his mother: that is to say, that he may be deemed worthy of the reward of the perfect, heavenly, and living bread, on the grounds that by reason of his works already recorded, he has now passed beyond the stage of milk.

But he does not demand this living bread from heaven for himself alone; he encourages all mankind to hope for it by saying, “Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and forevermore.” He sets no temporal limit to our hope; he bids our faithful expectation stretch out into infinity. We are to hope forever and ever, winning the hope of future life through the hope of our present life which we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.

—St. Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms

======
Questions to Think About

1. Am I ever tempted to look down on anyone else? How would the truth of who I am before God help me to overcome this temptation?
   
   
2. How can I better remember to focus my attention on heaven rather than on earthly glories?

======

An Exciting, Enthralling and Unusual Thriller

It is not often that I receive a book around 1:00 in the afternoon and finish it by 10:00 the next morning. This thriller was compelling enough to keep me reading at every opportunity so that I did precisely that.

Juan Uriarte, a former priest known for his compassion for the marginalized in third world countries, is on trial in London for terrorist activities. The trial is covered by reporter Kate Ramsay who is worried about her career and decides to cover Uriarte and his work in Africa among AIDs victims.

The story moves from London to Rome, Rome to Africa, Africa to Egypt, and onward. As it does, the cost in suffering and lives that is perceived as the result of practicing the Church's policies is hotly debated. Set during Pope John Paul II's last days and during the uncertain times of the papal enclave that followed his death, we also see the unease of conservative and liberal priests as they wonder where the future of the Catholic Church lies. This is not as forced as it might seem since practically all the characters have had something to do with the Catholic Church at some point in their lives. Practically every hot button issue of modern times in the Church is touched upon. More importantly, it is necessary to the plot that the reader has some understanding of these issues.

Gradually, the seemingly disparate threads are brought together by a terrorist plot involving blackmail, subterfuge, and mass murder. The result is a fast paced book that pulls the reader into a world where terrorists are willing to do anything to support their cause.

Although I personally enjoyed it when theological issues were raised, at one point I had to pause and ask myself if this was limiting the book's appeal to a more general audience. It took only a brief reflection to decide that the answer was "no." Indeed, switch the religion from Catholicism to Islam and I'd have been eager to get such an impartial view of both sides for issues in that faith. Likewise, thinking of the many spy thrillers I've read, up to and including the first ever spy novel The Riddle of the Sands, I realized that authors must always educate the audience with special insider knowledge germane to the plot, ranging from yachting to cold war Berlin to the politics of the Catholic Church.

The book is interesting because it works on several levels. At the surface it is a good spy thriller. On a deeper level it presents arguments for both conservative and liberal Catholic social thinking. Most interestingly, the author presents rounded out characters in these discussions so that there usually is no "good" or "bad" guy, but simply people who all have the best motives in mind and who are trying to act truly on those motives to do good. Of course, not everyone has such pure motivations but then again this is a spy thriller.

On a still deeper level, the reader has plenty of food for thought in the basics of good versus evil, on how easy it is to twist facts to serve one's own purposes without even realizing it, on trusting God versus trying to force events, and much more. At the base, one finds the most basic issue of all for contemplation: when does one move from discernment and a relationship with God as a person to thinking about religion and our own agendas as a goal. One realizes that one of the most likable and successful people in the book is a Secret Service agent who doesn't give a flip about faith. However, by being true to his calling and honestly adhering to the truth as he knows it, he is being more faithful to God's will in a very real sense than someone who has agonized about it for a long time.

The book is not perfect. It is written in present tense which annoyed me every time I picked up the book. Luckily I was soon able to ignore that oddity because the story was so compelling that I would forget about it. However, I happen to agree with Orson Scott Card's assessment of such a quirk when he says (not about this book), "This does nothing but add a needless layer of falseness to the story -- when we want to tell something important and true, we always tell it in past tense. That's how English works..." I sincerely hope that this is not a habit of Read's as I plan on seeking out more of his books.

Another imperfection arose when there was a particular conversation between two characters about halfway through which essentially laid out the raison d'etre for all following actions of the suspect. Although I felt proud to have spotted it, it only took a moment's reflection to realize that I am not really clever enough to spot such things until after all is revealed at the end. At that point I am usually resignedly retracing the storyline to see where I was led down a false trail and where the real clues were subtly dropped. I readily admit that this actually may have been due to my too thorough reading of the book jacket which hints of where the action will lead. Such hints on jackets should be banned. However, I also feel that as we are on "high alert" mentally by that part of the book there is a good chance that the conversation is dropped in with a topic that is offbeat enough to draw the reader's notice unnecessarily. That is not to say that such advance certainty of the overall plot ruined the book for me but it did lead to a lessening of suspense somewhat on that point.

Those are minor quibbles as I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it. Take it to the beach, escape from reality a while with it, or add some excitement to your life. Just don't miss it.

This book was provided through The Catholic Company review program. You may purchase The Death of a Pope at The Catholic Company here. Normally I'd say that other reviews may be read at The Catholic Company, but I'm the first as far as I can see ... so check back to see what other opinions come in. Don't forget that The Catholic Company offers many fine Catholic products so check out their website.

All This For the King

Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus
by Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R.

Father Dave loves being a priest so much that he wanted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his ordination by doing something big. He decided to hike the Camino — the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago, Spain. It goes through the Pyrenees and takes a month. This was his chance to focus entirely on God. As we see in this book, as happens on such occasions, God paid him back in a measure overflowing with lessons and blessings.

This is a simply written, accessible volume in which Father Dave shares the revelations that God brought him through the simplest things. Even a lost sock could be an opportunity to learn. Along the way, we not only see what such a pilgrimage entails, but Father Dave also reminds us of some of the basic tenets of Catholicism and how to keep a lookout for God’s hand in all we experience, both good and bad. I especially appreciated his reminder that Christ is our king and we serve him. That has rung through my mind since I finished the book.

“All this for the King. All this for the King. All this for the King. ...”

As I was lying in my bed, I recalled what I had written in my journal the night before in my plush hotel. It was about sharing in the sufferings of Christ. I had felt that I was not doing that very well. I had written, “Jesus, I accept whatever comes and pray that I may rejoice in the ways that I may share in your suffering (see 1 Peter 4:13). May I be given the grace to share in your suffering with joy.”

I know, I know, what was I thinking? Father Joe stated that he would like to edit my journal each evening in order to delete unnecessary passages. But this grace really was what I needed.

So there I was lying on my bed praying. I asked God if this really was what he had for me. I then heard him clearly say to me, “Yes.”

Wow. I hadn’t seen that coming. In that moment I had complete confidence that my being sick really was part of what God had for me. He gave me the tremendous grace of acceptance.

The only way I can really explain what was going on was that my experience was holy. I know that may sound crazy, but lying on the bed, sick with a fever, nauseated, with my body aching had become sacred. There was an intense communion with God that I never will forget. It was one of the more profound experiences of my Camino.

I know that accepting suffering is a place where I need greater transformation. So often when I am hurting, I bear it all by myself. This is tragic because it does not have to be that way.

First, I always have the option of uniting my sufferings with those of Christ. To the degree that I am able to do this, my suffering can actually help make my holy. My suffering is not meaningless.

A friend of mine was experiencing great suffering and was somewhat frustrated with God. While praying one day she heard God say, “When are you going to make pain your companion instead of your enemy?” She went on to consider the fact that a companion goes somewhere with you, even accompanies you on a journey. If we allow suffering to be our companion, it will ultimately lead us home to the Father. ...

We can also offer our suffering for others, and there is a tremendous splendor in this. Be it a family member who is sick or has wandered away from God or a coworker in the middle of a divorce, we an offer our pain and suffering for someone. Only in heaven will we fully know the benefit the individual received, but even now we can have peace knowing that our suffering is not in vain.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company review program. You may buy the book here, find other reviews of Hiking the Camino here and explore more about The Catholic Company at their website.

Daily Reflections

The USCCB has a spot where you can see video reflections on the day's readings.

Various people from all over the country have been chosen to present the reflections. Evidently, a few weeks ago, several priests from our Diocese, including our Bishop, came to our church to tape reflections for the upcoming couple or three months.

If you click on June 23, you can see our priest with his reflection for the day. It's like a mini-homily and I enjoyed it. I've included it below... although I see it rather annoyingly begins playing without waiting for you to click it. (Update ... it annoyed me so much by insisting upon downloading and playing without permission that I figured it was probably driving everyone else nuts and removed it ... click through and play it at the USCCB site.)

Much thanks to Deacon Ken for the heads up on this!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough to Keep Him from the Church

No Price Too High
A Pentecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic

Then I read 2 Thessalonians 2:15; Paul tells his followers to be careful to observe all the paradosis he had delivered to them. And the word paradosis means traditions. Whether written (as in the Bible) or oral.

Well, that knocked Sola Scriptura (the "Bible alone" theology) right out of the water. The Church has never ever adopted the position that the Bible is our only teaching authority. That's why we realize that Martin Luther didn't attempt to reform the Church; he reinterpreted it. He tried to make changes without authority and didn't go back to the beginning, to what was handed down from the apostles.

In the early days of the Church, Christians weren't running around with Bibles in their hands. All that were available were the Old Testament Scriptures and very few of those. Plus, most people couldn't read anyway. The teachings of the Old Testament had already been interpreted by Jesus and the apostles, and those teachings were handed down orally. The Christian faith was handed down through the traditions of the Church. This only made sense.

[...]

By the end of 1998, I had come to understand that the Catholic Church was, indeed, the Church of Jesus Christ. The traditions of the Church were authentic. This was how the Church had evolved, not the way we thought it had evolved. I decided we needed to identify with the Church, but I thought we could do that without becoming a part of the Catholic Church. I wanted to replicate it. I wanted to become like them, not be them. Heck, I didn't want to just throw my church away! Although this was authentic Christian worship, I decided I didn't need to be Catholic in order to worship that way.

All minister Alex Jones wanted to do was to take his Pentecostal flock closer to the authentic roots of Christianity, back to the time when Jesus walked among us. He turned to the Church Fathers’ writing and found himself being inexorably led to the Roman Catholic Church. Time after time he would admit that the Catholic Church got it right and see how he could adapt his own church’s services to serve the new truth he’d discovered. Eventually, he wound up converting, as did his wife, and 55 others of his congregation.

This is an impressive story that takes us inside the Pentecostal movement as we learn Jones’ history. I particularly enjoyed the story as he began researching Church history and was led to realize that conversion was inevitable if he was going to follow God’s will. We also hear what Jones’ wife, Donna, was going through during this time as she was an intelligent, faithful Christian who was anything but ready to become Catholic. In telling his story, Jones also speaks for other Catholic converts, including me, when he says:

I wanted to know why he would call me to his Church so late in life. Why? Why did this happen to me now? Why didn't I see the truth of the Catholic Church when I was in my twenties or thirties? I could have given my entire life to it. And why was I able to see this truth when other Protestant ministers, far more intelligent, far more gifted, far more educated, and far more holy than I am, didn't see it? How had I stumbled upon this -- a man who is very ordinary in every sense of the word? It was so plain to me -- as though it had just peeled back and was revealed to me. I saw the truth so clearly. Why couldn't these intelligent, gifted Protestant pastors see this?

[...]

I began to see the breadth and the dimension of those who are converts and those coming into the Church. I began to meet those -- hundreds of them -- who had come into the Church pretty much the same way I did. I began to realize that my conversion was not unique. It was a typical conversion, maybe a bit more public, but it was a typical conversion.

People become Catholic because they have discovered the authenticity of the Catholic faith, generally through three different avenues: they recognize the authority of the Church; they have discovered the Blessed Mother; or they have studied the Church Fathers. The more I traveled, the more people I met, the more I began to realize that God is at work renewing his Church. He is stirring the cradle Catholics, and he is bringing in converts who have a relationship with him, a profound love of God, to build up the faith of the Church, to strengthen it.

Most enjoyable and highly recommended.

Phones are back on ... for a little while anyway ...

We've had a loooong string of thunderstorms booming through here since last night. Power is off in various neighborhoods all over the place. At work, the phone has been down until now so I am hastening to post this notice.

Hopefully, they'll stay up and I can get a few things stirring around here!

What do you say to someone whose salt has lost it's savor?

I had been doing a fair amount of musing about being the salt of the earth, lukewarmness, and making sure that my "yes" really means "yes" which came up in the readings the other day.

Not to mention, mulling over that whole idea about how to quickly get to the essence of an explanation of my faith.

I did not do a very good job the other day when I was asked, "What the heck is Pentecost?" by a blog reader who isn't Christian and had seen it mentioned repeatedly here as of late. Some of that, admittedly was due to the fact that the idea of God's spirit "coming upon" someone doesn't make any sense to someone who doesn't believe in God in the first place. At any rate, moving on ...

Lo and behold, I wound up hearing a tale from a friend yesterday which exemplified the reason we always need to be prepared. My friend was in a conversation with an old pal that suddenly morphed beyond a casual chat into a serious discussion of Old Pal's falling away from Catholicism into a view of God as "watchmaker" and a sincere admiration of nihilism.

At one point it dawned upon my friend that Old Pal is using the Church purely as a social club. Old Pal still attends Mass regularly, is a lector and ...

Friend: Do you still take communion?

Old Pal: Sure.

Friend: Even though you don't believe it is the real presence of Jesus?

Old Pal: Yep.

Friend: That's an insult to me and every Catholic who believes in the real presence!

I was in awe of my friend. This person is soft spoken and, although perfectly willing to answer questions, does not go around parading faith other than living it. My friend says it was an instinctive reaction, especially as there was a true effort made from the beginning to avoid confrontation about religion. That instinctive reaction is one that I probably would have quailed at expressing so forcefully. Would that I have such a definite, instinctive expression of my faith when someone else shows complete disrespect.

But wait, it gets more interesting. The conversation continued and soon was running along these lines.

Friend: If you don't believe what the Church believes then go find a church where you can believe.

Old Pal: There's no point. No church has the whole truth. Every single one is wrong about something.

Friend: I believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches is true.

[pause]

Old Pal: Even the social teachings?

Friend: Yes. Everything. I believe all the teachings are true.

[pause ... which grows into silence]

These are simple truths but which among us ever states them to anyone so simply?

Notice the fact that these are put forward as statements, not as attacks.

A mutual friend of these two had come upon them in conversation about halfway through and silently listened. This newcomer was Catholic but became theist in her beliefs and left the Church. Newcomer later went up to my friend and murmured that Old Pal was wrong ... that if you don't believe then you should leave. Which, as we all should know, is exactly what St. Thomas Aquinas said also.

Not only did my friend love Old Pal enough to tell the truth, but Newcomer got a full dose of an authentic Catholic witness as well.

It is fairly obvious that my friend's old pal is in serious denial and also not thinking clearly by practically any definition. I pray for Old Pal.

Once again, I think about the questions I was turning over about being the salt of the earth.

Are we really living our faith? Offering a witness that flows from real love and relationship with God? Jesus did it through personal witness. The first Christians followed his example. They couldn't even vote but they showed their true love with their unflinching actions in daily life. They changed the world.

My friend has this quality. I hope that I do too, that we all do.

=================

Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.

Matt. 5:37

=================

Always be prepared to give an explanation to he who asks for a reason for your hope, yet do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.

Peter 3:15-17

=================

The only honest reason to be a Christian is because you believe in Christ's claim to be God incarnate. The only honest reason to be a Catholic is because you believe the Church's claim to be the divinely authorized Body of this Christ.

Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity

Welcome home, Father Jeffrey Steele and family!

What I became aware of was that it was almost impossible to say 'the Church teaching is' within the Anglican church because there are so many various opinions on matters of sacraments, liturgy, morality, scripture etc. What I did not want to experience anymore was proclaiming the teaching of the Church only to end up defending myself rather than the Anglican church defending me. This has become an ever-increasing impossibility that is no secret to the entire Anglican world. My preaching would always be seen as a matter of personal opinion rather than having the authority of the Magisterium that backs up what I teach publicly. Of course there is dissent in the Catholic Church but it is always that, dissent towards what Mother Church proclaims as authoritatively true. It is the truth of Mother Church that I embrace as my own deep personal faith.

A wonderful post by Anglican priest Jeffrey Steele who is converting to Roman Catholicism with his wife and their six children. I've been reading about this at Father Dwight Longenecker's blog, who is full of fellow feeling as he, too, converted from Anglicanism.

Do go and bid the Steeles welcome home and pray for their smooth passage to the Church. Grab hold and keep on swimmin' Steeles ... we're cheering alongside of you!

What I mean is, sometimes crossing the Tiber looks like an easier swim than it really is. I told my Catholic bishop that I sometimes feel like the Tiber has stretched as wide as the Atlantic and I've been cast into the middle and told to swim. He said, 'yes, Jeffrey but there are devices out there to keep you above water, grab onto them and do not fear.'

Have you been to the mountaintop? And can anyone tell?

Last week in scripture study, our priest pointed out that whenever Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom, Matthew has him on a mountain or on the plains at the bottom of a mountain. Part of this is Matthew pointing out to his Jewish audience that Moses prefigured Jesus. However, part of it is a greater symbolic message to all of us. God is on the mountain (where Moses met Him). Jesus descends to meet us and we must ascend to meet Him. Now whether Jesus has to come all the way to the plains to help us along ... well, what goes to the confessional, stays in the confessional, right?

I was thinking about this when I read the commentary this morning on today's Mass readings where Jesus says we are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Then, disturbingly, he goes on to talk about salt that has lost its savor. I will let the commentary take it from there:

The first Christians were true salt of the earth, and they preserved people and institutions -- the whole of society -- from corruption. What can it be that has happened in so many nations? Why is it that Christians should now be giving the sad impression that they are unable to slow down and halt that wave of corruption that is bursting in on the family, no schools and on institutions ...? The Faith is still the same. And Christ lives among us now just as He did previously. His power is still infinite -- divine. Only the lukewarmness of so many thousands, indeed millions, of Christians, explains how we can offer to the world the spectacle of a Christianity that allows all kinds of heresies and stupidities to be propounded within itself. Lukewarmness destroys the strength and endurance of the Faith, and is the soulmate, in both a personal and a collective way, of compromise and of a spirit of comfort-seeking. (P. Rodriguez, Faith and Life of faith) It is difficult to explain many of the things that happen nowadays at a personal and at a public level, if we do not bear in mind that so many people should be awake, watchful and attentive have allowed their Faith to fall asleep; love has been snuffed out in so very many hearts. In many spheres, the "normal Christian" now generally means someone who is lukewarm and mediocre. Among the first Christians the "normal Christian" meant one who lived the heroism of each day, and when the occasion presented itself, accepted martyrdom itself: it could and did mean very often the surrender of one's very life in defense of the Faith. ...

Let us fervently ask God for the strength to react. We will be the true salt of the earth if we keep up our daily conversation with God and if we go with ever-greater faith and love to receive the Holy Eucharist. Love was, and is, the moving force in the life of the saints. It is the whole raison d'etre [reason for being] of every life dedicated to God. Love gives us wings with which to soar over any personal barriers to our advance, or any obstacles presented to us by our surroundings. Love makes us unyielding when confronted by setbacks. Lukewarmness gives up at the slightest difficulty (a letter we should write, a telephone call we should make, a visit, a conversation, the lack of some material means ...). It makes mountains out of molehills. Love for God, on the other hand, makes a molehill out of a mountain; it transforms the soul, gives it new lights and opens up new horizons for it; it makes the soul capable of achieving its highest desires and gives it capacities it had never as much as dreamed of possessing. Love does not make a fuss about the effort involved, and fills the soul with happiness as it surveys the results of its efforts.

In Conversation with God
Daily Meditations Volume Three: Ordinary Time: Weeks 1-12
by Francis Fernandez

Are we really living our faith? Offering a witness that flows from real love and relationship with God? Jesus did it through personal witness. The first Christians followed his example. They couldn't even vote but they showed their true love with their unflinching actions in daily life. They changed the world.

I pray that I, that we, all may be doing the same.

How do you introduce Christ to a room full of people?

I laughed, I cried ... and I said, "Amen!"

I also wish I had been in that room full of people.

Found via New Advent, at Patrick Madrid's blog.

Thank you.

Gratitude is inextricably tied up with the virtue of humility. Gratitude shows that we’re paying attention to the acts of service people perform for us and that we truly understand how those acts make our life better, easier, and happier. The ungrateful man is callous; he’s come to think that all the good things that happen to him and all the service rendered him are an automatic response to his impeachable awesomeness. He deserves all that stuff and more. Thus, he never takes notice of the good things that happen to him. And he’s never really happy with what he has. He deserves only the best in life, and concentrates solely on the ways in which this ideal hasn’t been met.

The grateful man is a humble man. He has no illusions of his grandeur. He knows that bad things happen to good people. He knows how easily a rally can turn into a slump. He knows how much worse off many others are than he is. He understands the sacrifices others make on his behalf. And he deeply, deeply appreciates them.

The Art of Manliness is a blog that I highly recommend and it is not simply for men, although some features really are just going to be of interest to guys. They are not shy about tackling subjects that every person needs to know such as how to reconnect with old friends or starting a journal.

Right now they are running a 30 day series entitled, "30 Days to a Better Man" and day 5 was Cultivate Your Gratitude.

Reading approvingly through the post, I was struck by the idea that I am long overdue in saying, "thank you" to you, my friends who come and visit.

I have gotten many hours of enjoyment from not only writing posts and discussions in the comments boxes, but also in considering subjects and thinking over how best to talk about them. As well, let's not forget about the spirited conversations about movies, television and books. It has made me into a better writer, a more charitable person (at least a tad, I hope!), and a more thoughtful, grateful Catholic. I could still put the blog out there and enjoy it, but if no one came ... well, it wouldn't be the party that it is for me.

I could still be much more humble but I'm working on it. But I am always thankful and I wanted to let you know.

In appreciation, let's take another look at Validation because I am not sure you know how great you are!

D-Day or Operation Overlord: May God Be On Our Side

From Neatorama comes the link for this: "From the archives of Life magazine comes a collection of magnificent photos associated with D-Day, some showing soldiers in a lighter moment, others the chaos of battle."

Many of the most iconic and riveting photos of D-Day were taken by Robert Capa, born Endre Emo Friedmann, a Hungarian who is considered one of finest war photojournalists who ever lived. "If your picture isn't good enough, you're not close enough," he said.

See them all here at Time Life.

This 'N' That

All About Eve
There is a reason this was nominated for 14 Academy Awards: fantastic acting, witty and knowing dialogue, and insight into human nature. Margo Channing, an aging toast of the theatrical world (Bette Davis) struggles with the idea that Eve Harrington, a young fan (Anne Baxter), is trying to take her place as an actress ... and more. Eve is nothing but respectful and making herself of service to the actress she worships. The question becomes whether Margo is paranoid ... or not. Brilliant. Hadn't seen this for many, many years until Rose requested it for her birthday. She, Tom, and I delighted especially in Bette Davis' and George Sanders' acting. I also loved the clothing, which did snag an Oscar. A classic that is worth viewing or revisiting.

Boxer news
It is amazing to me that in a short week the two new Boxers have settled into routine that is livable for the rest of us. Having both Zoe and Wash learn to use the dog door so quickly was very helpful in that regard, as you may imagine.

Baby Bobbi Bear
Knitted another for a dear friend who is having her first baby soon. My question is why I followed the pattern faithfully again but this bear is not quite the same as the previous bear? I won't say why because I might run into some pals at the shower who read the blog, but this is frustrating. Oh well, it was made with love and that, hopefully, will make the recipient overlook any deficiencies!

Mad Men
Began watching the first season, which my dear sis gave Tom and me for a joint birthday gift. Only have seen the first episode. However, as you can imagine, we've been eagerly looking forward to getting our hands on this since we're all about advertising and it is from advertising's heyday. Also, I've been reading everyone's rave reviews. So far, sooooo good!

Book-ishly
A few tidbits about my latest reading:

• Amateur Gourmet: A fine little, light-hearted introduction to the world of cooking and helping people not fear the kitchen.
  
  
• King of the Holly Hop by Les Roberts: Good enough for what it is, hard boiled detective story. However, not as good as some of his others. The detective goes to his high school reunion, murder ensues, and he is hired to find the real killer keep a former classmate from being arrested. Too much time is spent going over and over the revelations that the high school friends aren't the great folks that he remembered from his youth. As if this is news. Or maybe it is just that I'm not crazy about either high school or reunions thereof.
  
  
• No Price Too High by Alex Jones: Interesting story of how digging back into Church history and how the first Christians prayed led a Pentecostal preacher, his wife, and 55 others to the Catholic Church. So far, about halfway through, the part I find most fascinating is the recounting of how Jones is pulling together the historical and scriptural to gain understanding of what the early Church was truly like ... as opposed to how his Pentecostal brethren practice their faith.
  
  
• Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi: What do you do if you are an alien race who wants to open friendly relations with humans but knows from watching television and movies that we are likely to see them as "bad aliens" due to outward appearances? If you are as steeped in pop culture as these aliens are, then it is obvious. Hire a Hollywood agent! John Scalzi takes us on a light-hearted romp that also is a keen look at pop culture and how it shapes our lives, as well as making excellent observations about human nature in general. I loved this book. (Scalzi's Old Man's War is on the stack, getting ready to be read.)
  
  
• Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi: After I found out that the author of the highly enjoyable Agent to the Stars also writes nonfiction, I became interested in this book. In a nice bit of synchronicity, Rose gave it to me for my birthday without being aware of my newfound interest. Meant to be read, wouldn't you say? So far it is entertaining, informative, and enjoyable as billed in the synopsis:

  The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is a comprehensive guide to the 'final frontier' of film. It explores our fascination with space exploration, time travel, fantastical worlds and alternative futures. This guide explains how everything from the philosophy of Plato to classic Victorian tales and cult comic books have helped to create one of cinema's most engaging genres. Discover the classics from Mexico, Russia and Japan, not forgetting the Anime science fiction tradition, along with everything else you need to know from Metropolis to Star Wars, via Blade Runner, 2001 and Alien. The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is your essential guide to a galaxy of film unbounded by time or space.

Catholic New Media Conference in San Antone

I forgot to mention this but Tom and I are signed up for the ultimate geekfest ... the Catholic New Media Conference. (Please note that I use "geek" in the most positive of ways. After all, we're going, right? Around our house "geek" is a good thing.)

Anyway, never having gone to a con of any sort (not Star Trek, not Star Wars, not even ... Galaxy Quest), we're looking forward to this. Not only the Riverwalk and the Alamo (which I LOVE) but many Catholic bloggers and podcasters and videocasters. Also there will be Chris Cash from The Catholic Company where I get many fine review books and who I have actually spoken with on the phone! (Told ya I was a geek ... look at how I get my thrills ... and then boast about it!).

I think they still have room but I wanted to be sure that I got my spot, especially since they're in my neck of the woods this year. Can't wait to meet everyone!

Truly, he has a dizzying intellect.

As one of those "undereducated people" to which John C. Wright's commenter keeps referring in her Ulysses/James Joyce rant, I was pleased to be able to pick right up on this allusion in his response (and it made me giggle).

If your argument is that I do not understand ULYSSES because I lack education, all I can say is that you have made one of the two classic blunders. The first is never get involved in a land war in Asia. The second, only slightly less well known, is not to challenge the education of someone who graduated with honors from Mortimer Alder's "Great Books" program when death is on the line. I do not mind allusions in writer. I use them myself frequently. Some of them are obscure, or come from movies or comic books, as well as from classical literature. ...

For those tragically undereducated who have never seen The Princess Bride, here is the Cliff Notes version.

Answer This in 40 Seconds: "I'd be interested to know: why are you a Christian?"

Jen at Conversion Diary asks:

OK, Christian readers. Here's a scenario for you:

You and a young man, perhaps in his early 20's, step into an elevator at the same time. You're both going to the tenth floor. He notices something that indicates that you're a Christian (maybe you're wearing a cross necklace, or he saw a bumper sticker for your church on your car outside, etc.)

"I don't believe in God or anything like that, but you seem like a reasonable enough person," he says as the doors close. "I'd be interested to know: why are you a Christian?"

You have about 40 seconds to answer. What do you say?

I can answer in about four seconds.

Because now I am happy. Really, truly happy. No matter if circumstances are good or bad, there is an underlying peace and joy. Because I found Jesus Christ.

In this, I am like Herman Cohen who I first heard about through one of my favorite theologians, Father Raniero Cantalamessa.

I was reading recently the story of the famous convert of the 19th century, Hermann Cohen, a brilliant musician, idolized as a the young prodigy of his time in the salons of central Europe: a kind of modern version of the young Francis.

After his conversion he wrote to a friend: "I looked for happiness everywhere: in the elegant life of the salons, in the deafening noise of balls and parties, in accumulating money, in the excitement of gambling, in artistic glory, in friendship with famous people, in the pleasures of the senses. Now I have found happiness, I have an overflowing heart and I want to share it with you. ... You say, 'But I don't believe in Jesus Christ.' I say to you, 'Neither did I and that is why I was unhappy.'"

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Its All Downhill From Here

Our choice for demotivational poster of the week from Despair.com.