What's Goin' On: He Looks Like ... Someone Loves Him.

Hannah finally bit the bullet, upon seeing how well the foundling and her darling Zapp got along. She is adopting the-dog-formerly-known-as-Garrett and changing his name to Kif.

She bought him a reddish leather collar that coordinates nicely with his spots. It is funny the difference that putting the collar on Kif made. Suddenly he went from being homeless to looking like ... someone loves him.

Kif was neutered yesterday, the truly official sign at the vet that he has an owner.

Hannah said that when he was anesthetized, they x-rayed him. They found about 20 shotgun pellets embedded in one side. Poor guy. No wonder he doesn't like it when I toss him a treat. I can only imagine what abuse he has suffered. No wonder he completely melts when Hannah is around. She opened a world that Kif may not have even known existed ... that a human could love him.

Praying for Those Forgotten Souls in Purgatory ... No Matter Who They Are

I remember when Rose, a few years ago, suddenly had the realization in Mass (maybe during one of the Holy Week masses?) that Hitler and Stalin might have had sudden last minute realizations of the enormity of their sins ... and repented.

She was gripped with sorrow in case of that event and began praying for their souls.

This was a powerful moment for me because I'd always had a tender spot for those holy souls in Purgatory who had no one to pray for them. However, I'd always thought of them as someone much like the little match girl in Hans Christian Andersen's story. Huddled in a corner, everyone they knew was gone, and no one left to pray for them.

It hadn't occurred to me that those forgotten souls might be forgotten because it never would have occurred to anyone that someone so evil in life might have repented and now be in need of prayers while in Purgatory.

It dovetailed nicely though with one of my favorite images from Madeleine L'Engles meditations in one of her books (and I can't remember which one right now, but aren't we glad I wrote it down to remember?).

... There is an old legend that after his death Judas found himself at the bottom of a deep and slimy pit. For thousands of years he wept his repentance, and when the tears were finally spent he looked up and saw, way, way up, a tiny glimmer of light. After he had contemplated it for another thousand years or so, he began to try to climb up towards it. The walls of the pit were dank and slimy, and he kept slipping back down. Finally, after great effort, he neared the top, and then he slipped and fell all the way back down. It took him many years to recover, all the time weeping bitter tears of grief and repentance, and then he started to climb up again. After many more falls and efforts and failures he reached the top and dragged himself into an upper room with twelve people seated around a table. "We've been waiting for you, Judas," Jesus said. "We couldn't begin till you came."

Why do I bring all this up?

It came inexorably to mind when Frank at Why I Am Catholic began considering the fact that Vlad the Impaler was Catholic. You know him, right? Vlad Dracul III? Dracula? The real one.

As always Frank's cogitations are good ones. Go read. Think. And don't forget to pray for those forgotten souls. Whoever they are.

What We Can Learn From 120 Years of Climate Catastrophe Reporting

The media falls in love with catastrophic predictions, and is consistently 10-15 years behind(!) in reporting on what the global temperature is actually doing.

Via Steven Riddle who links to lots and lots of good things every day.

Mark Shea, Mary, and the Eastern Orthodox Church

I have been very remiss in not writing a review of Mark Shea's three wonderful books about Mary (and I say this as someone who does not have a specific devotion to Mary). I paid for them with my own money, loved and marked them up, and then was too busy to do a proper review.

For today's Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Mark puts a substantial excerpt out there about how the Eastern Church views Mary's Immaculate Conception. Do go read it. If you like it, I can guarantee you are going to like the books he wrote. Here's a bit to get you started.

That said, the question still remains: If the Immaculate Conception is truly apostolic teaching, then why do the Eastern Orthodox Churches reject it? After all, those Churches trace their lineage to apostolic times just as the Catholic Church does. To answer that, we have to understand why the Roman Church developed her doctrine in the way she did and why the East did not take the same path.

Some people have the notion the Eastern Orthodox Churches reject the Immaculate Conception because a few early Eastern Fathers (Origen, Basil, and John Chrysostom) expressed a couple of doubts about Mary's sinlessness. Origen thought that, during Christ's Passion, the sword that pierced Mary's soul was disbelief. Basil had the same notion. And John Chrysostom thought her guilty of ambition and pushiness in Matthew 12:46 (an incident we have already examined).

But the remarkable thing about these opinions is how isolated they turn out to be. Essentially, they demonstrate (once again) something about the development of doctrine that we've already seen in connection with the Trinity: The Catholic Church is not a monolith and her people, even very good people, sometimes voice in good faith ideas that end up departing from the orthodox norm. For the reality is that, apart from these three, the overwhelming consensus of the Fathers in both east and west is that Mary is "most pure," “formed without any stain,” "all-Holy," “undefiled,” "spotless," "immaculate of the immaculate," “inviolate and free from every stain of sin,” and created in a condition more sublime and glorious than all other natures.

In which Noah and family leave the ark and God promises rainbows.

Yes, I finally get a chance to finish the next episode of Forgotten Classics and end that cliffhanger with Noah and his family bobbing about on the ocean. Get it while it's hot!

Oh, I See ... Why I Am Catholic Ain't Good Enuff for Zombies, Eh?

Webster Bull bowed out of writing for Why I Am Catholic and I, for one, have missed him there. Not that the rest of the gang ain't writin' great pieces which I read all the time. But I still miss him.

Now it turns out that Webster's out there writing on the sly at a place I can't even spell, much less pronounce. He's turned his thoughts to zombies (did he think no one would tell me this? c'mon, we're talkin' zombies!), our lives, our souls, and why Catholics might care.

Second, we propose a different view of death in life and life in death than that proposed by zombie flicks. There may be a ring of hell reserved for zombies, creatures who can’t talk and don't think, whose only motive is the consumption of flesh. But no, actually I don't think zombies even exist in the Catholic view of the cosmos.

As is the case with vampires, Frankenstein's monster, et al. Despite that little bit of serious consideration of the monsters themselves, Webster's article is focused on higher things and makes good points about how we live lives of faith.

I, myself, am not so interested in the zombies themselves, per se, but in the nature of the apocalypse and what people do with it. Which is what gives us such gems as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, The Reapers Are the Angels, and World War Z. (As I mentioned yesterday, I don't really tend to agree with that article.)

(Many thanks to my spy, whose name begins with "F" and ends with "rank.")

Don't Forget: Tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation

For the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

I believe we'll be at the 8 a.m. Mass ...

In which we discover more than anyone ever wanted to know about Velveeta. Except me. I wanted to know.

A little something extra from Forgotten Classics.

Not That I Might Talk About Zombies Too Much ...

... but I had more than one person sending me a link to this New York Times story, My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead.

For the record, though I think the writer is off base. George Romero's zombie movies were about capitalism and discrimination ... in a casual kind of way. 28 Days Later was looking at abuse of power ... kind of ... what with the military guys and the airplane later (though I don't want to say too much in case you haven't seen it and are planning on doing so). The zombies are merely the newest "toy" in the threats and are being explored in various ways.

Most apocalypse stories have something else at the core than the anxiety over everyday life. Otherwise, why not pick up on The Stand by Stephen King? Those characters fretted over everyday life enough that one of them even subconsciously got anxious over April 15, even though the need for paying taxes was long gone.

Not that I'm opinionated or anything.

We Can't Never Get Enuff o' Turkey Bone Gumbo

Made the broth using the turkey bones and skin on Thanksgiving weekend. Froze it along with enough turkey to make it.

Thawed the whole buncha it out and made Turkey Bone Gumbo yesterday.

Yes, you've heard about it before, but it's good enough to take another look. Once again, my thanks to Sara Roahen for graciously taking the initiative to send me that recipe. I love it so much that I'll make a turkey just to have the gumbo later.

Though I'm considering saving up roasted chicken carcasses during the year so we can have some Chicken Bone Gumbo.

Madeleine L'Engle, Eve, and Advent

I hadn't seen this poem before (note to self, MUST pick up Magnificat from Church office!).

The Anchoress has featured it, coupled with a gorgeous piece of art by a nun. Don't miss it.

And the Winner of the Serenity Prayer Mug is ....

[drumroll]


Deb!

I numbered the names and then asked a coworker (who cares little about Catholics, blogs, or the Serenity prayer) to pick a number in that range.

He chose Deb's number and I am delighted because she's a wonderful friend of mine who deserves to win a Serenity mug.

(Of course, I feel that every person who entered deserved to win one ... I love you all.)

I'll be featuring a different quote from the giveaway every day.

Many thanks again for this giveaway to The Catholic Company where we can all go to buy our very own Serenity prayer mugs or other gifts.

Top Ten Fictional Characters I'd Want for a Bestie

This idea, encountered at Linus's Blanket, intrigued me. I was surprised at just how many fictional characters sprang to the top of my mind. I suppose that is because for a main character to be really successful, at least in most books, they must be easy to relate to on at least some level. For books that you love, I suspect the main characters are those who you love as well. Here are some of those for me.

1. Laura from The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
   Was it just me or did everyone else also feel that Laura was expressing so much of what they themselves felt? I think we'd understand each other.
   
2. Abbess Catherine from In This House of Brede.
   Again, I related to her. Plus I liked the very practical approach she took to balancing problem solving and spiritual matters, as well as the way she threw herself at the Lord's feet when overwhelmed. Which I only wish I could do as well as she.
   
3. Odd Thomas from Dean Koontz's series.
   Odd is endearing and a heckuva fry cook. Though I don't really want to hear the details about his eerie adventures. I'd like to hang out with him inbetween. (Yes, I just want the cozy, nice side of those stories in my own life.)
   
4. Jane Eyre
   She's smart, interesting, and diplomatic when being honest. And we could argue (politely) about why she admires that cousin of hers so much.
   
5. The Grand Sophy
   A take charge kind of gal in the best of the books that began the Regency romance genre, Sophy not only is clear sighted and honest, but she'd do anything for a pal. You might be annoyed by her but you'd also probably be amused at the same time. And she's got a kind heart.
   
6. Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings
   Who wouldn't want Gandalf for a best friend? That relationship he has with Frodo is one anyone would want, a combination friend and mentor who helps you be your best.
   
7. Miss Marple from the Agatha Christie mysteries
   She's a hoot! And a sweetie too. I never could relate to Hercule Poirot or Hastings, but Miss Marple ... I wanted to live in her little village and have tea while we both knit together, exchanging knowing glances over why the Generals' second maid was late again to the dentist. (Or something like that.)
   
8. Aibileen from The Help
   A strong woman who can look past people's exteriors to give them a chance. Looking at her friendship with Minny, her mothering of the children in her care even while she knew from sad experience how they'd probably treat her when they were older, and her downright smarts, anyone would be proud to have a friend like her. As would I.
   
9. Harry Dresden from the Jim Butcher series
   Yes, he'd probably drive me crazy because he's such a smart aleck. But that's what'd keep me laughing at the same time. And until my car was torn to shred by monsters when he borrowed it for an emergency, I think we could have a lot of fun hanging out. He'd be an expensive friend, but definitely a lot of fun.
   
10. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park
    Because I go for quirky oddballs who happen to also be brilliant. At least when they're in a book I seem to go for them. He's the only guy in this book who has a handle on the big picture of what is going on. And I'd purely love to be pals with this guy.

A Song About Maccabees ... by the Maccabeats. Yes, You Heard That Right.

Can I just say this isn't a lame church song either?

Seriously.

It's about one (make that two) of my favorite books of the Old Testament. (Like the Wild West but with the Maccabee brothers and Hebrew people instead of cowboys.)

I dare you to only watch it once.

Double dog dare you.



See?

Can't be done. Go ahead. Watch it again.

(Thanks to Rose for this one. She knows her Mama well!)

Don't forget about the Serenity Mug giveaway!

Running through Friday.


Read all about it here.

P.S. Is it wrong to admit that when The Catholic Company came to me with this giveaway idea and had the link to look at the mug, I really was expecting to see something like this?

Oh, not that Serenity.

The Serenity Prayer ... right. Of course.

Not that I have a one track mind or anything!

What's Goin' On: The Foundling and Other Dog-ish Things

Having a kind-hearted daughter working at a vet clinic ... one who takes in Hard Luck Hounds for adoption ... can make for interesting household members sometimes.

You may recall that first it was Zapp, who Hannah adopted. He had never been around people but was generally unafraid. However, he'd obviously had bad experiences with other dogs as he would try to tear the faces off of any dogs he encountered. Luckily Zoe and Wash (our Boxers, for any of the uninitiated) were amazingly tolerant of this behavior.

Now, we have Garrett staying with us. He is not going to be adopted by anyone here but was in such obvious need of socialization that Hannah brought him home to give him a chance to be able to make it in the household that does eventually adopt him.

He is a mix, but the clearly dominant breed looks similar to American Staffordshire Terrier. He's a very gentle dog who knows his place in the pack (at the bottom). He loves Hannah but is extremely cautious with anyone else. Extremely.

He's also obviously super smart. He taught himself to use the dog door in one day. One. Day.

He's looking for a real home someday, with a patient owner who will receive lots and lots of love once he lets himself trust them.

Here is Garrett, standing next to Wash who is practicing his majestic stance.

All dog or part mountain goat?

Garrett loves the wall, to the point of sitting or lying on it whenever he's "on patrol."

Can't you feel the love?

Only Hannah gets those melting looks.

It's pretty clear that Garrett was abused before he was rescued. He's really shy around anyone else. Even nice ladies holding out pieces of cheese or turkey. (I don't take it personally though. Usually.)

I just love those ears that stand straight up, except at the tips.

He's still rather underweight but is a really handsome fellow, which might be kind of hard to see here.

The Other Pack Members

 Zapp Brannigan.

Yes, we're really all about pop culture around here.

He's Hannah's baby. A foundling when he entered our household, he was completely unsocialized. Now he loves everyone and that includes Wash and Zoe. He's part of the pack.

 Here is the "pack" in a favorite activity.

What? You've never played tug-o-war with a stick?

It's super-fun, y'all. As you can see.

Here we see Zapp in guerrilla warfare mode.

The wire is Tom's attempt to keep the dogs out of the mud and to give the grass a chance to fill in where it was destroyed by double Boxer playing tactics.

We'd have had a few more Boxer photos but Hannah took all of these. So we are grateful for what we receive. 

The Better to See The Pope With: Reviewing Light of the World

... We are sinners. But we should not take the failure to live up to this high moral standard as an authoritative objection to the truth. We should try to do as much good as we can and to support and put up with each other. ...

I remember reading Salt of the Earth, Seewald's first book of interviews with the Pope when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. At the time I was impressed by the straight forward honesty, clear sight, and mixture of common sense with intellectualism that characterized Cardinal Ratzinger. This is in spite of the fact that I am not fond of reading about question and answer questions or interviews in general. Because of that previous good experience, I jumped at a chance to read a review copy of Seewald's latest interview with Pope Benedict, Light of the World, although I really wasn't sure what sort of topics might be covered.

As most people know by now, Light of the World covers questions about modern times including, but not limited to, the sex scandals, relativism, the Church and Islam, ecumenism, global warming, contraception, AIDS, women priests, homosexuality, and relativism. In other words, if there has been bad press about it lately, Seewald asked about it.

The Holy Father gives honest and candid answers. If any reader ever wanted to ask the Pope questions ripped from the headlines, then this is just the book for them. More than anything I was impressed with the Pope's realism. He answered in a way that let us know he is completely aware of what people think about various issues for the most part. As he continually pointed out, he does not exist in a vacuum, and has meetings every day with people from around the world.

I was also impressed with Pope Benedict's thoroughness and balance when discussing issues. When faced with questions about negatives  he would usually end by gently reminding Seewald that there is much good about the Church that is not taken into consideration for just one topic. Conversely, when Seewald was praising the Church highly, the Pope rarely failed to point out others who deserved much credit or that the Church could do with improvement in various areas. All round, we see a well-balanced, thoughtful man who is thoroughly down to earth.

... Pastoral care, for its part, has to seek ways of staying close to individuals and of helping them, even in, shall we say, their irregular situation, to believe in Christ as the Savior, to believe in his goodness, because he is always there for them, even though they cannot receive communion. And of helping them to remain in the Church, even though their situation is canonically irregular. Pastoral care has to help them accept that, yes, I  do not live up to what I should as a Christian, but I do not cease to be a Christian, to be loved by Christ, and the more I remain in the Church, the more I am sustained by him.

Unfortunately, I was fairly disinterested in the topics which comprised the first two-thirds of the book. Perhaps this is because I have read enough of John Allen's commentary, GetReligion's analysis of bad news reporting, and Sandro Magister's reporting/analysis that I was not seeing much new information, other than to round out my impressions of Pope Benedict. Although the Pope's insights were interesting to a degree, once one absorbs a few key outlooks, then one sees them repeated for different topics. This is as it should be, of course, as we don't want someone who is capricious in attitude.

However, I was much more taken with the last third of the book which dealt with more general questions of life and faith. Again, this is simply where my interests lie. When the issues were raised about more general everyday issues like contraception, marriage after divorce, and whether the Pope believes what he believed as a child then I was captivated by the Pope's humanity, warmth, and honesty. Also, I was impressed that sometimes he simply admitted he didn't have an answer for a problem. Too, I admired him for saying that he knew he didn't have the capacity to be Pope. That he had to let Jesus lead him because God was the only one who could fill such an overwhelming role. These were all qualities seen in the first part of the book as well, but it was here that they struck me with the most force.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in seeing more of the Pope's nature, of hearing his direct answers to the tough questions of modern times, and for his thoughts on how to handle everyday issues. There were many answers that I mentally marked, thinking that those were approaches which I would try to reflect when asked questions about the Church. The things that I didn't warm to were only reflections of my own interests and not of the openness and excellence of this book ... which I recommend unreservedly.

So there are by nature many issues in which, so to speak, morality suits modernity. The modern world, after all, is not built solely out of the negative. If that were the case, it could not exist for long. It bears within itself great moral values, which also come precisely from Christianity, which through Christianity first emerged as values in the consciousness of mankind. Where they are supported—and they must be supported by the Pope—there is agreement in broad areas. We are happy about that. But that cannot blind us to the fact that there are other issues that cause controversy.

Just How Many Degrees of Separation is That?

Chortling. That's what we did when we saw this last night.

Christmas is a Time for Second Chances: Reviewing The Boys Upstairs by Jane Lebak

"Yeah, you've certainly changed." Kevin shoved aside his empty plate. "I remember when you would have been the kid bringing the knife into the church."

"Would you rather I spent the rest of my life in jail?"

"That's not what I would have rather had at all, and you know it."

Jay opened his hands. "You don't get it both ways. The thing that saved my conscience was the same thing that saved my soul."

Kevin shook his head.

"Please don't start this again," Jay said. "You know I can't stand it."

"I've told you I accept you the way that you are."

"You say that as though I have a disease." Jay looked at his lap. "I love you from the bottom of my heart, and I pray for you every day. I want nothing but good for you—and in return, you'll tolerate me. Like I'm an aged flatulent uncle you visit once a week for the sake of your long-dead grandmother."

Jay Farrell is a priest with overwhelming responsibilities and very few resources. He houses homeless boys in his rectory, runs a soup kitchen, and ministers to an inner-city parish. He is no stranger to overcoming big odds, but one of the most troubling obstacles is in his personal life.

Jay's brother, Kevin, is a cop who has seen so much evil that he's stopped believing in God and hasn't spoken to Jay for a long time. When Kevin stops by Jay's rectory to drop off three more needy children, it puts them in contact on a continuing basis as they must work together to help provide food and clothing for the newcomers.

Those are far from being the only problems which need solving. Nick's anger at the parents who abandoned him makes him lash out in anger at the other homeless boys. Holly is barely getting by on her waitress salary and has given up on ever finding love. The three children who are dropped off with Father Jay are trying to find a way to stay together instead of being split up into separate foster homes.

Although these are not the sorts of situations that I would normally choose to read about, I found myself being drawn into this novella through the characters' motivations and back stories. In uncovering what happened to Jay in Iraq, watching Holly's defense of a fellow waitress, watching for changes in Nick that would echo those we are told took place in another boy, and in wondering what is haunting Kevin about a simple memory of a lit front porch, I was pulled into a world with characters I wanted to know better.

Since this is ultimately a book about free will, second chances, and faith, I was quite interested in Lebak's handling of touchy conversations that echoed the sorts of situations we might face in real life. A confrontation with a family who uses God to dodge out of paying a bill and Kevin and Jay's struggles were absorbing without seeming preachy or out of place.

I also liked very much the honesty the priest shows with the children when they ask about his past. It is not only what they need to evaluate their situation and the choices they contemplate, but also an insight into the priest's ability to work with the children that have found their way into his care. Lebak made a gutsy choice in showing this good man taking care of these homeless kids. Many would think of  the recent sex scandals and choose a different plot. Seeing Jay caring for these children is a reminder that most priests are good men who want nothing more than to honorably minister to those in their care.

I enjoyed Lebak's previous novel, Seven Archangels: Annihilation, but I found that her writing style in this work flowed much more naturally. I especially liked the fact that she didn't tell us everything about what each character was thinking which left some areas open for further reflection, such as the very brief comments that Kevin receives which become a turning point in his thinking.

The downside is that this is only novella length, about 100 pages. It is crammed with plot points that have to be resolved in a fairly short time. Sometimes this resulted in important ideas being hashed out in a couple of pages of pointed conversation which would have been more naturally conveyed if the author had had the luxury of more pages to spread things out in. Also, there are some characters that it would have been nice to have more background on. For example, Mrs. D. is someone who I would have liked to know more about than we were told, especially given the important resolution she helps with at one point in the book. I realize these criticisms seem like a direct contradiction to my appreciation for the openness I praised in the previous paragraph but these are not moments of subtlety but of skimming over details for lack of space.

I definitely recommend this novella.  I would really like it if Jane Lebak wrote another book about these characters but took more time to ... breathe ... while doing so. I enjoyed what she wrote but want more of it. I could see this novella being the launching pad for a book or two along the lines of Jan Karon's Father Tim books but without the treacly sweetness and with more Catholic down-to-earth hardheadedness. C'mon Jane. Give us more!

The book comes out tomorrow, December 3. Go get it and get a discount until December 10 from the publisher.

"Get 25% off any purchase from today until December 10th.
Use code: HC2010D at checkout in the discount code box before going to Paypal."

That makes it $3.38 Canadian.

Advent Giveaway - Serenity Prayer Mug

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr

I think we can safely say that The Serenity Prayer is one we can all relate to. It seems to me especially appropriate for Advent when we look forward to the birth of our savior as well as his second coming. Trying to balance the preparations of the season with an attitude of patience and reflection is no easy thing.

With all that in mind, I was definitely interested when The Catholic Company very kindly offered a Serenity Prayer mug giveaway for y'all!

Here's all you have to do ... make a comment in the comments box. If you want to include a favorite quote that you'd like to see posted for all to enjoy, I'd be very happy to take it, even if I've used it many a time before. But I don't want to exclude people who don't think that way, so a comment alone will suffice.

You must include a valid email and live in the continental United States or Canada.

I'll run this through Sunday, with the winner announced on Monday ... who will be chosen at random, from a hat by Tom or Hannah (whoever is nearest at the time).

Of course, if you'd like to see what else The Catholic Company has in the way of Serenity Prayer gifts like plaques, votive holders, etc., then just go take a look. They've got you covered in that area for sure!

UPDATE
Shipping will be to the continental United States or Canada. (I fixed it in the post above, but for those who are coming back and don't read the revision, I wanted it to be clear.)