Weekend Joke: Art

From Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine.

Putting a Human Face on Abuse: Reviewing Restoring Sanctuary

For one long period, my idea of going to Sunday Mass involved parking near a church while Mass was underway inside, imagining sorrowfully the ritual by reading from a missal I kept in my glove compartment. I faithfully attended daily Mass, hoping it and “parking lot” attendance could somehow be calculated into a second‐class holiness. In truth, nothing could have made me feel worthy of Mass attendance: I was sure I was at fault for all that had transpired in my childhood.

These words are from a reflection that author T. Pitt Green wrote. Although not in the book, I found them when poking around on the author's site before agreeing to look at the book for review. Suddenly I identified a bit more with the emptiness and anxiety that a victim of abuse feels, especially if their abuser was a predator with a Catholic priest's collar.

Restoring Sanctuary languished in my review stack, pushed aside by the heaviness of the subject and by more immediate promises for columns or podcasts. Then my oldest daughter and I were talking about someone who left the Church because of a priest's extreme insensitivity, but who still longed for the Eucharist. She said, "Remember that lady you told me about who would sit outside the church during Mass and follow along outside?"

Indeed I did. And went to pull this book out of the stack.

Teresa Pitt Green suffered sexual abuse as a child from her parish priest. She later discovered that her mother had also been abused similarly long ago. On her deathbed, Green's mother asked her to write their story.

This unusual book chronicles an abuse victim's journey back to the Catholic Church but without details that might traumatize readers. We see her struggle to find a therapist who doesn't have an additional agenda, with the lack of response from the diocese, with illnesses like brain tumors, and from a physical attack as an adult.

The story is not all dark, however. Green tells also of inspired moments, one in particular after her mother died. She meets people who understand and provide support. Not least of all, she acquires a puppy who becomes her friend and protector. Underlying every experience, whether good or bad, Green is never without faith in Jesus Christ as the word speaking to her, the good shepherd guiding her recovery, and her savior.

It was Green's acquisition of McGee, a second puppy, that sparked a bit of true insight for me. I have had a very easy life by comparison. Although I empathized as I would with anyone who has suffered, it was without a personal frame of reference until reading about McGee. He was a rescued dog and became so afraid when Green brushed her hair that he went into seizures. I suddenly thought of our oldest daughter's dogs, both at least half feral when they were rescued and came to live with us. One in particular, a gentle Staffordshire Terrier named Kif, had over 50 birdshot under his skin when he was x-rayed. He would cower and quake if I reached up to open a cupboard. We had to be extremely gentle with him in order to teach him to trust people, a process that is still underway. I mean no disrespect, but I was able to see Teresa as a mirror image of Kif, who had been so victimized. Suddenly Teresa and her struggles became more real to me as I read the rest of her story. When she discovered a diocese victims program that cared more about the victims than the system and so allowed Teresa as much time and patience as she needed without judgment, I felt like cheering.

The fact that Green is able to communicate all this without revealing identities, going into details, and traumatizing the reader is extraordinary. We understand her struggles but are not pulled to the brink with her. This leaves readers like me who have never suffered in such a way with insight into the pain caused by predator priests and unresponsive bishops.

More importantly, it shows not only the anguish which such abuse leaves behind but looks at the problem of sexual predators with clear eyed reality. This reality accepts the fact that predators can be married or single, that their desire is ultimately domination no matter what means they use to achieve it, that they come from all walks of life, and that those who enable them are collaborating in evil. She does not condemn the Catholic Church as a whole, which is refreshing, but targets abusers and those whose behavior allows them to prey on others.

Green weaves the details of her recovery together with a larger call to action. She asks us to know the truth about how predators act, to be vigilant, and to act on behalf of the weak. She knows that there is not one easy answer. There is not a list of steps or a plan provided in how to do this. Green asks each of us to learn the truth, know it well, and to act upon it in our own way. In that, she seems to me to be mirroring Jesus, who gave his disciples the truth and then sent them out to act upon it wholeheartedly in the ways that worked with their personalities.

Highly recommended.

His Yoke is Easy: A Wonderful Conversion Story

I used to be the kind of person that considers her limits sacred territory. "This is who I am", I would say, "and there is nothing I can do about it". This attitude led me to some wrongdoing, even towards my own mother. Before moving to the US with my husband and son, we stayed with my parents for a while. My mother was incontinent, but I refused to deal with this problem, leaving the burden of assisting her to my siblings. She didn't mind, but after my conversion I felt the desire to overcome my weakness. I wanted to make it up to her, but I would never have the chance because she had passed away while I was here.

And so I was glad when I was offered the possibility of redeeming myself. I took a two-week job as a caregiver, taking care of a 92 year old woman. I knew it would have been hard for me, but I dedicated my effort to my mother. Well, when I went back home after the first day of work, my son said to me:

"You have an expression on your face like someone who has seen things so terrible that she will never be the same again!"

And this was not an exaggeration. I was actually distraught. But when I returned to work the following day the little old lady was still in bed, because nobody in the house was willing to bathe her and dress her up. She said to me:

"I was worried about you! I thought you might not come back."

At that moment my heart opened up to her. She needed me, and I was happy to help her. She was very sweet, and although she hated to be so dependent on someone else, she kept a sense of humor about her situation, which I thought was remarkable. She even laughed when I struggled to drag her into bed at night because she was too heavy for me! I still think of her with great affection.

None of this would have been possible without Christ. I was surprised by the love He generated inside of me. I expected to struggle with myself for the entire time I had to be on the job, but instead I had completely overcome my problems by the third day! Why couldn't I do the same for my mother? Because no matter how much I loved her, I was unable to see her as a creature of God. I did not believe that she had a soul. I looked at her as a body more than as a person. I thought that I loved her, but true love has the power to move the heart.

This is just a bit of Antonella's conversion story, which you must go to On the Road to Jerusalem and read. The wonderful thing about conversion stories is that we can look at them and remember our own conversions while seeing another facet of how much Jesus loves each and every one of us. I especially resonated with Antonella's conversion beginning with books ... and not in the way you might think. Via Riparians at the Gate.

Snapshot: New Additions to My "Faves" Playlist

All thanks to Rose who had a soundtrack playlist I was checking out.

• Cutting Bracken - The Killdares
• Peggy Sussed - Underworld
• Comptine d'Une Autre Ete - L'Apres-Midi - from Amelie

LOL

And I also laughed out loud. (Just like Ironic Catholic, which is where I found this.)

Reviewing: A Biblical Walk Through the Mass

Lead us not into temptation: This petition is not so much a prayer to avoid all trials and temptations in life. The biblical words express a request that God not allow us to enter into temptation in the sense of giving in to it. It is a prayer that God would strengthen us to overcome the temptations we face. Pope Benedict XVI taught that in this petition, it is as if we are saying to God, "I know that I need trials so that my nature can be purified. When you decide to send me those trials ... then please remember that my strength only goes so far. Don't overestimate my capacity. Don't set too wide the boundaries within which I may be tempted, and be close to me with your protecting hand when it becomes too much for me." As St. Paul said, "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13).

A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri is full of moments like the one above where a line from the Our Father is considered. Familiar phrases that may flow unthinkingly from our lips are  brought to new life. We are reminded how they apply to our own lives and perhaps given a new understanding.

Sri brings this depth and thoughtfulness to his explanation of the entire liturgy. Some places feature more biblical background, others instead contain thoughts from authorities like popes and Church fathers, but all are illuminated with Sri's own enthusiasm and love for the liturgy itself. One cannot read this without catching a spark that makes pages turn a bit more quickly or having some of that beauty splash onto the Mass the next time one attends. That has been my experience after reading this book.

In my opinion, one of the best unintended side effects of the new liturgy has been the recent spate of books covering the changes. We have gotten a variety of approaches and Sri's is one of the best. It is extremely accessible and helps us meet God personally in the liturgy. Highly recommended.

Ironic Catholic's Review of Happy Catholic: "The God and Culture Thang"

So when I read Julie's book, full of meditations and reflections on snippets of books, TV shows, movies, etc., I rejoiced!, because...she cut through all the dreck for me! These are great little insights, all the more appealing because they popped up out of a swamp. It's like you can't keep God, and human longing for God, down. He always rises to the top, like cream.

Ironic Catholic brings up a question I hadn't considered ... can someone who has completely given up television enjoy reading Happy Catholic?

We know that Happy Catholic is chock-full of television references. So I was very pleased to find that Ironic Catholic appreciated the good stuff being skimmed off the top and presented without the need for using a tv screen.

It is a very generous review and I am most appreciative.

It's Two, Two, Two Books in One: Reviewing "What Would Madame Defarge Knit?

It's is a set of essays reflecting on classic literature.

It's a knitting pattern book.

 Perhaps surprisingly, it functions beautifully as both.

It takes a special group of book-loving knitters to latch onto A Tale of Two Cities and ask, "Just what was Madame Defarge knitting? Is there a pattern? Let's make one!" What makes the book work ultimately is that editor and writer Heather Ordover pulls it all together and imbues it with the joy of curiosity, discovery, and whimsy.

Ordover is best known to book-loving knitters as the host of the CraftLit* podcast where literature and knitting gracefully combine. As much as I love the podcast, I would have thought it impossible to get it into a book. I would have been wrong.

The literature ranges from A Tale of Two Cities to The Wizard of Oz to Lysistrata to The Call of Cthulhu. The essays are thoughtful pieces divided into three groups: What I Did for Love, Song of the Sea, and Women of Valor. A variety of approaches  contemplative, some are analytical, some humorous, and some are resigned to loving tentacles wherever they appear, but all mirror the same passion for story.

Is there such a thing as a book report done in knitting? The patterns which accompany each essay range from simple to complex and reflect the literature very well. Projects range from Hyde's Hooded Sweater to an Ancient Mariner Watch Cap to Not-So-Ruby Slippers to Madame Defarge's Stole (and thus we discover what Madame Defarge was knitting). If you don't knit, there are other crafts included. I especially liked the Mermaid's Lagoon shadow puppets which included the crocodile.

Food and drink are available also, albeit via links to the book's website. Tips are scattered throughout to help with such challenges as crisp stripes, cabling without a cable needle, and attaching LED neckbolts (a tip that everyone will be sure to appreciate). I also liked the appendix that showed every time Jane Eyre mentioned a shawl. (There are a surprising number of times.)

It is not a perfect book but the problems are those that most readers probably will not mind as much as I do. Yes, my crochety side is emerging. As a design professional, I found the book layout a touch problematic but I won't harp on that since it was done by a small, independent press and I'm inclined to give them a pass and salute the effort that allows books like this to see the light of day. (I do mention it because ... I'm crochety!) As a knitter, however, I do wish there was better formatting of instructions. Glancing at other knitting books or even magazines would give a hint of how to help the eye catch lines of instruction without wasting space. It also would have been nice to have the author of each essay featured after the title. I continually found myself flipping to the end of the piece to see who was speaking before I began reading.

Another problem is that many items are found online rather than included in the book. This includes food and drink recipes, photographs, and some other features. To be fair, some readers love this, or so I have read on Ravelry. Others, like me, would prefer it all in one place. The reason for the on-line portions was to keep the book affordable. However, I would have preferred to pay more and have everything included in the book. I am not going to stop reading and look online. Just ain't gonna happen. Also, I think of what happens if my girls inherit this book and thirty years from now are paging through, looking for just how the back of that Jane Eyre shawl knits up. Will formats have changed, CraftLit no longer be with us (sob), and the times have moved on past when anyone would look online? (La, dear, how archaic!) The book is incomplete without all the trimmings in my opinion.

That said, those trimmings are just that ... extra bits. We can find recipes elsewhere and the charming wood cut illustrations do give some hint of how the overall piece should look. As to the other details, well that's where creativity will reign.

In other words, don't let my carping keep you from buying this wonderful book.

What Would Madame Defarge Knit gives us a wide variety of voices all mirroring the same love of literature, crafts, friendship, and creativity. It is an unlikely combination, but it works. You'll have a long reading list and a long knitting/crafts list to work from when you're done reading it. Highly recommended.

Note: I received a review pdf so that my blurb could be on the back cover, but I bought a hold-in-my-hands copy because I needed the real thing.

Second Note: For a review which also comments thoughtfully upon the small publishing world and a nonknitter's perspective, read this one at Pink Slip.

*It is an interesting age we live in where there are communities formed around a blog or podcast. Such is the case with CraftLit, "a podcast for crafters who like books." It provides classic literature in audio form so that listeners can do crafts and get a good story at the same time. Heather Ordover took this concept and enriched it by providing excellent information about authors, writing styles, time periods, and overarching literary themes. Essentially, CraftLit is the most enjoyable literature class you ever dreamed of.

Heather also talks about the crafts she's been doing with heavy emphasis on knitting, recommends other podcasts, and includes a lot of listener comments. The unique combination of knitting and literature has formed a large, supportive community.

Snapshot: The Fluffiest, Most Absorbent Towels I've Ever Used

I suddenly noticed that our towels were ragged. Really ragged.

When did this happen? And how? I mean, they were only ... wait, let me add ... only 15 years old? How did that happen? When did 15 years whisk by?

Anyway, I went looking for hotel towels. They always seem to me to be the softest. I suppose it does depend on which sort of hotel you are staying at. I had in mind those from the time we wound up unexpectedly staying in the luxurious Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, Illinois.

When I went looking, there was nothing obvious, but eventually I wound up at this selection from Towel King, which  is supported handily by Amazon's payment system.

I washed them when they showed up and was astounded at the fluffiness that emerged from our drier. These washcloths and towels make showering a real luxury. So much so that I have two extra sets en route so I can kick some more of those ragged bath towels to other service (drying dogs, drying cars, tossed over muddy car seats so a person can safely sit on them...).

Worth a Thousand Words: Bonus Edition

Chipmunk

Photo by Doug Cadmus, Creative Commons license

Via Next Door Nature where you really should go to read the accompanying article. I don't know of anyone who writes more charmingly about nature while conveying lots of facts. I love that blog. Here's a sample to lure you into reading it all for yourself.

As the small face in front of me grew wider, I began to doubt that it would fit back through a 2” opening without leaving behind some of the payload. I forgot that by this time of year, even a young’un would be an old hand at this. She dove into the entrance without a second’s hesitation… and me right on her heels, having conveniently shrunk down to chipmunk size (in my mind, that is—there weren’t any bottles labeled “Drink Me” at hand).

Special Edition Papal Toilet Paper

Renova, a Portuguese paper company, is celebrating Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming trip to Madrid by releasing special edition Papal toilet paper. The yellow and white rolls–representing the colors of the Papal flag–are being released for World Youth Day. The product’s description on Renova’s website calls them “streamers,” yet they come in the same packaging as their toilet paper and can only be found in the toilet paper section of their site. Don’t be bashful, for Renova asks you to “Open your windows to celebrate!” when the Pope comes to Madrid.

Via The Curt Jester who says he now knows what to use when he TPs the Vatican. That I wanna see ...

"After all, all he did was string together a lot of old, well-known quotations."

H.L. Mencken was joking about Shakespeare when he said that.

We all know that I have a predilection for quotes myself.  This blog puts up a quote a day and Happy Catholic (the book) shares a lot of quotes.

I have a guest post up at American Catholic Blog featuring some new quotes and sources I have found that would make me beg and plead for a few more pages to include them in the book. There are 10 good 'uns and I'm fairly sure you haven't seen them all here yet. So check it out!

American Catholic Blog is the St. Anthony Messenger Press's blog. They own Servant Books, which is my publisher. It has been a bonus for me that not only have I gotten to know the Servant Books folks, but now am getting to chat more with the St. Anthony Messenger Press people. What a nice bunch they are! I'm looking forward to getting to meet some of them at their exhibit at the UDMC Catholic Conference that will be here in Dallas this October.

Dragged Kicking and Screaming Into the Promised Land

You know who that's about, right?

Yep! Me!

My encounter with East of Eden by John Steinbeck is the subject of my A Free Mind column at Patheos.

Finally ... Someone Who Liked Cowboys and Aliens

OK, here's the deal. When you're talking about a movie called “Cowboys and Aliens,” you'll do well not to overthink it.

I'm glad I hadn't read some of the reviews I've read today, before I went to see the film last night. Because I had a great time. I don't think I've sat in a theater seat and enjoyed myself so much since I saw “Taken.” When you're talking summer movies, it doesn't get much better than this, if you're asking me.

Lars Walker, my hero. Which must say something about how influenced I am by the critics' comments, in that I need someone's enjoyment to watch it.

On the other hand, movies ain't cheap these days.

Snapshot: How I Know I Was Super Distracted This Morning

Because walking down the hall to work, I realized I didn't do that thing where you mismatch socks.

I wasn't wearing socks.

But I mismatched my shoes.

True story.

One ballet flat.

One black sandal.

*sigh*

And now?

I'm barefoot. Until it is time to slink out of the building and go home.

Straight home.

No stops on the way.

It's Like He Read My Mind: the Pope on vacation and summer reading

Appearing on the balcony overlooking the square, the Pope said "each of us needs time and space for meditation, reflection and calm ... Thank God it's so! In fact, this requirement tells us that we are not made only for work but also to think, reflect, or simply to follow a story with our minds and hearts, a story that we can connect with, in a sense 'get lost' in to then find ourselves enriched."

Of course, Pope Benedict is talking about reading the Bible, especially those books that you might not have read before. I've gotta agree on that subject too. Ruth, Esther, and Tobit are some of my favorites and I'm always surprised at how few people have read them.

I'd also encourage investigation of Robert Alter's many excellent translations of the Old Testament. He is scrupulously accurate and yet makes the text really come alive.

Thanks to Scott Danielson for the link!

If God Had a Blog

UPDATE: Pretty pleased with what I’ve come up with in just six days. Going to take tomorrow off. Feel free to check out what I’ve done so far. Suggestions and criticism (constructive, please!) more than welcome. God out.

The comments are priceless ... my favorite, the one about the dodo. Read it all at The New Yorker. Via The Deacon's Bench. (Note: language warning)

Happy Birthday, Dear Mom!

I was just on the phone with Mom, having a delightful conversation, and she mentioned making an orange cake.

Now, she was talking about a bundt cake infused with orange glaze, but perhaps this sort of cake* has that same glaze between the layers, eh? It might ... and so we will imagine it!

It sounds as if she has had a great day so far which is just going to get better with an Italian meal planned for tonight. And presents! Always with presents!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

* Cake photo from Bayshore Cakes. I'm not in Salt Lake City, but if I were, that bakery would tempt me to try way too many cakes!

Snapshot: I'm spending the morning crying

I'm writing a Lenten devotional booklet and have arrived at Holy Week.

The gospel music has been on high and I've been singing along sometimes.

I've been digging into symbolism and getting blown away.

You simply cannot write about Holy Week without crying. The glorious thing at this moment though is that my tears are those of joy.

I have been realizing that under the sadness of the necessity for his glorious obedience and sacrifice, there is a deep strain of joy at finishing the race triumphantly.

My thankfulness and gratitude will never be enough.

I've known it before, of course. Felt it before, of course.

But at this moment, I am overcome with joy and love for Jesus, himself.

(I can only imagine how red my eyes are at this moment. Should make going to work ... interesting.)

Two Good WSJ Editorials That Are Pro-Baby

There is nothing so heartening as reading this sort of editorial with my morning coffee!

Life and Faith in Hell's Kitchen
William McGowan writes about the Sisters of Life and their ministry to help unwed mothers in NYC.

Safe, legal and rare" has long been the pro-choice mantra, but these days it applies less and less to the reality of abortion. In New York City, officials reported this year that 41% of pregnancies end in abortion—double the national rate. In the black community, the figure is 60%.

Numbers like these motivate the Sisters of Life, a small order of nuns celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer. The sisters take traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but they also take a fourth vow "to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life." According to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, once the sisters connect with unwed pregnant women in need, "the battle is half over."

Of Beckhams and Babies

Shortly after Mrs. Beckham gave birth [to her fourth child] this month, Mr. Ross [the chief executive of the British nonprofit group Population Matters] told Britain's Observer that "The Beckhams, and others like London Mayor Boris Johnson, are very bad role models with their large families. There's no point in people trying to reduce their carbon emissions and then increasing them 100% by having another child."

This Review & Outlook editorial is brief but positive about putting Mr. Ross in his place.

Note: if the links turn out to go to stories for subscribers only, try finding the article in Google (the headlines are those of the editorials). It should let you in through the Google link. That's how I found 'em.