In which Juana and Otter are venerated as gods and see what it means to worship The Snake.

Adventure ratchets up a notch for our band of adventurers in the land of The People of the Mist by H. Rider Haggard, read for you at Forgotten Classics!

Julie thinks Father Logan has dreamy eyes and Scott is judging Inspector Larrue for his pointed investigation.

They both confess they love this little known Alfred Hitchcock movie while discussing I Confess at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Worth a Thousand Words: Tawny Owl

Tawny Owl
taken by that extraordinary photographer Remo Savisaar

It's All Downhill From Here: Screenshot

A little midweek humor, courtesy of xkcd with whom I completely agree!

The Last Monk of Tibhirine by Freddy Derwahl

The Last Monk of Tibhirine: A True Story of Martyrdom, Faith, and Survival by Freddy Derwahl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Jean-Pierre appeared at the gate in the late afternoon of my arrival, we immediately embraced each other. He knew what I expected of him—namely, that I hoped he would relate the whole story to me. I found the slightly bent-over eighty-seven-year-old Trappist monk in good spirits. His blue-green eyes accentuated an impish smile that concealed great kindness. Deep wrinkles on his forehead and chin did not bear the signs of worry but of wisdom. He wore a sand-colored habit typical for this climate, with a leather belt, and on his head a knit tarbush bearing Islamic motifs. ... The next morning at 10:30, we sat down together for the first time. Our only topic was his life. The massacre of his seven brothers lay fifteen years in the past. He, however, had been spared from the attack, so where had his fate led him since then?

This is the story of Jean-Pierre Schumacher, the last surviving member of a Cistercian monastic community in Algeria, whose members were was kidnapped and killed in 1996. Like many people, I became aware of that event when I saw the movie Of Gods and Men, which Scott Danielson and I discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

This book alternates between Jean-Pierre's life story and author Freddy Derwahl's experience while on retreat at the monastery. It includes the lives of the martyred monks as their lives intertwined with Jean-Pierre's, with special emphasis on the prior, Christian, and his writing. Once the timeline gets to the point where the movie was made, it is included in the discussion which is interesting for anyone who has seen it.

I did not expect the book to grab me from the first page as the author told the story, not only of Jean-Pierre, but also of his own experience staying at the new monastery. His diary entries not only drew me into his own experience, but also invited me to deeper reflection.

2:00 pm:
A siesta with open eyes. The text about the exciting life of P. André Louf that I read during the night continues to resonate with me. I need the example of strong men. That is the reason why I had also taken along the books by Pope Benedict and Ernst Junger. They tested their limits—one of them in a gentle manner, the other defying death. By the way, both of them feel the mocking criticism of their time breathing down their necks.

9:30 pm:
I sit outside on my little wooden bench. Rarely was the star-filled sky so comforting. We are surrounded by magnificence that is unreachable and yet a promise that is quite close.

One of the most impressive things to me about this book is the way that the monks' offer their faith to others by embracing all that they can of Islam. That may sound overly ecumenical but the way that Christian approached it was to include all the Islamic symbolism and patterns possible in different parts of the monastery. This at least added a familiar feel to visiting Muslims and added a context for showing where there were common points of worship and faith.

It worked so well that twice a year there were a group of Muslim devout who would come for a day of common prayer and worship, at the Muslims' request. They quickly discovered that discussing theological points led to disagreement and so learned to focus on the God alone. This made it possible to connect as people of faith based on the core idea of searching for God and personally connecting with Him.

A deep bond developed between the prior and the Muslim friend after the latter had asked him to teach him how to pray, and for many years there was a lively spiritual exchange between the two. After they had not seen each other for a while due to various other obligations, the Muslim friend said to him, "I think it is time to dig in our common well again." It was an allusion to the depth that characterized their encounters.

Christian responded, "And what will we find at the bottom of the well? Muslim or Christian water?"

Then he looked at him with a mixture of smiling and sorrow: "Do you still ask yourself this question? Don't you know that on the bottom of this fountain we will find the water of God?"

The Last Monk of Tibhirine was originally written in German and the English translation occasionally betrays awkwardness. The most obvious place was when Derwahl's July 26 diary said, "Mass in celebration of the Apostle Jacob." I was stopped in my tracks as I pondered who the Apostle Jacob might be. Finally going to a liturgical calendar I realized that it was a mistranslation. July 26 is the Apostle James' feast day.

There were a few other awkward phrasings in sentences which seemed as if they should connect to transitional commentary or new thoughts, but which never materialized.These were not egregious enough to make reading problematic but did cause the occasional hiccup.

Overall The Last Monk of Tibhirine is suitable for either slow, meditative reading or simply to learn more about the story of Jean-Pierre and Our Lady of Atlas monastery. I enjoyed it on both levels. Suffice it to say that this book is a gem whether one has seen Of Gods and Men or not. Highly recommended.

Faces of Christ by Jane Williams

Faces of Christ by Jane Williams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jesus is one of the most commonly portrayed figures of all time in the artistic community. But what can all of his varying faces—coming from so many different ages and diverse countries around the world—tell us about him as a person? In this beautiful book, images of Jesus are used to explore his life and legacy, including Jesus as shepherd, Jesus as victor, Jesus as broken, and many more. With illuminating text and arresting images, this book is visually stunning and textually inspiring.

This was a birthday gift and I'm so glad I had it on my wish list. I'm continually trying to find books that use art for Christian reflection and meditation. They open up faith in a way that plain words alone don't. Thus far, Sister Wendy Beckett's books have been the only ones I've found, so Jane Williams comes as a welcome addition.

Williams chooses diverse artists that reveal strikingly different ways to think about different aspects of Christ's life and our own. Her text is spare but illuminating. I'm about a third of the way into the book (it is small) and have already had three "aha" moments. This book will become part of my regular rotation of meditation books and I can foresee that it will shed light in different areas when I need it most.

Worth a Thousand Words: Victorian Clock Tower

Victorian Clock Tower, Ripon, England
taken by Joseph of Zombie Parent's Guide

Doesn't this look like the perfect little bit of an English town? I almost feel as if I were there. Joseph tells us:

On the other side of town is the Victorian Clock Tower. Two sisters had this built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

He's got more of the town at the link.

Well Said: The Door of Bread and Wine

...the door comes to us, and it looks like bread and wine. But it is God. God coming to live in us, here, until we can go to live with Him, there.

It’s a hard, crazy kind of faith we have to have, because we were not made for it. We were made to live with God, to see Him face to face, to walk with Him every evening in the garden. We weren’t made to live so separate. It hurts. We want to see the door, we want to be sure it’s the door, we want to peek around the other side and know for certain what lies behind the door.

Well, original sin destroyed that door. And that door came back to us, God made flesh, and re-opened the way.

Jennifer Fitz, at Catholic Mom

I like that point, that we weren't made to live separate from God. I know it but I forget in the mishmash of daily life. I need to be reminded. This is the heart of it, but there's a bit more if you go to the link.

Trailer - Life Itself (documentary about Roger Ebert)

I've been curious about this for some time. The gang at RogerEbert.com has been following progress of every showing at various festivals, including Cannes.

I was impressed it was directed by the Hoop Dreams director and so was excited to see the trailer.

Which just made me want more. The way a good trailer should. See for yourself.

(P.S. It also made me miss Gene Siskel all over again.)

Well Said: Being Honest With God

For when you say only the things that you believe you should say, rather than being honest, any relationship grows cold, including one with God.

Father James Martin, Jesus: A Pilgrimage

I remembered this just yesterday and it was of immense help. 

Instead of just putting up with something, I needed to be completely honest with God about the fact that I was afraid, distrustful in fact, that He wasn't going to come through for me in a certain situation.

Wow, did that help with everything. Including connecting with God.

And then I could prepare for the fact that I might just have to put up with it. (I didn't have to, but that's a different story.)

Angels and Saints by Scott Hahn (with Book Giveaway)

Angels and Saints: A Biblical Guide to Friendship with God's Holy Ones by Scott Hahn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a solid, understandable book that explains the concept and theology of angels and saints. The last half of the book contains the stories of specific saints and angels, along with an excerpt from a writing about them (usually from a Church Father). It would definitely be a good book to give to someone wondering about the topic.

Angels and saints have been a special interest of mine since my conversion in 2000 so I've read a lot of books on the subject. Therefore, a lot of the information was not new to me. Even so, almost every section had some tidbit which was a surprise or gave me a new perspective. A few samples of the sort of things that knocked my socks off:

• Humans are the minority in the Church. Oh, right. Angels outnumber us, which makes sense when you realize that each of us has a guardian angel. (I also was blown away by the connection of guardian angels to Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane where he was comforted and assisted by ... yep ...  an angel.)

• Hahn draws on rabbinical teachings to point out: It was Moses' special intimacy with God that made it possible for him to compose the Torah. He could describe the earliest days of creation not because he was there, but because God was; through prayerful intimacy, Moses had come to see as God saw. Oh snap!

• There was not a bishop alive who could speak the language of the Old Testament, but Jerome was teaching it to Roman widows and teenagers. They pushed him to the point where he lamented that they had surpassed him in their ability to speak Hebrew with no accent.

My favorite part was the introduction where Scott Hahn shares his personal experience, which is both moving and inspiring. I think the book could have done with a few more personal touches throughout and then I might have given it another star.

Hahn's been writing more of these "Catholic basics" books lately but this is the first I've read. If it is any indication, he's giving the Church a fine resource. He's certainly giving regular readers a great chance to dig deeper into their faith.

BLOG TOUR
I'll be participating in the blog tour for this book along with 11 other bloggers. Scott Hahn chose 12 favorite saints to highlight and we'll each be reflecting on his chapter about a saint close to our hearts as well.

My day is June 2.

My choice? I get two for one! Saint Monica and Saint Augustine.

Here's the schedule.

• May 27: St. Michael and the Angels - Catholic Katie 
• May 28: Moses - Abigail’s Alcove
• May 29: St. Paul - Catholic Bibles
• May 30: St. Ignatius of Antioch - The Orant
• May 31: St. Irenaeus of Lyons - Seasons of Grace
• June 1: St. Jerome - Stuart’s Study
• June 2: St. Monica and St. Augustine - Happy Catholic 
• June 3: St. Thomas Aquinas - Blog of the Courtier
• June 4: St. Therese of Lisieux - Single Catholic Girl
• June 5: St. Maximilian Kolbe - Random Acts of Momness
• June 6: St. Josemaria Escriva - Catholic Mom 
• June 7: Queen of All Saints, Mother of the Church - This Cross I Embrace 

BOOK GIVEAWAY
And I'll be doing a book giveaway on the day of the blog tour! Woohoo! Leave a comment here to enter in the random drawing that I'll hold that day. If you comment anonymously, that is fine, but leave your name in the comment so I can alert you if you win!

Movie Group in a Nutshell

Yesterday's daily quote included my comments about a movie group I do at a local assisted living facility. I was asked about what the "model" was which has proven so successful.

I actually have been meaning to do a blog to serve as a resource with lists and tips in case anyone else was interested in such a venture. I began one and then got distracted. I'll get busy with it again.

In a nutshell, it is providing activity for small groups, rather than large ones. I've been working with the facility's management but providing a way that those within the small group can help nurture it if they are interested.

The facility had most activities organized around large groups attending and this was their first view of how successfully a small group could turn into a vibrant community. And when I say small, let's be clear. I was thrilled Monday to hear that about 15 people watched the movie and to have 9 people come to lunch.

It has been hit and miss to get to where we are. I wanted to do something to volunteer and was asked to set up my own idea. All I really could think of was the sort of conversations Scott and I have at A Good Story is Hard to Find.

I began over a year ago with a book and movie club, which met in the afternoons. It turns out that very few wanted to read books or even listen to audiobooks, which the facility happily provided free.

So movies are the focus.

Afternoons were also a problem as people had other activities or wanted to nap after lunch.

So a couple of group members were inspired to move the meeting to lunch time. Because who doesn't want to have a good conversation with a meal? We all know the key to getting attendance is to provide food, no matter what time of day.

The current formula, which has been working well for some time, is that we meet twice a month. The movie is shown on Sunday evening by a group member, though the management is going to begin also showing it on Fridays (as we continue to tweak). On Monday there is a lunch for anyone who saw it to come and join a group discussion. I have trivia from Wikipedia/IMDB and insights just from reading various reviews, to try to foster conversation.

Well Said: What we are promised.

I happen to love our latest pope (and, really, who doesn’t?), but we were never promised loveable popes. We have plenty of saints to keep us company and give us heart, thank God, but we were never promised that the Church would be administered by them, nor even that the Church would be administered by minimally decent and reasonably competent people. We are not promised that Jesus will never again be denied, deserted and betrayed, nor are we promised that trusted teachers, priests, bishops and popes won’t do the denying, deserting and betraying. We are not promised that they (and we) won’t sin again and again and again, only that He will always forgive.

What we are promised is not that we possess the Truth but that He has a Church and that He will always be there, however we may deny, desert and betray Him. What we are promised is that the One who told Moses so frightfully “no one can look upon Me and live” now offers Himself to us as food. What we are promised is his presence in the Eucharist, his mercy in our sorrow, his welcome as we lie dying. What we are promised is that He loves us, and that, if we will only bring ourselves to ask, He will bless us with a ravenous hunger for intimacy with Himself. That He will save us, in other words.

Michael Garvey, Still Catholic

Yep. Wherever we go, there we are. All the more reason we need Christ and His Church ... and to remember His promises.

Well Said: Our Efforts and Jesus

We also may feel our efforts are inadequate. ... But Jesus accepts what we give, blesses it, breaks it open, and magnifies it. Often in ways that we don't see or cannot see.

Father James Martin, Jesus: A Pilgrimage

This seems facile to say but I actually saw that in action just this morning. The director of the assisted living facility where I do my bimonthly movie group said that it was one of the most successful programs they have. And that they are having more programs "follow your model."

My model?

I was slightly stunned. Mostly because I know the inspiration to try the group was due to a strange coming together of "pushes": Bilbo picking a troll's pocket, me reading to my mother-in-law, and stepping way out in faith (and fear) to try a new idea when it occurred to me. So, evidently a divine inspiration. (Nice to have that confirmed.)

A classic for our times: reviewing Something Other Than God by Jennifer Fulwiler

Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It by Jennifer Fulwiler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


SHORT VERSION: 
I can think of an awful lot of people who I'd give this book to:

Christians trying to understand atheists (like a pal of mine who said, "I just don't know how those people don't believe in God." I almost shoved my copy into her hands. Almost. Hey, I wasn't finished with it yet.)

Atheists trying to understand Christians.

Protestants trying to understand Catholic teachings.

Catholics trying to understand Church teachings.

Catholics who understand but struggle with following Church teachings.

Anyone wanting an inspirational story of change and redemption.

Yes, that really is an awful lot of people ...

LONG VERSION
Jennifer Fulwiler was raised by loving parents who didn't push their atheism on her or do more than tell her to think for herself. However, that in itself was enough to produce a dedicated atheist, especially when told to an intelligent youngster who applied herself with the passion that only youth can muster to facts and logical conclusions.

I looked at the ammonite settled in between my soggy sneakers and I understood for the first time that my fate was no different than its own.

I had always thought of these creatures as being fundamentally different from me. They were the dead things, I was the alive thing, and that's how it would be forever. Now I wondered what had kept me from understanding that to look at these long-dead life-forms was to look at a crystal ball of what lay in store for me—except that, unless I happened to die by falling into some soft mud, I wouldn't end up a fossil. Ten million years from now, there would be nothing left of me.

[...]

There was no solution to my problem, because it wasn't even a problem; it was just a new awareness of reality. But as I took one last glance at the pickup before it disappeared from view. I felt like there was some answer in that brief flash of happiness I'd experienced while driving the truck. The grim truth I'd uncovered hadn't gone away, but it was somehow rendered less significant when I'd been immersed in the distraction of having fun.

Her only encounters with Christians were, frankly, off-putting and tended to be with friends who were not at all equipped to discuss faith versus scientific truth and logic. So Fulwiler spent many years losing herself in fun to distract herself from the awareness of mortality.

When Fulwiler became a wife and mother, the life-altering love she experienced defied logic. It defied scientific explanations. It tipped the scales against atheism. With this realization, she began searching for the truth. That truth led her to a place she'd never have expected, conversion to Catholicism.

On the surface, this is Fulwiler's story of her  conversion. However, because she required so much reflection, connection, and research before relinquishing her old beliefs, it is also a primer on logical investigation and thought. Finally, it is a exploration of Catholic teachings and how they apply to modern life. It was key for Fulwiler to fully understand all the implications of what she was accepting so she takes care to make sure the reader also understands.

This isn't done in a dry or preachy way. Au contraire, I often found myself laughing, especially at the time she sat in a bathroom stall for hours, reading a Bible furiously searching for answers and just as furiously spinning the toilet paper roll to send away people who knocked on the door.  And there are moving and insightful moments such as when she is reading C. S. Lewis, listening to Tupac Shakur, and melding her thoughts about both into realizations about hell, heaven, and purgatory.

I recently read St. Augustine's Confessions, the first autobiography ever written. It is a moving and completely honest book about one man's search for ultimate truth. On many levels Fulwiler conveys the same passionate desire to know what is true, what can be trusted, as that young African seeker did 1,600 years ago.

Augustine's book is a classic because it spoke so directly to the people of his time and yet sounds its message through the ages. Other Christian classics do the same. Francis de Sales with his Introduction to the Devout Life, Teresa of Avila with her Interior Castle, and Thérèse of Lisieux with The Story of a Soul all addressed problems of their time with advice that is still applicable and invaluable today. They reach us now because the human soul always struggles with the same problems and they speak in a way that transcends their own particular eras.

Why do I bring them up? Only time will tell if this book is a classic that reaches beyond our time. I think it is nuanced, well written, and relatable enough that it could.

What I do know is that, as with those classics, this book was written to address a dire need in the author's own time. Right here, right now, our country and the Western world are crying out for a way to make the world make sense. Jennifer Fulwiler's book spells it out in a way that cannot be ignored by any honest truth seeker. She tells of the truth that transcends mere facts while speaking the language that our modern, science loving, atheistic world understands.

It is truly a classic for our times.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1889
via WikiPaintings

When I think of my sister's birthday, I always think of irises. When we were children in Kansas, irises bloomed thickly around the little pond near our house. We always had vases full of them at that time of year. I have since come to love them in a way that I didn't when I was young. Every different color of iris has a different fragrance and I love the scent of each and every one.

This brings me to my sister whose super-curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and light, fluttery personality must have made her like a vivid, exotic butterfly in our household. She's a bright, vivid spot in my life. An iris of unusual perfume and difference who makes me glad. Happy birthday, Lisa!

Vase With Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1890
also via WikiPaintings

"I am a Christian and I will remain a Christian"

The judge sentenced her to hang.

The Deacon's Bench has a good roundup of stories about this 26-year-old pregnant Christian doctor who has been sentenced to 100 lashes and death after refusing to deny her faith.

John Allen wrote The Global War on Christians for this very reason. We may face low-level cultural bias here, but there is real, horrible persecution going on around the world. Which the media usually ignores. This story is just the tip of the iceberg and unusual because it is getting coverage.

I can't deny that I've been a bit afraid of tackling that book. It sits on my review stack now. But this news story means I've got to read it soon.

These are our brothers and sisters, suffering for their faith in a way that we can't imagine coming to us personally. We must pray for them and not be silent about their persecution.

Well Said: Becoming New Men and a Pinch of Salt

To become new men means losing what we now call ‘ourselves’. Out of our selves, into Christ, we must go. His will is to become ours and we are to think His thoughts, to ‘have the mind of Christ’ as the Bible says. And if Christ is one, and if He is thus to be ‘in’ us all, shall we not be exactly the same? It certainly sounds like it; but in fact it is not so.

It is difficult here to get a good illustration; because, of course, no other two things are related to each other just as the Creator is related to one of His creatures. ... suppose a person who knew nothing about salt. You give him a pinch to taste and he experiences a particular strong, sharp taste. You then tell him that in your country people use salt in all their cookery. Might he not reply ‘In that case I suppose all your dishes taste exactly the same: because the taste of that stuff you have just given me is so strong that it will kill the taste of everything else.’ But you and I know that the real effect of salt is exactly the opposite. So far from killing the taste of the egg and the tripe and the cabbage, it actually brings it out. They do not show their real taste till you have added the salt.

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

What a fantastic illustration, not only to use with others but to keep the idea clear in our own minds.

I must say, I am really enjoying this book A Year With C.S. Lewis. I got it on a whim in January and am really glad I have it on my Kindle for daily reading.

Scott watches in horror as Julie says, "um... excuse me, Lord..."

"... but he's been in there for three days, I don't think you want to go in there."

That's me. Bossy to the end. Meanwhile Scott and I discuss Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Father James Martin at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

The Lord Has Done Great Things For Me

I just wanted to get that out there.

I don't want to share the particular struggle I've been having, but I do want to say that it is one I've been having intermittently for years.

And the other night as I was once again mulling over the struggle, suddenly two sentences floated through my mind.

Simple sentences.

Sentences that completely reoriented me in a way I'd never considered.

And set me free.

It was like a 10-pound weight lifting off my shoulders.

I can't contain my joy and gladness. And gratitude and love. So I came here to share it with you.

The Lord has done great things for me.