Well Said: One form of heroism

After you have suffered great losses and known much pain, it is not cowardice to wish to live henceforth with a minimum of suffering. And one form of heroism, about which few if any films will be made, is having the courage to live without bitterness when bitterness is justified, having the strength to persevere even when perseverance seems unlikely to be rewarded, having the resolution to find profound meaning in life when it seems the most meaningless.

Dean Koontz, The City

Julie goes with Tolkien’s answer, Jesse keeps looking for Entwives

It's the fourth of six episodes discussing The Lord of the Rings at SFFaudio podcast. In this episode we cover The Journey to Mordor (the last book of The Two Towers). Enjoy!

Blogging Around

Frescos in Saint Elian Church, Syria. Bulldozed by ISIS
Source: Wikipedia

Some Desecrations Are More Important Than Others

However, did you hear about the destruction of the irreplaceable frescos and sanctuaries at the Mar Elian monastery? The possible slaughter of its abbot and inhabitants? The desecration of the tomb and the remains of St. Elian?

European press covered it.

UNESCO condemned it.

American press coverage? Nope. Read all about it and get links to the stories at GetReligion.

Stephen Colbert, Tolkien, and Leaning Into Fear

I love the thing that I most wish had not happened.

I asked him if he could help me understand that better, and he described a letter from Tolkien in response to a priest who had questioned whether Tolkien's mythos was sufficiently doctrinaire, since it treated death not as a punishment for the sin of the fall but as a gift. “Tolkien says, in a letter back: ‘What punishments of God are not gifts?’ ” Colbert knocked his knuckles on the table. “ ‘What punishments of God are not gifts?’ ” he said again. His eyes were filled with tears. “So it would be ungrateful not to take everything with gratitude. It doesn't mean you want it. I can hold both of those ideas in my head.”

Joel Lovell, GQ

This is the excerpt you might have seen around the Catholic blogosphere, and it's the one that pulled me in via The Deacon's Bench. There's a lot to chew on in this interview. For me the takeaway moment was about learning to love the bomb. I've been leaning on that in the last few days. Very worthwhile. Go read it all.

Denethor's Ghost and Faramir's Rangers

See how his mind has been turned to despair?

These days, aren’t many of us haunted by the ghost of Denethor? Isn’t most of what we are shown in the media, on our various devices, and on social media discouraging and demoralizing? Aren’t we tempted to retreat, resign ourselves to the toxic culture, or rebel in the sense of thinking that it’s up to us to set things right? Don’t we sometimes use the tactics of the Enemy against our adversaries?

Thomas M. Doran, Denethor's Ghost

Thomas M. Doran has two excellent, thought provoking pieces at Catholic World Report. The response was so great to his thoughts about how we are struggling with Denethor's problem of despair in our age, that he wrote a follow-up piece, Faramir's Rangers. I found both of them enlightening and inspiring. Via Ignatius Insight.

Knock: The Film

On a dark evening in 1879 in the town of Knock, Ireland, fifteen villagers witnessed a vision of the Virgin Mary, an event that shaped the tiny, rural community and declared the town a Marian Shrine. This documentary introduces the world to daily life in Knock as parish priest Father Richard Gibbons transforms the shrine, and the village itself, to adapt to contemporary Ireland and Catholicism.

Also a lawyer, philosopher, and local hero, Father Richard is charged with saving the shrine, and with it the village and his beloved church. His vision is to bring the Marian Shrine into the twenty-first century. In August of 2015, 178 American pilgrims, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, depart from New York City and touch down at the Knock airport. The future of this tiny rural town is about to change.

Underground Films in Dublin is currently producing a feature documentary on the miracle town of Knock, Ireland, also a Marian Shrine. This looks interesting. Do go check out the info at their film page. They're doing crowdfunding to cover the costs, though it looks as if that is going pretty well. They could also use publicity. Take a look around and tell a friend.

Predicting Social Future: Political Correctness

One of my science fiction novels was rejected by a publisher, who told me that my book was sexist. Why? Because two of its characters are planning an act of genocide, the extermination of an intelligent species on a distant planet, but the woman is the instigator and the man is just carried away by her. Apparently, women cannot be wicked!

Manuel Alfonseca looks at past science fiction classics to see how they predicted some of our current day ills. Those following the Hugo Awards wars over "social justice" will appreciate Manuel's piece as timely.

Shine Catholic

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

That's the inspiration for the new blog Shine Catholic. Their goal is to shed light on the Catholic faith and, from what I've read, they do a good job. I especially appreciated "Four Things People Who Oppose Gay Marriage Need to Stop Doing" but there are a variety of pieces ranging from personal testimony to information about Catholic basics like sacramentals. Check it out.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Leak Stops

Clayton Plumbers, Brand Ave., Glendale
taken by Will Duquette

I love a good, old neon sign. This one makes me long to see it at night so I can see the water drops light up with "The. Leak. Stops."

When we were in Glendale, several years ago, a neon museum was underway. It must be open by now. It is on my grand tour list for when we return.

Well Said: Give Something

Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not small to one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could.

St. Gregory Nazianzen

How Rational Are You Really?

Here's an interesting quiz that Rose came across in a podcast.

It's not one of those simple quizzes that show up on Facebook, but one with more thoughtful, interesting questions.

Of the 16 possible personality types, I'm a .... Skeptic!

No surprises there, right?

I did find the final report interesting. For example, it highlighted a weakness that I recently became aware of and have resolved to work on:

It appears that you may have a sharp tendency to underestimate the time and resources your projects will require.

I blame the internet for distracting me all the time!

Or, we can just say that I'm an optimist!

Either way, I've gotta stop doing it so much!

Worth a Thousand Words: Evening at the Coast

Evening at the Coast
by Remo Savisaar

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Cake by Cake Couture by Tina
Do you live near Cebu City? That's where Tina is. Get one of her cakes!

This is the same cake as I featured last year because I couldn't improve upon it, no matter how hard I searched.

It either had to be a Pit Bull cake for Kif or a German Shepherd cake for Zapp since those are Hannah's two dogs. (Or Futurama now that I think of it since her dog names are both characters from that show.) This was just so adorable that I kept it.

I wasn't Catholic when she was born but now I feel very lucky that she chose to come on the Feast Day for the Queenship of Mary.

It's Spicy Ginger Cake with Chocolate Frosting again this year, at Hannah's request. Mmmm, a delicious but unexpected combination.

We'll be going out for dinner with Hannah and Mark, our soon to be son-in-law to an Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant. I'm really looking forward to trying it. And then home for cake and gifts!

The best, of course, is the gift of Hannah herself to our family. Our tree loving, animal loving, sweet girl who is smart as a whip, funny, and thoughtful. No wonder we love her so much. We just can't help ourselves!

Well Said: What the Nation Needs

The nation doesn't simply need what we have. It needs what we are.

St. Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein)

Saint Peter: Flawed, Forgiven, and Faithful by Stephen J. Binz

One of this book's subtitles is "Walking with Peter from Galilee to Rome."

It's the perfect description of this book. When I've read about Peter in scripture I usually tend to relate it to myself. Am I acting like Peter or not? What lessons could I learn from his life? I've never stopped to ask myself what Peter himself experienced every step of the way with Jesus. Or to wonder what he learned as he went on "alone" after the Ascension.

Stephen J. Binz turns the spotlight on Peter so that we remember he was a real person, in unimaginable circumstances, traveling and learning from the Son of God, and then carrying on the ministry after Jesus's ascension. I'll certainly never think of Peter the same way now that Stephan Binz's book made him and his journey come alive.

Like Capernaum, Bethsaida was a fishing village, and possibly a center for drying and salting fish to export. But unlike Capernaum, Bethsaida was a town in which Jews lived together with Gentiles.

This interesting detail of Peter's background means that he would have associated freely with Greek-speaking Gentiles throughout his early life. It should also be noted that fishing was a profitable business in first-century Galilee, especially for those who owned boats and could hire help. These details indicate that Peter was not necessarily the poor, illiterate Jewish fisherman he is often made out to be. It is more likely that Peter was a middle-class entrepreneur. He certainly spoke Aramaic, probably read Hebrew, and quite possiblty also spoke and read Greek, the language of trade and commerce at the time.

Binz has us step back from the familiar interpretations of the scripture we often know so well that we have forgotten to think about it. He gives us new ways to understand what it meant to the people who wrote it, read it, and, most importantly, lived it. For example, speaking of Peter witnessing Jesus' transfiguration, Binz points out:

Peter, who was unable to conceive of Jesus' suffering and being put to death, is enlightened and uplifted through this vision of Jesus' transfigured glory. Yet Peter has to learn that the moment of glory was not given to him for its own sake; it is to help him seek the presence and the will of God in all things. The vision on the mountain will helps him realize that his own walking the way of the cross can be filled with radiance. ...

Weaving together pilgrimage experiences, spiritual reflections, and indepth knowledge of the Bible, Binz made me feel that I really have a personal knowledge, a connection, with Peter the man. He skillfully links this material with what Peter means for Catholics as the first pope and first leader of the Church.

I also especially enjoyed the way Binz would feature actual Holy Land descriptions in his explanations. It made me "feel" the place where these events took place and sometimes that too was important in understanding Peter and his journey.

I've been a long time fan of Stephen Binz's books about lectio divina and bible study, but this one is different. It is far and away my favorite.  "Take up and read," as a mysterious voice told St. Augustine. This is a book that will enrich your life.

Well Said: Humility and the Devil

The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.

St. Vincent de Paul

Worth a Thousand Words: The Fortune Teller

Caravaggio (1571–1610), The Fortune Teller, between 1596 and 1597

At first glance she seems sweet but after a second look at those calculating eyes, I don't trust her at all.

Worst Feeling Ever

Being included in a tweet about The Lord of the Rings, idly reading it.

Realizing that tweet is because that I'm supposed to be discussing the first part of The Return of the King on Sunday. 

SUNDAY..

And it's Tuesday. Noon on Tuesday. 

I haven't even begun.

Oh the horror!

What have I been doing wasting my time laughing in a leisurely fashion at The Pickwick Papers?

Well Said: A cup of cold water

Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him.

St. Dominic Savio

You know, I always thought about what those verses (Matthew 25:31-46) meant in terms of what I needed to do, to keep in mind in dealing with others. I never thought about what it said about our Master.

Worth a Thousand Words: Taking a Nap

Taking a Nap
taken by the incomparable Remo Savisaar

What We've Been Watching: The Invisible Man, Red Army, John Adams

Red Army (2014)

Riveting account of the Soviet hockey team before the collapse of the Soviet Union. As someone who watched their Olympic defeat at the hands of the U.S. with relish, I was fascinated to see the other side of the story. This documentary begins far before that and ends in modern times.

What we really are seeing is an interesting insight into life in the Soviet regime as part of their propaganda machine. That didn't make their accomplishments any less and seeing what happened to the players later in life was an interesting look at how people get buffeted around after their foundation has been knocked out from under them ... and at how they get back up again.

The Invisible Man (1933)

This 1933 film was a blockbuster for the special effects, humor, and thrills. I'd been really interested to see how it held up and have to say I was really impressed with the special effects. No wonder it wowed 'em!

Claude Rains, hired for his first Hollywood movie because of his expressive voice, was masterful in acting without his face showing since it was swathed in bandages to give it visual form. I wish I could say the same for the acting of his supporting cast. Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, and Henry Travers were either placeholders or wooden at best. I did like James Whales' trademark humor which was strewn throughout, especially the contributions made by police officers.

Overall recommended for an entertaining evening at the movies and a view of Hollywood film history.

John Adams (HBO miniseries) 2008

This had been recommended by so many people and won so many Emmys that we weren't surprised to find ourselves really liking it.

However, my husband read the book some years before and after a while he began saying, "I don't remember so much emphasis on this thing." Or "They make the Jefferson-Adams hostilities look like a minor tiff."

Once I began looking there were a lot of places where the series diverged from the book, we assumed for dramatic purposes. We understand things have to be dumbed down for translation from an indepth book to television, but still the points began adding up.

Then one wonders if the need to dramatize led to a whole lot of adding-on for modern sensibilities. For example, there is, of course, an inherent irony now because slave labor worked on the White House. However, in actuality there were also free African-Americans, migrant laborers, and regular tradesmen. I understand the need to make a point. Slavery was a touchy topic from the word go. And, as I said, the irony. But to be shown only a slave workforce and then get hit over the head with it every time the Adams popped their heads out of doors got a bit old, considering the actual fact of the matter.

This was just one of a variety of areas where we felt modern interpretations were too much with us (Adams weeping in the alley after casting off his scoundrel son was another such moment, though I haven't read the book and perhaps he dutifully recorded deep sorrow in his diary entry that day).

Watching a historical movie is one thing when inaccuracies are used for presentation purposes or to make a point more clearly. However, seven episodes of someone's life story, even one as full as that of John Adams, one would hope the details could be correct. I'm not here for the acting or set designs after all, splendid though they were.

In which it's the White Moll's turn to rescue The Adventurer and we learn something shocking!

Chapters 9-10 of The White Moll are ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics!

Worth a Thousand Words: The Boats are Still Sleeping

The Boats are Still Sleeping
painted by Edward B. Gordon

The boats are still sleeping. Early morning by the river. The morning light finds its way through the clouded skies, the temperature still pleasant, refreshed by the coolness of the night, time to go for a swim…

Genesis Bible Study - Index

GENESIS

• Studying Genesis - Resources
• Introduction - In the Beginning
• 1:1-31 - A Hymn of Creation
• 1:1-31 - The God Who Creates Out of Nothing
• 1:1-31 - God Revealed Through Creation
• 1:1-31 - Revelation About the Universe and Man
• 2:1-7 - Covenant and Being Human
• 2:8-17 - Creation of the Garden
• 3:1-3 - Intimidation
• 3:4-5 - Temptation and Response
• 3:7-15 - Consequences
• 3:16-19 - Pride and Suffering
• Adam's Resume
• Eve's Resume
• Masculine Genius and Feminine Genius
• What the Bible Says About Marriage
• The Woman: Full of Grace
• The Woman: Both Blessed and Suffering
• The Woman: From Jesus' Lips
• The Woman: Seeing Mary
• Her Seed: Jesus
• Her Seed: Birth of the Church
• Her Seed: Resurrection and the Tree of Life
• 4:1-26 - Life Outside Eden
• 4:1-26 - A Lesson in Contrasts
• Cain's Resume
• 5 - Adam's Descendents
• 6-8 - Left Behind
• 6-8 - Noah and the Flood
• 6-8 - Symbolism in Noah's Story
• Abel's Resume
• 6-9 - The Noachide Covenant
• 9-10 - Covenant Renewed
• 11-12 - The Call to Abram
• 13 - Abram's Practicality
• 14 - Melchizedek
• Melchizedek's Resume
• 15 - God's Covenant with Abram
• 16 & 17 - Faith and Obedience
• 18 & 19 - A Man of the Covenant
• Lot's Resume
• 20 & 21 - A Stumble and a Son
• Ishmael's Resume
• Hagar's Resume
• 22 - The Test
• 23 - Burial and Bargaining
• Jews, Christians, Muslims ... and Abraham
• 22 & 23 - What Abraham's Life Means to Us
• Abraham's Resume
• Sarah's Resume
• 24 & 25 - Isaac - the Bridge Between Generations
• Isaac's Resume
• Rebekah's Resume
• 27 & 28 - Jacob, Chosen by God
• Soft Spot for Esau
• Esau's Resume
• 29 & 30 - Growth and Testing
• 31-33 - Wrestling with Faith and a New Name
• Rachel's Resume
• Laban's Resume
• The Importance of Isaac and Jacob
• 34 - A Violent Attack and the Wrong Reaction
• 35 & 36 - God's Covenant Confirmed
• Jacob's Resume
• 37 - Joseph Sold by His Brothers
• 38 - Judah's Story
• 38 - More About Judah's Story
• 39 - Dealing With Temptation
• 39 - A Few Facts About Egypt
• 41 - Pharaoh's Dreams and Levels of Meaning
• 42 - Jacob Meets His Brothers Again
• 42 - Responding to the Test
• 46 - The Significance of Numbers
• The New Covenant is Fulfillment of the Old

I finally felt an earthquake.

We've been having little tremors for months but I've never felt one until this morning. It was reported as 2.7 (about 6:15am) in the usual location across town in Irving but, as my husband said who was in another room at the time, it shook the house like a tree fell on it.

It was crazy. I was sitting on the couch reading the paper and suddenly the front door shook as if a gigantic gust of wind had hit it. Our big Boxer woofed and went to look out the front window. No one was there. He looked over his shoulder at me inquiringly. We decided it must have been an earthquake.

It was our Doan and Carstairs moment. (Because, yes, everything always seems to come back to books.)