Well Said: Steeped in Love for the Word

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Psalm 119:97

This Psalm (119) is steeped in love for the word of God whose beauty, saving power, and capacity for giving joy and life, it celebrates; because the divine Law is not the heavy yoke of slavery but a liberating gift of grace that brings happiness.

Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer

I've been rereading this collection of Pope Benedict's teaching homilies about prayer. Once again I am in awe of his ability to connect with me so deeply but simply.

Study in Light: Mr. Bull Moose

Mr. Bull Moose
taken by Remo Savisaar

In which the Pug plays a deep game and Gypsy Nan's crime is revealed.

Chapters 15-16 of The White Moll are ready at Forgotten Classics podcast, as well as a podcast highlight and other listening recommendations.

Pope Francis - Preparing for His U.S. Visit

The pope is just a few days away from his first visit to the U.S. (Not just as pope, but ever.)

I've been vaguely aware of the hype and swelling excitement, but have to admit that yesterday I had to look up the dates he was going to be here. (Sept. 22 - 27 for those similarly unaware.) I haven't felt the need to keep track of anything because I knew that once he hit our shores I wouldn't be able to avoid it even if I wanted to.

However, I was interested enough to prepare slightly by listening to this podcast yesterday.

Pope Francis: The Times are Changing

It is from The Torch, which is the sampler podcast for The Great Courses. This special episode features Professor William Cook who has done series about St. Francis of Assisi and the history of the Catholic Church. Both have been excellent and very fair and evenhanded so I felt I could trust his comments about Pope Francis. Indeed, they proved to be illuminating and interesting.

During the visit, I'll be counting on several trusted sources for news and commentary:

• John L. Allen, Crux: Allen is insightful, fair, and extremely experienced in covering the Catholic Church for Americans. His piece, A Guide for Americans to "Decoding" Pope Francis is good preliminary reading. For example, Francis uses the term "fundamentalist" in a very different way than we understand it here.
• GetReligion: I link to their pieces frequently, as regular readers know, because they are experts at examining how the press is reporting on religion. That means they will ask common sense questions which help us understand how pieces may be incomplete or skewed for a particular viewpoint. They also point out excellent reporting which I'd never have seen otherwise.
• Whispers in the Loggia: the place for reading what the Pope actually says, often in full, not just what the media sound bytes would have you believe.
• The Deacon's Bench: Deacon Greg Kandra had a long career in broadcast journalism and has a good eye for stories that are both interesting and pertinent. He doesn't often comment on the stories himself, preferring to point you to the original source. 

Of course, I'll be linking to other interesting things as they arise.

My Bumper Sticker

I was just had my THIRD person in a year go to a lot of trouble to get my attention while we were both driving. To say that they really liked my bumper sticker.

Got it at the Eisenhower Presidential Library (which sets the gold standard for presidential libraries) and thought it was hilarious. Also, I've never seen another car with it so I never worry about heading for the wrong red Freestyle.

But it obviously hits another chord these days!

What I've Been (and am) Reading

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

As I mentioned before, I was reading Naomi Novik's series at a wild, gleeful pace.

This is the fifth book of the series and was my favorite. Unfortunately, it marked the high point though I did read all the remaining books.

This one shows us Temeraire and Laurence separated. How each fares without the other shows both their dependence on each other and what how they've changed and grown since they became companions. Here, too, we get down to brass tacks as Bonaparte invades England. Unlike many of the battle oriented parts of the previous books I really was engaged by this entire story, battles and all.


The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer by Romano Guardini

I have no memory of reading this before, yet I gave it a 4-star rating in 2010. I eventually dug up a vague memory of reading this, thinking it was just the basics, and giving it to our parish's library. So why was it captivating me this time around?

This book makes me think of Gregory the Great's famous quote.

Scripture is like a river . . . broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.

My first time through this book I was the lamb and this time around I was the elephant. Clearly the difference is in my understanding and not in the book itself, which is deceptively simple.

I'm not sure how Guardini pulled it off but this little book has loads of practical common sense for prayer as well as deep insights that sank in and have influenced me greatly.

Highly recommended.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward

I don't even know what sort of search I was doing when I stumbled across this on my Kindle. Maisie Ward was a personal friend of the Chestertons and, so, superbly placed to write this biography only six years after G.K. died. Chock-a-block full of fascinating interviews, excerpts from obscure sources (like early school essays), and family history, this book is written so accessibly that I just dove in.

I don't know why anyone would bother to read another biography of Chesterton (except for Chesterton's autobiography — Ward quotes it and points out that her book is a companion volume at best). I know there are others that are newer but this is so enjoyable and informative that I really am getting a good feel for G.K.

Chapters like that on Bernard Shaw (which was read by Bernard Shaw before the book went to print) are simply priceless for insights into both G.B.S. and G.K.C. I especially loved the fact that Chesterton wrote a book on Shaw, which Shaw reviewed (not too favorably) and then wrote Chesterton a letter chiding him for wasting his time on writing a book about him ... when what Shaw wanted from him was a play! I was completely unprepared for the amount of understanding and affection in the exchange of letters shared in that chapter. There are similar insight insights into Chesterton's other friendships, including that with H.G. Wells.

JEREMIAH
To be honest (and I feel I should after reading this book), I have to admit I skimmed the long prophety parts from that middle onward. However, there was a lot besides that in the book and it did speak a lot to the modern times we're living in. Everyone wants to be told that what they're doing is right and people who point out the truth are shouted down. Yep.

JONAH
I know I've read this before but was struck forcibly by the fact that it is told in 4 concise chapters. "Don't bore us, get to the chorus." I didn't recall thinking before that it was so funny either. Who says the scripture writers didn't have a sense of humor? Now, if I can laugh at my own obvious faults as much as I did at Jonah's.

UNDERWAY

Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies by Jeffrey Overstreet

I'm rereading this book and finding it just as good the second time around, 8 years later. My original review is here.





The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

I got an audiobook review copy from SFFaudio.

This is the beginning of a new Jim Butcher series. People live in city/nation-state spires well above a hostile world, using crystals for energy.  We see it with a likable group of heroes who come together when their spire is attacked by a rival. It's got a steampunk feel and a bit of naval emphasis that is intriguing since I'm about halfway through Master and Commander. Oh, and talking cats. Actually with some people who can "speak" cat. It's a different thing altogether and, at this point, pulled off fairly well.

Although there are goggles and airships and everyone is very polite, this is really space opera rather than steampunk. Butcher is using standard space opera-esque characterizations and motivations but the tale that is unfolding is anything but predictable. This is helped along by a superb narrator who would entice me to listen to a much lesser tale.

I'm about halfway through and am thoroughly enjoying this book, to the point where I'm not listening to anything else. I especially like the subtle flashes of humor, such as Brigid (sp?) always calling Gwen's attention to the fact that her actions weren't so much heroic as rashly putting them all in danger. And thus Butcher undoes the standard space opera trope at that point by making us realize we were all going along with Gwen because it was just what we expected.


The Complete Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour: Volumes 1-7 by Louis L'Amour

Louis L'Amour has a talent for making you speed to the end of the story even when you're fairly sure you know what will happen ... because you're only fairly sure and often he flips the story just a bit on you. Sure the good guys win and the bad guys lose but it's how he goes about it that raises him above other Westerns I've sampled. There's a bit of the O'Henry feel in his work and they capture the essence of what it means to be an American.

I've got this on my Kindle because it's perfect bedtime reading. One L'Amour story and you're ready for pleasant dreams.

ECCLESIASTES
I know that everyone always says this is a really "modern" book but, woah Nelly, they weren't kidding. Never having read it before I am astounded in each chapter at how modern attitudes echo this ancient writing. And here we thought we were so new-fangled. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun ... at least when it comes to human behavior.







Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I've read this before but had been thinking about rereading it. Then I saw that Mythgard Academy's next session (free) is on this book. Listening to Corey Olsen talk about the book is pulling me back into Susanna Clarke's world. Especially since I've read all of Jane Austen since I first read this book. I see the echoes very strongly ... pulling me back ...

Study in Light: Roe Deer on Decorated Floodplain

Roe Deer on Decorated Floodplain
taken by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Our tongues sang for joy

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
then we thought we were dreaming.
Our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.

Psalm 126

We've all felt this way, haven't we? The Lord surprises us, comes into our presence, answers the prayer we hadn't even thought of yet ... and we think we are dreaming, then our mouths fill with laughter.

I Was Dying to See Mad Max Even Before Reading This Review

Mad Max? Call me crazy. Call me old fashioned. This is how I like my post-apocalypse: Biblical.

George Miller is off the charts. He creates an insane action movie that is totally about relationships with NO RELATIONSHIP EXPOSITION! Not a word. No sentiment. Nothing that you would hear in a Lifetime movie. The characters follow the only possible decisions they can make in the moment. Friends/enemies/saviors/destroyers all become one.

Charlize Theron. Charlize Theron. and one more time Charlize Theron. Again, call me old-fashioned, I'm a softie for a one-armed warrior with a buzz-cut and eyes of fire, but I think she delivers one of the greatest performances in an action movie. Ever.

Stephen Tobolowsky, Facebook

Well Said: It's not enough to be busy

It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?

Henry David Thoreau

I wonder what Thoreau would have thought of Facebook, Twitter, and the like?

Well Said: Those who worship Nature.

Nature operates through cruelty. The strong victimize the weak, the injured and ill are left to die unaided. Nature doesn't care about grief or hurt. As I grew older, through high school and college, Nature was revered, even deified. I was not seduced. I learned at a young age that those who worship Nature, worship power.

Stephen Tobolowsky, The Tobolowsky Files podcast, Episode 71

Study in Light: Brown Bear

Brown Bear
taken by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: A Great Book Written by God

Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?

St. Augustine of Hippo

In which we see the fruits of the White Moll's labors and come one step closer to Danglar's lair.

Chapters 13-14 of The White Moll are ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics!

Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth, and Religion by Paul Leggett

Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth, and Religion by Paul Leggett

"Please - I never made horror films. They're fairy tales for adults." — Terence Fisher, London Daily Telegraph, Nov. 27, 1976

Fisher's spiritual orientation is a mixture of myth, fairy tale and Christian doctrine. ... [he] remains one of the few directors in cinema history with a clear, spiritual outlook.

This book is simply fantastic as well as being extremely easy to read. The author groups his considerations into different themes which illustrate Fisher's cinematic worldview. He doesn't ignore the negative in his subject. Even films that are praised highly may be less than perfect and the author is candid about this. But reading this discussion of Fisher's films soon brings to mind how uncritical many other directors and studios have been about their worldview.

I came away with a new list of films to watch and many specific ideas about what to look for in all horror films. How are good and evil defined? Are all supernatural influences considered equal or are some superior to others? Does science trump everything or is there an acknowledgment of other forces at work?

In fact, this book could be considered a primer in looking at all films with such a lens. That is, if one wants to read about horror, Christianity, and movies.

---------------

I first heard of Terence Fisher when Christopher Lee died. Several articles mentioned a passion project of Lee's called The Devil Rides Out, directed by Fisher. Looking for the movie, I became aware of this book in Steven D. Greydanus' article The Cross and the Vampire: Religious Themes in Terence Fisher’s Hammer Horrors, which I highly recommend. A kind and generous Happy Catholic reader gave me this book as a "tip" and I gratefully devoured it in less than a week.

Worth a Thousand Words: Cleese Reads

John Cleese taking a break on the set of Monty Python and The Holy Grail. 1974.
Via Awesome People Reading

Lagniappe: Reading Mr. Dickens

Whether our great-grandchildren do or do not read Mr. Dickens, they will all have to recognize that their great-grandfathers certainly did.

George Stott, Contemporary Review, 1869

In Honor of Mary's Birthday: Special Sale on "Word by Word" Preorders

Most Catholics can recite the Hail Mary but haven’t actually reflected on the meaning of the prayer. Blogger and author Sarah Reinhard invited forty of the most popular Catholic voices, including Lisa M. Hendey, Lisa Mladinich, and Brandon Vogt, to write a brief reflection on one word of the Hail Mary.

In Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary, popular Catholic author Sarah Reinhard compiled an accessible, profound, and unique meditation on each word of the Hail Mary, one of the most important prayer traditions in Catholic life. Each of the reflections encourages readers to “slow down” with the Hail Mary and experience previously unseen dimension in the popular devotion, making it come to life in a new way. This unique, formative, and informative exploration of the beloved prayer is a gift to anyone who wants to be continually changed through it—learning to slow down and examine things more closely.

And me! I did a reflection for the series which became the book. Ave Maria's got a special deal: Preorder Word by Word for $10 PLUS FREE SHIPPING using code MARY at checkout.

Blogging Around

Stephen Colbert Reads Flannery O'Connor

Only on PRI's podcast of Selected Shorts, because it's a long story, Colbert reads The Enduring Chill.
Via Brandywine Books.

The Promise of God by Michael F. Flynn

An excellent short story that is on Michael Flynn's story preview spot for a limited time. The inspiration for the story may be found at The TOF Spot (Michael Flynn's blog).

This story was inspired by, of all people, Orson Scott Card. He was GoH at Lunacon one year and gave a presentation called IIRC "One hundred ideas per hour." It was a mass brainstorming session by which he sought to elicit story ideas from the attendees to show how simple it was to generate such ideas. It was quite an interactive session. After deciding on fantasy and a female protagonist and a few other things, he proposed that magic, like an action in physics, elicits a reaction. One such reaction, which he discarded, was that every time a magician casts a spell, he loses part of his soul. (He was getting multiple ideas at each stage of brainstorming.)

TOF was in the back of the room and when this idea was suggested he said, "Oh!" and this story was conceived. ...

Pro-Life Means Pro-Risk

We need to get over this bourgeois bohemian obsession with order and plans, and open ourselves up to risk in many ways.

Maybe today's youth are too responsible, says Tristyn Bloom, and then goes on to examine the pro-life culture through that lens. Via Darwin Catholic, who adds some solid comments of his own.

Year of Mercy: Pope Francis to Allow All Priests to Grant Absolution for Abortion

I was surprised at what a big deal people thought this was, until I read this Wall Street Journal article which explained that there is an automatic excommunication accompanying abortion which only the bishop can rescind. I knew nothing of this.

Turns out that is because this is an area the U.S. has already handled because many American bishops have already allowed this for priests in their diocese. So this is an area where our local Church has been doing something different than the global Church. Interesting.

According to Nicholas Cafardi, a professor of law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, the concession won’t have a large practical effect in the U.S., because many American bishops have already delegated their authority. In other dioceses, he added, “many priests go looking for reasons why the automatic excommunication doesn’t apply.”

The Curt Jester has commentary about media coverage on this story, with which I agree, as well as some good links. The Deacon's Bench's coverage of this issue includes the Catechism reading on abortion.

Vatican Says "No" to Transsexual Godparents"

Pity the poor bishop who had to take this one to the home office. But their answer makes sense when you read the whole thing. The money quote:

In the Vatican’s full response – which the bishop provided in his statement – the congregation explained that transsexual behavior “reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one's own sexuality.”

“Therefore it is evident that this person does not possess the requirement of leading a life according to the faith and in the position of godfather and is therefore unable to be admitted to the position of godfather or godmother,” they said, referring to canon 874 §3 in the Code of Canon Law.

However, the congregation stressed that there is “no discrimination toward (Alex), but only the recognition of an objective lack of the requirements, which by their nature are necessary to assume the ecclesial responsibility of being a godfather.”

Via The Deacon's Bench.

Well Said: The influence of any amiable honest-hearted duty-doing man

It is not possible to know how far the influence of any amiable honest-hearted duty-doing man flies out into the world; but it is very possible to know how it has touched one's self in going by.

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations