Well Said: "When I run act, I feel His pleasure" — Hugh Jackman

I’m a religious person. This is going to sound weird to you. In Chariots of Fire the runner Eric Liddell says, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” And I feel that pleasure when I act and it’s going well, particularly onstage. I feel what everyone’s searching for, the feeling that unites us all. Call it “God.” Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of “Allow me to surrender.” When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. It’s the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. That’s what it feels like.

Hugh Jackman, Parade interview, via Christopher Closeup

I knew I liked Hugh Jackman. It's a real pleasure to see how grounded he is in this honest interview.

It also made me think about my own life. I like that running or acting can be moments of feeling God's pleasure because we are using the gifts He gave us and they make us come alive.

What are those moments in my own life? When do I desire to surrender myself so that God may appear? When do I feel His pleasure — not because of other efforts or moments of connection — because I am His creation and am glorying in the special gift He bestowed?

Worth a Thousand Words: Goodbye summer girl

Goodbye summer girl
by Calligraphy in the view

Smile has remained in the mind as impression.

Vivid image will be rumination.

I will meet her again?

Go to the link for the remaining photos, haiku (translated from Japanese), and calligraphy.

Blogging Around: Pop Culture Edition

Uncle Orson Reviews Everything: The Martian

... the American characters are, well, American. Without any tokenism, Americans of many ethnicities play vital roles, and nobody makes a big deal about it. Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn’t play “the black guy,” he plays Vincent Kapoor, a top exec at NASA who argues his case with full authority. Eddy Ko (playing Guo Ming) has Chinese heritage, but it’s not about the stereotype of extra-smart Asians; he’s one smart guy among many, doing the jobs that happen to be his.

Orson Scott Card loved the book (me too) and now he tells why he loved the movie (we'll see it Sunday). As always, in doing so he has some interesting observations about everything else, such as hard science fiction movies, the casting, and how skillfully the story had to be adapted to a different medium. All without spoilers.

Cyber Attack

And how can a simple little old woman keep her herself and her information secure? Well, says the book, “You could cancel your Internet service, ditch your cell phone, close your bank account, throw away your debit card, and turn off your electricity. You could quit school and never take a job, vote in an election, get a driver’s license, or fly on an airplane. Of course, such a solution is completely unrealistic.”

Sherry at Semicolon reviews Cyber Attack. It's for young adults but sounds as if it is a good primer for anyone who wants to know more about the basics than the media headlines tell us.

Disney's Aladdin: A Diamond but not in the Rough

What makes the emphasis on Aladdin’s moral failure is all the more remarkable is how rare this motif is in American animation—outside of Pixar. Where Pixar films feature flawed protagonists whose errant decisions have real consequences that must be faced up to, in most Hollywood animation, including Disney, the hero’s choices are always fundamentally vindicated in the end. Aladdin isn’t the only hero of the Disney renaissance to utter the words “It’s all my fault,” but it’s the only time the words have moral weight.

Steven D. Greydanus takes a look at Aladdin from a Catholic point of view. I admit I watched this when we took the kids, long ago, but it never grabbed me the way some others did. It was interesting to revisit it via Greydanus's commentary.

Well Said: Courage

Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they aren't so tough after all.

Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Worth a Thousand Words: Staircase Group

Staircase Group (Portrait of Raphaelle Peale and Titian Ramsay Peale I), 1795) Charles Willson Peale.
Via Books and Art

Peale painted this life size portrait to be a trompe l'oeil and fool the eye into thinking it was real. To that end, he installed the painting in his studio inside a door frame with a step in front of it. It must have fooled many people.

Well Said: Chasing Two Rabbits

If you chase two rabbits, you may not catch even one.

Japanese proverb

Would that we discovered this logo before the concept of multi-tasking arose.

Worth a Thousand Words: Sunset over Tujunga

Sunset over Tujunga
Taken by Will Duquette

Will lives in these foothills and I'm trying very hard not to be envious over the beautiful view he gets every day. Be sure to click through on the link to see the photo full size. It is simply gorgeous.

These Just In: 4 Books and a DVD

It's that delightful time of year when review books fill the mailbox. These are the ones I'm definitely going to be reading and telling you more about. But I don't want you to have to wait until then.

The Story of St. Francis of Assisi: In Twenty-Eight Scenes

by Timothy Verdon

This beautiful new book by renowned art historian Timothy Verdon tells the story of the life of St. Francis of Assisi in story and art. The 28 stunning thirteenth-century frescoes by Giotto that cover the walls of the famous Basilica in Assisi named for the saint are reproduced in full color, together with a schematic drawing showing their placement in the church. Through detailed descriptions and illuminating commentary on each of the famous frescoes, Verdon tells the story of Francis's extraordinary life, allowing today's reader the opportunity to "read" the art on those walls in the same way that a medieval Christian might have done.

You may recall I was a huge fan of Timothy Verdon's pervious book, Art and Prayer. This lovely, accessible book looks at how the frescoes invite us to see Francis's life "as a modern extension of the Biblical history of salvation." That allows us to connect our lives also to both the Old Testament and to Christ. Verdon does this not only through insights and and art, but even uses seemingly unlikely items like art placement, architectural placement, and landscape to bring us closer to God, via this meditation on St. Francis of Assisi. Stunning.

Intimate Graces: How Practicing the Works of Mercy Brings Out the Best in Marriage

by Teresa Tomeo (Pastore) and Dominick Pastore

Teresa Tomeo and her husband, Dominick Pastore, were disappointed and discouraged with their marriage. As Teresa identifies the problem, they were "more catechized by the culture" than their faith. But when they invited Christ into their marriage and began practicing mercy with each other, their lives--and marriage--were transformed.

Tomeo and Pastore each write in their own voice and include personal experiences, reflection questions, practical suggestions, and a prayer at the end of each chapter.

Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

No one has a perfect marriage but often we aren't sure where to get help, especially if the problems don't seem "that bad." This couple talks about pitfalls and danger zones from personal experience and gives us a new perspective to bring to make our marriages better. Just flipping through this I know it is a resource I'll be recommending to others.

Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary

Editor: Sarah Reinhard

A unique meditation on each word of the Hail Mary, one of the most important prayer traditions in Catholic life. Each of the forty 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. 

The Church Fathers often advised slowing down in prayer by meditating on a phrase or word of a given prayer, such as the Our Father. This book follows in those wise footsteps and will help your prayer life deepen.

Full disclosure: I did the "Thou" chapter. More full disclosure: I haven't gotten my copy yet, but did get a good sense of everything when the series originally came out on Sarah's blog.

The Mystery of God

Film series and study program from Bishop Father Barron

Atheism is on the rise. Skeptical thinkers like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris vigorously attack belief in God as irrational or, even worse, dangerous. The so-called New Atheism has attracted millions of young people thanks to bestselling books such as The God Delusion and God Is Not Great.

How should Christians respond? How can we turn the tide of secularism and draw people back to God?

You'll discover how in "The Mystery of God," a new six-part film series and study program by Fr. Robert Barron. The lessons reach into our rich intellectual tradition. Using the insights of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI, you'll uncover a clear yet sophisticated understanding of what we mean by “God".

I was delighted when this showed up in my mailbox. For one thing I love Robert Barron's videos. For another it seems very timely.

God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas

Editors: Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe

Christmas is the season most difficult to grasp and understand in all its spiritual richness. The sentimentality and commercialism that dominate the season tend to obscure the profound mystery at its heart: the Incarnation. God with Us provides the perfect way to slow down and reconnect with the liturgical and sacramental traditions that illuminate the meaning of Christmas and the Incarnation. In daily meditations for the complete seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, the contributors offer a tapestry of reflection, Scripture, prayer, and history.

This is an Advent/Christmas devotional which was originally published in 2007 and clearly aimed at Christians who don't have a tradition of the liturgical year. For those who already do, you may skip a lot of the introductory material and just go straight to the reflections. They come from a diverse group like Father Richard Neuhaus, Scott Cairns, Lucy Shaw, and Kathleen Norris. The samples I read look very good.

Well Said: Understanding Too Soon

Some people will never understand anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.

Alexander Pope

I've done that. A lot. Luckily humility eventually kicks in and then I can begin to understand what I ignored before.

Worth a Thousand Words: Ice Cream on the Boardwalk

Taken by Will Duquette

I always like it when everyone gets some ice cream.

War? What's it good for? Turns out it's great for defeating evil if you're in Middle Earth.

The penultimate episode of our Lord of the Rings discussion at SFFaudio, Book V (“The War Of The Ring”). Aka the first half of The Return Of The King.

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Foxes

Red Foxes
taken by Remo Savisaar

Remo forgot to say adorable. Adorable Red Foxes.

Worth a Thousand Words: Chestnut Gatherers

Chestnut Gatherers, Georges Lacombe, 1893
via Wikiart

Well Said: The Reason Angels Can Fly

The reason angels can fly is because they take themselves lightly.

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Well Said: Desiring to be a Saint

God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.

Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of a Soul

This gives me hope, likewise.

Worth a Thousand Words: Portrait of Edna Barger

Jules-Joseph LEFEBVRE, Portrait of Edna Barger of Connecticut
via French Painters

Worth a Thousand Words: Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot

via Arts Everyday Living

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot, c. 1869

"The Francis Effect" and Me

via Wikimedia Commons

I was relatively unmoved by the idea of Pope Francis coming to America. After all, it wasn't as if I were going to be meeting him. Though I wish him well, I haven't felt personal interest in him. And I didn't feel that he really had a very personal interest in the United States or cared about our culture, just to be honest. Other than possibly to bring us under a critical eye. (Sorry, but that's just how I was feeling from my little part of the Catholic world.)

My main reaction was amazement that a 78-year old would have the stamina to make state visits to Cuba and then carry out a papal U.S. tour with a grueling schedule. I began praying for his health.

Then Pope Francis began speaking and, as I linked to the full text of his addresses for others, I began reading them myself.

I was impressed. And touched. These were the words of someone who clearly had prepared by caring enough to find out what mattered to us. Our heroes were mentioned. Our proud history as a nation of immigrants. Our current struggles.

Over and over, Pope Francis was reaching out toward us in the way we'd understand best, by showing us that he cared about who we are. Which, after all is what a good shepherd does.

It came together for me when watching Archbishop Thomas Wenski on Stephen Colbert's "pope-isode" (which was terrific, by the way). Colbert asked him what the pope was trying to do with visits to Cuba and the U.S. The bishop replied simply, "He's trying to change the culture."

Of course.

I mean, I knew that. But I didn't know it, it didn't hit home until then.

Both Cuba and the U.S. need culture changes to be what we should be in God's eyes, walking in God's way. For all our differences, we are exactly the same. We fall far short, just in ways that reflect our different cultures, our ways of seeing the world. This applies to every country on earth. We all need a culture change. And I was seeing Pope Francis put in the time and effort, pouring himself out, to try to get us to see where the change needs to happen.

This isn't what I'd call "the Francis effect" because what happened to me was fairly gentle. It was a new appreciation for Francis because I suddenly felt as if he cared about me, for who I am as an American. Certainly it made me read his addresses more thoughtfully, with more thought for my own life. (Book publishers, do we have a "Francis Talks to the U.S." book planned - with all these talks in it? Because I wouldn't even wait for the library to get it. I'd buy it.)

Tom's been reading Pope Francis's address to Congress a few paragraphs at a time. It has stimulated a lot of conversation. But we always comes back to the key point: where do we need to pour ourselves out?

Obviously we change the culture simply by being fully ourselves in daily life. If every single Christian did that always, then our culture would change. But that is far from all that we can or should do. It isn't how Jesus lived or the first Christians or the saints. How do we be like that? Where should we pour ourselves out?

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Side note: speaking of "the Francis effect," I've also seen similar results from visits by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict here and abroad. I tend to agree with Ross Douthat's assessment.

But there is a common thread that binds Benedict’s success despite low expectations and often-savage coverage and Francis’s success amid high enthusiasm and generally-fawning coverage: Secularism is weaker than many people think.

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Worth a Thousand Words: Gare Saint Lazare

Claude Monet: Gare Saint Lazare, 1877
via Wikipedia

Well Said: To convert somebody

To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them.

St. Thomas Aquinas

In other words, you can't do it from afar.