Well Said: Truth and Facts

Fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true.

Ursula LeGuin

Worth a Thousand Words: Celia Thaxter's Garden

Celia Thaxter's Garden, 1890, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Childe Hassam

Well Said: What to tell people

If you want people to stay the same, tell them what they want to hear. If you want people to change, tell them what they need to know.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Worth a Thousand Words: Waxwing

Waxwing, taken by Remo Savisaar

Station to Station by Gary Jansen

Though traditionally considered a meditation on suffering, the Stations of the Cross is more than a simple, ancient act of piety. It is a portrait of grace under pressure, a collection of specific reactions from Jesus during times of crisis. In our current age of global terrorism, economic uncertainty, widespread and severe depression and anxiety, and environmental devastation, the Stations offer us an opportunity to strengthen our souls and grow the mystical muscles of our hearts. Using the basics of Ignatian prayer, in particular imaginative prayer, we can hop aboard a time machine that takes us back to the final moments in Christ's life. Here, we can not only meditate on sorrow, but also ask two essential questions: how did Jesus respond to suffering, and how do we?

If Catholics think about the Stations of the Cross, it is most likely associated with Lent and the familiar stations in every Catholic church.

Gary Jansen breaks out of that mold by meditating on the stations against the backdrop of our own everyday lives. Using imaginative prayer, the stations can become the stepping stones of a path to spiritual awakening. To do this Jansen first gives a brief history of the stations of the cross, discusses imaginative (Ignatian prayer) and tells how praying the stations changed his life.

The second half of the book takes us through each of the stations one by one. Jansen is using the scriptural stations introduced by Pope John Paul II in 1991. I discovered these when poking around the Vatican website one day and was immediately captured by them. So I was delighted to see that the  author was using them as the focal point for prayer.

Each station gives us the appropriate scripture, Jesus's response, a way to encounter Jesus, a bit of scripture as a prayer guide, and a guide to reviewing and imagining the station. These, of course, are flavored with Jansen's own experiences and realizations which help to see the ways that God uses the meditations to speak to your own life. I was struck, for example, by Jansen's own reflection on Judas's betrayal that we are not emptied when we are betrayed but rather bloated with paralyzing inner talk about it.

This would be a great Lenten book, of course — hey, it's the stations! More importantly it is a book to use daily so that the stations become not a "special occasion" prayer but one that enriches us always.

Well Said: One Must Face Facts

He stared at Poirot. Then he said: "I thought — you were on her side."

Hercule Poirot said: "Whatever side one is on, one must face facts! I think, Mr. Walman, that you have so far preferred in life to avoid facing an awkward truth whenever it is possible.

Agatha Christie, Sad Cypress

Genesis Notes: God's Covenant with Abram

GENESIS 15
As familiar as I am with the part of Genesis where Sarai and Abram are promised children and then instantly go astray by bringing in their own methods, I didn't remember this chapter at all which involves God speaking to Abram and conducting matters in a very ceremonial way. Certainly I never realized that this is the first prayer recorded in the Bible.

The Vision of the Lord Directing Abram to Count the Stars, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

In this very first prayer recorded in the Bible, several characteristics are worth remembering:

1. It is God drawing near to Abram that draws forth a prayer from him. As the Catechism says, "In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama." (2567)
2. Abram is honest with God. He pours out his anxieties and doubts. He is not afraid to say what he thinks.
3. Abram not only speaks to God, but he also listens to Him as well. There is a word of truth from God that he must hear, even though he has many of his own thoughts and words. God does not add anything new to His promise. Abram will simply have to think about it in a new way.
4. Abram spends some time in silence, looking at the stars and considering God's promise. The silent pondering of the stars may look like nothing is happening, yet it is the occasion of Abram's movement from doubt to faith.
5. Abram performs an act of faith. He consciously sets aside his doubts and puts his trust in God, which makes him pleasing to God.

In this introduction to prayer, we see that it is a response to God's love. It is honest and intimate. It is a conversation, with speaking and listening. It includes silence, and it leads to a conscious act of faith.

When Abram falls asleep my interpretation is that he is having a very deep vision. It also serves to remind us of several other things.

Abram's deep sleep is reminiscent of Adam's sleep, when God solved the only problem he had in Eden, which was being alone. It perhaps represents man's ultimate inability to solve his own problems or ensure his own fate. It underscores dramatically how divine initiative and human helplessness come together to accomplish God's loving purposes (think of the sleeping apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, upon whom Christ intended to build His Church).

All quotes from Genesis, Part II: God and His Family. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Sauage and White Bean Gratin, Hot and Sour Soup, and Much More!

Hannah's been loading up Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen with a lot of new recipes. I love a good Sausage and White Bean Gratin and am interested to try her version. See what you find there to try!

Worth a Thousand Words: Study of a Cow

Rosa Bonheur, Study of a Cow, circa 1840

Novena to St. Joseph

From way back in 2007 and then in 2013. Thought I'd bring it up again for anyone who might be interested. 

Also the seven Sundays begin next Sunday so this is a good time to remember this novena. I'll have posts with reflections on those days as they arrive.

Christ in the House of his Parents by John Everett Millais
via Wikipedia

O glorious Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you we raise our hearts and hands to ask your powerful intercession in obtaining from the compassionate heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace for which we now ask.

(Mention your request)

O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers for us will be graciously heard at the throne of God.

(The following is to be said seven times in honor of the seven joys and seven sorrows of Saint Joseph:)

O glorious Saint Joseph, through the love you bear for Jesus Christ, and for the glory of hs name, hear our prayers and grant our petitions.

This novena can be practiced at any time of year. It is particularly effective if done for the seven Sundays prior to the feast of Saint Joseph in honor of his seven sorrows and seven joys. Say this novena nine days in a row.

The Novena Book: The Power of Prayer

I was asked if I knew a good novena for job seeking. I don't know a specific one but as Saint Joseph is the patron saint of, among other things, family protection, fathers, and work, this seemed appropriate. Also, I dig St. Joseph.

A Day of Prayer and Penance for Life

In February 2002, the Catholic Church established that throughout the United States,
January 22nd would be observed as a day of prayer and penance against abortion:
“In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass 'For Peace and Justice' (no. 22 of the 'Masses for Various Needs') should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.”

– General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

Read more at Aquinas and More where they have a good explanation and also some ideas if you are not sure what you want to do.

I'm posting this a day early so it won't be a complete surprise.

Worth a Thousand Words: Messages on Cold Ground

Messages on cold ground…, Edward B. Gordon

Well Said: The task of a Christian

The task of a Christian is to drown evil in an abundance of good. It is not a question of negative campaigns, or of being "anti" anything. On the contrary, we should live positively, full of optimism, with youthfulness, joy and peace. We should be understanding with everybody, with the followers of Christ and with those who abandon him, or with those who have never known him at all. Understanding does not mean holding back, or remaining indifferent, but being active.* We need to have the initiative, to want everyone to see the lovable face of Christ.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, vol. 3

* Josemaria Escriva, Furrow

Restored to Life — After a 72-Hour Stomach Virus

Ahhh, it feels good to have something besides ginger ale!

And it's good to be back to the blog. Except for the Genesis study post which I prepared ahead of time, it's been a bit blank around here. Now that I'm back at the computer things will get back to normal soon.

Genesis Notes: Melchizedek's Resume

I love these resumes from the Life Application Bible. They really have a way of focusing us on important information we might otherwise have missed in the bigger story.

Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek, Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464–67

This meeting between Abram and Melchizedek was most unusual. Although the two men were strangers and foreigners to each other, they shared a most important characteristic: both worshiped and served the one God who made heaven and earth. This was a great moment of triumph for Abram, about whose victory it was. Melchizedek set the record straight by reminding Abram "Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:20). Abram recognized that this man worshiped the same God he did.

Melchizedek was one of a small group of God-honoring throughout the Old Testament who came in contact with the Jews (Israelites) but were not Jews themselves. This indicates that the requirement to be a follower of God is not genetic, but is based on faithfully obeying his teachings and recognizing his greatness.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• The first priest/king of Scripture -- a leader with a heart tuned to God
• Good at encouraging others to serve God wholeheartedly
• A man whose character reflected his love for God
• A person in the Old Testament who reminds us of Jesus and who some believe really was Jesus
  

Lesson from his life:

• Live for God and you're likely to be at the right place at the right time ...

Vital statistics:

• Where: Ruled Salem, the site of the future Jerusalem
• Occupation: King of Salem and priest of God Most High

Key verse:
"This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him ... Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!" (Hebrews 7:1, 4)

Melchizedek's story is told in Genesis 14:17-20. He also is mentioned in Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5-7.

All material quoted is from the Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Worth a Thousand Words: It's Good Together

It's Good Together
taken by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: The prophet is a person

The prophet is not a mouthpiece, but a person; not an instrument, but a partner, an associate of God. Emotional detachment would be understandable only if there were a command which required the suppression of emotion, forbidding one to serve God "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might." God, we are told, asks not only for "works," for action, but above all for love, awe, and fear. ... You will seeke Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).

Abraham Heschel, The Prophets

This makes me think of the famous words of one of the most human of all prophets, Jeremiah. It is a personal experience which fully requires the participation of the prophet.

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. ...

I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

(Jer. 20:7, 9)

Well Said: Eyewitnesses to God

There are no proofs for the existence of the God of Abraham. There are only eyewitnesses. The greatness of the prophet lies not only n the ideas he expressed, but also in the moments he experienced. The prophet is a witness and his words a testimony — to His power and judgment, to His justice and mercy.

Abraham Heschel, The Prophets

Worth a Thousand Words: The Lovers

Emile Friant, Les Amoureux, 1888
via Arts Everyday Living

Well Said: Few are guilty, but all are responsible.

Above all, the prophets remind us of the moral state of a people: Few are guilty, but all are responsible. If we admit that the individual is in some measure conditioned or affected by the spirit of society, an individual's crime discloses society's corruption. In a community not indifferent to suffering, uncompromisingly impatient with cruelty and falsehood, continually concerned for God and every man, crime would be infrequent rather than common.

Abraham Heschel, The Prophets