Listen Up: Christmas Past podcast

Christmas Past tells the stories behind your favorite holiday traditions. Each episode is 10-15 minutes long, and features interviews with experts, archival audio, and Christmas memories from listeners.

I discovered Christmas Past a couple of weeks ago and have been thoroughly enjoying them. Brian Earl has a soothing, friendly voice and gives a thorough history of topics ranging from Santa (of course) to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Eggnog to Wrapping Paper.

There are still a few days left until Christmas so I wanted to give you a chance to hear them. (iTunes link, website link)

Thank you Joanna R.!

This book was indeed a long-shot when I put it on my Amazon wish list. But I really am a sucker for illustrated manuscripts and I liked the author's conceit of treating each section almost as an interview with the manuscript itself. It is costly and somewhat obscure and so mostly there as a reminder for when I could afford a splurge.

So you can imagine my surprise when I opened an Amazon box this morning, wondering what gifts I'd forgotten would need wrapping. I thought I'd gotten everything in.

This lovely book was there with an even lovelier note from Joanna. Thank you so much — this is going to provide hours of enjoyment!

“Lead us not into temptation”: Digging deeper into the Our Father (Lord's Prayer)

On a morning walk, my husband said that Pope Francis had mentioned maybe a retranslation of the Our Father was needed because the phrase "lead us not into temptation" sounded as if God would actively tempt us.

Anyone who's pondered the Our Father is familiar with this little puzzle.

My first reaction was "no way, Jose!" Then I recalled that coincidentally (or perhaps providentially!) I'd just that very morning read about that specific line in Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life. (Yes, I read my own devotional. It was, after all, compiled for me first!)

I realized that if I needed three quotes to show the complexity of the Greek verb in the original, then perhaps a retranslation might not be a bad thing.

See what you think.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation ...

It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.”*

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2846

We are helped a further step along when we recall the words of the Gospel: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Temptation comes from the devil, but part of Jesus’ messianic task is to withstand the great temptations that have led man away from God and continue to do so.

Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth:

From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration

“Lead us not into temptation” often means among other things, “Deny me those gratifying invitations, those highly interesting contacts, that participation in the brilliant movements of our age, which I so often, at such risk, desire.”

C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

++++

I never could understand this. I couldn’t reconcile God as “all good” with someone who would “lead me into temptation.”

Pope Benedict XVI (Ratzinger) led me to read the Book of Job where temptation is allowed on a massive scale. Those examples have helped mightily with my own trust in God when temptations arise, especially the temptations that I am not equipped to handle.

+++

Prayer: My hope is in you, dear Father.

* Cf. Mt 26:41.

There's more where that came from. Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life is about growing closer to Jesus and sometimes (as it turns out) helping figure out how I feel about the latest news from the Vatican! It makes a great Christmas gift!

Which Literary Villain Uttered Each of the Following Quotes?

"My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side."

How devious and devilish are you? Test your knowlegde of all things evil by identifying which villains spoke the literary quotes below. Be sure to read carefully—these literary villains are tricky!

I'm clearly not devilish enough. I only got 1 right and that was by a blind guess!

Take the quiz at Writer's Digest.

Well Said: When we attempt to avoid suffering, we drift into emptiness

We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (In Hope We Were Saved)

This is a truth I know but that I forget. And then I have to be reminded when I run into that wall because I'm trying to avoid it. No one can live their lives and avoid suffering. The Catholic teachings and Christ's reality and example are what give my life (in good times and bad) full meaning.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Yard and Wash House

Carl Larsson, The Yard and Wash House, 1885
via Arts Everyday Living

Well Said: Cities crumble and people go on

"... Sentimental speeches like this ... at Balkh, of all places?"

Her words were forceful and they made me stop. I looked at the undulating graveyard of the great city and saw, in my imagination, the rise and fall of Balkh - Balkh of the Flying Pennants it had been called, as if the city were proud to advertise its accomplishments, temporary though they proved to be - and I sensed some of the meaning behind my mission. I said, "I don't accept your view of Balkh. Cities crumble and civilizations vanish, but people go on. And damn it all, they eat and make love and go to war and die according to certain hopeful rules. I accept those rules."

James A. Michener, Caravans

Well Said: What you do not need and what you do need

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.

Thomas Merton

Yes, perfectly put and a good reminder. Via Scott Danielson.

Worth a Thousand Words: In Sunrise Colors

In Sunrise Colors by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Reading and Meditating

Seek by reading and you will find by meditating.

St. John of the Cross

This has been how I have gotten a lot of my spiritual progress, for wont of a better term. So when my spiritual advisor mentioned that reading can be prayer I felt a great surge of recognition.

Yes, God reaches me in many other ways, through Nature, friendship, my family, and the liturgy. But most reliable is the "prayer" in which He surprises me through books and I meditate upon it for some time afterwards.

Nice to know I have that much in common with St. John of the Cross since his poetry leaves me cold.

Off to Florida!

Luckily I won't have to lift any couches but I will be helping my mother move ... and, more importantly, helping my sister and brother-in-law who are doing the heavy lifting (get it? heavy lifting?) on the whole thing.

They take such good care of Mom in every way and I'm so happy to be able to help, even a little.

Until then I've got a few prepared posts for the ongoing novena and suchlike but I won't be back "in person" until I get back next week.

Worth a Thousand Words: Gifts

Geschenke (Gifts) by Edward B. Gordon

Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell

Forced to move every twelve days, what would happen to your life?

It’s 1927. Rembrandt is the only child in the tiny community of Three Farms and his two aunts grow desperate for babies of their own. Hope and Hell arrive in a mysterious black bottle, and on a moonless night a dark spell is cast. The devil seeks payment, and a dangerous wager is made. Until they can defeat him, Rembrandt, Pa, and Uncle Thompson must embark on the journey of their lives, for if they stay in one place for more than twelve days terrible things happen. But where and when will they find a champion capable of defeating the Black Bottle Man?

Time ticks.

Lives change.

Every twelve days.

What a treat to be almost at the end of the year and read a book that instantly leapt to the top of my 2017 favorites list. I finished it and wanted to give a copy to everyone I knew who loves a good folk tale, a good deal-with-the-devil tale, good historical fiction, or (most of all) a story that speaks to the reader on several levels.

As we learn the story of the deal with the devil and how Rembrandt, his father, and uncle take on the task of saving souls, we are also taken on a trip through American history with special emphasis on the Great Depression. Rembrandt's voice is strong and vivid. I felt I knew this boy as we traveled together seeking redemption for those he loves. The scenes on farms, in factories, and in small town America were also vivid, as were the present day scenes when we flash to 90 year old Rembrandt.

Any story where someone is dealing with the devil opens the door to considerations of faith and that is handled both honestly and delicately in this book. The insights and observations throughout the book underlie the main story in a way that lends itself to considerations of gratitude, mercy, selfishness, sacrifice, and much more — all without being too obvious for those who just want to read a great story. There's also the fun of trying to figure out just how one can outsmart the devil in a deal that seems unbreakable.

It is is marketed to teens but I'm not the first reviewer to mention that label is too limiting because it is also a great read for adults.

I can't adequately describe this book but it is simply wonderful. Get it. Read it. And give it to those who love a wonderfully told good story.

Heroism and Genius by William J. Slattery

'But my home, such as I have, [said Aragorn] is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil have ever dwelt in long line unbroken from father unto son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the Sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters — but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.

'If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds. Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dúnedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?

'And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. "Strider" I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.

'But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged.'

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

They had me at Aragorn. This quote launches the book's introduction and gives you a sense of the spirit of the work.

The subtitle really tells you what the book is about: How Catholic Priests Helped Build — and Can Help Rebuild — Western Civilization.

This book looks at priests' roles in building and maintaining Western civilization. The author begins with modern historians' assessments and then goes on to tell the stories of some of these remarkable men. I was impressed with the lengthy list of historians who recognize the Church's pivotal function throughout much of Western civilization.

The Catholic historian cannot empty his heart when he writes about the Church; he has the eyes of a lover, enchanted by the beauty of his bride, and they remain the eyes of a lover even when she has been dressed in rags by treacherous men; he will always chronicle as a builder who wants to learn from history how to renew the institution he loves.

I especially enjoy William Slattery's romantic style of writing, which we don't see very often any more. It conveys the passion he feels and the romance of the faith and the Church. It would seem over the top, perhaps, except that it is grounded in solid understanding of the faith and of human nature. Slattery looks at history with the eyes of a realist but also with the eyes of someone who knows we can again be great as our forefathers were. Here's just a bit more...

Hence the purpose of this book is not lionizing and nostalgia, a yearning to live in some mythical "good old days," an attempt to find excuses to handcuff progress to obsolete standards. Instead, it is a shout to contemporary priests—"Remember!"—as they stand at a crossroads of history and confront the Western civilization of the past and the dictatorship of relativism of the present: Remember who you are and what you once achieved; recall the crucially important social consequences of your priesthood; remember that the priest, by being truly teacher, sanctifier, and shepherd, changes society and builds Christian civilization—that he simply cannot fail to change the world by being an authentic priest of Jesus Christ!

The book covers the course of history in Western civilization including the Dark Ages, Chivalry, Romanticism, and Free-Market Economics, among other topics. Slattery also never lets us forget that for every important name, there were hundreds of anonymous priests laboring for their flocks. I enjoyed the heck outta this. Now go get this book and enjoy it for yourself.

Worth a Thousand Words: Roar!

Roar!, Remo Savisaar

Worth a Thousand Words: View of Earth from Apollo 4

View of Earth from Apollo 4, NASA

Well Said: Railways and the Church

Railways and the Church have their critics, but both are the best ways of getting a man to his ultimate destination.

Wilbert Vere Awdry

A History of the Church in 100 Objects - Mike Aquilina and Grace Aquilina

The history of the Church didn't take place shrouded in the mists of time. It actually happened and continues to happen through things that we can see and sometimes hold in our hand.

This is the Christian answer to Neil MacGregor's New York Times bestseller A History of the World in 100 Objects.

This is a brief history of the Church, complete with pictures of the items which serve as touchstones for bringing up important historical events. The items include the Christian things you might expect but also range into seemingly non-Christian things like Islamic coins, an Egyptian boy's math notebook, and a medieval science beaker.

Two or three pages of brief yet comprehensive commentary accompany each item. It is easy to read and even-handed, yet never dumbs it down. At the end of each entry, there are two recommended books listed for those who would like to pursue a topic in greater depth. That was a thoughtful feature I really liked, even as my reading list grew and grew.

I especially enjoyed the way the authors fleshed out our understanding of events, often with thought provoking questions or comments. For example, in the instance of the Islamic coin, we see that the Roman emperor may have given their subjects reason to see Islamic conquerors as a decent governing option.

All these people had suffered persecution under Justinian and his successors. And they had been taxed heavily to support Justinian's wars in the West. Is it any wonder that some welcomed the Islamic Arabs as liberators? And is it any wonder that some chose to submit to Islam?

The conquered didn't turn Islamic all at once. In some places, they were given a stark choice: convert, submit to the tax, or die. But the Umayyads were more tolerant, recognizing the value of Christians and Jews as a steady tax base.

This allows us a more nuanced picture of history than we're often given. And it opens the door for questions of how the modern world tempts me to let my Christianity wither slowly away under gentle pressure. The authors do this again and again. A wedding ring brings considerations of how Christian marriage differed from pagan marriage. Armor brings a consideration of how Pope Gregory gradually moved warrior culture from waging war to knightly behavior.

There are also nuggets of information I'd never heard. I didn't know that Napoleon kidnapped Pope Pius VII from the Vatican. Or that Pius VII later gave shelter in the Vatican to members of Napoleon's family. I knew Cardinal Cisneros was a stalwart defender of American natives but not that he cooperated with the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain. In almost every entry there is something showing that history is more complex than we realized.

In essence, what one learns reading this book is that "The Church on earth is always in motion. Catholic doctrine and devotion are always developing. And every age presents particular challenges with require a creative response." As earthly pilgrims heading toward heaven, we can draw inspiration and strength from where the Church has been on that same road.

I've got more pages marked in this book than you've got time to read. So just go get this book and read it! It made a great devotional for me. I read an entry (or two or three) daily and found it invigorating and centering as a start to the day.

Worth a Thousand Words: Aisle of Tintern Abbey

Aisle of Tintern Abbey, Roger Fenton
via Getty's Open Content Program

The Form of Emptiness

Tomorrow begins the novena leading up to the solemnity of Mary's Immaculate Conception. This is a good place to begin.

That virginal quality which, for want of a better word, I call emptiness is at the beginning of this contemplation.

It is not a formless emptiness, a void without meaning; on the contrary it has a shape, a form given to it by the purpose for which it is intended.

It is emptiness like the hollow in the reed, the narrow riftless emptiness which can have only one destiny: to receive the piper's breath and to utter the song that is in his heart.

It is emptiness like the hollow in the cup, shaped to receive water or wine.

It is emptiness like that of the bird's nest, built in a round warm ring to receive the little bird.

The pre-Advent emptiness of Our Lady's purposeful virginity was indeed like those three things.

She was a reed through which the Eternal Love was to be piped as a shepherd's song.

She was the flowerlike chalice into which the purest water of humanity was to be poured, mingled with wine, changed to the crimson blood of love, and lifted up in sacrifice.

She was the warm nest rounded to the shape of humanity to receive the Divine Little Bird...

It is the purpose for which something is made that decides the material which is used.

The chalice is made of pure gold because it must contain the Blood of Christ.

The bird's nest is made of scraps of soft down, leaves and feathers and twigs, because it must be a strong warm home for the young birds...

The material which God has found apt for it is human nature: blood, flesh, bone, salt, water, will, intellect.

It is impossible to say too often or too strongly that human nature, body and soul together, is the material for God's will in us...

Think again of the three symbols I have used for the virginal emptiness of Mary. These are each made from material which must undergo some experience to be made ready for its purpose.

The reed grows by the streams. It is the simplest of things, but it must be cut by the sharp knife, hollowed out, and the stops must be cut in it; it must be shaped and pierced before it can utter the shepherd's song. It is the narrowest emptiness in the world, but the little reed utters infinite music.

The chalice does not grow like the flower it resembles. It is made of gold; gold must be gathered from the water and the mud and hewn from the rock, it must be beaten by countless little blows that give the chalice of sacrifice its fitting beauty.

The twigs and fluff and leaves of the bird's nest are brought from all sorts of places, from wherever the brave careful mother alights, with fluttering but daring heart, to fetch them, from the distances and explorations that only the spread wings of love know. It is the shape of her breast the moulds the nest to its inviting roundness.

Thus it is with us -- we may be formed by the knife, pared down, cut to the least, to the minimum of our own being; we may be marked indelibly by a succession of strokes, blown from the gold-beater's hammer; or we may be shaped for our destiny by the love and tender devotion of a devoted family.

Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God

I don't know why no one has ever mentioned Caryll Houselander among all the wonderful Catholic writers that are quoted so often. I have seen her mentioned only in Magnificat and every time that I have read an excerpt it has spoken right to my heart. If I had let myself go I could easily have put the entire book on this site. I had to stop myself from underlining practically everything in it. It is a wonderful contemplation of the Virgin Mary and, through her as always, we get a clearer and better look at her son, Jesus. The excerpt above says better than I can what sort of a writer and thinker she was. It is simple but provides many opportunities for our own contemplation.