Dunlin

Dunlin, Remo Savisaar

Deviant Rising by Alexander Barnes and Christopher Preiman

The Helix was created to revolutionize the way we communicate. But even the purest of intentions can spawn terrible evil.

This wasn’t what Lithia had in mind when she decided to run away from home. Her ship was not meant to carry a fugitive wanted in two galaxies, or the stowaways running from a war that wasn’t hers. She just wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life alongside her brother. But now she knows too much about The Helix, the secret hidden deep within it, and what it would mean for all humankind if she walked away.

Deviant Rising is a solid space opera with big ideas, likable characters, and plenty of action.

The Helix is a universal communications system which everyone in the future is as addicted to as we are addicted to the internet. And what's not to like? It connects with your brain, feeding all the info you need on demand. At least that's how the people of the United Planets of Earth (UPE) feel about it. Out on the Frontier, well, that's a different story. They're pretty independent and not crazy about the UPE's edict that they hook up to the Helix.

And so a rebellion begins.

There's more to it than that, of course. Star Wars style, this tale is told through the eyes of several people who are unconnected to any big doings of government, politics, or power. Or so they think. I mentioned Star Wars and we do meet some familiar character types with motivations that are similar. But the feel I had more was of Firefly, with stubborn people on the fringes of society doing what they must to scratch along and, if necessary, make things right.

I really enjoyed this future San Francisco with the rich people living high up in full sunlight and the poor stuck at the bottom in the Undercity where no light ever penetrates. What a novel idea for establishing privilege and caste. I also enjoyed the Archer's Agony setting, with the story of how the dead ships docking just became part of the structure. That sounds just about right for a frontier culture without lots of resources.

There's a big cast of characters, including my favorites:  a cyborg-assassin with a conscience (we love to love those bad boys, right?) and a naturally gifted engineer who's never happier than when he gets his hands on an engine to fix (like Kaylee from Firefly). They are part of three different plots that come together (natch) into one fast paced story.

In a lot of ways it made me think of my favorite Robert Heinlein stories, the "juveniles" which didn't dumb it down but gave us plenty of action to go with the ideas.

A lot of fun and I hope there is a sequel though this is a stand alone novel.

Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs & Symbols by Amy Welborn

For centuries people learned about the Christian faith through paintings, sculptures, objects, and gestures. Simple images still convey deep messages if we learn how to see and understand them. Award-winning children’s author Amy Welborn has created a friendly and fascinating sourcebook on the signs and symbols of the Catholic faith.

I can't praise this book highly enough.

I originally was interested in this book so I could recommend it to young mothers I know. However, looking through it, I realized I have someone much closer who is going to be interested. My daughter, Rose, is helping teach religious education to fifth graders this year (that's Sunday School for any Protestants reading).

She's well catechized but it's been a long time, if ever, since she's had to make complex concepts simple without being dumbed down, interesting without being obvious. This book is the perfect resource for those needs. It doesn't only explain the basics, but gives broader context for other encounters the reader might have.

For example, after covering John the Baptist's symbols, we get a little art appreciation also:

John appears in some portraits of the baby Jesus and his mother. You know the other child is John because, even in these pictures, the little child is dressed in camel's hair and holds a staff or a lamb! The artist does not mean that the baby John was present at Jesus' birth. The image of the two babies reminds us that John's holy purpose was to share the Good News of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Which is a nice reminder that knowing about the symbols is fine, but finding them in your church, art, and around the house are how they provide a lived experience of faith

While Rose and I randomly flipped pages we were impressed time and again by the beautiful simplicity with which Amy Welborn explained not only the symbols but the deeper messages to be taken away.

Reading about the Burning Bush in the Old Testament section, we learn:

As a sign, so the people would trust Moses and know it was God who had called him, God revealed his name from the bush: I am who I am. This means that God has not been created—God is existence.

Beautifully put. The children have an explanation to ponder. It is followed by a bit of insight to fall like a seed into young hearts:

When we see the symbol of the burning bush, we remember God's love, always ready to save. We remember that he called Moses and gave him the strength and grace to help others. And we remember how great God is, and we thank him for the gift of life—all that was, all that is, and all that is to come.

These things aren't bad for us to be reminded of either, so the benefits go to both the teacher/parent and child.

This is a book which I will give to my goddaughter (and grandchildren when they come along) when she is old enough to understand it. Which won't be that long from now!

Addendum:
For adults wanting more, I recommend Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols by Mike Aquilina. Really wonderful.

Morgens in Holland

Morgens in Holland, Edward B. Gordon

Like a Marriage Retreat in a Book: Reviewing For Better, For Worse, For God

I first reviewed this book in 2009, but still recommend it a lot, especially to people who can't make it to the Beyond Cana retreat. So I thought I'd rerun the review since it's been a good, long time since then.

... becoming one flesh means more than a physical union. Genesis says that God created man and woman to become one body. The Hebrew word for body or "flesh," refers to the physical body for sure, but it encompasses much more. Body includes the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. We're called to be united with our spouse physically, emotionally, and spiritually while retaining our unique individuality. God's design for this partnership is that it nurtures our lives and in so doing gives life to the world.

Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus--John Gray and his publishers picked a great title for his bestselling book on marriage. It has become a popular shorthand way of saying that men and women are profoundly different. They are so different that it often seems they live on different planets.

In addition to the obvious anatomical differences, men and women are "wired" differently in their communication styles, emotional makeup, and sexual responses. You and your spouse differ as individuals. Your temperaments are different. You come into marriage with dissimilar expectations, desires, hopes and approaches to problem solving. And while you don't really live on different planets, you come from different places. You were raised in different families. Your family of origin gave you ideas about marriage, child rearing, sex roles, and family values that are different from your spouse's. Some marriage experts say that incompatibility was never a valid reaon for divorce becuase all couples are incompatible to some extent.

Creating an "us" in the face of these differences is a challenging dimension of the vocation of marriage. to become "one," partners must understand the many ways in which they differ from each other and recognize how their differences can work in their favor in terms of their partnership. They also need to learn to manage these differences without hurting each other.

First, becoming an "us" is a realistic goal. The differences between men and women are great, but the desire to achieve unity is even greater. Men and women deeply desire each other; most men and women want to share their lives with a partner of the opposite sex. ... If God created us this way, we can be assured that he gives us the grace to achieve the union we desire.

Second, the work of becoming an "us" is spiritual work, and it requires spiritual disciplines, as already mentioned. Each vocation has its distinctive challenges, and becoming one with a particular other person for life is the unique challenge of marriage; the spiritual disciplines of marriage are the tools we use to achieve it. The disciplines we practice within marriage may seem mundane, such as counting to ten before returning an angry response, or waiting patiently for a spouse who is slow, but they accomplish something remarkable. They allow us to live in communion with someone who feels, perceives, reacts, responds, and loves differently from us.

Living in communion is holy because the conjugal life both mirrors and provides the world with an experience of belonging and acceptance God desires with us. Like the "communion" we experience in the sacraments of the Eucharist, marriage can provide the opportunity to "be one in Christ," the goal for all baptized believers.

Someone who has attended one of the Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreats that Tom and I help to present may recognize many, if not all, of the principles above. Members of the presentation team definitely will. After working on these retreats for several years, I can tell you that I was blown away by Mary Jo Pederson's book. She consistently took the concepts that Tom and I have learned and practiced in that retreat and expanded upon them in knowledgeable, practical, spiritual, and even humorous ways.

If I included all the pieces that I read aloud to Tom, only to hear him say, "Wow. That is so true. This author is really good!" then we'd be here all day. This is the book I will be buying for newly weds, friends who wish they could make it to a retreat, and for our girls when they are getting married. It can't replace a retreat but it surely is a good supplement and a great grounding in reality for any married couple. Highest recommendations on this one.

Afternoon with Wyeth, Belinda Del Pesco

Afternoon with Wyeth, Belinda Del Pesco

I really like N.C. Wyeth's illustrations, as you may recall. I was interested to see that one of his children, Andrew, grew up to be a famous artist. Check out Belinda's post where she talks a little about her admiration for Andrew and recommends a bio.

A delightful confection from Bollywood: Barfi!

Let's get this out of the way up front. "Barfi" brings up a really unfortunate word association for Americans. Perhaps it will help to know that Barfi is a popular confection in India and that applies very well to the title character whose nickname it is.

Barfi is a magical fairy tale of a film, somewhat like an Indian-style Amelie.  We see four timelines, a rarity for Indian movies, chronicling a romance, a crime spree (of sorts), life in the big city with a childhood friend, and present day. Naturally, these timelines are all interwoven and in learning about Barfi's life, we learn about the people in it and how he touched them all.

The writer/director has a light touch and a love for silent films since he managed to work in a number of classic comedy routines. Although there is a lot of music it is all done as for a Western movie, over the action. Ranbir Kapoor, as Barfi, does a good job conveying these routines and, in fact, essentially portraying a silent character whose eloquent, creative body language makes up for the fact that he's a deaf-mute.

The first half was very slow and could have had at least half an hour cut with no problem. But I'd gladly watch the part after Intermission a dozen more times. The magic definitely outweighs the slow beginning. Definitely recommended.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Hannah and Rose discuss Barfi in episode 56 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

On My Way to Amsterdam, Edward B. Gordon

On My Way to Amsterdam, Edward B. Gordon

Letter to Pope Francis from Catholic Women ... and also Catholic Men

We write to you, Holy Father, to pose questions that need answers.

We are Catholic women deeply committed to our faith and profoundly grateful for Church teachings, the Sacraments, and the many good bishops and priests who have blessed our lives.

Our hearts are broken, our faith tested, by the escalating crisis engulfing our beloved Church. We are angry, betrayed and disillusioned. The pain and suffering of the victims never ends, as each news cycle brings more horrific revelations of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, cover-ups, and deceit—even at the Church’s highest levels. ...

Several crucial questions raised by Archbishop Viganò’s statement, however, require neither lengthy investigations nor physical evidence. They require only your direct response, Holy Father. When reporters questioned you recently about Archbishop Viganò’s charges, you replied, “I will not say a single word on this.” You told reporters to “read the statement carefully and make your own judgment.”

To your hurting flock, Pope Francis, your words are inadequate. They sting, reminiscent of the clericalism you so recently condemned. We need leadership, truth, and transparency. We, your flock, deserve your answers now. ...

This is an excellent letter which will be sent very soon to Pope Francis. Read the whole thing. It is eloquent, respectful, and expresses my feelings well so I signed it. I am one of over 35,000 Catholic women to do so.

A letter was written today from men who are standing alongside Catholic women. I was really touched, actually, seeing these men talk about being in love with Christ and his Church. You may read and sign it here.

I wrote my own letter last week (because of course I did) and mailed it off to Vatican City but have a feeling these letters will get more attention. Regardless, I have done what I can and now will fast and pray.

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us and Pope Francis and the Church. Amen.

Captain Blood, N.C. Wyeth

Captain Blood, N.C. Wyeth

We watched The Black Swan this weekend — no, not the one with too many Natalie Portmans — a 1942 pirate swashbuckler starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. I'd been reading a lot of Rafael Sabatini lately and, though I hadn't read this book yet, I was in the mood for escaping reality. It was a lot of fun though, as I discovered afterward, not nearly as good as the book. I'm so glad I encountered the movie first.

Tom was looking around and came across this wonderful cover by N.C. Wyeth for Sabatini's more famous pirate tale. (Not my fave, but to each his own.) The look of the movie was as if it had been lifted from this cover, which was a wise choice if that's what happened.

Bulls and the Bullring

It is not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.

Spanish proverb

Every culture has a way of saying this, I think, which just goes to show that human nature never really changes. There is always the person holding forth theoretically, as if it were the same as real life. And then there is the experience of getting in there and facing the bull. You can't beat hands on experience for really understanding something.

Well Said: The Very Heart of Religion

Gregor flushed as he went on: "The entire content of the Confesions could be put into one single sentence in the book: when Augustine addresses God, saying: 'Thou hast made us for Thyself and our heart is unquiet until it rests in Thee.' This sentence, my lords and friends, is immortal. It contains the very heart of religion."

Louis de Wohl, The Restless Flame

Ain't that the truth!

3 Week Old Ass

3 Week Old Ass

O big, brown brother out of the waste, How do thistles for breakfast taste?

“The Ass”

I woke and rose and slipt away
To the heathery hills in the morning grey.

In a field where the dew lay cold and deep
I met an ass, new-roused from sleep.

I stroked his nose and I tickled his ears,
And spoke soft words to quiet his fears.

His eyes stared into the eyes of me
And he kissed my hands of his courtesy.

“O big, brown brother out of the waste,
How do thistles for breakfast taste?

“And do you rejoice in the dawn divine
With a heart that is glad no less than mine?

“For, brother, the depth of your gentle eyes
Is strange and mystic as the skies:

“What are the thoughts that grope behind,
Down in the mist of a donkey mind?

“Can it be true, as the wise men tell,
That you are a mask of God as well,

“And, as in us, so in you no less
Speaks the eternal Loveliness,

“And words of the lips that all things know
Among the thoughts of a donkey go?

“However it be, O four-foot brother,
Fair to-day is the earth, our mother.

“God send you peace and delight thereof,
And all green meat of the waste you love,

“And guard you well from violent men
Who’d put you back in the shafts again.”

But the ass had far too wise a head
To answer one of the things I said,

So he twitched his fair ears up and down
And turned to nuzzle his shoulder brown.

C.S. Lewis, 1919

I discovered this via The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and Carol Zaleski, which I am enjoying more than any other biography I've read of Tolkien, Lewis, or The Inklings. They comment:

In its pastoral serenity, its humor ("O big, brown brother out of the waste, / How do thistles for breakfast taste?"), its Franciscan love of lowly creatureliness, this poem one might expect from Lewis at fifty years of age; it is a happy harbinger of things to come.

GetReligion is the place to go for Catholic news analysis

I've long been a fan of GetReligion where reporters examine how the media covers religion. Time and again they point out where biases are presented as fact, where big questions aren't asked, and where the good coverage is.

They help me examine the public story of "what everybody knows" and keep my own sense of balance. You never have to just take their word for it because links are always provided so you can go read all the original reporting for yourself. Each piece is the best news roundup you can find.

In the case of all the Catholic chaos lately GetReligion is again keeping me thinking, alert, and balanced.

I strongly recommend you add them to your media of preference to make sure you're seeing all the angles, whether for good or ill.

You can't do better than to begin with this story by Julia Duin who's been impressing me with her analysis: Coverage by the conservative and global press raises the stakes in Viganò affair.

Cardinal DiNardo: reaffirmed call for a prompt and thorough examination into how the grave moral failings of a brother bishop could have been tolerated for so long and proven no impediment to his advancement.

I was just wondering yesterday if we'd hear again from Cardinal DiNardo (president of the U.S. Bishop's Council) about plans for the future in reference to Cardinal McCarrick. After the first flurry of press releases, it would be easy to let things die down until the bishops' conference in a few months.

Nope. He read my mind and came out with a piece yesterday which makes me feel he is really urgent and cares about the issue, especially since he mentions Archbishop Viganò's letter. Here's a bit but do go read it all.

Yesterday, I convened our Executive Committee once again, and it reaffirmed the call for a prompt and thorough examination into how the grave moral failings of a brother bishop could have been tolerated for so long and proven no impediment to his advancement.

"The recent letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò brings particular focus and urgency to this examination. The questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence. Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusation and the guilty may be left to repeat sins of the past.

... I am confident Pope Francis shares our desire for greater effectiveness and transparency in the matter of disciplining bishops. We renew our fraternal affection for the Holy Father in these difficult days.

ALSO, Bishop Barron has a video Q&A about the Sexual Abuse Crisis. Note: the audio has also been uploaded to the Word on Fire podcast feed.

Friends, many of you have asked for my thoughts on the McCarrick abuse crisis, the Pennsylvania grand jury report, and the recent report from Archbishop Viganò. We're all devastated by the horrific suffering of these many victims, and we're all wondering what to do next.

I shared some thoughts a couple weeks ago, in an article, but I thought it might be helpful to have a more candid conversation today, building on the USCCB's statement just released, which I wholly support.

Please watch the discussion, and together let's pray for the victims and the entire Body of Christ.

Stu-mick-o-súcks (Buffalo Bull's Back Fat)

Stu-mick-o-súcks (Buffalo Bull's Back Fat), George Catlin

I'd never heard of George Catlin before but was fascinated by his portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. Wikipedia tells us: Traveling to the American West five times during the 1830s, Catlin was the first white man to depict Plains Indians in their native territory. And that is also fascinating.

Sunset

Sunset, Tom Thomson

Hair bigger than a meringue ... the beginning of a new bad movie series on More is More.

Hannah & Rose discuss the irresistible charms of sullen teenagers, the irresistible allure of sullen vampires, and why if you has transfer high schools in the middle of your junior year, you should transfer to Forks as they watch Twilight (2008) on More is More, the bad movie podcast.

Sounds ... irresistible!

On seeing God clearly

When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others—not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one.

... if a man’s self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred—like the Moon seen through a dirty telescope. ...

God can show Himself as He really is only to real men. And that means not simply to men who are individually good, but to men who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity