Grapevines, White and Red

Grapevines, White and Grapevines, Red; William Hughes

via Lines and Colors

If I'm humble, I do without my pride.

All fasting, poverty, obedience, humility — all of the virtues have everything to do with doing without. If I'm humble, I do without my pride. If I'm obedient, I do without my will. If I'm poor, I do without things. Doing without suddenly makes you possess all of those virtues: obedience, humility, poverty and freedom.

Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures

A Bouquet of Poppies By the Window

Olga Wisinger Florian, A Bouquet of Poppies By the Window
via Arts Everyday Living

Being Obedient

Some of us think we have to like what we're doing to be obedient. You're not being obedient until you do what you don't like to do.

Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures

Woman Reading

Fernand Toussaint, Woman Reading
via Gandalf's Gallery

The power of evil arises from our refusal to love God.

If we really wanted to summarize very briefly the content of the Faith as laid down in the Bible, we might do so by saying that the Lord has initiated a narrative of love with us and wants to subsume all creation in it. The counterforce against evil, which threatens us and the whole world, can ultimately only consist in our entering into this love. It is the real counterforce against evil. The power of evil arises from our refusal to love God. He who entrusts himself to the love of God is redeemed. Our being not redeemed is a consequence of our inability to love God. Learning to love God is therefore the path of human redemption.

Benedict XVI, The Church and the scandal of sexual abuse

Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story by Nancy Ward

“Each of us is an unrepeatable expression of God’s presence in the world, with a unique story.”

With those words echoing in her heart, Nancy Ward began thinking of conversion stories as an evangelization tool. The culmination is this book. The first part has tools and tips for sharing your own story in a way that isn't weird or stilted. That's we all worry about, right? I've shared my story a zillion times and yet always have that bit of uncertainty at the beginning of yet another time. Nancy shares her own story here as an example.

The second part has over thirty faith stories from all sorts of Catholics — converts, reverts, clergy, etc. — who tell how God got their attention and drew them close. My own story is in that section.

I haven't read the book yet, so this isn't a review, but it is a recommendation to check this book out. If you love a good conversion (or reversion) story ... and who doesn't ... and would like to know how to be able to talk about your own faith experiences more confidently, then this is for you.

Find it on Amazon Kindle or paperback.

Here's Nancy's blog: Joy Alive

From the Archives: Boxer Report

This was originally posted in October of 2009. I did it to update the girls, both of whom were living too, too far away.

Coming across it, looking for a boxer picture to post for Tom's birthday today (his favorite kind of photo), I enjoyed it so much that I'm rerunning it. Oh those double-Boxer days ...

How our baby has grown!

Baby Wash and almost year-old Zoe.
This is probably from late June? Maybe early July?

I think this is from about when you both left to go to school.
Maybe a bit earlier than that.

So in answer to questions about how big Wash has gotten ...

He is now taller than Zoe. Though you can't tell it from this photo.
They were "watching" the game yesterday with us.

And as you may recall, though this is an old photo,
they both are usually much more active.
That hasn't changed a bit, no matter what the age!

Nobody Walks Slower Than You

"Who did you pass on the road?" the King went on, holding out his hand to the Messenger for some more hay.

"Nobody," said the Messenger.

"Quite right," said the King: "this young lady saw him too. So of course Nobody walks slower than you."

"I do my best," the Messenger said in a sulky tone. "I'm sure nobody walks much faster than I do!"

"He can't do that," said the King, "or else he'd have been here first. ..."

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Irises

Irises,Vincent van Gogh

You're not being obedient until ...

Some of us think we have to like what we're doing to be obedient. You're not being obedient until you do what you don't like to do.

Mother Angelica's Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures

An easy way to help rebuild Notre Dame

The Catholic Company is supporting the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral by donating 20% of their proceeds from select items to the Archdiocese of Paris.

Elk in Profile

Elk in Profile, Remo Savisaar

Roman Pilgrimage by George Weigel

There is a Lenten practice that I'd never heard of until reading this book. From Ash Wednesday through Divine Mercy Sunday, Catholics go to the Roman "station church" assigned for that day's Mass as a pilgrimage. Rome's got a lot of churches and this must be a lovely trip through history as well as a spiritual journey for those able to participate.

George Weigel uses this framework to provide a wonderful daily devotional for Lent, complete with photos and a page of information on each church. It is much more than a simple set of devotional reflections, however. The Mass readings and Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the hours are interwoven in an insightful commentary. Weigel doesn't stop there. He includes papal comments, saints' stories and quotes, and much more. I was taken on a Lenten journey which was rich in food for thought and meditation. Very highly recommended.

Note: as many other reviewers have noted, most of the photos are in black and white. Which is really dumb considering the churches are a key part of the book. I used my iPad for further church images.

Pigeons

Pigeons, José Ruiz Blasco (Pablo Picasso's father)

Kalank

"When someone else's loss seems like our victory, then there's no one in the world who's as lost as us."

Set in 1944 pre-partition Lahore. When a wife learns she is dying she asks a young woman to join the household to give her husband support after she's gone. The young woman not unreasonably insists on being married as a second wife so that she won't be cast off when the wife has died. (These being the days when you could have more than one wife.) This sets events into motion which will cause not just one but two love triangles to intersect. Intertwined with this is the story of general unrest over industrialization and possible partition.

Lush, well acted romantic piece set against the backdrop of pre-Partition unrest. In that sense, it made me think of Doctor Zhivago, which I've never seen but know the basics about.

Lavish sets, swirling fabric, and several large dance numbers with 500 performers made this a visual feast. The performances from everyone were wonderful, especially from Varun who I'd only seen as the younger brother in Dilwale (not my favorite movie specifically because of his subplot). Not to mention Madhuri Dixit's spectacular dance (she did have some other dancers swirling around her but it felt as if it were an amazing solo piece).

We were interested to see some of the conversations happening that argued different sides of the partition question. We've seen enough movies to show the results with Pakistan and India divided by barbed wire and steady hostility. But this early history was new to us and sent us to research the events of partition themselves.

The critics gave this so-so reviews overall. We didn't agree. Taken as love stories, taken as a look at people determined to control events (with results they never intended), taken as a movie-going experience - we liked it a lot. As did the six Indian teenage girls behind us at the theater who were sniffling and clapping as it ended.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

Lucy Signals to Catwoman

Belinda Del Pesco, Lucy Signals to Catwoman

The Golden Shrub

Edward B. Gordon, The Golden Shrub

Notre Dame Burns - Updated

Just got back from running errands and Rose and Tom told me about the Notre Dame Cathedral burning. I've been there twice ... but am surprised at how upset I am. It's almost as if I were French ... or Catholic.

I think of how crowded it is around the cathedral and hope that the fire doesn't spread. Watching the spire fall hit me hard but at least it fell down and not out to cause more damage.

UPDATED

Le père Fournier, aumônier des @PompiersParis, est allé avec des pompiers
dans la cathédrale #NotreDame pour sauver la couronne d’épines et le Saint-Sacrement...

Translation:

Fr. Fournier, chaplain of the Paris Firefighters, went with the firefighters into Notre-Dame cathedral to save the crown of thorns and the Blessed Sacrament.

Etienne Loraillère, editor at France’s KTO Catholic Television,
via Catholic Herald

My hero! Thank you, Father Fournier!

Almond Blossom

Vincent van Gogh, Almond blossom