The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, Hieronymus Bosch

The painting is oil on wooden panels and is presented in a series of circular images.

Four small circles, detailing the four last things — Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell — surround a larger circle in which the seven deadly sins are depicted: wrath at the bottom, then (proceeding clockwise) envy, greed, gluttony, sloth, extravagance (later replaced with lust), and pride, using scenes from life rather than allegorical representations of the sins.[4]

At the centre of the large circle, which is said to represent the eye of God, is a "pupil" in which Christ can be seen emerging from his tomb. Below this image is the Latin inscription Cave cave d[omi]n[u]s videt ("Beware, Beware, The Lord Sees").

Above and below the central image are inscription in Latin of Deuteronomy 32:28–29, containing the lines "For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them", above, and "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" below. ...

Each panel in the outer circle depicts a different sin. Clockwise from top (Latin names in brackets):

• Gluttony (gula): A drunkard swigs from a bottle while a fat man eats greedily, not heeding the plea of his equally obese young son.
• Sloth (acedia): A lazy man dozes in front of the fireplace while Faith appears to him in a dream, in the guise of a nun, to remind him to say his prayers.
• Lust (luxuria): Two couples enjoy a picnic in a pink tent, with two clowns (right) to entertain them.
• Pride (superbia): With her back to the viewer, a woman looks at her reflection in a mirror held up by a demon.
• Wrath (ira): A woman attempts to break up a fight between two drunken peasants.
• Envy (invidia): A couple standing in their doorway cast envious looks at a rich man with a hawk on his wrist and a servant to carry his heavy load for him, while their daughter flirts with a man standing outside her window, with her eye on the well-filled purse at his waist. The dogs illustrate the Flemish saying, “Two dogs and only one bone, no agreement”.
• Greed (avaricia): A crooked judge pretends to listen sympathetically to the case presented by one party to a lawsuit, while slyly accepting a bribe from the other party.

The four small circles also have details. In Death of the Sinner, death is shown at the doorstep along with an angel and a demon while the priest says the sinner's last rites, In Glory, the saved are entering Heaven, with Jesus and the saints, at the gate of Heaven an Angel prevents a demon from ensnaring a woman. Saint Peter is shown as the gatekeeper. In Judgment, Christ is shown in glory while angels awake the dead, while in the Hell demons torment sinners according to their sins.

Wikipedia

I really do love Hieronymus Bosch. Maybe because I like intricate things with lots of details. Click the image for full size. Also, the Wikipedia article shows each of the details much larger.

Customized Temptations

Our temptations have been customized. No two are alike. That explains why each one fits perfectly. The Divine Designer, in association with Weights & Measures Supernatural, has seen to that. That explains also why we can shed each and every temptation that's laid upon us. The Designer fully expects us to. Another garment awaits the Elect.

Therefore, we shouldn't despair when we're tempted. We should pray more fervently to God. After all, He thinks us worthy of help in every tribulation. ...

In trials and tribulations, the perfection of Humankind is hammered out. I give you one example—Virtue. The better it's hidden, the more light it gives off, or so the common spiritual wisdom goes. But if the virtuous can't recognize a temptation when it kisses them on the cheek, what good is all the devotion and fervor? For these poor souls, though there's still hope. If they patiently sustain themselves in time of adversity, then they'll continue to inch along the great spiritual path.

The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis

transl. William Griffin

Orange Seller

Orange seller, Joaquín Sorolla

Sarfarosh

After his brother is killed and father severely injured by terrorists, a young med student quits his studies to join the Indian Police Service to wipe out the terrorists.

This one's hard to sum up without spoiling it. It managed to combine serious content with true thriller and romance entertainment.

I liked Tom's summary from Facebook:

This 1999 action drama checked all the Bollywood boxes. A hero on a mission, a romance, gun runners from Pakistan. But the story ramped up to be quite gripping with a fabulous confrontation of good and evil. (Good had the best monologue.)

Last Bollywood checkbox, 4 song and dance numbers. 3 choreographed by our favorite Farah Khan. (Yes... we have a favorite Bollywood choreographer.)

Of course we have a favorite Bollywood choreographer. What are we, barbarians?

This is a dance that shows what the romantic couple is thinking after about 30 seconds in. Yes, they're at a birthday party but check out the passion bubbling below the surface!




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. Just let the movie flow over you.)

ALSO
An American's Guide to Bollywood discusses Sarfarosh here.

The Mythology I Believe

If Christianity is only a mythology, then I find the mythology I believe in is not the one I like best. I like Greek mythology much better, Irish better still, Norse best of all.

C.S. Lewis, Is Theology Poetry?

Couturières

Eva Bonnier, Couturières

Forgotten Author: Edgar Wallace

Back in the 1920s there was an oft-repeated joke about the British thriller writer Edgar Wallace. A friend was said to have telephoned him one day, only to be told that Wallace was writing a new novel. “That’s okay,” the caller remarked, “I’ll wait.”

One of the most popular writers of the early 20th century, and certainly one of the most prolific, Edgar Wallace turned out an astonishing 130 novels (18 alone in 1926), 40 short story collections, 25 plays, some 15 nonfiction books, plus journalism, criticism, poetry, and columns, in a little over 30 years. During his peak it was claimed that one-quarter of all the books read in England were penned by Wallace, and he remains one of the most filmed authors of all time.

Mystery Scene Magazine

I've got a fondness for old mysteries as y'all know. It is fostered by public domain sites like Project Gutenberg, Librivox, and kind folks who put the Gutenberg files on Amazon for Kindle (free!).

And that's how I found Edgar Wallace. I've read quite a few of them but these are ones I love the most.

THE ANGEL OF TERROR
This is a riveting tale which sets out with a man being sentenced for murder and a beautiful, innocent woman having had to testify against him.

Except, what everyone thinks is exactly opposite to the truth, according to the condemned man's friend and attorney, Jack Glover. He claims that his friend was framed.

Meanwhile, poverty-stricken Lydia gets pulled into this scenario completely out of the blue and is put in the situation of having to decide who to trust. One person is telling the truth and the other is out to murder her. We are not really ever in the dark about it, but watching Lydia's thinking and also seeing the behind-the-scenes machinations makes this a real page-turner.

JACK O' JUDGMENT

Who was the mysterious avenger whose hooded form sent terror into the dark haunts of the underworld? Criminal mastermind Colonel Dan Boundary fights two enemies — Stafford King, a dedicated detective, and Jack O'Judgment, a mysterious figure bent on vigilante justice.

This was an excellent mystery that had me guessing at Jack O'Judgment's identity throughout the book. I love the way he's kind of like The Joker, but fighting for right. It was also interesting to see the interplay of various characters and the skill with which the author emphasized their personalities.

ROOM 13
Is there anything worse than getting released from prison only to find that your true love is getting married that day? Maybe just one thing — discovering that her new husband is secretly a sinister criminal wanted by the police. We can't help but like John Gray, even if he is an ex-con. We're rooting for him to expose his true love's husband and make good.

This novel introduced Mr. J.G. Reeder, a wonderful character who was in a whole series of books. Not a policeman, not a detective, we don't know exactly what he is except that when he is around mysteries are solved, wrongs are righted, secrets are uncovered — all in the service of good. And he does it with such a wilted, tired, disinterested manner that it can't help but be amusing to see the effect on the villains. Especially when the talk turns to raising chickens. This was a thoroughly enjoyable, plot twisting mystery.

Baby Robins

Not our nest. Ours is cleverly crafted in the Y between a waterspout and a wall.
Our robins aren't this big yet, but are getting there!
Source.

Today seems to be a personal day, what with birthday cake and all, so let's just talk about Davis Robin-watch-2019.

We've had a lot of fun watching a robin couple scout locations, thoughtfully build right where we can watch them from our back room, and hatch 3 nestlings, and chase birds away. Now the babies are starting to stretch their heads above the nest edge and fleetingly look around before sinking down again.

Our only problem is that robins spend a day on the ground practicing flying when they fledge. So the one thing these parents didn't consider is that we've got a dog door, a klutzy Boxer and a terrier type who has hunting bred into her bones apparently. That doesn't bode well for any babies on the ground.

So we've worked out the timing as well as we can for fledging time (Wikipedia don't fail me now). Early next week we're going to shut the dog door and go to leashed walkies in the yard for bathroom breaks. Fingers crossed we'll see those little guys on the ground and know when they're safe.

I've seen baby robins sitting on the sides of their nests,
contemplating the world. They look a lot like this. I love that giant bill.
Source.

Black Forest Cake

Rose has been interested in this recipe for a while and it turns out that the best time to make it was for her birthday! So it was an experiment and a celebration at the same times. Get the recipe and our comments at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

The USSR's Love Affair with Bollywood

Raj Kapoor on Stamp of India (2001)

From the 1950s right up to its collapse, people in the Soviet Union were completely infatuated with Indian cinema. India and The Soviet Union had completely different politics, languages, and cultures. But for a brief time, these two nations found they had much more in common than expected, and realized this through a love of movies.

Hear about it on From Bombay with Love from 99% Invisible.

For us this helped bring into focus a little more about why we love Bollywood movies so much. The Soviets had only social realism movies. Talk about depressing. Hollywood these days is not turning out entertainment in the way we think of it - something to enjoy. Except for superhero movies and we've got plenty of those. Bollywood's filling in what Hollywood's forgotten - how to have a good time.

Airlift

When Iraq invades Kuwait in August, 1990, a callous Indian businessman becomes the spokesperson for more than 170,000 stranded countrymen. The result was the largest evacuation in history.

None of us had ever heard of this event, which I suppose is natural considering that we were hearing about the U.S. side of the story. What an amazing feat.  I felt as if I were in war-torn Kuwait. I had tears of pride in my eyes at the end at seeing Mother India's flag aloft. Also I now love Air India.

This is a movie Hollywould be proud to have made ... good acting, excellent pacing. You don't have to like Indian films to enjoy this one. The husband-wife dynamic was interesting and they did a good job developing both characters as they matured while responding to the crisis. Akshay Kumar is an actor I've enjoyed in two other films and this one just adds to my good impression. His performance anchors the whole film.

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

Scott and I discuss Airlift at A Good Story is Hard to Find.
Hannah and Rose discuss Airlift at An American's Guide to Bollywood.

The Most Beautiful Brasserie in Paris

The Most Beautiful Brasserie in Paris, taken by Paris Daily Photo

The School of the Family Table

The table was the place for family business and for family quarrels as much as a place for eating. but most important, it was where we shared stories and learned lessons. I remember one night when the subject of managing money came up. Daddy took ten dimes out of his pocket and laid them out on the tablecloth. He said, "You give the first dime to the church. The second dime goes in your savings account. And you live on the rest. That, he said, was called tithing, and is how we should manage our money and our lives.

At that small white table in our hot kitchen, we learned the values and traditions that I later tried to teach — to recommend to — my own children.

Robert Khayat, quoted in A Gracious Plenty

Amen.

Books and more books

He never went out without a book under his arm, and he often came back with two.

Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

It's like looking into a mirror!

Petit Chaperon Rouge

Le petit chaperon rouge (a.k.a. Little Red Riding Hood)
Albert Anker, 1883

Das Rapsfeld

Das Rapsfeld, Edward B. Gordon

Ninth-Century "Well Adjusted"

In recent years it has been remarked by two or three professors — and as something of a corrective to the general academic consensus — that we should not forget that Vikings were under no obligation to observe the Geneva Convention; that while Vikings were not mad, they were often bad and always dangerous to know; even that there was something "psychopathic" about Viking culture.

To which one need only add that twenty-first-century "psychopathic" could be ninth-century "well adjusted."

Tom Shippey, Laughing Shall I Die

European Beaver

European Beaver, Remo Savisaar

No one benefits from staying inside their comfort zone, not even academics.

Academics have laboured to create a comfort-zone in which Vikings can be massaged into respectability. But the Vikings and the Viking mindset deserve respect and understanding in their own terms — while no one benefits from staying inside their comfort zone, not even academics. This book accordingly offers a guiding hand into a somewhat, but in the end not-so-very, alien world.

Disturbing though it may be.

Tom Shippey, Laughing Shall I Die

FREE 6-Day Pass To The Online Screening of CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players, Vol. I...

I got this in email and they're asking us to share it with everyone, so here you go! I'm looking forward it - a lot!

Friends, Over the course of Catholic history, there have lived people who were so influential,  so pioneering, that it's hard to imagine what the Church would look like without them. In 2016, I began filming CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players to trace the  steps and explore the lives of some of these remarkable historical figures. To celebrate the impact of these pivotal players, I'd like to invite you to  a free online screening event. From May 10-15th, my Word on Fire team will be screening all six episodes  of CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players, Vol. I at PivotalPlayers.com/free-screening. I hope you'll join me on this global adventure to live the stories of   some of the Church's greatest men and women, and to discover the  beauty of Catholicism that they exemplify. Peace,