Evil is a vacuum.

Three thousand years in Hell have made this much clear to me: evil is nothing. It's a vacuum. It's a space where something should have been but isn't. Cowardice is the absence of courage. Malice is the absence of love. Falsehood is the absence of truth. And so on. My point is this: the more attached you are to evil, the less you actually are. So I was only half-right when I said we weren't quite dead. The truth is, we weren't quite alive because we had filled our lives with emptiness.

J. Augustine Wetta, The Eighth Arrow

Cinematographe Lumière

The poster advertising the Lumière brothers cinematographe, showing a famous comedy (L'Arroseur Arrosé, 1895).

Monks in Space!

In physical life we might easily say, it’s a coincidence, monks just happen to be the best space-tool for the space-job. But this is a conversation about stories, too, and coincidence does not sit easily in a story’s stomach.

Space is the “final frontier.” It’s the unmapped territory, the uncomprehended edge, the giant question mark. Space contains mystery on mystery. Ask yourself where we came from, where we’re going, what happened in the immense gulf of before-time to bring us to this moment, and how our atoms will, over millions of years, decay—whether our culture will survive the next century or the next millennium—what life is and whether it has any destiny to speak of—the answer is out there in space. Or maybe what’s out there are only more questions—an endless sequence of questions curled up and hiding inside other questions, like the coiled-up higher spatial dimensions.

Max Gladstone mulls over why so much science fiction has monks in space. I enjoyed this a lot. You probably will too so go read it! Thanks to Mark for the heads up!

The Visit

The Visit, Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, 1915.
Via J.R.'s Art Place.

A Year With the Eucharist

I'm not too far along in this book but suddenly realized that Corpus Christi Sunday is coming. Naturally I wanted to give a heads up on this wonderful resource for drawing closer to the Eucharist.

I'm only on Day 9 but have found these daily meditations to be of inestimable value. They refocus and reconnect me with Jesus through the sacrament of the Eucharist - which I realize only makes sense to Catholics. But that's who this book is for, those who believe the Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. I especially like the brief prayer that ends each reading which makes me take a deeper moment than I might in just reading each meditation.

Each reading begins with a brief summary to orient the reader to the particular aspect of the Eucharist which will be commented upon. Then an excerpt from a saint, pope, poet, scripture, or other writings on the Eucharist takes us deeper into meditation and thought. This is followed by a question or two which help readers relate fully to what was just read. A brief prayer ends the session.

Tan Books has done this book proud, as with all those in the series. I have the e-book because buying a physical copy for a friend gave me a special unbelievably cheap deal. But this is really a book you want in physical form to hold in your hands. My daughter Rose has a copy and the cover may not be actual leather but it certainly feels like it. Pages are gilt-edged and the ribbon marker is sturdy. Moreover, the book design is elegant and decorative in an understated but classic way.

Das Schlossportal (The Castle Gate)

Ferdinand Knab, Das Schlossportal, 1881

Eternity with the Trinity. Boring?

At this point the question spontaneously arises, What will we do from this point on? Won't it be boring to spend all eternity with the same three Persons, even if they are divine? We could answer with another question: is it ever boring to enjoy feeling wonderful? People get bored of everything except "feeling wonderful," and eternity brings "infinite well-being." ...

... The best answer to the question "What will our life be like with the Trinity?" is found in a legend narrated by a modern German author. In a medieval monastery there were two monks, Rufus and Rufinus, who had a deep friendship. They spent all their free time trying to imagine and describe what eternal life would be like in the heavenly Jerusalem. Rufus was a builder, so he imagined it as a city with golden doors studded with precious stones; Rufinus was an organist, so he imagined it as full of heavenly melodies.

They ended up making a pact that whichever of them died first would return the following night to reassure the other that things were indeed as they had imagined. One word would do. If things were as they had imagined, he would simply say Taliter! ("Exactly!"). If things were different -- but this seemed completely impossible -- he would say, Aliter! ("Different!).

One night while he was playing the organ, Rufinus died of a heart attack. his friend stayed awake anxiously all night, but nothing. He kept vigil and fasted for weeks and months, but nothing. Finally on the anniversary of his death, Rufinus entered his friend's cell at night in a circle of light. Seeing that Rufinus was silent, Rufus -- sure of an affirmative answer -- asked his friend, "Taliter? That's right isn't it?" But his friend shook his head no. Desperate, Rufus cried out, "Aliter! Different?" Again his friend shook his friend no.

Finally his silent friend breathed forth only two words: "Totaliter aliter -- Completely different." Rufus understood in a flash that heaven was infinitely more than what they had imagined and could not be described. He also died shortly after because of his desire to go there. This story is a legend, but its content is nevertheless biblical:

No eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him.
(see 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Now that's something to think about, isn't it? Knowing that my vision is limited, nevertheless, I always have imagined Heaven as a divine library, which tells you where my passions lie (as if y'all didn't know that already).

Chameleon

Chameleon by Ustad Mansur, court painter to the Mughal Emperor, c. 1612.
Via J.R.'s Art Place.

The Trinity, Part III - The Understanding of Unity

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

The Eastern vision of the Trinity is above all, then, a call to unity. At first sight, this could appear to contrast with what we know of Greek and Latin theologies. It is well known that in discussions of the Trinity, the Greeks and Latins went in opposite directions: the Greeks began with the divine Persons, that is, from plurality, and proceeded to nature and thus to unity; the Latins, on the other hand, began with nature, or divine unity, and with the Greeks, plurality led to unity. In the Latin vision, this characterization is clearly confirmed by the fact that the treatment of divine unity in Western theology -- the De Deo uno ("concerning the oneness of God") -- precedes the treatment of divine plurality, the De Deo trino ("concerning the triune nature of God")...

The different visions of the Trinity are reflected in the way the church is seen in the East and in the West. This is worth emphasizing, because it can help reinforce the desire and necessity for full unity between them. For those in the East, the plurality of the churches is an assumption that is taken for granted. The problem, or challenge,is how to ensure an effective and efficacious unity undergirding the autonomy of the individual churches. It is just the opposite for the Catholic Church" unity is the strongest and most obvious assumption, guaranteed by the exercise of the primacy by Peter's successor. The problem, or challenge, is how to allow the required room for diversity, i.e., for the pluralism and autonomy of the local churches. In the East, pluralism is the departure point and unity is the goal; for the West, unity is the departure point and plurality is the goal. The same is true of their respective trinitarian doctrines: the pitfall for the Latins to avoid has always been Monarchianism, i.e., excessive insistence on unity; for the Greeks, on the contrary, it has been tritheism, i.e., excessive insistence on distinction. The call to unity for the two "sister" churches arises from the very profundity of the mystery that we both venerate. In a fully achieved unity, each church would conform and make the other whole, preserving both from the risk to which each is exposed.

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Ernesta

Cecilia Beaux, Ernesta (also known as "Child with Nurse"), 1894
via Wikipedia

This little lady has a look of our goddaughter so I just couldn't resist.

The Trinity, Part II - Profound Peace and Unity

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

... all three are wearing blue garments as a sign of the divine nature they have in common. But on top of or underneath the blue garments, each one has a distincitive color: the Father, the angel to the left, has an indefinable color almost of pure light as a sign of his invisibility and inaccessibility. The Son, in the center, is wearing a dark tunic as a sign of the humanity with which he has clothed himself. The Holy Spirit, the angel to the right, wears a green mantle as a sign of life, since he is "the one who gives life." ...

One thing is especially striking as we contemplate Rublev's icon: the profound peace and unity that emanate from the whole. A silent cry comes forth from the icon: "Be one as we are one." The saint for whose monastery the icon was painted, St. Sergius of Radonezh, is known in Russian history for having brought unity among warring chieftains and for having thus made possible the liberation of Russia from the Tartars, who had invaded it. His motto was that "through the contemplation of the most Holy Trinity we can overcome the hateful divisions of this world."

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Still Life with Eggs

Georg Flegel (1566-1638), Still Life With Eggs
Source, via Lines and Colors

This looks both soothing and delicious. I don't know why I love looking at it but I do.

The Trinity, Part I - In Eastern Spirituality

Icon of the Old Testament Trinity, c. 1410, Andrei Rublev

To get to the heart of Eastern and Western spirituality, we can take as our starting point the artistic representation of the Trinity that is the most typical for each of the two churches.

For the Orthodox Church, that would certainly be Rublev's icon of the Trinity...

One thing should be said immediately about this icon. It does not purport to directly represent the Trinity, which is, by definition, invisible and ineffable. Attempting to do so would be contrary to all the canons of Byzantine ecclesiastical iconography. Instead, it depicts the three angels who appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre (see Genesis 18:1-15). In that tradition, before and after Rublev, Abraham, Sarah, the calf and an oak tree often appear. This episode, in fact, is read by the patristic tradition as an early prefigurement of the Trinity. The icon is one of the artistic forms that follow a spiritual reading of the Bible. It is, thus, not the atemporal Trinity that is represented, but the Trinity in salvation history.

All the experts agree that Rublev's icon is the zenith of all iconographic art in terms of its power for theological synthesis, its richness of symbols, and its artistic beauty. It conveys the very rhythm of trinitarian life. Unceasing motion and superhuman stillness, transcendence and condescendence, are simultaneously represented.

The dogma of the unity and trinity of God is expressed by the fact that the three Persons represented are distinct but closely resemble each other. They are contained within a circle that highlights their unity. They are contained within a circle that highlights their unity, but their diverse motions and postures speak of their differences.

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

I know so little about looking at art that this was a revelation not only for the concept of the Trinity but also for the way to examine what the artist was communicating. More to come in Part II.

San Juan Capistrano Bell

San Juan Capistrano Bell, Belinda Del Pesco

Dor

Dor is the story of two women whose lives become intertwined by dire circumstance (the title means "string," as in the thing that connects people or situations). Meera is a young woman living in the rural desert of Rejasthan state, strictly confined by the customs of her traditional Hindu family. Zeenat, a Muslim, is a more progressive woman from a mountain state to the north.

The two women seemingly have nothing in common, except that Zeenat desperately needs Meera's help to save her husband's life. It is this unlikely connection—and the redemption it offers them both—that is the heart of Dor.

Bollywood Kitchen

This is a hard one to describe without giving too much of the plot away, which is interesting considering it comes off as a quiet little movie. But the director/writer managed to pack in a lot of story while still focusing on the two women whose lives are the center of it. We were captivated. Definitely recommended.

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.)

Hannah and Rose discuss Dor in episode 52 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity

I wrote this for a past series of bulletin inserts. Holy Trinity Sunday is approaching and since trying to wrap one's brain around the concept of the Trinity is so difficult for me, I thought that y'all might like this too.

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Blessed Trinity. This, the ineffable mystery of God's intimate life, is the central truth of our faith and the source of all gifts and graces. The liturgy of the Mass invites us to loving union with each of the Three Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This feast was established for the Latin Church by Pope John XXII, to be celebrated on the Sunday after the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is the last of the mysteries of our salvation. Today we can say many times, savoring it, the prayer: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

[St. Teresa] writes: Once when I was reciting the "Quicumque vult," I was shown so clearly how it was possible for there to be one God alone and three Persons that it caused me both amazement and much comfort. It was of the greatest help to me in teaching me to know more of the greatness of God and of his marvels. When I think of the most Holy Trinity, or hear it spoken of, I seem to understand how there can be such a mystery, and it is a great joy to me.

The whole of a Christian's supernatural life is directed towards this knowledge of and intimate conversation with the Trinity, who become eventually the fruit and the end of our whole life (St. Thomas). It is for this end that we have been created and raised to the supernatural order: to know, to talk to and to love God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, who dwell in the soul in grace.

In Conversation With God Vol 6
Special Feasts: January - June

===================

Trinity Sunday celebrates the most profound mystery of our faith: The Holy Trinity, the presence of God as Three in One. It is called a mystery not because it is a puzzle that we attempt to solve, but because it is a reality above our human comprehension. We may begin to grasp it intellectually, but ultimately must accept that we can only know the Holy Trinity through worship, symbol, and faith. What a challenge this poses for the Christian believer who knows and accepts the Holy Trinity dwells in our soul in grace, but also calls us to a relationship with Him. How do we do this? In our limited state, how can we know and love a mystery?

We do this through the small daily actions we can take of meditating on instructions on the Faith and reciting prayers composed in honor of the Trinity. For instance, although we recite it so often that it tends to slide by our consciousness, the Glory Be invites grace into our souls when we pray:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Certainly, we cannot hope to know the Holy Trinity unless God himself reaches out to us first and helps us along the way. Making ourselves open to God and raising our hearts to Him in petition, we can join in this prayer:

My Lord and my God, my only hope, hear my prayer so that I may not give in to discouragement and cease to seek you. May I desire always to see your face. Give me strength for the search. You who caused me to find you and gave the hope of a more perfect knowledge of you, I place before you my steadfastness, that you may preserve it, and my weakness, that you may heal it. I place before you my knowledge, and my ignorance. If you open the door to me, welcome the one who enters. If you have closed the gate, open it to the one who calls. Make me always remember you, understand you and love you. Increase those gifts in me until I am completely changed.

When we come into your presence, these many things we talk about now without understanding them will cease, and you alone will remain everything in everyone, and then we will sing as one an eternal hymn of praise and we too will become one with you.

St. Augustine, De Trinitate, 15, 28, 51

Lent by Jo Walton

Young Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.

It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will. It’s a miracle that he’s friends with Pico della Mirandola, the Count of Concordia. It’s a miracle that when Girolamo visits the deathbed of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” the dying Medici is wreathed in celestial light, a surprise to everyone, Lorenzo included. It’s a miracle that when Charles VIII of France invades northern Italy, Girolamo meets him in the field, and convinces him to not only spare Florence but also protect it. It’s a miracle than whenever Girolamo preaches, crowds swoon. It’s a miracle that, despite the Pope’s determination to bring young Girolamo to heel, he’s still on the loose… and, now, running Florence in all but name.

That’s only the beginning. Because Girolamo is not who—or what—he thinks he is. He will discover the truth about himself at the most startling possible time.

How do I write about this book? It feels like a work of genius and I am badly in need of someone to discuss a few things with. However, until I have a friend who has also read it, this inadequate review will have to do.

The book description tells the story just adequately enough to give you a sense of the atmosphere without spoiling the story. The main character, devout and talented priest Girolamo, can see demons and cast them into Hell. He's got the gift of prophecy. He is also a most appealing character as we watch him try to make Florence into the Ark of God.

This seems an unlikely topic for fantasy writer Jo Walton but she does love to take a topic and dive deep while she adds fantastic layers which enliven while adding insight to the main theme. Consequently, Lent is a melange of 15th century Catholic theology, Florentine and Vatican politics, demons, Hell, metaphysics, and friendship.

Above all, surprisingly, it is a meditation on what it means to love God and what it means to be threatened with losing Him. I've seen a few reviewers say they're unclear about the point of the book, but to this Catholic it seems clear. And I like what I see. Even if you don't agree with me, you will be left with a lot of food for thought wrapped in an entertaining story. Highly recommended.

EXTRA
These images and comments from Jo Walton are fascinating. Best viewed after reading the book so no spoilers creep in.

Woohoo for our power going on this morning!

Dallas had a whale of a wind storm, with torrential rain, and a lot of us were without power. Ours came back on this morning, though the power company (using text wisely and well) warned we may have other outages as problems down the line come to light. Plenty of others don't have power still, including our next door neighbor who is on a different power line.

Hannah and Mark, as arborist employees, were out last night until dark giving estimates and lining up lists for the crews to tackle this morning. When the storm was still raging Hannah had had three texts and an email beginning the onslaught of work needed. It never occurred to me before she became an arborist that there are other emergency workers than power or first responders who have to jump into action when a big storm comes. Her car is flooded in their apartment garage so they borrowed Tom's car so they could start work yesterday.

We are lucky because our power is on, a cold front followed the storm so the house was quite comfortable, we have a gas stove so I felt like a pioneer woman cooking dinner last night with no other power ... and our refrigerator and freezer held the chill well ... though we did have an impromptu sundae party last night as our ice cream took on soft serve texture. And we lit all our emergency candles (votives, tapers, and one pillar candle) and sat talking in the soft light.

A Sense of Place

The temperature has dropped and the smell of the corn in the cooler air is even more wonderful than before. Birds are flying overhead—veering specks too high for me to know what they are—and the sky is very pale, nearly colorless, turning to pale pink down near the band of soft gray-green haze that marks the horizon. The trees there, on the horizon, and a scattering of farm buildings and a silo seem to float in the haze, suspended and unearthly, as if in a mirage.

David McCullough, Brave Companions

This writing is so evocative. I know that feeling, that place, even though I've not been to that specific one. But I've been to the Kansas heartland, driven empty roads between small towns, experienced it. My memories entail wheat fields with waves like a golden ocean as the wind drives through it. It carries me back in time.

Ruff

Remo Savisaar, Ruff