Bael

Bael, Ellen Schutt
via U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection.
 Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705

The USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection documents fruit and nut varieties developed by growers or introduced by USDA plant explorers around the turn of the 20th century. Technically accurate paintings were used to create lithographs illustrating USDA bulletins, yearbooks, and other series distributed to growers and gardeners across America.

Explore it for yourself!

Inspiration

From my quote journal.

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London

3 Good Movies: Neerja, Sui Dhaaga, Andhadhun

We had a lucky run last weekend with three great movies. They are each very different so you might find something you'll like too.

Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization.

I don't love movies about hijackings or terrorists, but I was so interested in finding out how a 23-year-old woman could save 359 lives that I was really intrigued by this movie. It totally paid off. The story wound several threads of Neerja's life together through flashbacks so we could see some of the events that prepared her, in a way, to keep her head and do the right thing even when terrified. The acting and directing were great. I, probably like most of the aunties who saw this, was fighting back sobs by the end. It was an inspiring hero's tale.

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

Hannah and Rose discuss this at An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

A sweet, charming, feel-good movie which showcases Varun's and Anushka's subtle acting abilities as they play Mauji and Mamta, an ordinary couple, struggling to begin a small clothing business. Sui Dhaaga means The Needle and the Thread which is apt not only for the clothing business but for how we see this young couple work together and grow closer to create a life together. I really enjoyed the ordinary setting of humble home and family, complete with traditional overbearing father. Mauji and Mamta each inspire the other in different ways without using any of the typical tropes we'd see in an American version of the story.

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

Tom's review:

The story of a blind pianist who witnesses a murder. But that was just the first twist in this 2018 crime thriller. It was a heck of ride to the last frame. It got a bit dark, but never gory. It was critically acclaimed and a huge box hit. Box office was 14 times its budget.

It is worth watching, pretend it is a French noir film. (It’s based on a French short.) here is the trailer. It has subtitles. It is available on Netflix.

If a Hollywood studio does not redo this for the American market, they missing bet.

I found it very disturbing without actually showing anything disturbing. It definitely left all of us feeling unsettled. I'm not sorry I saw it but I won't need to see it again. Very much the way I felt after seeing Martin Scorsese's After Hours.

However, it was really popular and the acting and script were superb. Tabu deserved her first billing, especially once I found that she wasn't told anything about her character before the scenes she would play. It might be just the thriller that you talk about all summer.

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.)

Girl Reading a Newspaper

Girl Reading a Newspaper by Wada Eisaku

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I'm rereading this magnificently written book just because. I can't believe I hadn't reviewed it here so am hastily pushing this book your way. It is not a typical Civil War book or I wouldn't like it. This is truly something special. Here's the review I posted on Goodreads in 2012.

Against all odds I loved this book. I wanted both sides to win. This despite being initially unnerved to see maps when I opened it. Maps with arrows indicating troop movements hither and thither around Gettysburg.

I do not care about maps in books. Even for Lord of the Rings I ignored the maps. I hasten to add that I actually love real maps ... on a wall, in an art book, on a blog. I just do not want to have to make my mental image when reading have to conform to the reality of a map.

Feeling brave despite my unnerving experience I soldiered on. (ha!) I would like everyone to note that my reading of Coraline (for both Good Story and also SFFaudio) was not in vain. Bravery consists in keeping going when one is afraid (or even merely unnerved).

It only took reading the descriptions of the leaders to begin embracing the book. The author makes all the personalities so accessible, all the military talk so clear, and sets the tale in clear, grounded writing.

For example, I just finished reading the Battle of Little Round Top. I felt as if I was in the battle itself, while not being dragged into the grim details. Watching through Chamberlain's eyes, one can see the decisions, the chaos, the necessity that drives the way the battle went. And, Hood was right. Of course, we could tell that all along just as Longstreet could.

It is simply an amazing book in communicating the humanity, the flaws, the errors, and the brotherhood and love of these men ... and the tragedy of the battle. I now have a small crush on General Longstreet. Also on Chamberlain.

=========

I originally read this for our podcast where you may listen to it here: Good Story #36. Scott learns that Texas is it's own direction, and Julie changes her opinion about Robert E. Lee. Neither is certain where in the timeline to find Lincoln's vampire slaying.

Francis warns German Catholics they can’t just do their own thing

At last. Pope Francis has been telling the German cardinals to work things out themselves ... and then when that didn't work, to try again. But now he gives very specific thinking.

As the Catholic Church in Germany prepares to embark on a synodal process motivated in part by a desire to stop a hemorrhage of faithful, Pope Francis has sent them a letter reminding them they don’t walk alone but with the universal Church.

In the missive he also reminds the Germans that a “structural” reform, simply changing to adapt to modern times, is not the solution.

The Church’s raison d’etre, Francis wrote in a letter released by the Vatican Saturday, is that God “so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that all who believe in him may not die, but may have eternal Life.”

[...]

Believing that solutions are purely structural, Francis argued, is “one of the first great temptations at the ecclesial level.”

“Without having the Gospel as its soul,” Francis wrote, a well-organized and even modernized ecclesial body could become a “gaseous” Christianity that has no evangelical zeal.

“Each time the ecclesial community tries to leave its problems alone and focuses exclusively on its forces or its methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ends up increasing and perpetuating the evils it was trying to solve,” Francis said.

Crux has the story.

Kingfisher

Remo Savisaar, Kingfisher

Louis De Wohl's Saint Books

Louis De Wohl is a forgotten treasure - whose books I encountered a few years ago.

He was German and Catholic and between the late 1940s and 1960 he wrote a ton of historical fiction about saints' lives and Biblical stories. They were bestsellers at the time. In fact, sixteen of them were made into movies.

I discovered his novels when Ignatius Press reissued them but have discovered that a lot of people still haven't heard of them. Of course, some are better than others, but when they are good they are so interesting and also so inspirational!

Best of all our library has a lot of his books!

I recently read Lay Seige to Heaven which is about St. Catherine of Siena. I thought I knew all about her but it turns out I only knew the merest basics. It focused me on the Eucharist in a way I hadn't expected. That made me reread The Quiet Light about St. Thomas Aquinas which I enjoyed just as much as the first time ... and which reinforced my Eucharistic gaze.

Here are the 4 reviews I featured previously, although they are far from all of De Wohl's books that I've read and enjoyed.

• The Joyful Beggar - St. Francis
• The Quiet Light - St. Thomas Aquinas
• The Restless Flame - St. Augustine
• Set All Afire - St. Francis Xavier

They are easy to read but have given me a lot of food for thought. If you want a dose of history and inspiration they might be the perfect summer read!

Even Hindus Eagerly Await Canonization of India’s ‘Patroness of Families’

KUZHIKKATTUSSERY, India — Enthusiasm is growing even among Hindus as they join Catholics in awaiting the announcement of the date for the canonization of Blessed Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, who in 1914 founded the Congregation of the Holy Family (CHF), a community of women religious in southern Kerala state.

“Mother is not an ordinary Christian for us,” P.K. Mohanan, a member the village council for Kuzhikkattussery, told the Register. “She is an icon of love and charity. All of us respect her.”

Read all about it at National Catholic Register. I'd never heard of this saint but you can't watch as many Bollywood movies as I have without knowing about southern Kerala! So I feel a sense of connection just based on that slight bit of geography. Also, she seems like a really amazing person, just as any saint should!

I would also add that "even Hindus" is probably not as impressive as it sounds to us. Hindus often hold a variety of views that include other faiths. Such as the fact that some see Jesus as a god, just not the only God. So, it's great that they acknowledge her saintliness, but it doesn't have the same impact as if Muslims were flocking to this tomb. That would be something new indeed.

Fighting With My Family

Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone.

I was interested in this partially for the back-scenes look into the professional wrestling world. Also, The Rock is in it, very occasionally. So that was also a draw.

What we found was a coming-of-age sports movie that hits the familiar beats but in a funny, quirky, and thoughtful way that makes it rise above the ordinary. The cast is charming, the story interesting, and the fact that it's based on a true story gives a little extra interest.

They also gave a surprising number of takes on answering the question of what happens when your lifelong dream comes true ... and you suddenly have to reevaluate your dream. Or, conversely you don't get your lifelong dream. How do you pick yourself up and move on? These are standard questions for any sports drama but this movie gave us different perspectives, even if glancingly, from different characters which added a layer of nuance we didn't expect.

There were a few plot progressions that left us scratching our heads but we were willing to overlook them for such an enjoyable film.

The Animals As They Are

Les animaux tels qu’ils sont, which Google translates as “The animals as they are” is a book published in France in 1959 that offers 90 plus examples of how to draw animals using simplified geometric forms.

Lines and Colors

These are charming, both in technique and finished drawing. I love to think of generations of little French children drawing these animals. You can see more on Wikipedia and Flickr.

City Lights Just After Sunset

Edward B. Gordon, City Lights Just After Sunset

Baptism - the true light that enlightens every man

Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.

St. Gregory Of Nazianzus

quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1243

This made me think of a baptism I attended a couple of weeks ago. The mother said afterwards that now she could relax because her child was safe. I didn't know people still thought that way and being raised a heathen, myself, my children were baptized well after infancy. I'm a godmother as well as a mother — I know how important baptism is but the quote above made me really feel it. It sank into me somehow.

Stree (2018)

In the small town of Chanderi, the menfolk live in fear of an evil spirit named "Stree" (Woman) who abducts men in the night during an annual festival. Everybody diligently makes sure the inscription O Stree, Come Tomorrow is written on their walls to keep the ghost away. Vicky falls in love with a mysterious girl, who is only seen during the annual festival season. Could she be Stree?

This is a comedy-horror film in the way that Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was ... tongue-in-cheek humor while turning the conventional story on its head. It was super fun while being quite suspenseful in places. I was happy that this wasn't gory in the way an American movie would have been. It was interesting to see that there are ghost stories that originate in all parts of the world about brides whose lives were cut short.

And there must be a lot of cultural influence from Western horror films. That means you don't have to know Bollywood films to enjoy this as many of the tropes were the ones we all know .... like "don't split up - stay together!" Or as we were yelling at the screen, "Be like wolves, not lions!"

Plus, you know, a few songs and dances! Which is even better!

This was a sleeper hit last year and just hit Netflix recently.

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

Tasty Dandelions

Remo Savisaar, Tasty Dandelions

Letter to a Suffering Church by Bishop Robert Barron

Preface

This book is a cri de coeur, a cry from the heart. I am a lifelong Catholic, and I've been a priest for thirty-three years and a bishop for four years. I have dedicated my life to the Church. The sexual abuse scandal has been for me, for millions of other Catholics, and especially for the victim-survivors, lacerating. I have written this book for my fellow Catholics who feel, understandably, demoralized, scandalized, angry beyond words, and ready to quit. What I finally urge my brothers and sisters in the Church to do is to stay and fight — and to do so on behalf of themselves and their families, but especially on behalf of those who have suffered so grievously at the hands of wicked men. Of course, I’m also happy if those outside the Church find some illumination in these chapters as well.

I want to be clear about something from the outset: I am not speaking in the name of my brother bishops, or of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, or of the Vatican. I have no authority whatsoever to do so. I am speaking in my own name, as a Catholic, a priest, and a bishop. My prayer is that these reflections might encourage Catholics who are attempting to navigate today in very choppy waters.

The Vatican, USCCB, and other bishops should be so lucky as to have Bishop Barron's book speaking for them. If they are wise they will embrace it and get copies into the hands of their congregations. Robert Barron gives not only a cry from the heart but perspective and counsel which both encourage and console.

This little book doesn't take long to read but it's packed with food for thought and gives historical and scriptural perspective. That may make it sound a bit detached or trite. Letter to a Suffering Church is anything but.

Barron condemns the wicked — it's been too long since I heard that word applied to the priests who violated the souls and bodies of their victims. He offers understanding and solace to those victims. He reminds us that the Church has been dragged through the dregs of corruption by the clergy before and of the fight it took to cleanse it.

Above all Barron offers inspiration and a fighting spirit as he encourages Catholics to stay and fight for the Church to be what Christ calls her to be — a pure source of Truth for a world crying out for God and love. Even though the world may laugh at that idea right now.

I'll be rereading this book for my own future inspiration moving forward. I strongly recommend it for all of you too.

This book is only a dollar a copy so it can become widely accessible, with all proceeds going to organizations that support sexual abuse victims. Order it here. Parish resources are here.

Well Said: Most People

From my quote journal.

In most cases, people, even wicked people, are far more naive and simple-hearted than one generally assumes. And so are we.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Bluebonnets

Bluebonnets, taken by Jason Merlo

Act of Spiritual Communion

I was vaguely aware of the idea of spiritual communion which is done when you can't make it to Mass or can't receive communion for some other reason. Many saints have recommended this, including St. John Paul II.

However, when I came across a discussion of the practice by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, it drew my attention. His prayer it touched me so greatly that I wanted to  share it, especially coming up to the Sunday of Corpus Christi.

There is no substitute for communion at Mass, of course, but this is a wonderful way to keep our desire for the Eucharist burning and alive the rest of the time.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things: I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you, and I unite myself entirely to you, as if you had already come. Do not permit me to be ever separated from you.

Jesus, source of all my good, my sweet love, wound, inflame this heart of mine, that it may always burn for you.

Act of Spiritual Communion, St. Alphonsus de Liguori
via A Year With the Eucharist

The Annunciation

The Annunciation, John William Waterhouse

I don't think I've seen an Annunciation like this before, where Mary looks so taken off guard and interrupted in daily work outside.