Love Basics for Catholics by John Bergsma

When you begin to see the Bible as a book of love, it will change the way you view love, sex, marriage, family, and your personal relationship with God.

Bergsma focuses on what nine biblical marriages tell us about God’s relationship with us, including: 

• Adam and Eve—who show us that marriage is the culmination of all creation and that marriage can be an image of the Trinity 
• Ruth and Boaz—who display the tenderness and virtue of a marriage;
• Solomon and his bride in the Song of Songs—who illustrate a positive, healthy view of the body and physical beauty
• Jesus as Bridegroom of his people, the Church.

He also provides insight into Church teachings on marriage and relationships—such as monogamy, the single life, the Sacrament of Matrimony, and Jesus’s words about divorce—to show how these teachings come from the love God shares with his people through the covenants in scripture.

As with John Bergsma's other Bible Basics for Catholics books this is an excellent basic coverage, in this case how the Bible is the story of how marriage in the Bible shows us God's love for his people. 

I really enjoyed the gradual development of complexity as we followed the marriages featured in salvation history. I hadn't thought of them in a linear fashion as being an "evolutionary story" of how marriage would be understood, but it's all right there, as John Bergsma shows us. So we get both an in-depth look at marriage and God's love for his people in one handy-dandy, easy to understand book.

As with the Bible Basics book, Bergsma uses the trick of simple stick pictures to help make the main points memorable and I was happy to see them. They really are wonderful memory aids.

Clinique Cheron

Clinique Cheron, Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen
via J.R.'s Art Place

This just makes me happy. I love the idea of this vet wanting an ad. I love the profusion of loving animals. And I love the artistic style.

Story of an Egg (Ondu Motteya Kathe)

Janardhan is a Kannada language teacher who's 28 and eager to marry. But every time his parents arrange a marriage, the bride turns him down because he's an "egghead*" which is to say that he's bald.

He seeks advice from two sources. One is a friend at work who is also balding but has been happily married 4 years and has quiet, wise advice. The other is his favorite actor Rajkumar, who is not only a Kannada legend but an Indian cinema legend. Janardhan channels his hero's words of wisdom through Rajkumar's photo benignly smiling down on him and memories of movies and songs. Between the two, he gains courage to approach women.

As he goes along, we recognize how different relationships will work out. These familiar beats allow for both comedy and empathy. When Janardhan finally meets a woman who would be a good match, he doesn't recognize it and winds up having to work through some of the very issues that he himself was a victim of.

We really enjoyed this this sweet, charming film which felt a lot like an American indie movie. I knew how it would turn out, after a certain point, but felt genuine anxiety toward the end where I wanted to urge Janardhan to go get his woman! This is a real tribute to Raj B. Shetty who wrote, directed, and starred in the film. 

The Times of India commented: "The film is probably the best tribute to Dr Rajkumar made on Kannada screen till date and the subtle references to the late matinee idol and his films are a delight to any film buff." That's something we weren't in any position to appreciate, but it is clear that Shetty did a first class job on several levels.

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

*It's funny to think about slang because in America an egghead is a super-intellectual, often impractical, scientist-type.

A Chance of Thunderstorms

A Chance of Thunderstorms
taken by Brian at the blue hour

I really struggled with which photo to share from this post. Do click through on the link and go enjoy all of them. Simply wonderful.

6:30 in the Morning

6:30 in the Morning, Edward B. Gordon

From the painter:

6:30 in the morning at the Spree in Oberschöneweide. The river has almost no current. Smooth as a mirror. Occasionally one sees dogs on the bank, pulling their still tired people on the leash after them. The ducks are sunbathing and the boats are still rocking softly in their sleep. From far away you can hear the wheels of the S-Bahn, clack clack, clack clack, clack clack, always in the same rhythm, short long, short long, short long. The beginning of a beautiful summer day.

Barbie is a mixed bag of entertainment.

Here's an excellent, insightful review of Barbie from Mrs. Darwin who gives not only her and Darwin's take, but also that of their four daughters, aged 13-21. Here's a bit that made me laugh, talking about how this will be viewed in the future at sleepovers. Then go read it all for yourself at Darwin Catholic.

In the end, the movie's frenetic pace grinds to a halt as Barbie is encouraged to actualize herself into being human by the ghost of her original American promoter, Ruth Handler (whose historical significance in Barbie's propagation consisted of manipulating markets by bypassing parental gatekeeping and selling a German sex doll directly to children through the medium of commercials on the Mickey Mouse Club). This is the lull where, in sleepovers yet to come, the girls (who mainly want to watch fun Barbieland antics and the Kens' farcical yet satisfying dance-off) wander off to have cake or open presents or check memes together. No one wants to watch Barbie being human in a movie which doesn't have a firm grasp on what it means to be human. It succeeds at moments because Gerwig, who is a talented procedural filmmaker, gives Barbie flashes of real insight. (A moment of wonder, where a stunned, luminous Barbie realizes the individuality of each person at a park, touches transcendence.) But she can't extend that humanity to every character. As a result, where the movie is absurd fun (and that's most of it), it works, and where it tries to be deep -- well, what better time to engage in real-world interactions like cake and sharing memes? Not every movie is so considerate as to telegraph where you can stop paying attention to it.

In Praise of Shadows

In Praise of Shadows, Calligraphy and View

There are shadows to the same extent as light. Humans may only see the light side.

Japanese culture and traditions have valued shadows.

But it can be hard to feel.

Maybe you know little of the shadow side. It can't be helped.

There are a number of gorgeous photo of light and shadow and how they are used in Japanese esthetics of everyday living. At the end is a link to the documentary, In Praise of Shadows. I will definitely be watching it. Click through and check it all out.

The Angel of Terror

This can't really match the description of the cover of the book that Freddy was reading. However, it is one of my favorite Edgar Wallace books. 

Here's another cover which is much closer to the description of Freddy's book. It also is a favorite of mine, which tells you something about my taste in light reading.

The cover of the book Freddy was reading

The book the Honorable Freddie was reading was a small paper-covered book. Its cover was decorated with a color scheme in red, black and yellow, depicting a tense moment in the lives of a man with a black beard, a man with a yellow beard, a man without any beard at all, and a young woman who, at first sight, appeared to be all eyes and hair. The man with the black beard, to gain some private end, had tied this young woman with ropes to a complicated system of machinery, mostly wheels and pulleys. The man with the yellow beard was in the act of pushing or pulling a lever. The beardless man, protruding through a trapdoor in the floor, was pointing a large revolver at the parties of the second part.

Beneath this picture were the words: "Hands up, you scoundrels!"

P.G. Wodehouse, Something Fresh

Oh, how many books I've enjoyed which were decorated in similar style. Actually, I have it on fairly good authority (from somewhere I now can't recall) that this was talking about Edgar Wallace's novels. Which I love. Really, really love. 

So here we have the double whammy for hedonistic reading — Wodehouse and Wallace.

Mademoiselle Vaughan

Paul Helleu, Mademoiselle Vaughan, 1905
via French Painters

Sometimes we need a dose of chic around here and no one embodies that better than Mademoiselle Vaughan.

Unless it was my friend June who was an original member of our movie group at Caruth Haven retirement community. She died almost 10 years ago but I still think fondly of her. She often surprised me with her movie suggestions. It is thanks to her that I saw Bernie. She was always turned out to a T and I miss her elegant manners, her sense of humor, her chic (of course) and, most of all, her sparkling self.

What ho!

“What ho!" I said.

"What ho!" said Motty.

"What ho! What ho!"

"What ho! What ho! What ho!"

After that it seemed rather difficult to go on with the conversation.”

P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves

For pure hedonism and sinking into novelistic inanity — hilarious, but inane — there is none better than Bertie Wooster.

Schönschreibmeister Sample

Schönschreibmeister Sample
via BibliOdyssey

I'm a sucker for typography and calligraphy. This is like the best of both. Do go over to BibliOdyssey to see all the samples. They are exquisite.

Jeeves and Nietzsche

“You would not enjoy Nietzsche, sir. He is fundamentally unsound.”

P.G. Wodehouse, Carry on, Jeeves

Still sinking as a hedonist into Wodehouse quotes. There is none better than Jeeves.

How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice by Austen Ivereigh (UPDATED)

I recently had occasion to quote one of Catholic Voices' ten principles of civil communication: "Shed light, not heat." Naturally, the principles and examples are oriented toward discussions of faith and belief. However, I have found the general principles help with any sort of contentious discussion.

Perhaps those of us who think we're always polite could benefit from a refresher course in civil conversation. I'm going to reread it and am rerunning this review in case anyone else is interested in the book.

I reviewed the original edition in 2013, but neglected to update it when I read the new edition which is equally fantastic. Both reviews are below, with the update coming first.

How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot Button Issues by Austen Ivereigh

As I mentioned in my review of the first edition below, this is a book every Catholic should read.

I'll take this space to say why the revised edition is necessary. In three short years, debate in the public square has shifted in a way that has often bewildered me. How to Defend the Faith explains that whereas questioners and critics used to be those outside of Christian faith, they are now often secularized Christians. They hold to basic principles that originated with Christian teachings but are so divorced from those teachings that they can't see the connection any more. That leaves a Catholic on shifting ground if one tries to anchor explanations of hot button issues in a Christian understanding. We're having discussions with people who aren't interpreting things with a common framework.

How to Defend the Faith helps understand the shifted frame from which critiques originate and how to reframe our responses so that we are all on the same page. Your questioner may not agree with you (and winning isn't the point - explanation is), but they will at least have a better understanding of the Church's attitudes toward contentious issues in the public square.

ORIGINAL EDITION REVIEW

This is a book that every Catholic should read.

The reason I say that becomes abundantly apparent in the subhead: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot-Button Issues.

We know how it feels, finding yourself suddenly appointed the spokesman for the Catholic Church while you're standing at a photocopier, swigging a drink at the bar, or when a group of folks suddenly freezes, and all eyes fix on you.

"You're a Catholic, aren't you?" someone says.

"Um, yes," you confess, looking nervously at what now seems to resemble a lynch mob.

The pope has been reported as saying something totally outrageous. Or the issue of AIDS and condoms has come up. Or the discussion has urned to gay marriage. And here you are, called on to defend the Catholic Church by virtue of your baptism, feeling as equipped for that task as Daniel in the den of lions.

Yes, we've all been there.

Or perhaps you are a Catholic who does not feel called to defend the faith but is one of the crowd waiting, wanting, a good explanation for whatever issue has been raised.

Either way, this book is here to help.

The introduction lays out the vital need for good, civil communication that sheds light but not heat. This is followed by nine chapters that discuss challenging questions which seem to get on everyone's nerves, such as the Church speaking up about politics, assisted suicide, clerical sex abuse, or defending the unborn. Austen Ivereigh discusses the overall context for each issue, the positive intention behind challenging questions, the Church's historical and current positions, and more. This is all with the goal of helping us be more knowledgable and know how to reframe issues so that there is a chance of being a positive voice for the Church.

Why the Church Opposes Euthanasia

In common with a long-standing tradition of western civilization, the Church believes that dying naturally is a vital part of life's journey, in many ways the most meaningful part. Dying can be described as a process of healing. Important things happen on that journey, and suffering and pain are often a part of it. As Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo ... said: "Compassion isn't to say, 'Here's a pill.' It's to show people the ways we can assist you, up until the time the Lord calls you."

Dying, then, is a highly meaningful gradual process of renunciation and surrender. Although some die swifty and painlessly, very often the pattern of dying involves great suffering, because (and this is true of old age in general) it involves letting go of those thing which in our lives we believe make us worthwhile and lovable: our looks, intelligence, abilities, and capabilities. This is what the great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung called "necessary suffering," the suffering endured by the ego, which protests at having to change and surrender. The idea that this kind of suffering is part of growth is not a uniquely "religious" view, although Christianity -- with the Cross and the Resurrection at its heart -- has perhaps a richer theological understanding than most secular outlooks.

The above excerpt is not the whole argument or rationale by any means. However, it was so well put for what I knew instinctively but had never had to articulate. It is one of the reasons I may wind up reading and rereading this book ... not only to absorb the points for the sake of discussion but for my own soul's sake.

Above all Ivereigh reminds us that where there is no trust, there can be no understanding or true conversation. To that end, he ends with ten points which should frame our mindset. These are the points that have stuck with me the most. I can't tell you the number of times in simply dealing with difficult situations daily that I have remembered to "shed light, not heat" and to "look for the positive intention behind the criticism." This doesn't mean not speaking up for the truth, but it does remind us that the goal is not always "to win."

I mentioned above that I thought every Catholic should read this book. I would go farther and venture to say that if you are curious about how the Church can justify a position you don't agree with, then this book is for you. That is how impressed I was by Ivereigh's even-handed, civil discussion of the positive motives of both sides of conversations on contentious issues. You may not wind up agreeing with the Church, but you will definitely see that there is a reasonable, logical context for her position.

How to Be Blind

Andrew Leland is losing his vision. He writes in The New Yorker about learning to navigate the world sightless at Colorado Center for the Blind. 

This can be rather nerve-wracking to read if you worry about being blind. I don't worry about it exactly but, unsurprisingly, it does make me anxious. If the possibility comes to mind then I quickly move my mind off of it.

In this case, I got rather anxious reading about Andrew Leland's initial trials in becoming independent. As it went, however, I grew very interested in all the things he was able to do. By the end, I felt actually hopeful. If I lost my vision, I'd want to be pushed into being just that independent.

Here's a bit of the piece, which you can read free at The New Yorker. 

I began to appreciate the novel experiences that blindness gave me. The notion that blind people have better hearing than the sighted is a myth, but relying on my ears did change my relationship with sound. Neuroscientists have found that the visual cortices of blind people are activated by such activities as reading Braille, listening to speech, and hearing auditory cues, such as the echo of a cane’s taps. At lunch, one day, Cragar’s wife, Meredith, who was visiting from Houston, came into the room carrying their fifteen-month-old daughter, Poppy. The sounds that she made—cooing, laughing—cut through the room like washes of color. I didn’t quite hallucinate these colors, but I came close. In the coming weeks, I had several mildly psychedelic experiences like this, a kind of blind synesthesia. The same thing happened with touch. I played blackjack with a Braille deck, and, after a few days, began to intuitively read the cards as if I were seeing them. In the art room, a teacher taught me to pull a wire through a mound of wet clay. Later, as I described the experience to Lily and our son, Oscar, on a video call, I had to remind myself that I’d never actually seen this tool or the clay. It was so clear in my mind’s eye.

My sense of space gradually transformed. Walking the carpeted halls of the center’s lower level, I could see a faint black-and-blue virtual-reality environment lit by some unseen light source. Sometimes my cane penetrated one of the velvety walls, and I had to redraw my mental map. When I was out in the city, Charles sometimes informed me that what I thought was Alamo Avenue was actually Prince Street, or that east was actually north, and I had to lift the landscape in my mind, rotate it ninety degrees, and set it back down. I could almost feel my brain trembling under the strain. But it was also kind of fun.

Andrew Leland, How to Be Blind, The New Yorker

Via The Dispatch's Morning Newsletter

From a Trip to St. Augustine, Florida

From a Trip to St. Augustine, Florida; via J.R.'s Art Place

Gorgeous! I loved visiting St. Augustine several years ago. The architecture is really beautiful in a lot of places.

Lagniappe: Egbert and the Civil Service

As from boyhood up [Egbert] had shown no signs of possessing any intelligence whatsoever, he had gravitated naturally to England’s civil service... But though he could drink tea as well as the next man and had a gift for crossword puzzles, he did not really like being in his country’s service, however civil.

P.G. Wodehouse, Another Christmas Carol

Still reading novels in a hedonistic way.

The Waking Bog

Taken by Remo Savisaar, click through the link to see it better

Simply gorgeous. It must be wonderful to live somewhere with views like that.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #86: Tokyo Godfathers

It's been 12 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Here's a Christmas movie that I reviewed way back in 2004 and can practically guarantee you have missed.

This Japanese tribute to John Ford's western "3 Godfathers" is fresh and original in a way that Western animation does not even consider. It centers on three homeless people: a middle aged drag queen, an alcoholic former bicycle racer, and a teenage runaway girl. Their discovery of a baby in a trash dump sends them off to find the baby's parents. They make unlikely guardians, of course, and along the way they grow, chiefly by confronting each other and themselves about the lies they've told each other about the past. Hana, the drag queen, names the abandoned infant Grace and insists that she has been sent by God. Coincidences and miracles happen increasingly throughout and seem surprisingly Christian for a Japanese film.

The juxtaposition of humor and drama are deft and play off each other in unexpected ways. At one point Hana is dramatically describing how he will commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. We have been primed by this time to find Hana's pronouncements quietly comic. Then the viewer realizes that someone in the background is taking the exact measures that Hana describes. Both humor and drama are in play as they also realize it a beat later and rush to stop the person from jumping. We never were disappointed. Although one expects an overall happy ending the plot twists on the way were original and unexpected.

It is rated PG-13 and some of the material is not suitable for children.

Brains enough for two

And she's got brains enough for two, which is the exact quantity the girl who marries you will need.”

P.G. Wodehouse, Mostly Sally

In the spirit of reading as a hedonist, let's look at a little P.G. Wodehouse, shall we?