Harvest Time

 From our very own Meyer Lemon tree! It performed splendidly despite terrible heat, thanks to Rose's vigilant watering.

Life was such a wonderful gamble

I only contemplated one thing—a happy marriage. About that I had complete self-assurance—as all my friends did. We were conscious of all the happiness that awaited us; we looked forward to love, to being looked after, to being cherished and admired, and we intended to get our own way in the things which mattered to us while at the same time putting our husbands' life, career and success before all, as was our proud duty. We didn't need pep pills or sedatives, we had belief and joy in life. We had our own personal disappointments—moments of unhappiness‚but on the whole life was fun.

The real excitement of being a girl—of being, that is, a woman in embryo—was that life was such a wonderful gamble. You didn't know what was going to happen to you. That was what made being a woman so exciting. No worry about what you should be or do—Biology would decide. You were waiting for The Man, and when the man came, he would change your entire life! You can say what you like, that is an exciting oint of view to hold at the threshold of life. What will happen? ... "Perhaps I'll marry someone who builds bridges, or an explorer." The world was open to you—not open to your choice, but open to what Fate brought you. You might marry anyone; you might, of course, marry a drunkard or be very unhappy, but that only heightened the general feeling of excitement. And one wasn't marrying the profession, either; it was the man. In the words of old nurses, nannies, cooks an dhousemaids:

"One day Mr. Right will come along."

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

 This was Agatha Christie's attitude through much of her life. She looked at life as an exciting gamble, even when sometimes the payoff is sadness or regret. She had a generally happy, optimistic nature that was always ready for the next adventure. Many of us could do with a little more of that quality.

Jesse Tree - Day 7: Jacob

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 7: Jacob

Symbols: kettle, ladder

Jacob's Dream, Jusepe de Ribera
via Artbl

Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15

Look closely at the painting and right above Jacob's head you can see the wispy dream of the angelic ladder taking place. What I didn't remember until I reread this was that God actually speaks to Jacob in his dream. The ladder has been considered a symbol of reuniting earth to the divine, of the Christian life, and, of course, of Christ who is the true bridge between heaven and earth. I myself like to think about how God communicates in dreams in the Bible. It's a reminder that there is more to life than just the material world, that we often encounter God in ways others don't understand, and that he knows how to reach us when we don't expect it.

Below is a painting of one of my favorite scenes from Jacob's long and complex story. It's a bit that people often forget. When Jacob returns home with his wives and property, he's nervous to meet Esau again after having tricked him out of his birthright so long ago. Unexpectedly Esau comes forward happily to meet his brother. Esau doesn't get enough credit for this, I always think. And he is a type, perhaps, of the loving father in the Prodigal Son parable and, therefore, an example of God's loving kindness and mercy to us no matter how deliberately we've sinned.

Peter Paul Rubens, The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, 1624.
via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Tree - Day 6: Isaac

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 6: Isaac

Symbols: bundle of wood, altar, ram in bush

Abraham's sacrifice - a fresco from the Old church of Raduil. Bulgaria,
by Edal Anton Lefterov (Own work);[CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL  via Wikimedia Commons

Gen. 22:1-14

How Abraham must have trusted and loved God above all to follow his instructions for sacrificing Isaac. In this way he is the opposite of Adam and Eve who did the "reasonable" thing instead of trusting in God's love. Perhaps he remembered that God loved Isaac even more than he, Abraham, did. Perhaps it was a continual struggle with himself to obey God's will. Or both. Did Abraham think of that star-filled night, of the promise of more descendants than he could count? And what do I do when faced with an "unreasonable" request? We saw what Christ did. He obeyed and trusted and loved God to the very end ... and to a resurrection. And that made all the difference for us.

Abraham embraces his son Isaac after receiving him back from God, 1900 Bible illustration
Via Wikimedia Commons

Monsieur Vincent by Henri Daniel-Rops

This was a quick read which told St. Vincent de Paul's story in manageable pieces. That's no small feat since he had an extremely full, action-packed life, such as when he was captured by pirates, sold into slavery, and convinced his owner to escape with him to Europe. As his eyes were opened to the plight of the poor, especially the countryside peasants, he began working to alleviate their distress, recruiting the wealthy to be Christ's hands. His realization of the overwhelming lack of catechesis for priests, and consequently their ignorance of the faith, led to a series of educational efforts which gradually turned into the first seminaries.

Henri Daniel-Rops* is one of my favorite authors, albeit largely forgotten nowadays, and he does full justice to this great saint. Despite the efficient story telling, there are moments where the story slows down for greater detail. I was often inspired and greatly moved.  It was fascinating to see how St. Vincent's path occasionally criss-crossed with that of the great St. Francis de Sales. He often wound up inadvertently  developing programs which de Sales was trying to get approved in Geneva but couldn't get permission for. Clearly, Christ's plan for the Church was headed in the direction that we see St. Vincent treading. 

As a member of The St. Vincent de Paul Society, I was also struck by threads which Frederic Ozanam picked up 200 years later to incorporate in the society's organization. And that doesn't even begin to cover such things as how groundbreaking it was to begin the Ladies of Charity, Daughters of Charity, and other groups which revolutionized the course of women serving the poor.

This is a wonderful stepping-stone which will have me looking for other in-depth books about this great saint.

* I see that I haven't reviewed any other of his books and must remedy that. However, here are some quotes I have featured which may give you a sense of his writing.

Jesse Tree - Day 5: Abraham

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 5: Abraham

Symbols: stars, torch, sword, mountain

Abraham Goes to the Land of Canaan, 1866, Gustave Doré [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Gen. 12:1-3

God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars at night. If, like me, you live in a city, then that promise loses a lot of its force. Think of the thick blanket of stars you see when you are in the countryside, mountains, or any other place where there isn't a lot of light. It is truly awe inspiring. And God kept that promise. Abraham couldn't have imagined how far and wide and numerous his descendants would be now, thousands of years after his lifetime. Abraham is our father in faith too, so we are some of those descendants thanks to our adoption through Jesus Christ into the family of God.

Abraham and the Angels, By orthodox painter [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Tree - Day 4: Noah

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 4: Noah

Symbols: ark, animals, dove, rainbow

Building of the ark, Illumination on parchment,
41 x 28 cm, British Library, London, ca 1423.
Via Wikipedia

Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22

I love the story of Noah. It is relatively short but has such a wealth of material for reflection. It's a bit of a shock to realize how quickly mankind became so wicked that the best solution was to eliminate almost everything. Except, of course, Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. It's sobering to think how intimately we are connected with creation that our wickedness affected nature too.

I know many people didn't like it, but for me one of the best aids to reflecting on this story is the 2014 movie Noah. (You can hear my conversation with Scott Danielson about it at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.) It vividly expresses the wickedness of those ancient times, the flood, and the love that is felt at the end when God's rainbow fills the sky as a merciful promise never to destroy the earth like that again.

Noah's Thanks Offering, Jacopo Amigoni
via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Tree - Day 3: Fall of Man

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 3: Fall of Man

Symbols: tree, serpent, apple with bite

The story of the Eden Garden. The temptation of Adam and Eve by the devil.
Pedestal of the statue of Madonna with Child, western portal (of the Virgin), 
of Notre-Dame de Paris, France.  Via Wikipedia

Gen.3:1-7 and 23-24

Original sin. Whatever separates us from God is sin and it begins here when Adam and Eve consider whether they should trust and obey God or take matters into their own hands. We all know what happens next. It's the reason we have Christmas, so the "new Adam" can come and restore us to that original, beautiful relationship.

Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise, Paul Gustave Doré
Scan from a Dutch Bible. Via Wikipedia

What odd things one remembers out of one's life

But to go back to memories. What odd things, really, when one collects them all together, one does remember out of one's life. One remembers happy occasions, one rememvers—very vividly, I think—fear. Oddly enough, pain and unhappiness are hared to recapture. I do not mean exactly that I do not remember them—I can, but without feeling them. Where they are concerned I am in the first stage. I say, "There was Agatha being terribly unhappy. There was Agatha having a toothache." But I don't feel the unhappiness or feel the toothache. On the other hand, one day the sudden smell of lime trees brings the past back, and suddenly I remember a day spent near the lime trees, the pleasure with which I threw myself down on the ground, the smell of hot grass, and the suddenly lovely feeling of summer; a cedar tree nearby and the river beyond. ... The feeling of being at one with life. It comes back in that moment. Not only a remembered thing of the mind but the feeling itself as well.

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

I've read this book several times, always with much pleasure at Agatha Christie's writing style and approachability in this story of her life. It takes us from her childhood in Victorian times through her writing a mystery as a way to pass the time through marriages and into relatively modern times. As you can see, she has a way of making her own thoughts and observations very relatable. It is making good bedtime reading.

Jesse Tree - Day 2: Adam and Eve

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Day 2: Adam and Eve

Symbols: tree, man, woman

The Creation of Eve, Sistine Chapel, fresco Michelangelo, 
a "spandrel" in the Ancestors of Christ series.

Via Wikipedia

Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24

"Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh..."

Yes. Anyone who has ever fallen in love knows that feeling. After such loneliness in not having even one other person like himself, how great must have been Adam's joy.

I know the statue below is entitled Paradise Lost, but I like the touching tenderness of Adam and Eve as a couple.

Thierry Caro, Le Paradis perdu (Paradise lost), 
une sculpture de Jean Gautherin conservée par la Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, à Copenhague, 2007.

Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Via Wikipedia

Jesse Tree - Day 1: Creation

I last published these Jesse Tree posts in 2019. I want to revisit them this Advent so you're coming along for the ride!

The Jesse Tree helps us prepare for Christ's coming by studying His roots and Salvation History. 

Jesse Trees follow the same general outline but I've found they are widely varied in some of the details. Some may have one day for Moses, others may spend 4 days on different aspects of his life. I'll be following the basic outline but, therefore, using my own discretion in a few spots.

My original sources for days and symbols were Catholic Culture, Loyola Press, Faith Magazine, and A few beads short.  

Let's begin with what a Jesse Tree is.

The representation of the Tree of Jesse is based upon the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-2:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the sprit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.

[...]

The Advent Jesse Tree is fairly recent practice, trying to emphasize "Christ" in Christmas by studying His roots. A home Jesse Tree can be a small evergreen tree, artificial or real, bare branch set in a sturdy pot, or a wallhanging made of felt, posterboard or wood. Each evening in Advent a new symbol is placed on the tree, the Scripture verse is read and the significance in Salvation History is explained.

Catholic Culture

Jesse was David's father, from whose line Jesus came (just to get all the connections straight). You can read the full story of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1-10 and David in 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

So if we begin at the very beginning, both in terms of Christ's roots and Salvation History, obviously we're talking about ...

Day 1: Creation

Symbols: sun, moon, stars, animals, earth

"The Blue Marble" photograph of Earth,
taken from Apollo 17, via Wikipedia

Gen.1 - Gen.2:1-4

I read the story of Creation and love God looking over all he made and saying, "It is good." I also love the vivid descriptions of what is created: "... great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind." And, of course, Adam is also part of what is "good." He is here to be a part of creation also.

God creating the land animals (Vittskövle Church fresco, 1480s).
Via Wikipedia

The Long Weekend, Super Sunday, or Double Christmas — how will you do Mass this Dec. 25?

 Because Christmas is on Monday this year, that means we've got two days of mass in a row — both the Sunday mass and the Christmas (holy day of obligation) mass.

The Pillar looks at all the options I never thought of in this post. Truly it is a dizzying intellect that considered and clarified these options for us.

My Patron Saint for 2024 — Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Frederic Ozanam
founder of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society

Choosing a special patron saint for a new year is an old custom that has found favor again in some spots. You can choose a saint who interests you or it can be a name drawn from a hat of potential saints (one is really leaning on divine inspiration at that point) or picked at random (try the saint's name generator). The idea is that one is being directed (with help) to become more aware of specific areas in life where special guidance might be necessary. 

I've done this, off and on, since 2006 and had every sort of saint from Vitus to Francis Xavier to Justina to J.R.R. Tolkien (not a saint, I know, but a devout Catholic whose writing I focused on that year).  The new Church year begins with Advent next Sunday so I have been giving some thought to who I'll be spending the year with.

This year I was intending to choose Saint Vincent de Paul. Looking him up on his saint day I was fascinated by the breadth of experiences he'd had, up to and including being kidnapped by pirates. However, Frederic Ozanam stepped in and nudged me into realizing that he's already influencing my life in small ways that make a big difference. First of all, I joined the Saint Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) in May and began hearing about him. I didn't care much, to be truthful, because I didn't know much about any of the people associated with the society. And no one could seem to do more than relate a few quick stories of his life. I asked about books and no one knew of any. 

So I continued in careless ignorance until I was coming up with spiritual material for the team couples in a Beyond Cana retreat that we were helping get started. I was surprised to come across him in 30 Days with Married Saints which gave me a nice insight into his home life. More recently a fellow attendee at the Ozanam Orientation for SVdP brought up a collection of Ozanam's letters. I was really interested in how to get a copy and she pulled it out of her backpack, saying, "So you're the one I brought this for!" 

Reading the letters I've been struck by his gentle ways of giving advice, taking criticism, and his boundless enthusiasm. I began considering how I could act similarly since I have a tendency to rush in, all guns blazing. Truly, this description from the Catholic Encyclopedia has come across to me: During his life he was an active member and a zealous propagator of the society. With all his zeal, he was, however, tolerant. 

Reader, that's when I chose him for 2024! We got about a month's head start but that's what it took to make me sit up and pay attention. I'm looking forward to his guidance in the next year.

Rereading: In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez-Carvajal

The last of the commentaries I'm highlighting for anyone who wants to begin the new Church year looking deeper into Scripture. This one covers every day of the yearly liturgical calendar, not just the Sunday masses as the other series do. It has been formational in my life as a Catholic.

I first reviewed this in 2004, way back when I began my blog. When someone brought up A. Sertillanges the other day, I realized I knew the name well and had read many quotes by him — in this series. So I wanted to remind everyone of how wonderful it is.

This seven-volume set gives you brief (five to six pages) meditations for every day of the Church’s entire liturgical calendar, including feast days and each of the three cycles of Ordinary Time on Sundays. Author Francis Fernandez-Carvajal makes generous use of the writings of the great saints as he brings you focused and moving meditations on themes taken from the Mass readings for that day, the liturgical season, and more. This work is rich and extensive enough to serve as your spiritual reading for a lifetime, as it helps you relate the particulars of the message of Christ to the ordinary circumstances of your day. Each volume is small enough for you to carry it to Adoration or some other suitable place for meditation. The whole set comes with a handsome slipcase that prevents wear-and-tear on the individual volumes.

I have been reading this series most mornings for 20 years and have yet to find a devotional that is better or more complete.

I especially remember the summer that my in-laws rented a house on the Galveston beach and I eagerly awaited the time each day when I could sit on the porch. The waves beat on the beach, the wind blew sand in my hair and salt like perfume, the gulls cried, and I would dive into this devotional for the daily reflection. It formed my life, slowly and surely, into  the kind of Catholic I am today.

Following the daily Mass readings, topics range from the sacraments and virtues to family interaction and friendship. The sensible and down-to-earth writing is enhanced by quotes from saints, Church Fathers, popes, cross-references with other scripture than in the day's readings, Church documents, etc. I especially enjoy the fact that this was translated from the original Spanish, meaning that things applying to my daily life and problems are exactly the same things faced by people in Spain, or, indeed, around the world.

Even after so many years of reading these books, there often is new food for thought and for "conversation." Also, I realize how much I have been formed as a Catholic by the overall message about living daily life by sharing our small joys and sorrows with Christ. One could do much worse.

There is a boxed set but I bought these one at a time as I went through the church year. The books cover Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, ordinary time, and have two special volumes for special feasts and saint days.

Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings by Peter Kreeft

Here's another set of commentaries to consider as the new Church year begins on Sunday. I originally ran this review when there was just one book available but now there's one for each of the Church's three year cycle.

Peter Kreeft has a different style than the John Bergsma books I recommended yesterday, but I love these too. We're going into Year B, if you are wondering which to get.

In Food for the Soul, the first book in a three-part series, philosopher Peter Kreeft invites the faithful—clergy and laity alike—to a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ the Word through the Word of the Scriptures.

Moving through the first reading, second reading, and Gospel reading for each Sunday and other major liturgical celebrations throughout the lectionary cycle, Kreeft brings the Mass readings to life with his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, challenging readers to plant their souls in the rich soil of Scripture and sharpen their minds with the Sword of the Spirit.

As Peter Kreeft himself says, this book is intended to help priests and deacons make their boring or bad homilies better. In his inimitable style, Kreeft offers reflections on each of the Sunday Mass readings, excepting the psalms (which I wish he'd included). These amount to a series of mini-homilies on each reading and I like them a lot so far.

Reading these made me think of Fordyce's Sermons*, which Jane Austen mentioned in her books. She was making a joke because of the topic of the sermons chosen, but I always thought it was a great idea to make sermons available for people to read at home or to give pastors something they could read if they weren't good writers or engaging speakers. Not everyone can do everything well after all.

Kreeft's style of commentary is quite different from John Bergsma's commentary so the two work together well. If I could only have one, I'd pick Bergsma's book but that is just a matter of taste. Luckily, that's a choice I don't have to make! I'll keep reading both to prepare for Sunday Mass.

Available directly from Word on Fire or I got mine from Amazon.

*Sermons to Young Women (1766), often called Fordyce's Sermons, is a two-volume compendium of sermons compiled by James Fordyce, a Scottish clergyman, which were originally delivered by himself and others. Fordyce was considered an excellent orator, and his collection of sermons found a ready audience among English clergy and laity alike. It quickly became a staple of many Church and personal libraries.

The Praterallee in Autumn

The Praterallee in Autumn, Olga Wisinger-Florian
via J.R.'s Art Place

 We're still not really in autumnal tree mode here in Dallas. And what we've got looks pretty scraggy. So I'm feasting my eyes on true autumn woods.

The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings by John Bergsma

As the new Church year begins on Sunday, I'm rerunning this review of a commentary series that has stood me in very good stead for three years now. I just love these. We're going into Year B, if you are wondering which to get.

  

In The Word of the Lord series, biblical scholar Dr. John Bergsma provides commentary on each Sunday's selection of readings. Whether you are a homilist seeking insight into the meaning of difficult scriptural passages or a Catholic desiring a deepened understanding of the readings you hear at Mass, The Word of the Lord series is an invaluable guide.

This series delights me by focusing on the readings from a deep connection to scripture that isn't held specifically to the excerpts that the liturgy is using. Bergsma's background as a Biblical scholar comes to the fore in identifying unifying motifs and intriguing connections that you don't see a lot of the time. I splurged on it and it is truly wonderful for anyone who loves Bible study and the Sunday Mass liturgy.

The Solemnities and Feasts book (red cover) supplements Bergsma's commentaries on the Sunday readings for years A, B, and C. There are a number of important days that aren't regular Sunday Mass days — such as Christmas or Ash Wednesday! Nonetheless we gain a lot from having commentary on the readings. This book fills that need.

Nonchaloir (Repose)

Repose, John Singer Sargent

I love this for that fabulous dress. As always.

The National Gallery of Art has some interesting information including this tidbit.

The woman in Repose is Sargent's niece, Rose–Marie Ormond. In keeping with his newfound preference for informal figure studies, Sargent did not create a traditional portrait; rather, he depicted Rose–Marie as a languid, anonymous figure absorbed in poetic reverie. The reclining woman, casually posed in an atmosphere of elegiac calm and consummate luxury, seems the epitome of nonchalance—the painting's original title. Sargent seems to have been documenting the end of an era, for the lingering aura of fin–de–siècle gentility and elegant indulgence conveyed in Repose would soon be shattered by massive political and social upheaval in the early 20th century.

Looking Glass Rock

Looking Glass Rock
taken by Valerie, ucumari photography

Isn't this splendid? Be sure to click through on the link so you can see it full size.

Valerie says:

Rising to 3,969 feet, Looking Glass Rock is comprised of exposed Whiteside granite that was formed approximately 390 million years ago. Geologists refer to it as a "pluton," a big ball of granitic rock that would have become a volcano had it not cooled before it reached the earth's surface. The name "Looking Glass" is derived from its appearance when rainwater freezes on its surface and reflects the sun like a mirror.

I can only imagine how breathtaking it would be to see that view in person, with all the surrounding sounds and scents and the breeze on your skin.

A Fine Fount of Admonition

This was not the first time that Mr. Bulstrode had begun by admonishing Mr. Vincy, and had ended by seeing a very unsatisfactory reflection of himself in the coarse unflattering mirror which that manufacturer's mind presented to the subtler lights and shadows of fellow-men; and perhaps his experience ought to have warned him how the scene would end. But a full-fed fountain will be generous with its waters even in the rain, when they are worse than useless; and a fine fount of admonition is apt to be equally irrepressible.

George Eliot, Middlemarch

It's easy to think of Middlemarch as all serious but there are little bits of humor scattered throughout.