Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo

Hiroshige (1797–1858), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo #107,
"Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo"
Via Wikipedia

I love the perspective given with the bird of prey descending in the foreground while we look past it to the landscape and defining mountain beyond.

Notes on Mark: Forgiveness is Active

Miracle of "healing the paralytic in Capernaum"

MARK 2:7

The story of the paralyzed man and his friends which we looked at last time, has a central issue being considered. The scribes ask how Jesus can forgive sins when only God can forgive. To do so is really controversial. It is saying that Jesus is God.

This also brings us to our own understanding. What is forgiveness? What does it mean to truly forgive someone?

Forgiveness, in the full New Testament sense of the term is an act and not an attitude. It is the active and embodied repairing of a broken relationship, even in the face of opposition, violence, or indifference. When a relationship is severed, each party should, in justice, do his part to reestablish the bond. Forgiveness—which of necessity transcends justice— is the bearing of the other person's burden, moving toward her even when she refuses to move an inch toward you. There is something relentless, even aggressive, about forgiveness, since it amounts to a refusal ever to give up on a relationship.

Gospel of Mark (Word on Fire), Bishop Barron commentary

Now we see why it is so startling for Jesus to forgive sin as if he were God (we know that now but they didn't at the time). He's restoring a relationship on behalf of God. It would be really presumptuous if he weren't actually God.

I really like the point about forgiveness being aggressive because it means refusing to give up on a relationship. I need to remember that myself. Forgiveness is active.

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Sources and Notes Index

Julie and Scott are having no luck fishing. If only they could hear that guy on the shore who is yelling something that seems important...

 In Episode 333 of A Good Story is Hard to Find we discuss St. Peter: Flawed, Forgiven, and Faithful: Walking with Peter from Galilee to Rome by Stephen J. Binz.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

I put the general description above but, honestly, if you saw Mad Max: Fury Road then you've already got the idea. And if you didn't, just move along - nothing to see here. We loved Fury Road so when it got good reviews we knew we wanted to see it in the hteater. Watching this on the big screen reminded us of what a wonderfully immersive experience the movie theater is. We're definitely going to try to actually go to the movies more often.

This was George Miller doing what he does best — creating Myth (with a capital "M") as he tells the story of a young girl cast into the middle of apocalyptic societies in the vast Wasteland. This could be Gulliver's Travels, the Odyssey or Iliad. The characters are archetypal, the societies encountered each tell us something of basic humanity, the themes are simple but powerful, and the adventure keeps pulling us along. I appreciated the supporting visual touches like the art included on the food convoy tank. Any people wants to tell their story, how great they are, and art is so often the way to do it — even in a society as twisted as The Citadel.

As my husband said, it is amazing how a good story told with great pacing and classic framing/images can make 2-1/2 hours fly by despite the gruesome violence.

I was grateful to Miller for telegraphing the violence and almost never dwelling for long on any of it. I was also fascinated at how he evoked Fury Road which is forward in the future but managed to one-up himself in the prototypes of the adventures and stunts that we already have seen. It isn't omnipresent. We hadn't seen Fury Road since it came out but there were echoes which made us say, "Oh that's right, this happened ..."

A good time was had by all and now I want to watch Fury Road again.

Magnolias

Magnolias, Alfred Parsons

Book Sample — Listening for His Voice

 From my new book, Stay By Me, Dear Friend. Prayer is a conversation and that means listening as well as speaking. These are the first few reflections from fthe first section — Listening for His Voice. It's launching us into new intimacy.

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Jesus at My Side 

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

Gospel of John 10:27 

As you can see with the shepherd beside me, he is teaching the lamb his voice as he carries it in his arms. All of them take turns with the shepherd as he holds them close and speaks to them personally. When such care is given and received, the shepherd becomes their intimate provider and protector, establishing a relationship of trust with each one individually. 

Erin Pavlicek, The Lesson of an Irish Shepherd 

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Jesus’ listeners would have had some of this knowledge innately when he spoke of being a shepherd and we being his flock. Thinking of him teaching the lamb to know his voice makes me melt a little. The more I take the time to listen, the more he carries me, the deeper my trust and love grow. 

Here is the firm foundation upon which our daily prayers will grow. How can we hear Jesus? 

Remain with me the whole day, Lord.

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Stay by Me, ... 

 Imagine that this Lord himself is at your side and see how lovingly and how humbly He is teaching you—and, believe me, you should stay with so good a friend for as long as you can before you leave him. If you become accustomed to having him at your side, and if he sees that you love him to be there and are always trying to please him, you will never be able, as we put it, to send him away, nor will he ever fail you. He will help you in all your trials and you will have him everywhere. Do you think it is a small thing to have such a Friend as that beside you? 

Saint Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection 

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Saint Teresa wrote The Way of Perfection as a prayer aid for the nuns in her convent. This is the example that made me realize that imagining Jesus at your side wasn’t some kind of New Age idea. It is the fruit of St. Teresa’s lived experience with Jesus. 

 Remain with me the whole day, Lord. 

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... Dear Friend 

 Imagine you see Jesus sitting close to you. In doing this you are putting your imagination at the service of your faith. Jesus isn’t here in the way you are imagining him, but he certainly is here and your imagination helps to make you aware of this. Now speak to Jesus … If no one is around, speak out in a soft voice … 

Listen to what Jesus says to you in reply or what you imagine him to say … 

Imagine that Jesus is by your side all through the day. Speak with him frequently in the midst of your occupations. Sometimes all you will be able to do is glance at him, communicate with him without words. 

Anthony de Mello, Sadhana — A Way to God 

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 Here’s the practical application of Theresa of Avila’s advice about growing close to Jesus. When the priest on the retreat gave me this to read, I had no idea it was grounded in age-old practice. All I knew was that it worked. It certainly keeps my conversations down to earth. 

Remain with me the whole day, Lord.

GET IT AT AMAZON!

Poplars in the Thames Valley

Poplars in the Thames Valley, Alfred Parsons

Litany of the Sacred Heart

Here is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

The U.S. bishops have called on all Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart “as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.” 

It is prayed today on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a day when the L.A. Dodgers are honoring the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Sadly, this is part of the culture, part of the air we breathe.

And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)

Like Isaiah we are part of an unclean culture. We also know who our King is, the Lord of hosts — and we must make reparation.

The USCCB has a printable version that you can also download as a pdf. This is a version I've had posted for years.

Read more about the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus here.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Response: have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty,
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom dwells the fullness of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of Whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke you,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in you,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make our hearts like to yours.

Let us pray:

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Your mercy, in Your great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.

Amen.

MY NEW BOOK! Stay With Me, Dear Friend: In Jesus' Presence Through the Day

How would it feel to be such good friends with Jesus that we could bring up anything and everything — the worries no matter how small, the “wins,” the funny bits, everything strewn through our day? This book is about how to listen for Jesus’ voice and hear it every day as we go about our normal lives. The reflections and prayer prompts in this devotional help you to stay aware of Jesus’ presence while drawing closer in friendship and love.

The painting on the cover shows comfortable, relaxed conversation with Jesus. That's the goal of using these reflections and prayer prompts. They follow an idea shown to me when I went on a silent retreat a couple of years ago. What if Jesus is sitting in the chair next to me? How would I talk with him? Pretty soon it expanded my prayer time — we were chatting familiarly when I cooked dinner, drove to the post office, and walking the dog. In other words, all through the day.

I took to the technique right away, but once I was off the retreat I began seeing all sorts of quotes from the saints that showed this wasn't a new technique at all. Being me, I began collecting those prompts to help me keep it close and personal every day. In no time at all I had filled four small notebooks. 

I wanted everything easier to use and so here's the book I wished for. 

I hope this brings you closer too.

Available on Amazon. Get it here!

I'll be sharing some of the reflections here in the days to come. 

If you like the book, please review it on Amazon, Goodreads,
or wherever else you hang out on the internet!

Mowing Time

Mowing Time, Alfred Parsons

Notes on Mark: The Paralyzed Man and His Four Friends

James Tissot, The Palsied Man Let Down Through the Roof

MARK 2:1-12

I really love this story which emphasizes the power of friendship. Of course, there is so much more in it but without the friends' determination to get the paralyzed man to Jesus there wouldn't be this lovely picture from Jesus' ministry. Here are a few observations that struck me.

5 Jesus sees their faith and says …

Faith obviously includes works, if Jesus, in seeing their works, is said by Mark to see their faith. The audacity, ingenuity, exertion, and even willingness to face embarrassment that these men display are the visible measure of their faith. And everyone sees it, not simply Jesus.

6 There were some scribes sitting there and they are thinking to themselves …

Literally, "carrying on a dialogue in their hearts." Thinking was understood as the same as spoken dialogue, but carried on silently, in the heart.

8 So Jesus — who knows immediately in his spirit that this is how they are thinking among themselves— says to them …

Peter, narrating the story, says that Jesus "knew" what they were thinking; it was not a conjecture. He knew "in his spirit," not as an inference from sensed signs.

The description is meant to help us imagine how the scene appeared to those who were there. Jesus says to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forigven," and then, unexpectedly, he turns and addresses some of the others present. Imagine how startling it would be if your friend were standing in the middle of a crowded room speaking to one person and then suddenly turned around, looked at someone else across the room, and said, "You are wrong in what you are thinking."

The Memoirs of St. Peter

I always imagined that the scribes were whispering to each other or at least rolling their eyes (or whatever the ancient equivalent was) so that everyone knew they were in doubt. This commentary not only put me in the scene, but it made me realize just how startling Jesus' words would have been.

It makes me think of when Jesus meets Nathaniel (Gospel of John) and says that he saw him under the fig tree. This is so astounding that Nathaniel instantly acclaims him as the son of God.

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Sources and Notes Index

Watercolour of Ellen Willmott's Garden

Alfred Parsons, Watercolour of Ellen Willmott's Garden

Inspired by Lines and Colors where you'll see many more of Parsons' paintings.

Sticking With Prayer

In the end, it was prayer that saved Teresa [of Avila] from herself. This despite the fact that her next twenty years were spent in a state of interior civil war: she could not let go of God or leave the convent, yet she could not let go of her quest to win the love and admiration and praise of others either. Once she resumed her efforts to pray, she did so assiduously, going off to the oratory for an hour or more each day, regardless of how distracted she might be or how empty the experience. She confesses that at times all she could think about was the hour being over and states that it took actual courage for her to devote this time to God, for it was often impossible for her to concentrate. She credits this perseverance in prayer with any growth in virtue that occurred in her over the years. God continued to act within her in spite of her strong personality simply because she gave him time to do so by meeting him in prayer each day.

By Way of Grace: Moving from Faithfulness to Holiness
by Paula Huston

Can I tell y'all how hopeful this made me feel? I am not a very good pray-er in so many ways. It's easy to talk the talk ... but that walking part. Can't someone else do it? My biggest strides forward lately have been in simply forcing myself to make time to go off by myself and pray. I am thankful that Teresa was open enough to admit that she suffered so much from many of the same problems we all face ... for that gives me hope that God will do much of the work too if I am able to show myself willing by making the time for prayer.

A New Pier

Ein neuer Steg (A New Pier)
by Edward B. Gordon

In Texas, if it's a holiday weekend kicking off summertime, then that means time at the lake. This may be a German painting, but it looks like lake-time to me.

Young Woman in a Summer Shower

Suzuki Harunobu, A Young Woman in a Summer Shower, 1765

I love the dynamic quality of the young woman having lost her shoe while the wind flaps at her clothing and laundry. I can feel that wind.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #96 — The Good Earth (1937)

China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.

Wow, Louise Ranier definitely earned her Oscar! What a performance! She was also my favorite performer in The Zigfeld Follies for which she also earned an Oscar. To be fair, everyone gave top notch performances. This is the sort of movie that doesn't usually appeal to me - long dramatic sagas of families struggling to survive, especially since I'd read the book long ago and hadn't liked it much. This sold it though. By the end I was loving it.

I've seen plenty of negative comments about the fact that 1937 movie standards meant white actors portrayed Chinese characters, which would never be done these days. However, I've learned, as I read tons of old literature, that we have to keep the cultural ideas of the past in mind instead of rushing to judge by our standards. So let's just talk about the movie as it tells the story.

As I watched I kept thinking of the intended 1937 audience and how exotic and interesting this would have been to them. In fact, despite how it seems to dismissive viewers today, I feel it probably humanized the Chinese to Americans in a very positive way. Farmers certainly would've understood this family's struggles.

This was the last of the movies we viewed for the 1938 Oscar winner and nominees. It is the movie we'd have given the Oscar to, hands down. The winner, The Life of Emile Zola, is a movie that landed at the bottom of the list no matter what else we watched.

I'm really glad we embarked on Oscar project. I've seen so many movies I'd never have known I liked otherwise. This is one.

NOTE

Here's my list of all the Oscar movies we have watched. Here are the ones we liked so much that I reviewed them here to tempt you into trying them.

Bookends

Bookends
Karin Jurick

This is the perfect piece to for right after Memorial Day weekend!

Julie and Scott meticulously spliced audiocassette recordings together to make this episode.

 In Episode 332 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast we discuss: Dum Laga Ke Haisha (Heave Ho, Carry That Load)

In the Shadow of the Tent

In the Shadow of the Tent (1914). Helen Galloway McNicoll (Canadian, 1879-1915).

It's a bit early in the year to think about the seashore, but I just can't resist paintings of it.

The glue that holds a person together

The glue that holds a person together is either vanity or values.

Stephen Tobolowsky, The Tobolowsky Files,
The Wager with Freddie

Ain't that the truth!