In Thankfulness on This Day

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1914

 Have a blessed day with your families as we enjoy the many riches God has bestowed on us. I truly have so much to be thankful for, much more than I could list here, which fall under the broad categories of God, Catholic Church, family, country, and friends (because that corny stuff is also the real stuff of life).

Here is something I have posted every Thanksgiving. I like seeing what Abraham Lincoln had in mind for the holiday (before I go dive into that turkey, pie, and football). I'll be off the computer until Monday.

So without further ado, I present to you ...

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by his divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

Thanksgiving Jokes

A little something to get us ready for the big day. These are corny but they make me laugh every time.

Why can’t you take a turkey to church?
Because they use such FOWL language!

What kind of key can’t open any doors?
A turkey.

What always comes at the end of Thanksgiving?
The G

Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
The outside

Why did the turkey cross the road?
It was the chicken's day off

What are the feathers on a turkey's wings called?
Turkey feathers

What's the best dance to do on Thanksgiving?
The turkey trot

Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State Building?
Yes - a building can't jump at all

What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?
Enough drumsticks for Thanksgiving

How can you make a turkey float?
You need 2 scoops of ice cream, some root beer, and a turkey

Never Despairing of Life

There is a way of living and thinking that I would name negative, another that I would name active. The first consists in seeing always what is defective in people and institutions, not so much to remedy them as to dominate them, in always looking back, and in always looking for whatever separates and disunites. The second consists in joyfully looking life and its responsibilities in the face, in looking for the good in everyone in order to develop and cultivate it, in never despairing of the future, the fruit of our will, and in understanding human faults and miseries, expressing that strong compassion which results in action and no longer allows us to live a useless life. ...

As we go along, let us spread ideas, words, and desires, without looking back to see who gathers them.

Elisabeth Leseur

This was written long before the advent of Facebook, but I feel that it and other such social media are too often used to foster the first way of living instead of the second. Such temptations are always around us, to take the path of disunity. We have to remain vigilant to cultivate the second way of living.

Wild Turkeys

A flock of wild tom turkeys

 These fellows are safe from me. We're strictly consumers of domesticated turkeys. But I like seeing them in the wild.

Created in the image of a story-telling God

We are story-telling creatures because we are created in the image of a story-telling God. He is the great Author, weaving together a complex history full of heroes and villains, side plots and side characters. He uses motifs and archetypes. He has favorite themes and tropes. He keeps track of every thread. No sparrow escapes His notice. He writes epics between rival anthills, comedies involving frogs, tragedies about field mice, dramas in the deepest oceans. our Lord is a master Weaver. He spins galaxies and whirlwinds, stitches garments for the forests, unrolls the mountains and hills like a Persian rug, embroiders the stories of men's lives into an enormous tapestry, and encompasses the entirety of human history — from the shiver of Adam's chest as he drew his first breath, to the final trumpet call when all shall be remade.

To be human, to be created in His image, is to tell stories.

Christiana Hale, Deeper Heaven

Odysseus and Polyphemus

Arnold Böcklin, Odysseus and Polyphemus, 1896

Since our quote of the day is about stories, here's some great art about one of the most enduring stories of all time.

Solemnity of Christ the King

It's the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year — so are we ready for Christ the King?

Here's a repost which I always enjoy reading every year. I hope you do too!

As the visions during the night continued,
I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 for the universal church in his encyclical Quas Primas. He connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. At the time of Quas Primas, secularism was rising, and many Christians (including Catholics) began to doubt Christ's authority and existence, as well as the Church's power to continue Christ's authority. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened.

Source: ChurchYear.net

I was surprised when I looked through my archives and didn't see any comments about the Solemnity of Christ the King. Perhaps that is because I haven't really appreciated it much until over the past year. That is partly because one can only absorb so much at a time and although I converted in 2000, that is not really such a long time ago.

It also signals an internal conversion, which we all undergo in one way or another for our entire lives. I recently caught myself saying, "His majesty" and meaning God. That made me happy for two reasons, the first of which was because I never understood how St. Teresa of Avila could be somewhat sassy to God and still call him "His majesty" ... and now I did understand that much more.

The second because I feel much more that I am a daughter of the king. That would anyone happy, wouldn't it? To discover that they come from royalty, albeit a royalty that reigns in order to render humble service. Certainly I feel I have a bit better understanding of my place in the scheme of things overall and my gradually deepening relationship with my king who rules through love.

The above image of Christ the King comes from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. I was captivated when I discovered it. The strength and confidence of this image of Christ fills me with joy. For a discussion of the symbolism included, read Msgr. Charles Pope's piece Awesome or Awful? Here's a sample:

... let’s look a little closer at Christ’s face (at Left). Look closely at his eyes. Notice that the one on the right (from our perspective) is more rounded and serene than the one on the left that is narrower and piercing. Notice also that the right eyebrow is more arched and peaceful and the one on the left angled and downward in a severe look. Now take your hand and cover the left side of the face and see that he is more serene and then cover the right side of the face and see that he is severe. This is very common in Eastern Iconography which likes to present both the Justice and Mercy of God on the face of Christ. It is subtle but it is meant to be otherwise we’d have a weird looking face. On the Day of Judgement there will be mercy seen by those who have shown mercy and severe justice to those who have been severe (Mat 5:7; Mat 7:2; James 2:13) for Justice and mercy are alike with him (cf Sirach 5:7). Looking into his eyes I am reminded of the stunning text from Hebrews which says of Christ: No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. (Heb 4:13)

This solemnity is also the last Sunday of the liturgical year. Next Sunday begins Advent and the new liturgical year for the Church. That means gospel readings on Sunday will generally be from the Gospel of Mark.

Carmen Navale - Think of Christ and echo him

Putting this the day before the proper day since that falls on a Sunday this year.

With sweat and blood and Blackwood pine
We laid her keel and faired her lines
Heave, lads, and let the echoes ring

With her keel tight-caulked she swims right well
Let torrents fall and wild gusts swell
Heave, lads, and let the echoes ring

The tempests howl, the storms dismay
But manly strength can win the day
Heave, lads, and let the echoes ring

For clouds and squalls will soon pass on
And victory lies with work well done
Heave, lads, and let the echoes ring

Hold fast! Survive! And all is well
You've suffered worse, He'll calm this swell
Heave, lads, and let the echoes ring

Satan acts to tire the brain
And by temptation souls are slain
Think, lads, of Christ and echo Him

With fixed resolve we scorn the foe
With virtues armed we pray and row
Think, lads, of Christ and echo Him

The king of virtues vowed a prize
For him who wins, for him who tries
Think, lads, of Christ and echo Him

Mashup of 2 translations: Tony Krogh, Anglandicus

I discovered this prayer in The Path of Celtic Prayer by Calvin Miller. However, the book didn't have the whole thing, as I discovered when I went looking for a version to copy into this post. This is going into my quote journal.

For those who don't know Columbanus was an early Irish missionary who traveled through Europe with his brother monks, evangelizing on the way. He viewed life as a pilgrimage and wrote this song which reflects that idea so well. I can see it in my mind's eye, the boat of men singing a call and response maybe, the crashing waves, the serious struggle accompanied by the joy of triumph making it upstream.

Journeying up the Rhine in 610, Columbanus and his disciples supposedly chanted his famous ‘boat song’. One can almost hear the Irish monks dig their oars into the Rhine’s formidable current as they struggle upstream. The poem compares the surging storm waters with the trials and struggles of the Christian life. Columbanus sees the tempests and storms of life overcome by the one who is in Christ. He frequently used the analogy of storms at sea as a picture for hardship and trials.

Anglandicus blog

Columbanus embarking, by an unknown artist
Source

Madonna of the Lilies

Madonna of the Lilies, Alphonse Mucha, 1905

I never realized that Mucha did any religious art. Via Wikipedia comes this fascinating background:

In 1902, Mucha was commissioned to decorate a church in Jerusalem dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Shown here is the final version of 'Madonna of the Lilies', one of the murals for the church. The project was cancelled later for unknown reasons, so all that remains of this commission is this painting and earlier versions of it (Sakai City collection, Japan), as well as a design for a stained-glass window,' Harmony', which is also in the Mucha Trust collection.

According to Mucha's letter to his wife Maruška, he conceived the subject as 'Virgo purissima', thus depicting the heavenly vision of Madonna, surrounded with a mass of lilies, symbol of purity. The seated young girl in Slavic folk costume carries a wreath of ivy leaves, symbol of remembrance. Her serious expression and strong physical presence contrast with the ethereal figure of the Virgin.

Memorial — Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Virgin Mary, Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato

If you were to ask me how the Most Holy Virgin spent the time of Her youth, I would answer that that is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her constant guardian. — St. Jerome

The quote above is found on tons of Eastern Orthodox sites, all within the same homily that has been copied from place to place — and with no attribution for St. Jerome's quote. So it is probably too apt to be something St. Jerome actually said. However, it does reflect my feelings about knowing details about the Virgin Mary's childhood which I discovered "everyone knows" after I became Catholic. The tale of her miraculous birth, "presentation" to the Temple, and similar details come from a 2nd century apocryphal book which has been rejected by the Church, The Protoevangelium of James.

Today's feast is associated with an event from the Protoevangelium that Mary's parents brought her as a child they brought her to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate her to God. Later versions say that Mary was taken to the Temple to live at around the age of three to fulfill a vow. 

Did that happen? Who knows? Despite  that, there is a good reason to care about this feast day.

St. Luke is notably diligent in examining all the sources that can offer personal information concerning the people he describes. In the case of Mary's childhood, however, he omits any mention of specific facts. Our Lady most probably never mentioned anything about her earliest years, since there would be very little in them of extraordinary interest ...

The feast we celebrate today does not have its origin in the Gospel, but in ancient tradition. The Church, however, does not accept the fictitious narrative that supposes Our Lady to have lived in the Temple under a vow of virginity from the time she was a young maiden. But the essential basis of today's feast is firm — the personal oblation that the Blessed Mother made to the Lord during her early youth. She was moved by the Holy Spirit to consecrate her life to God, who filled her with grace from the first moment of her conception. Mary's complete dedication was efficacious, and continued to grow as her life went on. Her example moves us not to withhold anything in our own life of dedication to the Lord. ...

Our Lady was moved by a special grace of the Holy Spirit to commit her entire life to God. Perhaps she made the decision just as she reached the age of reason, a mile-stone in any life and a moment that must have been particularly significant for a person as full of grace as Mary was. Maybe the Blessed Virgin naever mae a formal declaration of her commitment to God, but was simply accustomed from the beginning of her life to living her dedication in a natural way. ...

Today is a good opportunity — as every day is — to renew our own dedication  to the Lord in the midst of our daily duties, in the specific situation in which God has placed us.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Special Feasts: July-December

Portrait of Susanna de Vos by her father

Portrait of Susanna de Vos by her father Cornelis de Vos, 1617

I like the fact that this baby is at a high chair - way back in 1617. I also love those clothes!

But the expression is best. This is a father who loves his child and a baby who lights up at the sight of her daddy.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Marvel of Bearing God's Image

This is a book of incredible richness and power. We read of the remarkable qualities and construction of the human body, learn of the many diverse parts which exist even within the same category like cells or muscles and interact in astounding ways. Each chapter filled me with awe. In that sense, it is a really excellent, inspiring science book.

We see how this leads to Dr. Brand's meditations on the body of Christ, itself made up of so many diverse people who God inspires, nudges, suggests, and drives to make their contributions of his love to the world. Each chapter, whether on blood, bones, skin, or pain, gives us something to consider in how we live as Christians every day. Because Brand's meditations are wide-ranging there is always something to help our own thoughts as we turn to God in prayer. This gives us the spiritual skeleton of the writing.

And, finally, we have the human stories that illustrate both the body and the body of Christ. Because Brand worked with lepers for decades in India and Louisiana, he has a wealth of examples when he encountered the deformed and suffering. First and foremost, we are always shown the dignity of each person. This makes for a powerful experience in illuminating God's love and our role as part of his body. Here we have the skin, so to speak — here is where we live the reality that we have been reading about.

This resonated with me as a fairly new member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. My own life has been illuminated during home visits, meeting our neighbors person-to-person as we see how we might help them with rent, utilities, or food. My experience is meager compared to Dr. Brand's. Even so, through this book I felt my kinship with him grow.

Jesus' mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease (if so, why did he leave so many unhealed in the world and tell followers to hush up details of his miracles?) but rather a ministry to individual people, some of whom happened to have a disease. He wanted those people, one by one, to feel his love and compassion. Jesus knew he could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching.

I have mentioned the need for us as Jesus' followers to share resources such as food and medicine with those in need. Having participated in such activity overseas, I am convinced that we best express such love person to person, through touch. The further we remove ourselves from personal contact with the needy, the further we stray from the ministry Jesus modeled for us.

Each of us will come away with our own take as we're all called to different ways to serve in the world. And so we loop back around to the description of the body where the brain, the blood cells, the bones, and more show the wonderful diversity of acting together for a common goal.

I myself come away grateful for my own miraculous body, for my role in the miraculous body of Christ and for the richness I can carry to the people I encounter, those I know and those new to me. Fearfully and Wonderfully truly is the perfect title.

And the Winner Is — 1942

 Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

Nominated films that we didn't watch either because we'd seen them recently or couldn't find them were Citizen Kane, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, and One Foot in Heaven.

WINNER

A man in his fifties reminisces about his childhood growing up in a Welsh mining village at the turn of the 20th century.

Not my favorite sort of story but well enough told. I really can't believe that it beat The Little Foxes.

 NOMINEES

Edna opens a home for foundlings and orphans and begins to place children in good homes, despite the opposition of “conservative” citizens, who would condemn illegitimate children for being born out of wedlock.

Not as artful, but we liked this a lot better than the winner. Greer Garson is a wonderful actress and the story, though told in a straight forward manner, handled several social issues that were still hot button topics when the film was made. We also appreciated the way the story showed major events without drawing out the tragedies. Living in Dallas I'd heard of the Edna Gladney home and I was interested in the story. It did not disappoint.

A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon begins to suspect that her husband’s affection may conceal a deadly motive—and that she could be his next victim.

This was good up until the very end when it rushed a la "a shot rang out and everyone fell dead." That left it feeling really flat.

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

Not really Oscar quality story-wise but it sure was fun to watch.

After a religious awakening, Alvin York is drafted and despite deep ibjections to fighting becomes one of the most celebrated American heroes of WWI.

Really excellent. As a movie itself I can see why it earned 11 Academy nominations and why Gary Cooper won for best actor. He was convincing in every stage of York's life, hell-raiser, suitor, converted, conscientious objector, soldier, and hero. I'm a fan.

=======

All the Oscar viewing is here.

Julie and Scott are shocked to discover that they've been recorded one hour every other week.

 Join us for A Good Story is Hard to Find, Episode 367: The Truman Show

Le Chef de L’Hotel

William Orpen, Le Chef de L’Hotel Chatham, Paris, 1921

Meditation on a Pudding

MEDITATION ON A PUDDING

Let us seriously reflect of what a pudding is composed. It is composed of flour that once waved in the golden grain, and drank the dews of the morning; of milk pressed from the swelling udder by the gentle hand of the beauteous milkmaid, whose beauty and innocence might have recommended a worse draught; who, while she stroked the udder, indulged no ambitious thoughts of wandering in palaces, formed no plans for the destruction of her fellow-creatures; milk, which is drawn from the cow, that useful animal, that eats the grass of the field, and supplies us with that which made the greatest part of the food of mankind in the age which the poets have agreed to call golden. It is made with an egg, that miracle of nature, which the theoretical Burnet has compared to creation. An egg contains water within its beautiful smooth surface; and an unformed mass, by the incubation of the parent, becomes a regular animal, furnished with bones and sinews, and covered with feathers. – Let us consider; can there be more wanting to complete the Meditation on a Pudding? If more is wanting, more may be found. It contains salt, which keeps the sea from putrefaction: salt, which is made the image of intellectual excellence, contributes to the formation of a pudding.

Samuel Johnson

This never fails to amuse and delight me.

Arlene Dahl in Desert Legion

Arlene Dahl for Desert Legion
via Not Pulp Covers

I love this. The costuming should have won an award! And how about that sultry look? It is classic not only for what it is portraying but for a picture of 1953 movie making.

Beware if you explore Not Pulp Covers. It has some really great stuff but, keeping in mind how close a lot of it comes to pulp, there are a fair number of scantily clad damsels.

Children of the Book by Ilana Kurshan

Each year, as we read through the Torah, I am aware of different parallels between the experience of reading with my children and the Torah's narratives and themes. Over time, and over a decade of Torah reading cycles, the way I connect with my children through literature has changed. In this memoir, I chart those shifts as they echo the progression of the biblical narrative—from the first picture books that create my infant's narrative—from the first picture books that create my infant's world through language, to the moment my children begin reading on their own and leaving me behind, atop the mountain, as they enter new lands.

Faithful Jews read through the Torah every year. I first encountered these with Rabbi Sacks' series Now, Ilana Kurshan takes us through it, echoed by the children's books she is reading to her family. Not only do her reflections remind us of the journey of faith, but also our own journey as readers from Baby's First Words to Charlotte's Web to Little Women and A Wrinkle in Time.

Don't worry if you don't care about the books I mentioned. They are just a very few of the whirlwind of books that surrounds readers in this tale. I always thought I was the most dedicated reader I knew until I read Kurshan's story of reading while in hard labor, while eating dinner (with her family), while walking the baby in his stroller. In fact, this is the first time I wanted to tell someone to stop reading and take a break.

If you love meditating on faith from a roundabout connection and love reminiscing over favorite books while also seeing how they affect others, then this is the book for you. Other reviewers' comments about a bit of a repetitive nature are accurate. I read this over a few days while on vacation and that aspect did come to the fore. Just do as I plan to when I reread it. Just read a chapter every day or two.

I also would like to reassure the author that, although her children are too old to enjoy the simple books they once read together, the future holds the delights of laughing together over The Cat in the Hat with a beloved grandchild. This is one of the pleasures I have recently received with great joy as he said, "Wow. That book was a lot better than I thought it would be." (He managed to hide his lack of interest when Gran forced him to read it. Not bad for a 5 year old.)

Recommended and will be on my Best of 2025 list.

TV You Might Have Missed 17: Good Cop/Bad Cop

A procedural dramedy centered around Lou and Henry, an odd couple sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force, who must contend with colorful residents, a lack of resources, and their own complicated dynamics.

We like police procedurals, especially if they're not too gritty. Pokerface, Killing It, Brokenwood. You know the sort of show I mean. Good ones are in all too short suppy these days.

So were happy to find promise in the pilot episode and kept going. We found a fun, quirky show that wasn't too over-the-top while providing a murder-of-the week, albeit often also quirky such as the rodeo murder. With each episode the writers increasingly found their stride and we got more attached to the characters. I especially enjoyed the brother - sister dynamic which came on strong in the first episode but quickly became a solid strength of the show.

Season One is 8 episodes and can be found on Prime. We're now in there with the other fans who are hoping there will be a Season Two.

For Babar Lovers