I Wish This Guy Had Been My Roommate When I Invented My Time Machine

Via John C. Wright.

Worth a Thousand Words

Center Stage

I am pleased and happy to have received permission to feature a new artist. Deano's Den first came to my attention via Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks where artists submit their renditions of a photograph that Karin has selected. Dean's work stood out and you can see why from these additional paintings below. Do go over to his blog and peruse all the art he has posted for our enjoyment.

Cricket No. 3

A Glass of Red Wine

Hurry Up and Wait

Sitting Pretty

Well Said

From my quote journal.

Next time you feel like losing hope because you are not in control, consider this:

For some two thousand years, the Lord and Creator of the Universe has, daily, put Himself in the hands of human beings. Some of them receive Him unworthily; some even do worse, desecrating Him and committing other deplorable sacrileges. Yet day after day, century after century, He willingly places Himself in human hands, under the control of sinful people.

If He, who is perfect, can do this for love of us, we who are not can endure whatever His most perfect Love allows into our lives.

Christina Martin, Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae

Sometimes You Just Lose. Get Over It.

You remember Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director who became pro-life after watching an ultrasound of an abortion. Her former employer tried to get a court injunction to shut her up. Well, they failed.

I'm glad to see that this is still the land of the free and home of the brave. If that court injunction had worked I'd have had to move to ... well, I haven't thought that through yet. But somewhere.

Read the story at Catholic Key Blog. who has the story from 40 Days for Life.

Worth a Thousand Words

Joseph Wright of Derby. Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty. c.1772-3.
from Olga's Art Gallery

I love the turban! (Click on photo or through link to see it enlarged.) My question would be whether that is how he really dressed or how he wished he dressed?

Well Said

From my quote journal.

Outside the earth there is no life ... and outside the Church there is no salvation? The answer, of course, is simple: [Astronauts} didn't leave the Earth; they just brought it with them. While they slept and walked on the moon, they were eating Earth's food and breathing Earth's air. Everything they had came from back home. So when we say "outside the Earth there is no life," we are saying that all of the means for survival are found on this planet. And when we say "outside the Church there is no salvation," we mean that all the means of salvation -- doctrines, sacraments, and so on -- are found here, uncorrupted by error. Some of these means can exist outside the visible bounds of the Church. for example, Protestants have most of the Bible, along with two of the seven sacraments. Nevertheless, these things are like the food and water on the space shuttle: they're life-giving, but they came from a place where they're far richer, more abundant and complete.

Kevin Knight

I don't want to cause offense to my Protestant brothers and sisters (literally!) but this quote to me sums up the Catholic view of things. It is more that we long for them to have the fullness of Truth than anything, just as one wants to share anything we discover that is really wonderful with someone we love. I urge anyone who has specific beefs with the Church's teachings (or perceived teachings) to please dig a bit deeper or ask for clarification from a knowledgeable Catholic source. In my own case, Catholic Christianity by Peter Kreeft sets forth the Church's teachings from the Catholic Catechism logically in a way that is very easy to understand. It is what helped set me straight on several places where the Church differs from secular mores.

Lagniappe

From my quote journal.

To understand Europe, you have to be a genius -- or French.

Madeleine Albright

Worth a Thousand Words

Nikolai Bogatov. A Beekeeper. 1875
Via Art and Faith

The Concrete Results of Giving a Bad Example

Today's Gospel [Luke 17:1-3] contains some of the strongest words ever uttered by Our Lord: Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. He then concludes with this warning: Take heed to yourselves. St. Matthew provides the setting for these words. [Matt. 8:1-6] The Apostles have been importuning Our Lord to say who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus called a child to his side so as to emphasize his teaching: Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. As Jesus looked upon this little one, He must have had in mind many others who would lose their innocence as a result of scandal. It seems as if Our Lord were revealing the burden of this weight to his disciples in the words: Take heed to yourselves.

To give scandal is to be responsible for another's failure or spiritual ruin because of one's words, acts or omissions. [St. Thomas, Summa theologiae, 2-2, q. 43, a. 1] When Jesus speaks of these little ones, he has in mind all children. In their innocence they reflect the image and likeness of God. Yet Jesus was also thinking of the many, many people who, for one reason or another, are especially liable to be affected by bad example. Few sins are as serious as these since they tend to undermine the greatest work of God which is the Redemption of souls. They kill the soul by alienating it from the life of grace, something which is more valuable than physical life. Scandal provokes a multitude of sins. [Catechism of St. Pius X, 418] How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he "gained so great a Redeemer" (Hymn "Exultet" from the Easter Vigil), and if God "gave his only Son" in order that man "should not perish but have eternal life" (cf John 3:15). We can never lose sight of the inestimable value of each person: Christ has died for each and every one. for every soul is a wonderful treasure; every man is unique and irreplaceable. Every single person is worth all the blood of Christ. [J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 80]

In Conversation with God: Daily Meditations, Volume Five

This is one of the lessons that was pounded into my head and heart during my time with Mom and Dad. Both of them were initially driven away from faith by hypocritical church goers or those who lived the letter but not the spirit of the law. Then I heard additional comments about in-laws who were driven away from the Church by terrible examples of twisting the Catholic faith for peoples' own evil purposes. Tom's side of the family has similar examples.

Did those driven away have other good examples in their lives? Some yes and some no. However, sometimes those good examples are not enough to overcome the betrayals felt so keenly by the "innocents."

As this became a prominent theme I noticed through small comments from others, it was surely no coincidence that I had recently read this commentary on Christian living from Coffee Klatch. Usually, that site is a reliable source of humor for me, but occasionally there are gems such as this from which I am excerpting the beginning. Do go read it all.

With so much strife in the world, we Christians have a true opportunity to live our faith. It doesn’t have to be in big, world-shaking ways, but just in our daily lives. We are called as Christians to spread God’s love and peace throughout the world. Think how much the world would be changed if we all did that right where we are in our daily lives.

To live a Christian life is a simple thing if difficult. There are several books in the New Testament that have the same thing to say to us:

Romans 12:18

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Do everything in love.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:13b-14

Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

In my human imperfection and clumsiness I know that there are times when I am not a good example. I hope and pray that, when I become aware of my errors, my efforts to atone are enough to offset damage done. I try to learn and to do better, which is all that any of us can do. As well, of course, as throwing myself at Christ's feet that he may compensate for my insufficiency with His grace. I know God's grace is sufficient. I just don't want to get in His way ...

Some people call him a space cowboy ... some people call him Mal Reynolds

Got a chance last night to catch up on four glorious hours of television I'd missed. Among them was the Halloween episode of Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, who also was Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly as fellow browncoat fans know (yes, it's a tiny little edge of a cult thing I've got going on ...)

Which was what made this hilarious from the very get-go.

Weekend Joke

From Alicia, who always appreciates a good midwife joke. Thanks Alicia!

An anesthesiologist, an OB, and a midwife walked into a bar...

The anesthesiologist ordered a pitcher of stout and a double burger; the OB ordered a Reuben and a bottle of red wine; the midwife ordered their biggest plate of steak and fries with a margarita. They all sat in a booth and shared war stories.

A long time passed, and the three realized something had gone wrong with their order. They decided to find out what the problem was. They found the busboy just behind the swinging double doors to the kitchen. He was struggling to get their overloaded cart from the tiled kitchen to the carpeted dining area. The wheels kept catching on the bump.

The anesthesiologist knelt down and examined the tires. You just need to inject something here in the back; he announced. Then everything will go better.

The OB leaned down to look at the carpet. This part of the carpet is blocking the cart, he announced. Give me a knife and I'll just give it a little cut to help it along.

The midwife leaned over to the busboy and whispered loudly in his ear, "You can do this! Just PUSH!"

Prayer for the Dying

For my father who is suddenly failing much faster and harder than he has since his miraculous rallying in the hospital ... he may have hours or a few days, but his time is fast approaching ...

May Christ Who was crucified for your sake
free you from excruciating pain.

May Christ Who died for you
free you from the death that never ends.

May Christ the Son of the living God,
set you in the ever green loveliness of His Paradise,
and may He, the true Shepherd
recognize you as one of His own.

May you see your Redeemer face to face
and standing in His presence forever,
may you see with joyful eyes
Truth revealed in all its fullness.

Amen.

For my mother and for my brother who stand as witnesses to this mystery, I pray for their strength in the face of great sorrow.

My review of Genesis by Bernard Beckett ...

... which is a SF novella may be found at SFFaudio. Short version: a quick read full of thought provoking ideas worth pondering. Long version ... go to SFFaudio!

The Uninvited ...

... begins on Forgotten Classics ... along with a podcast highlight, as always.

Well Said

From my quote journal ... for Mom, who loves nature and taught us all to love it also.

... From the universe we learn that God is infinite, that we cannot compass him at all. From such things as insects, flies, little frogs, mice, and flowers, we learn that to us he is something else. He is Father, brother, child, and friend.

If you have ever had a little green tree frog and watched him puffing out with a pomposity worthy of a dragon before croaking, you must have guessed that there is a tender smile on our Heavenly Father's face, that he likes us to laugh and laughs with us; the frog will teach your heart more than all the books of theology in the world.

Caryll Houselander

Worth a Thousand Words

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. First Communion Day. 1888. Grisaille on cardboard.
Found in the 160 Toulouse-Lautrec artworks at Olga's Art Gallery

First Friday Fast for an End to Abortion

A twelve-week old fetus baby in the womb.*

It all began here in Dallas -- in our home town, where we raise our families, where we go to church, where we live, and love, and learn, and work.

We are three bloggers who also live in the Dallas area. We are deeply committed to ending abortion in this country. To that end, we have committed ourselves to the following: On each First Friday for the next eleven months, we will fast and pray before the Blessed Sacrament for an end to abortion. This year's commitment will culminate at the annual Dallas March for Life in January of 2009, where we will join our bishop and the faithful of this city in marching to the courthouse where Roe was originally argued.

Original Joint Announcement

In addition to unborn babies and their families, I will be including all those who work to end abortion, as well as the souls of those who work for abortion in my intentions. Also included will be solid catechesis for all Catholics as that is a key issue to most of the misunderstandings on both this issue and others in the secular world.

For your reading and information, here is an excellent article Why Conception? by Michael from The Deeps of Time. Highly recommended.

*I used to be among those who believed the secular propaganda that a 12-week-old baby was just "a blob of cells." Even after coming to the truth, I never knew just how vividly untrue that was until seeing this image, via Father Dwight Longenecker, who points out that 89% of abortions take place in the first twelve weeks. No wonder pro-abortion activists protest ultrasounds for mothers who are seeking counseling. This is unmistakably a baby.

Friday Litany: Litany of St. Joseph

This litany reminds me of how St. Joseph models not only fatherhood for us, but also life as a faithful believer. As my own father steadily sinks while in palliative care, it seemed timely to pray or reflect upon this litany, approved by Pope St. Pius X (1903-14).

Litany of Saint Joseph
In Honor of the Foster Father of Jesus

Lord, have mercy on us.

Lord, 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 Ghost,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

Pray for us.

Holy Joseph,

Pray for us.

Noble Son of the House of David,

Pray for us.

Light of the Patriarchs,

Pray for us.

Husband of the Mother of God,

Pray for us.

Chaste Guardian of the Virgin,

Pray for us.

Foster-father of the Son of God,

Pray for us.

Sedulous Defender of Christ,

Pray for us.

Head of the Holy Family,

Pray for us.

Joseph most just,

Pray for us.

Joseph most chaste,

Pray for us.

Joseph most prudent,

Pray for us.

Joseph most valiant,

Pray for us.

Joseph most obedient,

Pray for us.

Joseph most faithful,

Pray for us.

Mirror of patience,

Pray for us.

Lover of poverty,

Pray for us.

Model of all who labor,

Pray for us.

Glory of family life,

Pray for us.

Protector of Virgins,

Pray for us.

Pillar of families,

Pray for us.

Consolation of the afflicted,

Pray for us.

Hope of the sick,

Pray for us.

Patron of the dying,

Pray for us.

Terror of the demons,

Pray for us.

Protector of the holy Church,

Pray for us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us.

He made him master of his house,

and ruler of all his possessions.

O God, You were pleased to choose Saint Joseph as the husband of Mary and the guardian of your Son. Grant that, as we venerate him as our protector on earth, we may deserve to have him as our intercessor in heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

A Good Read ... and a Good Listen

The God Conspiracy
This book is in progress at Podiobooks. I've gotta love a conspiracy-theory, techno thriller where so many of the characters are Christians. Nothing like a bunch o' manly men stopping for a quick prayer before going out to whack the bad guys, right?

One e-mail. Five lines. 4,000 dead.

And it is only just beginning…

When a small boy in Iowa forwards a mysterious email from ‘God’ to a small group of friends, he unwittingly releases a trigger that sends blood pouring throughout his farming community.

Thousands more are dead across the country in dozens of simultaneous terror attacks and the government blames fundamentalists who want to trigger the Apocalypse.

FBI Agent Joe Unes reluctantly teams with reclusive Internet radio host Barney Ison (from Sharon K. Gilbert’s The Armageddon Strain) to expose the plot -- and discovers that he's not contending against flesh and blood.

Angel Time
An assassin who has his work down to an art and is sought in many countries by the authorities suddenly encounters an angel who offers him a chance for redemption by traveling back in time where his skills may be used on the side of good. I am finding this riveting and Rice's angelic theology is on target (not surprising as one of her cited sources is Peter Kreeft). This is just plain good story telling which, so far, should give Dan Brown fans something to read which also conveys a good deal of truth.

Anne Rice returns to the mesmerizing storytelling that has captivated readers for more than three decades in a tale of unceasing suspense set in time past—a metaphysical thriller about angels and assassins.

The novel opens in the present. At its center: Toby O’Dare—a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A soulless soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a series of aliases—just now: Lucky the Fox—and takes his orders from “The Right Man.”

Into O’Dare’s nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions comes a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O’Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to thirteenth-century England, to dark realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews, where children suddenly die or disappear . . . In this primitive setting, O’Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love.

Well Said

From my quote journal.

The wood of this cross that now breaks your back first grew in the soil of your heart.

Staretz Macarius

Worth a Thousand Words

A Favorite Sketch, Carlton Alfred Smith
Via Victorian Paintings

From Nathaniel Hawthorne to Flannery O'Connor. And Back Again.

I am continually surprised at the way people and events are connected both in the big wide world and in my personal experience. My own Rose has a passion for Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing which, combined with her and Hannah's love of The Scarlet Letter, made me pick up and read that book which high school English had taught me to despise.

I found a complex and interesting book which made me admire Hawthorne's character as much as his writing. Additionally, I found new depths when Heather Ordover at the CraftLit podcast recently featured the book read aloud by her listeners as well as including her enlightening commentary. Much was made there of Hawthorne's understanding of women as people. I wrote to Heather about his daughter, Rose Hawthorne, and how his influence must have contributed greatly to her character. Rose converted to Catholicism and in 1900 founded an order to care for inoperable cancer patients.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne is an American religious community, founded on December 8, 1900 by two extraordinary women. Rose Hawthorne, daughter of American novelist Nathanial Hawthorne, began the work at age 45. She moved into a tenement in the poorest area of New York City, and began nursing incurable cancer patients. Rose, later to become Mother Alphonsa, was a convert to Catholicism. This work was the practical fulfillment of her conversion.

About halfway through the excellent The Abbess of Andalusia: Flannery O'Connor's Spiritual Journey, I have discovered with pleasure that Flannery O'Connor put her finger on a specific moment of influence. O'Connor had agreed to edit and write the introduction for a book about a terribly deformed little girl (Mary Ann) who nonetheless lived a life of joy, written by an Atlanta chapter of the order who approached her. There is much food for thought in "The Abbess" about the role of "innocent suffering" in the life of the Christian and the life of the Church, prompted by O'Connor's own thoughts and writings while working on the book. In considering the Hawthorne connection, which I find interesting for all the threads I see converging as well as for the reminder that we often do not realize the good we are doing, I include this excerpt:

It is true that Mary Ann suffered, but Flannery did not believe she suffered in vain. Rather her suffering was a thread woven within the larger fabric of believers called the Communion of Saints. In the introduction, Flannery described the Communion of Saints as "the action by which charity grows invisibly among us, entwining the living and the dead."

On May 14, 1961, she explained to a friend that "the living and the dead" referred to Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was her inspiration for the introduction. Long before Mary Ann was born, Hawthorne had written about visiting the children's ward in a Liverpool workhouse. There, according to his description, he met a "wretched, pale, half-torpid child of indeterminate sex, about six years old." Hawthorne admitted that he found the child repulsive, but for some mysterious reason, the child took a liking to him. The child insisted that Hawthorne pick him up. Despite his aversion, Hawthorne did what the child wanted: I should never have forgiven myself if I had repelled its advances."

According to Flannery, Mother Alphonsa believed that these were the greatest words her father ever wrote. And many years after Mother Alphonsa had died, Flannery perceived a mystical connection existing between Hawthorne's picking up the child, his daughter working among the dying and the sisters caring for a little girl with a disfigured face.

There is a direct line between the incident in the Liverpool workhouse, the work of Hawthorne's daughter, and Mary Ann -- who stands not only for herself but for all the other examples of human imperfection and grotesquerie which the Sisters of Rose Hawthorne's order spend their lives caring for. Their work is the tree sprung from Hawthorne's small act of Christlikeness and Mary Ann its flower.

Flannery O'Connor dedicated the book to the memory of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

10 Misunderstandings About the Church

Anna Miller writes to tell me that she has a brief answer to ten common misunderstandings about the Catholic Church. I don't know that all of these are exactly common. Many of them I'd never heard bandied about as reasons to diss Catholics, but I can see where the various points might be misunderstood. Check it out.

Worth a Thousand Words

Great Tit
taken by the great Remo Savisaar

Click through on the link to see the photo large in all its glory.

Well Said

From my quote journal.

At some point, I started getting nudges that God loved me.

But not in the intellectual, "God loves me, all is good" kind of way, but rather, "I would run through fire to be with you. I wait by the phone hoping you'll call. When the mail comes, I'm disappointed if there isn't a letter from you. I stalk your Twitter account to see what you've been up to. When I'm at the grocery store, I see the Ritter Sport marzipan in the candy aisle and I buy a package to leave on your desk so you'll find them in the morning.

Jane at Seven angels, four kids, one family

Something similar happened when Mom and I were at the hospital a couple of weeks ago, both having been crying by ourselves all morning before we joined up for the visit. It seemed that everywhere we went there was someone offering us extraordinary smiles or kindness. This culminated with an absolute stranger leaving his own lunch on a counter while quietly bringing both our lunches to our table while we were still getting situated at a table (Mom being in a wheel chair, this took some maneuvering on my very unskilled part). I took my courage in my hands and told Mom, "These are God's love pats. He is showing Himself to us by using all these people around us." As if to put the exclamation mark on this concept, at the end of the meal another complete stranger stopped by our table to wish us a good day. He never stops trying to reach us and I am continually grateful.