7 Quick Takes: Favorites edition, 11/6/15

Unbelievably, November is here!  Fall weather, foggy mornings, more rain, and football.  Ah, football.  At least one of my two teams is doing well.  For this 7QT, lucky you, they're all based on my favorite things!  My wife & son being first, and the rest being in no particular order.

1) My wife Erin is a beautiful, beautiful woman and I'm very blessed to be married to her.  Easy #1 choice for my favorites!  There's also my little son, Leo.  He's 9 months old now, and we only have a few minutes together in the morning and about an hour in the evening.  Work gets in the way, alas...  For Halloween, we dressed him up in a pumpkin costume.  Cutest and most wiggly pumpkin ever!  We couldn't get a single picture of him smiling and staying still.  

Just soak in the cuteness.  Imagine him crawling with
what looks like a little beer belly--even more adorable

Whoever on Pinterest that showed how to make an Ewok costume for a toddler, I will be thanking you next year.  

2) I love to read, especially books on the Catholic faith.  My interests also include history, although those books tend to require a little more discipline to read.  I just finished this book on Fatima, and I'd recommend it to anyone.  Tomorrow (11/7) is the first Saturday of the month.  Make this the first of your 5 First Saturdays, just like Our Lady asked!  

Come to our aid, Immaculate Queen!

3) Movies are another good source of entertainment, usually.  We've had hits--The Book Thief was excellent (though not a happy movie)--and misses (nearly any secular comedy we've watched in the last couple years).  We have tested out some religious movies, as well.  I've learned a few things... 

*Very few are made outside of Italy, which makes for a problem with... 

*...dubbed-over voices.  I'd much rather hear the actors speak in Italian than have a voice-over actor attempt to fill in the voices.  Can't stand it!

*Some religious movies, however well-intentioned, are bad.  BAD.  (there, I said it)  And it's okay that I feel that way.  It's a funny feeling, the guilt!  If some sort of secular movie had subpar acting, dialogue that doesn't translate well to the screen, I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty about lampooning it.  

*As long as a biblical movie doesn't wind up in the we-couldn't-make-it-through-20-minutes category, they're a good exercise in imaginative prayer.  We recently watched Mary of Nazareth, which was good.  There were so many scenes in the movie that I inwardly thought, 'I pictured it happening a different way' and... there you are, reflecting on a story from the Bible.  

*P.S. only two movies have made it into our we-couldn't-make-it-through-20-minutes category: one religious movie that out of guilt I will not name, and second, the horrendous secular movie Friends With Kids.  Its worst sin?  It wasn't funny.  It had an all-star cast of hilarious comedians and the movie was boring!  

4) Star Wars!  I grew up on it as a kid and I'm really excited to see Episode VII.  The new international trailer was just released... I don't buy the theories that say Luke Skywalker is Kylo Ren, but the tide of speculation is trending toward Luke turning to the dark side.  Kudos to JJ Abrams for this nice gesture, by the way.  

5) For football, Notre Dame is having a good season so far, and I think they'll end up a top 10 team.  Not so sure they'll make the playoff, but at least they're not having as bad of a season as the 49ers.  Seriously, seriously painful.  The owner and GM have driven the team into the ground.  

6) I came upon an old mix CD that I put together, entitled Relax Mix.  I hadn't listened to it in a while, so all the tracks were a surprise.  I'm still amazed at the effect that a great song can have--enticing your imagination to go off to a different place, using melodies, instruments, solos, and sometimes raw emotion.  This was one of the songs from that mix, enjoy!

7) Finally, I do like to write--though you'd never know it for often I write on this blog.  I was lucky to write another post at the Cora Evans blog, this time on 5 Catholic scientists making an impact on society.  My wife had the best idea of everyone on the list, Dr. Hilgers: the founder of the Paul VI Institute and one man responsible for probably thousands of babies being born.  Including Leo.  :)

More quick takes at www.thisaintthelyceum.org!

Fatima for Today, right now!

I recently finished Fr. Andrew Apostoli's book on the great phenomenon of Fatima, called Fatima for Today.  First things first: go buy this book and read it.

Fatima gets lost in the shuffle as yet another avenue of Marian devotion, one among many.  Our Lady is well-traveled and in her great love for her children, she's visited many places.  Some people take a liking to different titles of Our Lady, whether they be Lourdes (my favorite!), Guadalupe, Peace, Grace, Walsingham, and so on, and so on.

Before I read this book, I figured Our Lady of Fatima was another one on that list.  After I read this book, I think that every Catholic needs to know about it.  Here are my reasons:

1) It's one of the most decisive events in the history of the 20th century.
Three poor, shepherd children, two of whom died very young?  Yes!  The messages they were given aimed to correct the errors of the 20th century: first, hell does, in fact, exist.  This had long been frequently denied or ignored, a century ago just as it is today.  Look at the no consequences philosophies permeating our culture!  Second, penance is key to the spiritual life.  Materialist cultures like ours don't see a value in penance, don't understand it, and reject it as archaic.  Third, without serious correction and reparation, the world was headed for terrible suffering.  The death toll from two world wars; the atrocities committed by Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Pot; war after war after war.  Our Lady was given the grace to know where our world was heading, and these messages were meant to warn us.

The apparitions at Fatima were decisive because of one of the largest controversies in the Church: the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  See below for my thoughts on the controversy, but Fr. Apostoli had a good take.  Look at how the Soviet Union "thawed" with Gorbachev... the manner in which the Berlin wall came down... how the U.S.S.R. dissolved without a shot being fired.

Imagine the alternative to each of those.

2) It's very important to learn the truth about the conspiracy theories, as not to get caught up in them.
A while ago, I googled the Fatima apparitions to learn more about them.  What a mistake!  I was surprised at all the garbage out there!  Various conspiracy theories claimed that the Third Secret finally revealed by Pope John Paul II wasn't the real Third Secret--Bl. Lucia wrote it on one page, and the photocopy had four pages!  The Sr. Lucia shown in photo X is not actually Sr. Lucia!  The Vatican kidnapped her and replaced her with an impostor!  There's still a fourth secret out there that the Vatican has suppressed!

Fr. Apostoli answers many of the common objections relating to Fatima... perhaps with the exception of Sr. Lucia being replaced with an impostor (which is silly).  

Sr. Lucia said herself that heaven accepted Pope John Paul II's consecration of the world as fulfilling what Our Lady asked at Fatima, to consecrate Russia.  It's really that simple.  No tales of intrigue, no rogue Curial bishops, no redactions from the Third Secret.  

Pick any hot-button moral issue today, and there's so much confusion.  What is the source of all the confusion about Fatima?  It's Satan!  He's attacked the message of Fatima to discredit it and sow discord within the Church... just as he did with abortion, contraception, euthanasia, gender confusion, and the like.  And sadly, he's done a damn good job.

3) The storms in our world are coming to a high point.  Our Lady of Fatima shows us the way through it--and her Immaculate Heart wins in the end.
These messages weren't just for the people of Portugal, Russia, or Europe.  The call to penance and conversion is a constant theme throughout the New Testament; there's nothing new there.  The difference at Fatima was first the insistence, and second, a reminder that our spiritual practices & life of penance (or lack thereof) has consequences.  She told the three visionaries that prayer & penance could've averted World War II, and the length of it was shortened.  So it is with our times!  Prayer/the rosary, penance, and frequent reception of the sacraments are the best defenses and weapons that we have against the evils of our time.

And lest we lose heart, she wins.  Evil loses.  There is hope!

There is so much to write about Fatima, and this will have to suffice for now.  Read about the Five First Saturdays here and start it this week!

Our Lady of Peace, pray for us.
Blessed Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, pray for us.

Richard III and the Failure of the Church

In college, I had two British history courses taught by a wonderful lecturer.  He read all of his lectures, but did so as a storyteller.  It can be hard for others to grasp this concept--yes, history can be fun.  No, really!  Thank you, Prof. Von den Steinen, Prof. Garosi, and Mr. English (freshman year of high school) for making me love history.  

Back to the Sceptered Isle.  I spent the first half of my third year of college in London, and I've been fascinated with England ever since.  Don't get me wrong, I'm aware of the awful things the English did to the Irish (too lengthy to list here).  Truly, truly awful.  Even in light of that, there's something about kings, princes, queens, knights, and lords that I find really interesting.  Perhaps it's that such a world is so different in comparison to 21st century America; perhaps it's some innocent but misguided nostalgia for times that weren't really all that great to live in.

One of the topics of debate in the field of English history is the story of the Princes in the Tower.  A brief recap of what led to their tragic deaths: Henry V died in France in 1422, leaving his infant son as king.  Henry VI was generally regarded by historians as a weak king and an unsuccessful military campaigner (unlike his father, the hero of Agincourt).  That weakness led to a struggle for the throne, known as the War of the Roses.  The House of Lancaster fought to keep its hold on the throne against the House of York--and did so successfully until 1461.  Edward IV (of the Yorkists) gained the throne in 1461 and reigned until his untimely death in 1483.  There was a brief interruption when the Lancastrians gained the throne in 1470, but the Yorkists soon won it back.  Edward IV had two sons, and his eldest, Edward V, succeeded him as king in 1483.  Edward IV's brother, Richard, didn't allow that for very long.  Richard deposed Edward V, claiming him to be a bastard; Richard was so powerful that he forced his way onto the throne in 1483, becoming Richard III.  Richard lost his crown to Henry Tudor (who became Henry VII) when he died in battle on Bosworth field in 1485.  

The Princes in the Tower were Edward V (age 12 at the time of his death) and his younger brother Richard (age 9); both sons of Edward IV.  Each had a more legitimate claim to the throne than Richard III.  As any casual reader of history knows, no throne is safe when powerful lords and claimants to the throne are mixed together.  Richard was a cunning politician and knew this well; it wouldn't be a matter of if, but when someone tried to restore Edward V to the throne.  

After being imprisoned in the Tower of London, the two boys disappeared, rather conveniently.  It's a historical whodunnit that's over 500 years old!  Shakespeare penned his famous play on Richard III, using some historical sources but also indulging in the dramatic.  From that play, we have the picture of Richard as the villainous, evil, hunchback uncle who had his nephews murdered.  

Historians have taken both sides--those that defend and those that prosecute Richard.  Both sides make their case using the sources of the day.  But who is right?  

I picked up a book from Prof. Von den Steinen's class, one that I never read (oops).  The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey, was a mystery novel published in 1951.  Inspector Alan Grant, laid up in a hospital due to injuries on the job, starts investigating the case of Richard III and the Princes in the Tower.  He enlists the aid of a grad student working at the British Museum; together they piece together all the historical evidence they can.  In the end, they exonerate Richard III of the murders and place the blood on the hands of Henry VII.  

I'm guessing that it was from my days in college--my parents gave me Alison Weir's The Princes in the Tower.  Josephine Tey, whatever her sleuthing acumen might have been, was not a historian.  I was really interested to read a historian's take on the Princes.  Weir laid out the background to the Wars of the Roses, describes the key characters, the story, and arrives at the conclusion that Richard III arranged to have his nephews killed.  

I may not have convinced you to read those books (both were very entertaining) (and yes, a history book can be entertaining!!!), but hopefully the catchy title of this post convinced you to read this far.  I couldn't help but read the story of all those Richards and Edwards and see the failure of the Church.  

Free will makes it impossible for the Church to prevent each one of its members from falling into sin.  However, where was the voice of the clergy during that time in England, warning of the consequences of sin?  Clearly the monarchs played by a different set of rules.  These weren't the kinds of sin where we semi-unintentionally fall into it, or the kind of sin that we try our hardest to avoid but can't.  The following list were things planned for, plotted for, and done intentionally during the Wars of the Roses:  

-the ineptitude of Henry VI gave rise to greed for the throne, which led to war

-Edward IV was a model of infidelity, and his lust caused him to marry a commoner, Elizabeth Wydville.  Weir cited suggestions that Elizabeth wouldn't give into him unless they were married; there isn't enough evidence to prove this.  It does give a reasonable explanation to why a king married one of his subjects for only the second time in 400 years (=more than an uncommon occurrence)--lust is a powerful demon.  Just so we're clear, the sin part was the lust, not the marrying a commoner part.  But regarding the latter, Edward displayed a stunning level of foolishness by doing so... doing what was good for his pants rather than thinking of what was good for the realm...

-...that surprise marriage fractured the relationship between Edward IV and his powerful uncle, the Earl of Warwick.  Warwick then conspired with Edward's brother, George, to overthrow Edward...

-...the plot failed, and George was executed as a result.  Parliament recommended the execution and Edward IV signed off.  The future Richard III held the Wydeville family responsible for pushing George's execution through Parliament, and treated the family accordingly

-upon Edward IV's death, his son, Edward V, technically took the throne... until Richard's avarice for the crown declared all children of Edward & Elizabeth to be illegitimate

-Richard had some of his strongest supporters killed, for political expediency

-the two male heirs of Edward IV (Edward V and little Richard), ages 12 and 9, were murdered

-Richard somehow seduced his niece into an incestuous affair.  Believe it or not, the sister of the two Princes in the Tower... whom Richard most likely had murdered.

And that's a shortened list.  I know from my own experience as a sinner: terrible things result when we usher sin into our lives and families.  All the lust, greed, murder, and war for decades settled into England.  How can that not have its own spiritual consequences?  Look what resulted from a century of bloodshed, greed, adultery, and fratricide: the Tudor dynasty!  More of the same bloodshed, adultery, and greed.  By the time Henry Tudor (Henry VII) came along, someone with a tenuous claim to the throne, the English ached for royal stability and were excited to have anyone on the throne other than Richard III.  The Tudors took turns in schism, ripping England away from the Roman Catholic Church (Henry VIII), taking it further away (Edward VI, Henry's only legitimate son that lived beyond infancy), bringing England back to Rome (Queen Mary), and breaking away from Rome again (Queen Elizabeth), for good.  

Is it any wonder that nations undergo trials when their leaders do terrible things?  When sin begets further sin?  England enjoyed many centuries of prosperity later, but now, like the rest of formerly Christian Europe, has continued to distance itself from Jesus, the source of all life.  The problem with doing that is that God respects our free will--and lets us have what we want.  

"Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death." (James 1:14-15)

E-Book Club: "The Lord" Ch. 5

Alas, The Lord has been put aside a few times already, and I'm about to put it aside again.  For Lent, I'm going to be reading Pope Benedict's second Jesus of Nazareth book.  Ironically, this was about how far I got through The Lord the last time I picked it up (for class, about 10 years ago).

The most recent break I took from The Lord (other than laziness) was to read an Advent book: Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives.  It was a short book and one that didn't go into quite as much depth as his first Nazareth book.  Even so, our German shepherd's reflections are very profound and even personal.  I likened reading the book to sitting down with him and having a cup of coffee, as you would your grandfather or a favorite professor.

Anyway, my last Guardini post for a little while.

Ch. 5: Baptism & Temptation
What stood out to me in the beginning of this chapter was Guardini pointing out the key that unlocks the story of Jesus' baptism.  It is an act of incredible humility.  Jesus, the divine Son, condescends to our level and abides by our rules--the source of John the Baptist's hesitation.  Jesus had no sins to wash away!

We think according to our fallen nature, and can't step inside Jesus' mind to know how He thought as He lived on this earth.  One of the greatest temptations for me in the past has been to think of rules as not pertaining to me.  Sure, this or that is generally wrong, but not for me in this instance!  Jesus would've been perfectly justified (literally) in not getting baptized.  And what a lesson in humility He taught us by going through with it!

The second part of the chapter goes into the temptation in the desert.  One of the little things Guardini points out is that Jesus doesn't engage in dialogue with the devil.  He answers "straight to the core of the test" (pg. 29).  It's the only strategy to employ when facing off with the evil one.  How often to we get into it with the devil, thinking we're stronger and smarter?  Sort of negotiate with him, and think we can entertain the temptation without succumbing?

I thought this final point very insightful, too: reading between the lines of the story.  For the 3rd temptation, imagine the draw for Jesus.  Again, not that He entertained the temptation or ever sinned.  In offering the world to Him, the devil could have been implying: who better to rule the world than You?  I mean, really?  Power hungry emperors will rise and fall; nations will form and disintegrate.  Who would be the literally perfect ruler of the entire world?  JESUS!!  Like so many other temptations, there's an element of truth in it--and even a good (although flawed) intention.  Temporal power was not His aim, however.  Jesus had an even greater role to play in humanity.

St. John Bosco's Dreams

I picked up a book of the dreams of St. John Bosco recently, looking for something light I could read before bed.  I haven't been disappointed, it's a easily readable but very substantial book.  I bought the Tan edition of Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco after reading his dream of the two pillars.  It was at once a comforting dream as a sobering one.   I won't spoil it, it's worth reading.

I was mostly ignorant of St. John before reading this book; I only knew of him as the patron of youth. After reading this, I see him as a spiritual master, an expert in spiritual warfare, and a mystic.  The book of St. John's dreams is worth reading.  Each of the forty dreams has its own chapter; they're pulled from his memoirs and the memoirs of his confrers.  The anecdotal style make them an easy read--but don't mistake 'easy' for 'fluffy.'

St. John frequently had dreams that identified the boys in his Oratory.  One of those, "A Dream About St. Dominic Savio," featured St. John being reunited with one of his pupils, St. Dominic.  At the end of their conversation in the dream, St. John asks about how he can help the boys at the Oratory.  St. Dominic hands him three lists: unconquered, casualties, and overcome by evil.  The first list was small, noting the names of the boys who had not been conquered by evil.  The second group, casualties, was comprised of boys who had previous run-ins with evil, but had been healed through Confession and the Eucharist.  The final group is a fairly obvious one, with a twist.  When St. Dominic handed St. John the list, he forbade him to open it in his presence.  It gave off an unbearable smell that, in his dream, forced St. John to vomit uncontrollably.

On one hand, we're curious creatures and want to know the future, our fate, and so on.  On the other hand, there are things that--even if only subconsciously--we would rather not know.  Reading this particular dream, two questions raised in my mind.

First, which list would I be on?  It isn't a question of which list I think I should be on.  The lists came from the Lord, Who sees and knows our hearts; He Who created us; He Who will be our judge.  What list would the Lord put me on right now?  There were many names on the final, stinky list that surprised St. John.  Who's to say that I'm any different?

Second, can you imagine the effect on the boys of the Oratory?  St. John related his dreams to the boys, and used them as teaching tools to effect further conversion of heart.  When he read the lists in his dream, he knew many of the boys on them.  Even further, he talked to the boys on the stinky list individually.  "Hey bro, can we talk?  That dream I told all you guys about... you're on the wrong list and on the path to hell."  Not that I'm disparaging St. John; better that the boys would know, and hopefully they turned their hears back to God.

Our Lady also figured prominently in some of St. John's dreams.  In "A Fiendish Elephant," the large beast (=Satan) starts attacking boys on the playground.  Our Lady's mantle became enormous and she threw it around the boys to protect them; all their wounds are healed when they're taken in by her.  She cries out, "Venite ad me omnes!" Come all to me!

It made me smile.  Here is Our Heavenly Mother, loving us, fighting for us, protecting us.  From that dream, St. John gave advice to his boys that we can all take to heart: "Turn to her; call on her in any danger.  I can assure you that your prayers will be heard."

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

E-Book Club - "The Lord" ch. 4

One of the good lines in this chapter helps me understand a passage that I've never fully understood.  When Jesus descends into the Jordan to get baptized by John, and John initially refuses--Jesus responds, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness" (Matt 4:15).  It obviously made sense to John at the time, since he proceeded to baptize the Lord of Lords.  

Guardini had a brief line to describe this scene: "But Jesus insists on placing Himself completely within human law." (pg. 20-21)

Also, it's good to be reminded how intricately woven Jesus & John's lives were.  Since John was killed in the early part of Jesus' public ministry, we don't hear about him as much as the other disciples.  Guardini's narrative puts a few things together: John's disciples questioning about fasting, Jesus' disciples' jealousy at John's baptizing, and Jesus' disciples request for prayer lessons.  I didn't think about it before, but those two circles probably interacted more than we're told in the gospels.  That makes sense, as 1st century Palestine was only so big... 

On pg. 22, the difficulties of the prophetic life are described, and this, too, didn't occur to me before.  I'll have to read 1 Kings 17-19 like Guardini recommended.  

E-Book Club: Romano Guardini's "The Lord"... Chapter 3

Ch. 3: The Incarnation

The major line that stood out to me was: "But love does such things!"  The Incarnation is a deep mystery, not only because all divinely-rooted mysteries have infinite depth.  The heart of this mystery is the very heart of God.  Out of all the ways that the Father could've offered salvation to humanity... why this?  Love!

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1)
"God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..." (John 3:16)
"Who shall separate us from the love of God?" (Rom 8:35) (answer: NOBODY!)
"And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col 3:12-15)

I liked Guardini's line, "When it is the depth and power of God that stirs, is there anything of which love is capable?" (pg. 15)  I think of Paul's conversion.  A Pharisee who was so convinced of the truth of his own faith and of how false Christianity was!   Another example is how the Church began with some scared disciples in Jerusalem.  Add the Holy Spirit, stir, and a missionary explosion.  Countless saved souls, martyrs, saints!

Love just does those things.

7QT: Lazy blogger edition, 10/4/14

--- 1 ---
Onto a new book!  Romano Guardini's The Lord.  I'll be putting up discussion posts if anyone has the book and is interested.  We're only on ch. 2 so far!  I remember reading bits and pieces of this book for one of my classes.  I was amazed at the depth of it... so much so that I bought copies as presents for a couple people.  And now, 10 years after I read those bits and pieces, I'm finally getting around to reading the whole thing (hopefully).  

--- 2 ---
I've also finally finished reading through the Gospel of Matthew, chapter by chapter.  I'd really recommend the commentary that I used: The Better Part by Fr. John Bartunek.  It's meant to assist in lectio divina but I mainly used it as a commentary.    

--- 3 ---
Speaking of great resources, did you know Scott Hahn has a website that has free Bible study resources?  Check out www.salvationhistory.com.  I just started listening to the one on Matthew's gospel.  Very cool so far!

--- 4 ---

Fall is here, and the cooler weather is a welcome reprieve from the hot sun.  Hot sun by Oregonian standards is anything over 80, I believe.  I love fall weather but I'm not looking forward to months and months of rain.    

--- 5 ---
New special saint in our lives: St. Leo the Great.  Pope in the 400s and a major influence on the Council of Chalcedon.  Pretty awesome pastor in a turbulent time: heresies like monophysitism and manichaeism.  Check out his famous Tome on the person of Christ.  In a related note, our baby Leo is due in three short months!  Can't wait!

--- 6 ---

The Dodgers have no postseason gear, unlike their new nemesis, the Cardinals.  Makes me very sad... and wishing they'd start chopping the payroll down.  

--- 7 ---
I can never think of a final QT.  Consistency, right? 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

E-Book Club: Romano Guardini's "The Lord"

Romano Guardini published his book The Lord in 1954.  He was a favorite of the young Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, and it's easy for me to see why.  I read some pieces of this book for a theology class years ago, but it's taken this long for me to actually start reading the whole book.

I have an older edition, so the page numbers might be a little off...

Ch. 1, Origin & Ancestry

One of the first neat things that stood out to me was on pg. 4, the paragraph that starts "Only in the flesh, not in the bare spirit..."  The Incarnation/Logos and the dwelling place of God among His people in the OT... a beautiful combination!  It reminded me of a Scripture paper I wrote for a class.  One of the words I examined was "tabernacle."  I was surprised to see that the same word "tabernacle" was used a variety of times.  It was the tent that housed the ark of the covenant; it was at the Transfiguration, when Peter offered to build 3 booths; it is the house of the Eucharist in the New Covenant.

What stood out to you?

Msgr. Knox and the Parables of the Kingdom

I wrote previously on the parables of the Kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew.  They fascinated me then, and I read a great reflection on them that continued the wonder.  Alongside reading the Gospel of Matthew, I've been making my way through In Soft Garments by Msgr. Ronald Knox.  He uses the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven to put a frame on the issue of the Church and human progress.

Here are some extended quotes, and any attempt at a summary wouldn't do him justice.

"... the growth of the mustard seed shows you the Christian Church as a body which swells in size, whereas the spread of the leaven shows you the Christian gospel as an influence which radiates fore and communicated it to its neighbourhood.  The tree takes something from its surroundings; takes nourishment from the earth and the moisture and the sunlight, and so grows bigger: and the Church takes something from her surroundings, takes the souls of men from the world and incorporates them into herself.  The leaven gives something to its surroundings, infects them with its own life; so the Christian gospel gives something to its surroundings; communicates to mankind its own spirit of discipline and its own philosophy of life." (pg. 166-167)

"One word needs to be added, not less important.  Our Lord says that the mustard tree is to grow out of all recognition; he doesn't say that it is to grow indefinitely; does not mean us to understand that there will ever be a time at which the whole of mankind will be even nominally Christian.  His prophecy that his Gospel will be preached in the whole world is sufficiently fulfilled if all mankind has a real chance of hearing it.  Similarly, when he says that the leaven hidden in the meal spread till the whole was leavened, I don't think we are necessarily to understand this as meaning that there will be a time at which the principles of Christian charity towards one's neighbour will dominate the counsels of humanity.  We are to understand that the Christian message will make itself felt throughout the world which harbours it, not necessarily that it will triumph.  Don't be disappointed, therefore, if it appears--it may perfectly well come to appear so in your lifetime--as if things were going backwards instead of forwards, as if the world were relapsing into barbarism instead of following along the path marked out for it by what we call civilization.... the social influence of the Church is in reality a by-product of her activity; it is not her life.  Her business, ultimately, is with the individual soul, and the promises by which she lives are not limited within the these narrow horizons.  The leaven is there, and it does not lose its virtue with the centuries.  But whether in our particular age the time is ripe for its manifestation, that we cannot know."  (pg. 172-173)

The latter quote put the modern world into good perspective, I think.  Couldn't Knox be writing for today, and not the 1930s?  Doesn't the world seem to be going backward instead of forward?  It slips my mind frequently, but it's key to our spiritual life: Christ has won the war, yes, but the victory will not come in this world until the end of time.  Until then, we are in the midst of the battles.

7 Quick Takes, Sunday Procrastinator Edition 5/18/14

--- 1 ---
I'm amazed at how time goes by.  Christmas and the new year doesn't seem that far in the past, but it's nearly the end of May and June is a week and a half away.  There are a few things I'm really looking forward to this summer: the opening of the Volcanoes' season (short season, single-A baseball), a sacred music concert I just read about featuring "In Mulieribus", a family vacation to Utah, and lots of sun that will make our roses bloom.  

--- 2 ---

My current read is a book by Msgr. Ronald Knox, an English priest from the previous century.  In Soft Garments is a collection of his conferences to Catholic students at Oxford from 1926-1938.  They're not extremely long, they're sequential, and so far enjoyable.  I half-expected him to write like Tolkien, Lewis, or Chesterton--dense and profound, though simple.  Not so, ol' chap!  Knox is very down to earth and the lectures have a familiar, friendly tone.  

--- 3 ---
Although I have enough books in my library to last me a while, I still drool over new titles that come out.  One is a new collection of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's writings on the liturgy.  Yes, it's 700 pages and yes, I have a similarly-large collection of his writings on ecclesiology (from a theology class) that I have barely touched since I got it... and is it really something I would read?  (really, a silly question for a bibliophile)  It would look awfully good on my shelf.  How long until Christmas?

--- 4 ---

Another book I'd really like to read is Jason Evert's new book on St. John Paul II.  It's easy to take someone for granted... how many of us appreciated St. JP2 while he was here on earth?  So many people have wonderful stories about him; the more I read about him, the more I come to love him.  A phenomenal pastor, holy guy, man of prayer, great love-r of the Church.

--- 5 ---

We were blessed to have dinner with friends on two separate occasions this week.  A fantastic homemade meal and then dinner at Red Robin.  What would life be without friends to share it with?  

--- 6 ---

There's a fundraising golf scramble coming up in August for the Fr. Bernard Youth Center, a special charity to me.  Anyone want to sponsor me?   Millionaires, how about you?  Check out FBYC!

--- 7 ---
Baseball season means fantasy baseball in my in-laws' family.  If you've never played in a league, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything so frustrating.  Injuries are plaguing my team, not to mention a lack of power hitting.  And when do you give up on an underperforming player?  (I'm looking at you, Jose Reyes)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

A Review of Jennifer Fulwiler's "Something Other Than God"

I've been a reader of Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary blog for a few years.  I really like her writing style--informal but articulate, substantial and light-hearted, and humorous.  Over time she'd post about a book project, until last month when the book was finally published.  Although I'm not too interested in a banana suit, I did want to enter the contest by writing a book review. 

Unlike myself, Jennifer posts quite a lot on her blog; sometimes three posts a week.  (?!?!?)  In a totally non-creepy way, I feel like I know her a little from her writing.  After all, she shares personal details about her life, her family, and her faith.  Reading Something Other Than God was somewhat similar, except it was a side of her that I'd forgotten about.  For years I've read her posts about Catholic this, pro-life that (except when it comes to scorpions), or her journey away from atheism.  In SOTG, it was really interesting to see Jennifer as a non-believer.  We all know folks who are non-believers to varying degrees, but we don't often get a chance to step inside their head.  SOTG is worth reading for that purpose alone!

Aside from that, here are a couple other reasons to read the book:

1) Gaining a deeper appreciation of marriage
On her blog, Jennifer's posts would allude to her husband, Joe.  I couldn't remember exactly how much he's been mentioned.  In SOTG, however, he's necessarily a big part of it.  (is it my bias, paying more attention to the role of the husband?)  There were times that he pushed her, and vice versa.  Just like I wouldn't be where/who I am without my wife, Jennifer's spiritual journey in SOTG depended in large part on the love, support, and companionship of her husband.  Thank the Lord for the spouses He blesses us with!

2) What Catholic that's even remotely humble doesn't like a good conversion story?
Faith is something easy to take for granted!  And God is so close to us that we're often blind to His handiwork.  A good conversion story like this is a great reminder of what we often forget and take for granted.  SOTG isn't a theological treatise; it's not the life of a saint.  It's the story of a real person who struggled with the same things many people struggle with.  It doesn't take place in an idyllic setting, a convent, or a monastery.  Jennifer is a laywoman, wife, and mother living in Texas.  Her ideals had to shift, not to mention her priorities and her & Joe's business aspirations.  Is God absent amidst medical issues?  Financial issues?  No way--it just takes the eyes to see it.

Check the book out, you won't regret it!

7 Quick Takes: Jen has a new book edition, 5/4/14

--- 1 ---

Last weekend I bought my copy of Jennifer Fulwiler's new book, Something Other Than God.  You can get yours at your local Catholic bookstore (like this one!) or here.  I blew through it in about a week, and I could've finished it sooner if I could've stayed home from work a day or two.  My goal is to write a separate post about my impressions of the book... who can resist being entered into a special prize drawing?  In brief (as our friend the CCC would say), it's a great book and worth a read.  I love conversion stories and this is another good one to add to the list!

If the author saw the surroundings of her book,
I think she would be appreciative... 

--- 2 ---

I've written about homilies before, although I can't remember if I've ever put links of good ones that are online.  Today's winner: one of my old seminary friends, Fr. Nathan Siray.  He's a priest in Canada somewhere and he teamed up with two fellow priests to put a blog together.  I think they write on it more than twice a month... unlike yours truly.   All three priests post their homilies there; Fr. Nathan's was especially good today.  Check it out!  

--- 3 ---

Today is May 4th, a.k.a. Star Wars day.  May the Force be with you!  (and with your spirit)  I grew up on those movies as a kid, and like everyone with good taste, disliked the prequel trilogy.  Quick thoughts with token hashtags: 

-Han shot first.  #badass 

-A lot of SW fans hate the ewoks and Return of the Jedi, but I was 4 years old when the movie came out.  I loved the ewoks!  I still hate the part where the ewok gets shot and sad music plays.  #scarred #howoldamiagain

-A great cast, they had.  Luke and Han as heroes, Princess Leia (#first love) holding her own until crummy writing in ROTJ set her back...  

-Must-see: George Lucas In Love (it's online somewhere, not sure legally, but it's available), the 2 Robot Chicken episodes, Fanboys, and R2-D2 Under the Dome

--- 4 ---

The feast of St. Athanasius was on Friday, May 2nd.  Read up on him here.  When I see his name pop up in the liturgical calendar, or when someone names their baby after him (no, just kidding; no offense, St. A), I can't help but think of Bl. John Henry Newman.  Newman looked up to St. Athanasius for his commitment to the Catholic faith and to his perseverance through suffering.  We extol St. A today, and it's easy to think of him in heaven, adoring the Lord he so stoutly defended during his life.  Let's also remember that he was persecuted and exiled; so too was John Henry Newman, in persecution, at least.  Part of what made them such great men was their perseverance in the truth, no matter the suffering.    

--- 5 ---

We have two new pope saints!!!  I was happy I got to see St. John Paul II in person, at a weekly audience and at a canonization.  How long until we can call him St. John Paul the Great?

--- 6 ---

Mother's Day is coming up next weekend; thanks be to God for my mom and all mothers!  I've mentioned the topic of infertility on this blog before, and I'd like to add something to it.  Besides Christmas, there's no more difficult holiday for an infertile couple to deal with than Mother's Day.  Please, right now, say a quick prayer for all couples in that situation.  

--- 7 ---

Occasionally, I get to do professional things that I'm passionate about.  Usually, they don't have anything to do with my job.  I attended a Board member retreat for the Fr. Bernard Youth Center on Friday.  A 5-hour session and it didn't feel nearly that long.  I never got bored, antsy, sleepy; I never checked the clock.  What a nice change of pace!  Need a good charity to support?  Check out FBYC!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Spiritual Advice from a Little, Belgian Detective

I picked up another one of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, Death on the Nile.  There was a wonderful exchange, full of spiritual wisdom:

[one character shows Poirot a pistol, and muses to him about how she'd like to exact revenge on her enemy] 
Poirot:  Mademoiselle, I beseech you, do not do what you are doing.
Jackie: Leave dear Linnet [i.e. her enemy] alone, you mean?
Poirot: It is deeper than that.  Do not open your heart to evil. ... Because--if you do--evil will come. . . . Yes, very surely evil will come. . . . It will enter in and make its home within you, and after a little while it will no longer be possible to drive it out.

It's reminiscent of James 1:15--"Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death."

Poirot's entreaty to the young woman in the story is also grounded in everyday, human experience.  The incredible effort needed to break addictions, habitual sins, and weaknesses is, using his words, an attempt to drive evil out of our hearts.  No easy task, and one impossible without grace.

The Perils of Historical Fiction

This is my periodic “wow, I haven’t written on this for a while” post.  Something nice and light to give me a minor sense of accomplishment...

Recently I finished an historical fiction novel called Wine of Satan.  It was written by Laverne Gay, who wrote only one other novel.  It told the story of the life of Bohemond, one of the major figures in the First Crusade.  

I am a fan of historical fiction, but I’ve read a couple duds that cause me to be wary of the genre.  The novel that evoked the strongest reaction from me was set during the high Middle Ages.  Maybe it wasn’t historical fiction as much as just plain fiction, as the story didn’t concern any actual historical figures.  When I finished the book, I was so upset with the ending that I ripped it in a few pieces and threw it away.  Another one, written about the life of Henry V, had me scratching my head at the end.  On one hand, the author included a postscript, noting all the research she did.  On the other hand, I remembered from past history classes things that contradicted the author’s research.  

Perhaps King Henry V is a special case, since much has been written about him.  The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was fraught with controversy then as well as now.  

Still, with those historical fiction novels, I wish I could go back into my life and reclaim the hours I spent reading them.  The parts I enjoyed were not just eclipsed but gored out of my memory by my frustrations with the books.  

Enter the newest why-do-I-bother-with-this-genre: Wine of Satan.  I have no one to blame but myself; I judged the book by its cover.  It said it was a novel of the First Crusade (hmm, interesting) and it had a cover with knights on horses (cool).  The first half of the book was good, but the second half was terrible.  I hated the ending so much that I’m tempted to burn the book in my backyard.  

My main objections were two of my biggest pet peeves with entertainment (books, TV, movies, plays, etc.):

1) Once the main characters finally went on crusade (halfway through the book), they became very unlikeable.  All of them.  I kept reading, hoping for redemption.  Maybe resolution!  Maybe repentance!  Terrible things are going on?  That happens in real life.  There’s mortal sin all around and the main characters could care less?  That’s a human reaction, not unfamiliar to anybody living today.  Was there any redemption, healing, or anything positive?  NO!  That’s real life sometimes, I understand.  I really do.  When I’m reading something for fun, however, I’m not always looking for how bad life and people can be.  

2) The ending sucked.  It had no resolution for one of the two main characters and it killed off another main character, with little detail behind it.  This happens often in a TV show my wife and I like.  It’s an hour long, and unless the guide notes it as “Part 1 of 2”, you know it will end in one hour.  Just by keeping track of the clock, we know that the episode will wrap up in, for example, the next 5 minutes.  This book was much the same; there were less than 10 pages left and I still hadn’t gotten to the ending... then the death scene came and went in a flash.  The “lack of resolution” scene was similar.  And poof, it ended!  That was it! 

Maybe I’ll give other historical fiction novels a try, but not for a while.  And if anyone is in the mood for a backyard BBQ, let me know...