Christian Engagement

Today's the big day--election day.  I am so happy it's over.  I am so very tired of the election commercials on TV.  I think everyone else is too.  No one talks about it.  People are so divided that we are afraid to bring the subject up.  Personally, I voted by mail, a month ago.  I honestly don't remember my voting choices.  I am so done.

No matter who wins, Jesus is still my King. I think we have to act like Christians, in the beginning.  Think how they began.  They were Jews who followed Christ, subject to the Roman Empire.  The Jews were throwing them out of the temple.  They didn't belong anywhere.  They were a minority.  They had no influence.

I'll say it again.  They had no influence.  How did they change the world?  They stayed true to Jesus.  They loved each other.  They served the poor, cared for the sick, they took in unwanted babies. They worshipped wherever, even in the catacombs. And somehow, their witness won over populations.

Christianity wasn't accepted until the Emperor Constantine accepted it and decriminalized it in the fourth century.  I'll repeat that, too--fourth century.  

Have patience and the humility to accept that you are only doing a small but important part making the Kingdom of God.  Have faith.

 

Improbability

 You have no idea how much I wanted Louise Penny's latest novel to be good.  Her nineteenth mystery finally arrived.  The Grey Wolf continued with the same Three Pines/Quebec/Canadian setting, the familiar characters, the tense suspense was there, the thrill, the fast pace, the heart stopping drama, but the clues, I found unbelievable.

I found myself saying, "Oh c'mon!", numerous times.  How could scraps of paper mean anything? Traveling from one country to another so easily, happen?  

Then I remembered that I always think that of Sherlock Holmes, yet I still enjoyed them.  And I do enjoy Louise Penny's writing.

What sealed the improbability of the clues was the behavior of the monks.  Since I'm Catholic, I know that monks take vows of stability.  The Dominican friars don't, since they work outside their priory; but Gilbertines and Carthusians take a "vow of stability" to NEVER leave their monasteries.  Maybe they could get special permission in extraordinary cases, but not as easily as the monks in The Grey Wolf, to hop from country to country.

The most egregious abnormality was the Confession. The priest who asked a non-ordained brother to hear Confessions for him is a ridiculous scenario. That would never happen, unless the priest was drunk, or on drugs, or had a gun to his head.  A brother without the faculties to hear Confessions would never assent to do that, either, unless he was drunk, or on drugs, or had a gun to his head. Their souls would be in serious jeopardy.  Besides, what was the sin?  No sin was committed.  The deed hadn't been done yet.  There was nothing to absolve.  Just thinking or planning bad things is just venial.  

I think Louise Penny should have had the scenario of Spiritual Direction, instead of Confession.  That's confidential, also.  Brothers, sisters, and trained lay people, can give spiritual direction. Definitely, that's believable.  

There's one other Catholic thing, Penny got wrong.  Catholics should be buried in consecrated ground, not have their ashes spread on a rock.  An abbot would certainly know that.  

It may seem that I didn't enjoy the book.  I did.  Authors often get the Catholic stuff wrong.  And Louise Penny is a wee-bit anti-Catholic, but it really doesn't bother me because I love Armand and all the other characters in Three Pines.  I hope the series doesn't end with Armand dying.  I want him to retire and continue to solve crimes.  He could be chief inspector emeritus.  

Generational Trauma

 Matthew 27: 25 has always made me wonder, if this generational curse is why the Jewish people have often been discriminated and persecuted.  Is there such a thing as cursing descendants for generations?  Sometimes I think it's so.  

And the whole people said in reply, "His blood be upon us and upon our children."

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, by Jamie Ford, brought this idea of generational curses to mind. This novel is about Dorothy, suffering from generational trauma.  Her daughter reminds Dorothy of the problems she made in her life, and she decides to undergo an experimental treatment to rid herself of generational trauma.  It involves her mind and emotions going through the generations of her maternal ancestors.

This is the story. No curse was put on anyone, but there certainly was trauma.  The stories go back about five generations to Afong Moy.  It is confusing and to tell you the truth, "off putting."  However, it made me think and wonder about generational trauma.  Unless stories are carried down from mother to daughter, how would one know?  Then, doesn't everyone's life have some trauma?  

St. Mary's Fire

Closure

 When a loved one dies, many people, not just family, grieves.  The family is in shock and really doesn't realize that many people are affected.  Even the cashier in the store, who used to joke with the deceased, will grieve.  

Funerals help.  It's a way to say, "good-bye."  It's the last thing you can do for a person who has gone forever out of your life.

Last week, the wake for Father Jack was postponed, due to fire.  There will be some sort of services, in the future.  But the people are in limbo.  I've heard, "I wish I could have seen him, one last time."  Unfortunately, he was buried.  

The Father of Mindfulness

 The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh is a book about how to live in seven meditations.  Thick Nhat Hanh is a spiritual leader, winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, and numerous book awards.  The Art of Living explains his teachings on "mindfulness."  As a member of TOPS, I know that eating mindfully is recommended.  You enjoy it more, it takes longer, and you appreciate all that went into making the food.  The reader will see how this approach to life, would work similarly.  

This guide to living mindfully will give a person, peace and happiness.  In the beginning, the author suggests that the book be read with the idea that the reader is walking in the forest.  At times, you have to stop in wonder at nature.  Sometimes, you stop to breathe.  Sometimes you stop to rest.  Sometimes you stop for refreshment.  This walk is the book's approach to life.

I think everyone can benefit from living mindfully.

Like Jesus

My parish had a fire.  My pastor appeared on TV and said "We forgive whomever did this."  At first, I wondered why he said that, then I remembered that that was what Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."

Why would anyone set fire to a church?  Make a statement?  Well, what could that be?  

Tragedies pull people together.  My town is having a town-wide support event in our Town Common on Sunday.  

Whomever did this, we pray for you.

https://youtu.be/rjFccWQn1_E?si=hcVyje7LRnrz_Zzg