Father John linked the Old Testament to the New, in this morning's homily. Today's homily was about Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Luke 1: 39-56 The baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped. In 2 Samuel 6: 14-22, David is so happy that he danced for joy. Both are expressions of joy. Both are expressions of worship.
In Luke 1:5-25, we see Zechariah doubting the message the angel, the Lord sent. I always felt this was unfair because Mary doubts also, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" Luke 1: 26-38.
I've reconsidered. Mary is very young. She's just a girl, after all. Zechariah is a grown man. More than that, he's a priest. He should have known scripture.
Therein, lies the difference.
A Benedictine monk told the story of a young monk asking his spiritual director if his reasons for becoming a monk were shallow, or just plain dumb. The elder monk said that your reasons for becoming a monk don't really count, compared to the reasons why you stay.
I like this. I also think the same saying could apply to marriage.
It is the custom that those chapters and individual people, who identify with the Sisters of Bethany, pray for each other. We call this "The Blessing of the Houses." Over the years, some chapters have closed, and some new ones have started. A new Blessing of the Houses had to be written. Here is my chapter's new Blessing.
Our Lady of Mercy
MCI Norfolk
Blessing of the Houses
All powerful, ever loving and merciful God, St. Dominic, Blessed Lataste, and all the angels and saint in heaven, receive our prayers for blessing of the following houses:
Lord have mercy...Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy...Christ have mercy.
Lord, hear our prayers...Christ, graciously hear us.
St. Mary Magdalene...Bless our sisters of Bethany in France.
Jesus in the Eucharist...Bless our sisters of Bethany in Belgium.
Our Lady of Peace and St. Niklaus of Flue...Bless our sisters of Bethany in Switzerland.
St. Albert the Great...Bless our sisters of Bethany in Germany.
St. Catherine of Siena...Bless our sisters of Bethany in Italy.
Holy heart of Jesus...Bless our sisters of Bethany in the Netherlands.
St. Joseph...Bless our sisters of Bethany in Latvia.
Mary Mediatrix of all graces...Bless our brothers in the fraternity of Belgium.
Our Lady of the Rosary...Bless our brothers in the fraternity of Huntsville, Texas.
Our Lady of Mercy...Bless our brothers and sisters in the fraternity of Norfolk.
Mother Admirable...Bless our novitiates
Our Lady of the Church...Bless our Lataste fraternities.
St. Francis and St. Clare...Bless our Franciscan Sisters of Milwaukee.
Risen Lord...Bless our Dominican sisters and brothers in the USA.
St. Dominic...Bless our brothers at Santa Sabina and throughout the world.
Our Holy Founders...Bless us.
Blessed Lataste, Apostle of Prisons...Bless us.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker is unforgettable. I haven't written anything on this blog for five days because I've been immersed in Saint and Patch's lives. This book has it all. It's a thriller, for sure. It's a police story. It's a romance. It's a murder mystery. It makes you re-think your perceptions of right and wrong. You see two sides of every event.
I call it a pro-life story because the political debate between abortion and pro-life is mentioned, here and there, but when the story moves on and you see it in itself is the defacto debate.
Where to begin?
Style--beautiful prose. There are images that are poetic. I love short chapters.
Plot--A teenager saves a girl's life. He is kidnapped and kept captive but saved by his best friend. While captive, he is befriended and falls in love with another captive. The rest of the novel is a search for this captive girl.
Theme--The effects of traumas on people and their relationships with others.
Setting--Mostly Missouri but all over the USA.
Characters--Patch, boy who was born with one eye.
Saint, Patch's best friend.
Nix, Police chief
Sammy--Humorous foil in the story.
Norma--Saint's Grandmother
Tooms--doctor in the town
Misty--Patch's crush
Grace-illusive captive
Eli Aaron--bad guy
The book begins with two young teens. Patch is often bullied because he's poor, skinny, has a patch on an eye, and his mother is a druggie. Saint's parents have died and she lives with her grandmother. Saint is a beekeeper and a generous person who befriends Patch and feeds him when she can.
Patch saves Misty from being abducted. Misty lives. And. Patch is gone!!!!! They find his patch on the ground, but no sign of him. Misty confides to Saint that even though her abductor was wearing a mask, she recognized the eyes of Dr. Tooms.
After the townspeople give up looking for Patch, Saint never does. She also keeps a wary eye on Dr. Tooms.
Meanwhile, a girl is missing.
One day, Saint brings in some film to be developed and talks to the clerk. He tells her to stay away from the photographer, Eli Aaron. He's creepy. Saints scopes Aaron out and becomes convinced that Eli Aaron kidnaps girls and maybe Patch.
Saint goes to Eli Aaron's on a pretense and snoops around looking for evidence. Somehow, the house catches on fire and Police Chief Nix finds Saint and they find Patch. Eli Aaron escaped.
Patch tells them about a girl named Grace, who was kept down the basement with him. They don't know whether to believe him or not.
More girls are missing. Dr. Tooms is arrested and sentenced to life.
Life goes on. Misty and Patch become an item. Saint has a boyfriend, Jimmy. Patch takes over his mother's house cleaning jobs to earn money. One time, while cleaning Sammy's art gallery, Sammy takes an interest in Patch. It turns out that Patch is a talented artist. He paints Grace. He paints all the places, Grace talks about. He also paints all the missing girls. He and Sammy spread the portraits to help find the girls. Organizations spring up to look for the girls. If Patch sells a portrait, he donates the money to an organization that looks for missing girls.
Patch quits school at sixteen and works in mines. His muscles fill out. He grows taller. In fact, he is very handsome, and his patch makes him look interesting and exotic. It's an asset.
The night of Misty's prom, her father secretly has a talk with Patch. He pays him a substantial amount of money to break off the relationship. Patch takes it because he knew that he and Misty came from different worlds and would never be a good match. With the money, Patch buys his mother's house and now their landlord will never bother them, again.
Misty is devasted that Patch dropped her. But it is the end, for now.
Patch takes off, working here and there, to get by, while he searches for his Grace.
Saint takes a job working for the police with Chief Nix. She still keeps tabs on what's going on with Patch.
Misty is going to Harvard. For kicks, she takes a job in a bar. Patch, working as a lobsterman, goes into that very bar. Misty and Patch reconnect. Patch moves on but has left Misty pregnant.
When Patch needs money and he doesn't have a job, he robs banks. Patch gives the money to organizations looking for missing girls. Saint who is working for the FBI now, captures him and Patch is sent to prison.
Saint marries Jimmy. Jimmy turns out to be a bad husband. He doesn't like Saint working for the FBI. When Saint becomes pregnant she doesn't know what to do. She considers abortion, and the reader is led to believe that she did kill the baby. She gives it up for adoption and gets a divorce. There is mention, here and there, in the story, of anti-abortion protestors.
When Patch comes out of prison, he goes home. One day, he sees Misty with a young girl and knows instantly that this girl is his own daughter. Her name is Charlotte. Misty has cancer.
When Misty dies, Patch becomes her caretaker. But when Patch meets Jimmy, Saint's "ex", Patch punches him out, for the way he treated Saint. Jimmy hits his head and dies. Patch is in prison again.
While Patch is in prison, he hears a fellow prison describe his hometown, and it sounds exactly where Grace lived. When Patch asked the inmate what the name of the town was, he was shocked to hear, "Grace, Alabama." Patch instantaneously knew that was where Grace was. He had to see it.
The rest of the story would be a spoiler. Sorry.
There's no such thing as failure. You just find out what works and what doesn't. Move on. In the Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah, Dr. Julia Cates is publicly demonized because one of her patients shot up a school. Meanwhile, her sister, Ellie, has need of her. A "wolf child" has emerged from the woods. A little girl seems to have been brought up by wolves. She doesn't speak. She's feral.
Julia emersed herself in helping this child. The love interest is another doctor, Max. He has his own history. The two doctors help the little girl. Actually, the entire town helps her. It's a small town and they conspire against the media--they agree what to say and do.
Unfortunately, the girl's father turns up. It's a nightmare. Who will get custody?
The story is fascinating and interesting. I enjoyed the love story and the family dynamics. Parenthood is examined, as well as the relationship between sisters. Of course, the good overshadows the bad, as all Kristen Hannah's books prove.
The Great Passion by James Runcie is a book of historical fiction. The setting is the composer Bach's era--18th century. The major character is Stefan Silbermann. His father sent him to school in Leipzig, for music. The Silbermann family makes organs, so Stefan knows how to play keyboard instruments and quite a bit about organs.
The story begins with the news that Johann Sebastian Bach has died. Stefan reminisces--that's the story. It is a good story. I read it like I read War and Peace. I skipped the war and read the story. In The Great Passion, there is music galore. I am not a music person. I didn't know what they were talking about. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Since this is the 18th century, schools are places of terror. Since Stefan was singled out by Bach, who taught at the school, as someone with promising talent, he was bullied. In fact, he ran away from school. Bach, who had a household of children, had Stefan live with him. What's one more?
Stefan had a crush on Bach's wife, Anna Magdalena, who had a beautiful voice, but in those days, women weren't allowed to sing in church. She and Stefan made beautiful music together. Stefan also made good friends with Bach's oldest daughter, Catharina.
Bach was a demanding teacher, when it came to music, but a loving father and wise. He saved Stefan's school career. I guess you can say, Bach made Stefan the man he became.
The old custom is that the pope breaks off a piece for his bishops, who in turn bring it to their home diocese, where they break off a piece for their priests.
Also, watching the Mass celebrant break off a piece of the Body, and drop it into the Blood, unite the two into One. I think that's a beautiful image.
It is also reminiscent of my own Lithuanian heritage. Where the father of the family takes unconsecrated communion and breaks off a piece and passes it on, to the rest of the family.
You know how we're all appalled by Abraham's sacrificing his son--ALMOST. We can't believe that God would request that. Even after God stopping the sacrifice, we're relieved. Still!!!
Well, it turns out that human sacrifice was not all that uncommon, for the times. People hearing this story, for the first time, would not react like we do.
Also, remember Jonah? He was sacrificed to appease the storm god.
You just can't judge different eras and cultures by our own sensibilities.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C.
My "cloistered brothers" and I were doing some Lectio Divina on Psalm 51. We focused in on verse 5.
Argonauta Book Club is reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I finished it in two days! Yes, it's an easy read, but it's much more. The characterization hooked me. Grief is the glue that holds the characters together. There's Tova, whose husband has recently died. But she is still grieving over her only son's death, from 30 years, ago. She is now alone and wondering about living alone.
Cameron is another major character. He is still grieving over his mother, who took off when he was a child. He never knew his father. I guess he is constantly grieving the fact that he never had a normal childhood.
Lest I forget, Marcellus, the Octopus. The star of the story. He's the fulcrum. Both Tova and Cameron are maintenance workers, in Marcellus' aquarium. The story is how they are related. Marcellus manages a revelation.
Everyone moves on. Grief is dealt with, understood, and even embraced. Life is what you make it, and grief is not the end.
When you have the desire to improve, to get closer to Jesus, you need to start with prayer. Luke 18:1, reminds us that we must pray continually and not get discouraged. Jesus told his disciples in a parable, to pray and not give up.
1Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3“There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4“For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
Prayer is the foundation of any endeavor. In order to get closer to Jesus, one needs to be more contemplative--keep Jesus in the forefront of one's mind. Try to maintain a constant conversation with Jesus.
If you forget, go back to Him. Wouldn't that prove how serious you are in establishing a relationship with Jesus?
Life is full of decisions. My fourteen-year-old granddaughter and I have many discussions. My favorite occurs when we discuss our decisions. There are a couple of generations between us. That means different life experiences.
I am amazed at her boldness. She does not just accept authority. She speaks right up and/or refuses to obey. She would refuse to obey her teacher, and she would confront her, right in him/her face. I would obey, then go report the teacher to the principal.
Other decisions, we agree on. However, she things money is the most important thing, now, at this time in her life. But that's because she doesn't have any. She sees many things she wants but can't purchase them. She doesn't even get an allowance. She wants a job and would even quit school, if she could, to work. See how the immature brain works! She doesn't have the wisdom to make a good decision. Yet! Come Holy Spirit!
Murder in Chianti by Camilla Trinchieri is about a murder in the location of where Chianti comes from. Nico Doyle moves to this area because his recently deceased came from there, and they traveled back and forth from the USA to Tuscany, often.
Nico is a retired cop, so when a murder happens, he is asked to advise. The victim used to live in the village but moved to California. He did very well and returned as a millionaire. Before he left, he might have left a pregnant girl. He believes he did, which is why he came back. Unfortunately, he is murdered before he finds out who really is his daughter.
The killer would involve a spoiler. I will tell you this. The killer was paid well. Now you figure out who did it.
I read this book in the first place, because I need to read a book about food.
The Franklin Senior Center Scribblers Writing Group is making a story walk around the Senior Center Building. Since each sign is a limited amount of space, we decided that each of us should write a poem. It should be seasonal and topical (references to places we Seniors would know.) Here's my first attempt.
Over the river and through the woods
the Gatra Bus does go.
This cold weather might bring snow,
perfect for December, this I know.
My fingers and toes are cold and red.
Maybe I should have stayed in bed.
My car wouldn't start.
Calling Gatra was very smart.
I must get to the Senior Center:
Bingo, Cribbage, and other adventures
beckon me out and into the cold
for activities, food and friends to behold.
R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
STUDIUM:
This psalm probably was sung in procession, while on pilgrimage, perhaps for the festival of Tabernacles. It offers hope and encouragement. The sadness will lessen. Have hope.
MEDITATIO:
Nothing last forever, except God, of course. Grief will lessen. One even gets used to pain. God has a plan, and we trust Him.
ORATIO:
Thy Kingdom come. Restore our fortunes, Lord.
CONTEMPLATIO:
Jesus I trust in You.
A range of emotions have been washing over me, today. I have to keep Hebrews 13:8, in mind:
What exactly should I pray for when I want to pray for prisoners?
Justice and fairness in the legal system.
Family support and unity.
Protection and safety while incarcerated.
Hope for a better future.
Healing and restoration.
Transformation and a relationship with Jesus.
Peace in times of turmoil.
Wisdom and guidance for both the inmate and their family.
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.
Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.
Poor Alice, had it all and by all, I mean, riches, prestige, love, and also knew penny pinching hardship, distain, fear, and worry. She lived through wars, civil conflicts, revolts, insane asylums, illness, and always felt isolated and distant due to her deafness. Her story is told in Alice Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers.
The experiment failed. I tried "intermittent fasting." It made me miserable. I did it for a week. I was nauseous and had a headache, every morning until I ate.
I fasted from 8 pm to noon, the next day. After a week of fasting, it didn't work. Good. I do better just counting calories.
I should have known when it was making me sick, that it wasn't for me. I should have listened to my body.
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.
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?
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 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.
The priest who is known as the Father of Liberation Theology has died. He is a hero of mine. The Peruvian theologian Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez OP, considered the father of Liberation Theology, died today at the age of 96 in Lima, leaving a profound legacy in the Church and in the social movements of Latin America. His most outstanding work, Liberation Theology. Perspectives (1971), transformed the way of understanding the Christian faith by linking it directly to social commitment and the struggle for the rights of the poorest and most oppressed.
Father John linked the Old Testament to the New, in this morning's homily. Today's homily was about Mary's visit to Elizabeth....
