Didache

 The Didache is the oldest book/catechism/constitution, etc. of information, that we have.  It has been dated as around 50 A.D..  It contains the teachings of the twelve apostles.  It was found by the Metropolitan Philotheos Bryennios in a Greek manuscript in Constantinople.  Although, it has been moved to a safer place.  Think of it.  This is older than the Gospel of John and some of the synoptic letters. 

Inside is a manual of instruction for the community on how to prepare catechumen for baptism.  Catechumen is Greek for people taking instructions in the faith.  It also gives the form of the rite to be used and other practical advice.

IOW, it is a manual that outlines teachings, rites, and instructions.  Here are the instructions for the Rite of Reconciliation (Confession).

In the church you shall acknowledge your transgressions, and you shall not come near for your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . But every Lord’s day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. – Didache 4, 14 (50 A.D).

Clement

 Pope Clement is considered an early Church Father because his writings are some of the earliest we have. He reigned as pope from 88 A.D. to 99 A.D.  That's as an adult-meaning he could have known Jesus.  For sure, he knew the Apostles.  

He wrote the First Epistle of Clement around 96 AD to fix a big argument in the church at Corinth, which is one of the oldest surviving Christian writings outside the New Testament.  Like church goers today, the early Christians were criticizing their local clergy.  People don't like authority telling them things they don't want to hear--then and now.

1000 portrayal at Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv

Babel or Jerusalem

 Don't you just love that juxtaposition?  I found it in Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical letter, Magnifica Humanitas.  He is talking about Artificial Intelligence= AI.  Since AI is really a new concept, it will grow because it has tremendous potential.  Will it be used for the good of humanity or for selfish gain?  

Babel is used as the example of selfish motives.

Jerusalem is used as an attainable divine connection and inner peace for the good of humanity.

Another Quest for the Holy Grail

 There are many stories of people searching for the Holy Grail.  This is supposedly the very cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper.  The Resurrection Maker by Glenn Cooper is another story searching for the Holy Grail.  

The main character, Arthur Mallory, is a descendent of Thomas Mallory--a direct descendant, mind you.  The male descendants all have an extra rib, as does Arthur.  Thomas Mallory wrote about King Arthur.  Born into the Mallory family and Arthurian lore, Arthur belongs to a club, called the Loons.  They are all Arthurian devotees.  One day, a friend of Arthur's, from the Loons, asks Arthur to come to dinner with him.  He said he had something to tell him.  But before he did, the friend and his wife were killed, and Arthur was wounded.  

Of course, this had to be about something he had found, that Arthur would be interested in.  Arthur back tracked his friend's recent travels, conversations with friends, and diaries and papers left in his office.  Arthur deduces that what he found had to do with the Holy Grail.  His travels and extensive stays were in Montserrat and Barcelona.  

Arthur fortunately lost his job, with a generous severance.  So, he sets off to see what his friend found.  Arthur also notices that he is being followed.  Then another Loon is murdered.  What's going on?

Enters Claire.  She has come to warn Arthur that he is in danger.  So, the two of them set off to Montserrat.  Claire informs Arthur that he's being followed by the Khem.  The Khem is a ancient, secret society after the Holy Grail.  They are unscrupulous and murderous.

Hence, the chase is on.  Arthur and Claire unwitting the Khem, are looking for the Holy Grail.  The leads go the Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família in Barcelona.

To me, this was the best part.  Cooper's explanation and descriptions of the basilica fascinated me. Should I tell you, dear reader, that Arthur and Claire find the Holy Grail, fall in love, and live happily ever after?  Ha!  Think again.

Fathers of the Church

 Some times the early church fathers are called the Apostolic Fathers because their writings talk of the original 12 apostles' work, and maybe even knew some of the apostles, at least they learned from them.  They lived in the 1st and 2nd century.  Peter is one, and his letters are in the New Testament.  Linus is considered the second pope, and although he is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21, there aren't any writings from him.  

Since these early writers, wrote, we know of them.  So, they are continuing the work of the Apostles.  Hence, Apostolic Fathers.  They are important because they describe the life, and ideas, of the first Christian communities.  I'm learning about them and will post, as I learn.

The Theater is Closed

 It’s the end of an era. I am discarding the Puppet Show. My youngest grandchild is twelve years old and doesn’t come over my house—I don’t have to babysit, anymore. Although she currently is in Theater Camp, so maybe she’ll be in her own show. 

I used the theater to explain Bible stories. We made sock puppets. I remember the carpet got soaked, when Moses divided the sea. 

The other lesson plan I remember, although it didn’t involve the puppets, was the story of David and Goliath. I made a giant figure of a man and stuck it to a door. (Picture “pin the tail on the donkey”).  I don’t remember what we used as stones, but I remember we used our Covid masks, as sling shots. 

Oh well!  Time marches on and children grow up. I pray they learned about their religion and had fun doing so. 

Life is a Rehearsal

 My sister died, last week.  I'm still processing that fact.  She had been senile, for the last few years.  It was hard for me to remember her, as she was.  It still is.  I'm all alone, now.  There are no more siblings--just me.  It feels funny, even though because of her condition, I couldn't reminisce.  There's no one to share family memories with, even though she couldn't in her condition. Every memory, thought, or expressed words, are finished.  It's the end.

So, is this life.  

But there is more.  Christians know that death is not the end of life.  In fact, death is the moment that all Christians have been preparing for.  If we live good lives, if we live as Jesus taught us, if we love one another, we have no reason to fear death. It is our Christian goal.

As a Catholic, our sacraments prepare us for eternal life.  Every Mass is a rehearsal; every Confession is a rehearsal; every Rosary is a rehearsal.  We should be ready, even eagerly awaiting our hour of death.  I pray this is how it will be, for me. I do not fear death, but I am brought to my knees. 

 

The Obscured Mystery of God's Presence.

 Just plain meditating, to me, is a bore.  I consider myself lucky, if I fall asleep.  Otherwise, it's a waste of time.  However, The Cloud of Unknowing, insists that I don't give up.  Easier said than done.  

Persevere until you feel joy.

Oh!  I get it.  That's the "cloud".  My mind is cloudy, even a dark cloud.  I'm going to try until this cloud between me and God is comfortable.  I hope to be at home in it.  I'll keep striving to feel love.  Will it be mine?  or His?  According to The Cloud of Unknowing, God will bring me into a deep experience of Himself.

I'll keep you updated.

Divine Connection

 The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence is a spiritual classic.  Everyone says so, especially Pope Leo XIV.  I have about four or five copies, in my bookcase.  So, I must have read them, correct?  Then, why don't I remember anything I learned from The Practice of the Presence of God?

So, I reread one of those books.  It didn't take me long to realize why I didn't remember reading the book.  It's boring.  It's not telling you anything you don't know.  Like kids say, DUH!

The theme is to rely on God.  Trust Him, in all things.  Accept everything that comes along--good and bad, as part of God's plan.  Abandon your own wants and stay focused on God.

A life of continuous mindfulness and divine connection is what God wants.

Tormented by Fear

 The first time, I walked into prison, to volunteer, I was afraid.  Think about that.  I did nothing wrong, why would I be afraid.  Now imagine if you were a prisoner.  You would probably be freaked out, entering a prison, for the first time.  Not knowing what will happen to you is scary anytime.  When your future is unknown, the people you will meet are worrisome, and how long your time there will be, is overwhelmingly full of fear.  Paranoia could set in.

This is what inmates go through.  Pray for them.  Despair is easy, too easy--a parole denial, abandoned by friends and family, long sentences, no future, crazy people, physical abuse may happen, all of these scenarios are brought to mind. 

Prison life is hard.

Loneliness

 Although there's always Hope in prison, everyone is lonely.  Separation from family and friends makes inmates desperately lonely.  Also, since the inmates aren't sure of whom the other inmates are, they also distrust everyone and everything.  That's isolating individuals from each other.  The only remedy is visitations from family and friends and writing letters and phone calls (this costs money).  In fact, postal stamps are used as money when inmates trade with each other.

Hope

 Count your blessings that you have never been to prison.  What do you think inmates think of their future?  I suppose it would depend on their sentence and situation.  The lifers I know, always, always have hope they will be released.  And lo and behold, I've seen it happen.  Two were given compassion release, and lived a few good years, after.  More eventually had their cases overturned; thanks to the Innocence Project and current DNA testing.  Then there's the Mattis cases.  Quite a few of my "cloistered brothers" are free, due to the Mattis decision.  There was also evidence tampering in the chemistry scandal in MA. Another former inmate had his case overturned when his accuser admitted lying!

There's always hope.  The future may be bleak, but no one gives up hope.

A Hostage Situation

 When I was reading the dialogue in Nelson DeMille's Cathedral, I couldn't help but think of former state trooper, Michael Proctor.  Proctor was raked over the coals and lost his job because of the language he used when texting friends and colleagues.  I read the same racial slurs, misogynistic language, profanity, and offensive remarks, and abusive names and slurs, used in Cathedral.  That's the way cops talk.

Unfortunately, for Proctor, his texts were read.  The cops in Cathedral are fiction.  But when you're in war and sometimes cops and the bad guys are at war, one has to demonize the other to work themselves up to battle mode.

Basically, the plot is the IRA kidnapping the Archbishop of New York, and three others.  The IRA is holding them inside St. Patrick's Cathedral and threatening to blow the church and everyone in it to smithereens, if their demands aren't met.  What do they want?  They want the IRA prisoners in Ireland released.  

This is a nail biter.  You kind of think that it will never happen, but how to solve the situation, had me stumped.  There's a little mysticism involved.  The leader of this group, Brian, had a mystical experience in Whitehorn Abbey, when he was saved from the police.  Near the end, the cop defusing the bomb, felt her fingers dismantling the bomb when she hadn't a clue how to go about it. Also, Brian, when he was dying (spoiler) saw the same priest from Whitehorn Abbey, visit him. 

The detailed strategy was excellent.  The pace was fast.  The dialogue was realistic.  It's a classic thriller.

Unknowing or Not Knowing

 Can you tell I'm reading, "The Cloud of Unknowing?"  I have started reading this too many times to count.  Lately, I have been giving the book another reading.  As far as my pea brain can figure out, Not Knowing is being completely ignorant.  Whereas Unknowing is what you call believers who haven't learned what's important, yet.  

Anti-Terrorism

 You know why I haven't been blogging?  I've been too busy reading Nelson DeMille's tomes.  I finished The Lion's Game and couldn't wait to read the next, Night Fall.  Fortunately, my reading was interrupted by the Fourth of July celebrations.  My reading orgy stopped because the Fourth of July, is not only a celebration in the USA, it's a special celebration.  The country is 250 years old, so all the stops were pulled out.  The weather cooperated to make sure the celebrations continued as planned.  Coincidentally, the FIFA World Cups are still going on here, so there're more celebrations.  Plus,  ta-da!  

                                            🙌

This is my 55th wedding anniversary.  That's not a typo.  Hubby and I have been married 55 years.  We didn't do anything to celebrate, now, because hubby fell and is recuperating.  We play on going on a harbor cruise to see the Tall Ships in Boston, in a few weeks.  More about that, after the fact.

Back to the two books.  The Lion's Game has protagonist John Corey pitted against the jihadist, Asad Khalil. Khalil was a kid when the US bombed his family.  Hence, his training in extreme Muslim.  He is strictly Old Testament, "an eye for an eye."  Khalil knows he'll be caught eventually and killed.  Khalil welcomes this.  It is insurance into heaven.  He will be a martyr.

    Corey uses his New York cop smarts, more than his Federal anti-terrorist experience to go after Khalil.  Khalil does kill too many in his revenge lust, but Corey leans so hard on him, that he escapes--barely.  So you know they'll be a sequel.

    I don't mind Corey's sarcasm.  His quick come-backs have me laughing out-loud.  I am intrigued by his observations and deductions.  

    All of the above, seduced me into immediately getting into Night Fall.  The beginning is genius.  A couple involved in an extra-matrimonial affair and video-taping their romp in the ocean when an airplane explodes in the background.  It is taped.  Was it shot down?  The tape tells the story but they're not turning it over to the authorities.  Would you?  It would devastate their families.

   The story begins five years after the plane crash.  Corey's wife never believed the official story that there was a mechanical malfunction, when 200 witnesses saw a rocket blow up the plane.  So, she gets her husband, John Corey involved.  His meticulous detective work finds the evidence of what really happened.

Humanity Matures

 Why do we consider human limitations as just that, "limitations?"  What we are, we are.  No one is perfect.  Some people are incapacitated, ill, elderly, etc.  This is reality, not a defect to be corrected.  We get by.  We get by with a little help from our friends, as the song goes.  Helping others is humanity at its best.  Also, it establishes a relationship between those who help and need help.  Isn't that good?  Establishing relationships with others is what humans do.  

AI = Seeds

 Can you explain how a seed germinates?  I don't mean adding water and sunlight.  I mean what is inside the seed that makes it start to grow into an entity.  No one can.  No one completely understands how and why.  The same is true of AI.

I never thought about that until reading Magnifica Humanitas.  The terminology used in paragraph 98, is cultivated.  AI is not built; it is more like a seed that has been watered and put in the sun. The computer designers and software and hardware designers create a framework within which the intelligence works.  It is like the sun and water on the seed.  The seed blossoms into something.  The designers try this and that until the right combination gels, and it blossoms into something.  How and why?  Presently, no one knows.  

Hold on!

Exactly.  More research, more understanding needs to be done, before full permission is given to just plunge forward.  Remember the movie, Hal 9000. The problem is that the humans trust, depend, and follow the computer HAL.  HAL is the authority over the humans.  The movie is a cautionary story.

HAL 9000 at a Glance#

Designation	Detail
Full name	HAL 9000: Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer
First appearance	2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), film and novel developed in parallel by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke
Activation	12 January 1992 at the HAL plant in Urbana, Illinois (the film’s date; the novel says 1997)
Function	Governing intelligence of Discovery One: navigation, communications, diagnostics, life support
Voice	Douglas Rain, who returned for 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
Confirmed kills	Frank Poole and the three hibernating crew members of Discovery One
Cultural standing	Ranked the 13th greatest film villain of all time by the American Film Institute, the highest placed non-human on the list

#

Battle of the Bulge

The Second Objective by Mark Frost was written for readers interested in military history.  The setting is Europe, WWII.  The Nazis are losing and they make a last ditch effort to take control.  We encounter the Battle of the Bulge and a counter plan to assassinate the commander of the allies.  

The characterization was good.  Heroes and villains depicted humanity's best and worst.  The pace could have belonged to a "thriller."  I learned a little history even though I thought I knew it.

 

Everybody Suspect

 This is my first PD James book.  I read Death in Holy Orders.  The detective is Adam Dalgliesh and I understand he is in PD James' other books.  I did not guess "who done it?"  It seemed like everybody had a motive.  Also, many had shaky alibis.  

This is what happened.  The setting is on the coast of northern England, where it is harsh, cold, and storm ridden.  The place is a seminary.  They call their seminarians--ordinands.  They wear cassocks and clocks.  This is high church Anglican.  The place is St. Anselm's Theological College.  Dalgliesh's father was a minister and the family often vacation and /or had retreats there.  Dalgliesh in particular had fond memories or summer spent there.  That is why he is assigned to investigate the death of an ordinand.

The death could have been an accident or suicide.  While Dalgliesh is investigating, there at the college, the Archdeacon is murdered.  There are a couple of other deaths, also; if not murder, then suspicious. 

Not only is the mysteries interesting, but the characters and their psyches are interesting.  I found the novel rich in setting, plot, dialogue, suspense, and characterization.  This will not be my last PD James mystery.  

A Chaplain

 Did you know where the noun "chaplain" comes from.  According to Dale K. Pace, in A Christian's Guide to Effective Jail and Prison Ministries, "chaplain" comes from "cape."  The story is told that St. Martin of Tours tore his cape in half and gave it to a beggar.  Chaplains care and serve others.  

God is In Fashion

 News reports are commenting that there is renewed interest in God.  Maybe it's an American pope, but that doesn't explain the interest in Spain and France.  I think the interest stems from so many years of no spirituality.  Suddenly people notice--an American pope, Christian singers, Religious tattoos, etc.  

Sacrifice

This poster appeared in my feed just when my friend was complaining that she didn't understand why God, who controls everything, couldn't think of another way to redeem us, rather than crucifying Jesus. 

 The words, "Biblical worship," made me think.  At Jesus time, especially before, worship consisted of sacrificing.  Not only did people sacrifice goats, lambs, but even people!!!!!  So, Jesus dying as a sacrifice to redeem mankind would not seem so horrific to the people of the times.  He is even called Lamb of God.

Ex Machina

 Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper is the second in the series featuring Will Piper.  I highly recommend reading the first in the series, Library of the Dead, otherwise I don't think you will understand the story.  I did read Library of the Dead and was glad to connect the dots.

In the Book of Souls, Will get caught up in finding a missing book, that was one of the ones written in Library of the Dead.  He was trying to help a couple of FBI colleagues.  They were retired, as he was.  But one of them, made a deal with Will that involved too much money--a deal he couldn't refuse.

In getting the book back and solving the mystery the book led Will to, he encounters medieval letters from Shakespeare, John Calvin, and Nostradamus.  Of course, this is all a violation of the agreement Will made with the government.  Will almost gets killed.  But his wife, Nancy, saves him.  

Good, because there's a sequel.  Stay tuned.  

Murder for Dessert

 Death Sits Down to Dinner by Tessa Arlen is a turn of the twentieth century mystery novel.  It begins with an invitation to a birthday dinner for Winston Churchill's 39th birthday.  I'll start off with a bit of a spoiler.  This was a botched assassination attempt on Winston Churchill.  Unfraternally, another guest, from an important family, and who looks like Winston Churchill from behind, is murdered. Lady Montfort is a guest and an amateur detective.

Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson, the housekeeper, solve the mystery.  Lady Montfort would not presume to poke her nose downstairs, at the gossip and goings-on, of the help, but Mrs. Jackson can and does.  That's how the two ladies put two and two together to solve the problem.  

If you enjoy historical settings, you will enjoy the Edwardian setting and mores.  It took me awhile to get everyone straight.  I had to put a bookmark on the list of characters, so I could refer back. Whenever I read about families with servants, I always think the servants are more interesting.  They also had more fun. The upstairs/downstairs focus was certainly intriguing.

Bingo Skit

 Narrator Pete:                                            The Day Bingo was Gone!

When the key in the lock, opened the Franklin Senior Center, who knew what the day

would bring.  The cafe opened with the alluring smell of coffee. The Sunshine Club 

participants started arriving.  The yoga mats soon spread out.  The Senior Van arrived  

and dropped off passengers. All seemed normal, until the Director of the Senior Center

made an announcement over the intercom for everyone to gather in the cafe.

Listen to what the Director said.

Director Steve: I’m afraid I have some alarming news.  This morning all the equipment

for Bingo is gone.  It’s missing.  Someone took it.  

Everyone:  No/what happened/how/who cares/now what….Angry Ad Libs!

Director Steve: Quiet down and listen.  I know this impacts some of you, but we still 

have other activities–cribbage, mah jong, bridge, scrabble, puzzles and

Everyone: What?  What else?  What now? How?

Helen: Someone stole Bingo?  Who?

Everyone: Yeah, Who?

Alice: That’s not right.  I miss Bingo.

Everyone: Yeah.  Get a life.

Bill: How can we play with no cards?  Can we buy more?

Everyone: Yes.  Buy more.  We pay taxes, buy more Bingo cards!

Director Steve:  Order!!  Keep it down.  This isn’t murder.  Someone, we don’t know who, 

or why, or how, but the Bingo board, cage, numbered balls, and cards

are all gone.

Faith: Maybe the school department borrowed it, or some other town department.

Helen: Maybe another town took it.

Director Steve:  If anyone borrowed the Bingo equipment, they would have asked permission

first.  Everything is gone.

Bill: Call the police.

Alice: Yes, file a missing Bingo game report.

Director Steve:  Wait/wait/wait/  Don’t get carried away.  It’s only a game, and an old, kind of 

decrepit one, at that.  I’d feel foolish calling in the police over a silly old game.

Bill: I just called the police.

Director Steve:  (panicked voice)  You did??  Who gave you authority?  What if it’s just missing?

Faith:  Where would anyone put a Bingo Board, cage, and other stuff?  No it’s gone.

Police Chief Pete: Hello!  Good morning.  Quiet down.  Listen up!

Good morning.  For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the police chief.

I understand your Bingo equipment is missing.

Helen: Yes!  There’s been a theft of a vital component in the Senior Center operation.

Alice: Of course!  Bingo is vital.  What are we to do?

Police Chief Pete: Well, I know this is disruptive.  I’ve never played Bingo, myself, but I

do recognize the seriousness of the situation.

Everyone: Yes!  Help us!  Please help.

Police Chief Pete:    I will find it and I promise I will find the guilty person who stole it.  Any 

Questions?

Alice: Stop talking and start looking.

Director Steve:  Look, I know this is a hardship but we will get through it.  Stay strong.

Everyone: Yeah!  Boston strong.  Franklin strong.  Senior Center strong!

Faith: Don’t take too long, or I’m going to a different Senior Center.

Police Chief Pete:  So what is exactly missing?

Everyone: Bingo Board–big board/cage/cards/number balls…

Police Chief Pete:  ALL that?!?

Deputy Director Bob:  What do we do meanwhile?

Director Steve:  I will order new Bingo equipment/ new bingo software/automated balls/ virtual 

Bingo show that is much better than the old Bingo Board.

Everyone: Yay!  

Director Steve:  It will come tomorrow.  See, you won’t be without Bingo for long–one day.

Police Chief Pete:  That was fast.  Too fast.  So fast, it’s suspicious, like it was pre-meditated.

Director Steve, you keep stressing that the stolen Bingo equipment was old?

Outdated?  

Director Steve:  Yes, actually, the thief did us a favor because now we have an excuse to 

purchase new Bingo equipment.

Deputy Director Bob: Yes, it actually was so worn, it was embarrassing.

Police Chief Pete:  Mmmm.  You know, I’m going to get search warrants to search the premises

of the Senior Center, Director Steve, and Deputy Director Bob’s homes.

Director Steve AND Deputy Director Bob:   WHAT!!!  Wait!  What, why?

Police Chief Pete:  I think this theft was an inside job.  It looks like a scheme to get new Bingo

Stuff, especially since the Director and Deputy Director already ordered new 

Bingo Equipment before the old Bingo stuff was even missing.

Director Steve AND Deputy Director Bob: Er. We give up.  

Deputy Director Bob:  We did it for the Senior Center.

Director Steve:  We didn’t think the police would get involved over an old Bingo Game.

Everyone:   Don’t arrest them.  They did it for us.

Police Chief Pete: Still.  A crime has been committed.

Everyone: NO!

Helen: We’ll say it was all a joke.

Bill: I called the police.  I’ll say it was a mistake.  I didn’t know it was a joke.

Faith: We will all stick together.  It was a joke, a mistake.  It will be our word–all of

us, against you, Chief.

Police Chief Pete: Ah.  I see how it is.  I guess there’s nothing I can do.

Director Steve: You got that right.

Everyone: BINGO!