Lucky Jack

 One of my fellow Scribblers in my writer's group, Sue Bavey has written a book about her grandfather, Lucky Jack.  Lucky, or rather blessed, was he.  Someone up there, looked out for him.  What a life!

He lived in three centuries.  1894-2000.  The chapters are short memories.  Sometimes, a chapter could be one paragraph.  No chapter was longer than a few pages.  There're pictures, too.  The book was so easy.

I'm jealous.  I want Jack as my grandfather.  He seemed to always land on his feet.  He was a shoemaker and it seemed to be a good occupation because he never seem to want anything.  He was one of the first to buy an automobile.  He took his family on vacations.  Everything he did seemed interesting, even his war stories.

He was trained to be a sniper.  He was buried twice, and dug out, of course.  He was even in a POW camp.  

His advocation was entertainment.  He was quite the comedian, which came in handy while in the German prison camp.  This upbeat comedic attitude probably helped him come home from the war, whole.  

His last home, the nursing home was the recipient of his entertaining habits.  His upbeat, happy attitude lasted until the very end.  That's why everyone who met him was "lucky."  The reader will be entertained by Lucky Jack, too.

 

The Bell Tolls for Each of Us

 For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway is my friend, Jeannette, favorite book, in the world.  I can see why.  It has something for everybody.  It is a thriller because you don't know how it will end. It has romance.  There's Robert Jordan and Maria's love affair. The reader learns history.   Lastly, there's plenty of action.  This is a war story.

The setting is the Spanish Civil War.  Robert Jordan is working for the Republican Army.  He is assigned to blow up a bridge.  That's the story of how the bridge is blown.  Jordan is with the guerilla fighters.  The guerillas have taken in, Maria, who was raped by the fascists.  There's another woman in the group, Pilar.  She's the wife of one of the guerilla's, but much more than that.  She holds the group together.  She has the most common sense, and she encourages everyone.  

Hemmingway's diction is exact.  The reader is involved.  The novel was made into a movie.  I understand that at first, the sex and violence raised a few eyebrows, but nowadays, that wouldn't be an objection.  Today, it is considered a classic.

I Found a Pearl

 I found this little book, A Christmas Story of Old Boston, in the rack where hymnals and missalettes are kept, in church. Who put it there and why I don’t know. It’s a cute Christmas story. The copyright says 1973 by Gauntlet Books. However, the cover says 1852 replica.

The author, Mrs. M. H. Maxwell has written a morality story emphasizing the spirit of Christmas.  It begins with a poor, little girl, shivering in the wintry air.  Enter two rich girls, Mary Morse and Milla More.  Milla wore a string of pearls as a necklace.  Her father let her choose her own Christmas gift, and that's what she chose.

As Mary and Milla walked and chatted, the poor little girl joined them, as they all entered a candy store.  The store was busy, but there was a bench to sit on.  There the girls sat.  The candy store was owned by a blind lady, and she did very well, business wise.  While the girls watched the people, the poor little girl told Mary and Milla her sad story.  Her father had died and her mother moved the family to live with her brother.  

The poor family never found that brother and the mother took ill and died.  The mother used to call her children, "her pearls," and Mary and Milla talking about Milla's Christmas pearls, reminded the poor girl of her mother.

The children walked the poor girl home.  She lived in squalid.  Three children were asleep in one bed.  Mary and Milla went home and told their parents about this poor family.  Their parents were proud of them for their compassionate and generous hearts.  

Milla's family took in the little brother and Mary's family took in the three girls.  Now Mary and Milla could see what genuine pearls looked like.

Our Lady of Fatima

 Father Jacques Jomier, OP, has written a very understandable explanation of the relationship between the Bible and the Qur'an.  He is understanding, sympathetic and critical.  I was surprised at the respect the Qur'an has for Mary and Jesus.

      Mary is considered the mother of the prophet, Jesus.  She was immaculately conceived and loved and respected by Muslims. The Qur'an also believes in the virgin birth of Jesus.  

     If there's any way Christianity and Muslims can solve their differences, it will be through Mary.  Isn't it interesting that Mohammed's beloved daughter was named Fatima and that Mary appeared in a vision in Fatima Portugal?  

Flip the Coin

 There's more to the story of Jesus telling his enemies to render to Caeser what was his, and to God what is His.  Let's start at the beginning.

This incident was right after Jesus went berserk and through the money changers out of the temple.  He went right back in the temple.  Would you?  Wouldn't you think Jesus would stay away?  

Look at it this way.  Those who were following Him, and expecting Him, to do to the Roman soldiers, what He did to the money changers in the temple were crowding around Him, now, thinking, "now the Romans are going to get it!"  In fact, Matthew 21:46 says, the temple authorities were looking for a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the crowd.

Jesus' enemies couldn't arrest Him, unless He did something egregiously wrong, that the Jewish crowd would be appalled by what He said.  Something that would justify His arrest.  Something that was obviously against Jewish religious laws.

What did they come up with?

A baited question.

"...You teach the way of God in accordance to the truth.  Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar?"

Jesus asked for a coin, a specific coin, a denarius.  A denarius had a picture of Caesar stamped on one side.  The other side had the inscription "Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus with an image of a goddess." Religious Jews refused to use, or even carry this coin, because it effectively said that Caesar was god, the son of a goddess.  Jesus didn't have one (being an orthodox Jew), He had to ask for one.  And even then, He didn't touch it.

Those Jews who had a denarius just proved that they were hypocrites.  What are they doing with denarii?  And in the temple precincts!!

Jesus asks, "Whose image is on it?  Since the image was of Caesar, the son of the goddess of Peace, they answered, "Caesar."  Now the famous quote, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

Remember this answer, when we Catholics are accused of worshipping images.  Ask for a quarter.  Ask if the questioner worships George Washington.  Why are they carrying IMAGES of presidents? 

From Ray Downing's Blog

Boston Accents

 LECTIO:   Psalm 95: 1-2 6-7, 8-9 (8)

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
   let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
   let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
   let us kneel before the Lord who made us
For he is our God,
   and we are the people he shepherds
The flock he guides.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh that today you would hear his voice;
   "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
   as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
   they tested me though they had seen my works.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

STUDIO:

I hate to read this psalm outloud because everyone will have a smirk on their face.  They're smirking about my Boston accent.  There's something about the way a Bostonian pronounces "ar" that is different from the rest of the world.  I'm told it sounds like "hahden not your hahts."  So instead of praying for purification and strength, which this psalm is doing, I'm trying not to pronounce "ah".

If this psalm sounds familiar it is probably because you use it as the invitatory to the Liturgy of the Hours. It calls for the people to be faithful and stronger than their ancestors. 

MEDITATIO:

Evidently, the Israelites didn't listen to God at Meribah.  I hope my heart is always open to hear the Lord.  And I hope God likes Boston accents.

ORATIO:

Lord, may I always be open to You.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Harden not my heart, Lord.

Please Help

 Can you take the time to help this Student Brother?  Brother John Paul Puschautz      jpuschautz@opwest.org               Happy Lent! 

"I would like to ask for a favor. I am working on finishing my STL (Sacred License in Theology) thesis on praying Visio Divina with the art of Fra Angelico. I have created a Youtube meditation, walking through the different steps and now I would like to hear from you if this method of prayer works. I am hoping to include some comments from the viewers in an ethnographic portion of the thesis. If you can take some time this week to pray with this video and respond to the questions attached, I would be VERY grateful. If you can help me out then you can fill out the questionnaire document as well as the consent form attached (I need this because the thesis will be published). As I am in a bit of a time crunch to graduate this year if you can get this back to me by next week 2/27 that would be amazing. 

 

I will be producing one more vision divina this week and can send that if you are interested in helping out with that one as well. Thank you so much!

Visio Divina with Fra Angelico:

                                                    INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM 

Thank you for participating in this research project entitled VISIO DIVINA WITH FRA ANGELICO. 

This is a study of the contemporary impact of the paintings of Fra Angelico. The principal investigator for this study is Br John Paul Puschautz, a Catholic religious Dominican Friar and STL student at the Jesuit School of Theology. The main benefit of participating in this study is that you will have the satisfaction of helping others understand the importance of art as an aide for prayer. Quotations from this interview may appear in published form in a thesis and eventually an article or book Br John Paul intends to write. You are free to leave any question blank. Participants will be identified by first name and city/state/country of origin (if applicable). A pseudonym can be used if preferred. If, after this interview, you have any questions, or would like to amend your transcript in any way, you are welcome to do so by contacting Br. John Paul Puschautz at jpuschautz@opwest.org 

I agree to participate in the Praying with Painting study. 

First name: ____________________________________________ 

Prefer to use pseudonym: YES/ NO 

City/State/Country of Origin:___________________________________ 

Signature: ______________________________________Date: _____________