Read in November

As I noted earlier this month, a friend had been tallying her reading (along with others) month-by-month. 

My reading rate is far slower than hers' and those of some of the others  - I still waste too much time on frivolous activities.

But here's my tally for November:

Poetry of the Spirit edited by Gerard E. Goggins
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman
God's Door-Keepers: Padre Pio, Solanus Casey, and Andre Bessette by Joel Schorn
Earth Keeper by N. Scott Momaday
A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell –
Bundled Wildflowers - Haiku Society of America 2020 Members' Anthology
Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe

I'd already commented on the last three (read earlier in the month). Momaday's book was a library find - a delightful one. It inspired me to slow down and look at the world around me. The Schorn book was because of my interest in Blessed Solanus Casey, and a desire to know more about the other two. It was informative, though not challenging. Doman's book was on several lists of recommended contemporary Catholic books, and I had a copy gathering dust on one of my "to read" piles. It was a good read, with a clever Franciscan twist on a classic fairy tale. Alice had also been lying in wait for many years, and when I finished Doman's book I figured it was time to get it read. Like the Doman book, I'm glad I decided to finally read it. It even inspired a cinquain. Finally, Goggins' collection was one I was gradually working through, poet-by-poet. There were some poets in it whom I will seek out for further reading.

Now, more works await. I've already started a couple - including Louis de Wohl's The Spear and Robert Front's North of Boston. 

I'm on pace to read about 50 books this year - the most in any year in my adult/post graduate degree life, but still no where near as many books as some of my online reading friends read. I don't see this as a competition, though: They are just inspiring me! 

Pax et bonum

Rochester Area Catholic History 1

From the Diocese of Buffalo's history - 

HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WESTERN NEW YORK, DIOCESE OF BUFFALO  - By REV. THOMAS DONOHUE, D. D.

Gannagaro was a very large village of about 150 houses; and had a population of 2,000 or 3,000, as each long house was the home of from two to six families. It was situated on a large hill, called Boughton Hill , which rises immediately south of the little station at Victor on the Auburn branch of the New York Central Railroad.

About one mile and a quarter westerly, on an eminence, called by the early settlers "Fort Hill," was a fortified enclosure, which could be used as a place of protection for women and children in case of an attack on Gannagaro.

Gannagaro was called St. James' by the Jesuits; and it was Ga-o-sa-eh-ga-aah in the Seneca tongue. The Rev. James Pierron came here in 1672, as the first resident missionary.

Gannougarae, or Gandougarae, was about four miles southward of Gannagaro, on the banks of a stream called Mud Creek, in the northeast part of the present town of East Bloomfield. It was called St. Michael's by the Jesuits, and was composed almost entirely of Huron, Neuter, and Onnontioga captives. A large number of these Hurons were Christians; and it was here that Father Fremin established his residence in the fall of 1669. A chapel was soon built, and Father Fremin said his first mass here November 3, 1669.

- I need to get a copy of Father McNamara's history of the Diocese of Rochester, plus some Gates history books (I have a couple, bu they are packed away somewhere!)

Pax et bonum

Truth under attack

Pax et bonum

Three Clerihews (Andy, Fredo, and Gregory)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo set out to find a living dodo. The closest he came, in the end, were a couple of hosts at CNN.

Chris Cuomo hates to be called "Fredo." Still, he turns down Andy's offers to take him fishing out on a lake.

Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory says, "Communion for cafeteria Catholic Biden is fine by me. After all, I always try to enable whenever I am able."

Pax et bonum

Dodos were Democrats?

I am

certain dodos
were Democrats because
Alice's declared, "all must have
prizes."

Pax et bonum

Abortion and Excommunication

This is a cogent explanation - 

Abortion and Excommunication

Any Catholic who obstinately denies that abortion is always gravely immoral, commits the sin of heresy and incurs an automatic sentence of excommunication. Canon Law and Church Teaching Canon 1398: "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae excommunication." Canon 751: "Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." Canon 1364 n. 1: "an apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication." The phrase "latae sententiae" means a judgment or sentence which has already been brought, in other words, a sentence or judgment which does not need a future additional judgment from someone in authority; it refers to a type of excommunication which is automatic. Such a sentence of excommunication is incurred 'by the very commission of the offense,' (CCC 2272) and does not require the future particular judgment of a case by competent authority. Apostasy, heresy, and schism are all offences which incur a sentence of excommunication automatically. Heresy is the obstinate denial of any truth of the Catholic faith, on a matter of faith or morals, which has been definitively taught by the Magisterium. The Magisterium has repeatedly and definitively taught that abortion is always gravely immoral. (CCC 2270 to 2275) Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, n. 57: "Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium." Obtaining an Abortion Any Catholic who deliberately and knowingly obtains a procured abortion commits a mortal sin and is also automatically excommunicated, under canon 1398. Under the laws of secular society, if one person commits a crime, then anyone who deliberately and knowingly provides essential or substantial means for that person to commit that crime is called an accessory to that crime and is also subject to the penalties of law. Similarly, any Catholic who deliberately and knowingly provides essential or substantial means for any woman to procure an abortion also commits a mortal sin and also incurs the same sentence of excommunication. Any Catholic who substantially assists another in the deliberate sin of abortion is also guilty of serious sin and also incurs a latae sententiae excommunication. Believing in Abortion Any Catholic who obstinately denies that abortion is always gravely immoral commits the sin of heresy. The sin of heresy also incurs a latae sententiae excommunication. Unfortunately, some Catholics obstinately deny that abortion is always immoral, and some Catholics claim that abortion can, at times, be a morally-acceptable choice, and some Catholics claim that a person can, in good conscience, choose abortion. Under the Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, canons 751 and 1364, all such Catholics are automatically excommunicated for the sin of heresy. This sentence of latae sententiae excommunication applies to any Catholic who denies that abortion is gravely immoral, regardless of whether they keep this denial hidden or publicly reveal it. Promoting Abortion Those Catholics who publicly announce their denial that abortion is always gravely immoral, or who publicly promote abortion, or who publicly argue in favor of legalized abortion, also commit a mortal sin and also incur a sentence of automatic excommunication. This sentence of excommunication applies to Catholics who are politicians, as well as to those Catholics who are political commentators, or public speakers, or who write or otherwise publicly communicate their erroneous view that abortion can be morally-acceptable or that abortion should be legal. This sentence of excommunication also certainly applies to those Catholics who claim to be theologians or Biblical scholars, but who believe or teach that abortion is not always gravely immoral. Those Catholics who promote abortion are automatically excommunicated for two reasons. First, they have fallen into the sin of heresy by believing that abortion is not always gravely immoral (canons 751 and 1364). Second, these Catholics are providing substantial assistance for women to obtain abortions by influencing public policy to make abortions legal, and to keep abortions legal, and to broaden access to abortion. Those who provide such substantial assistance commit a mortal sin and incur a sentence of automatic excommunication (canon 1398). Voting for Abortion Any Catholic politician who casts a vote with the intention of legalizing abortion, or of protecting laws allowing abortion, or of widening access to abortion, commits a mortal sin. When such a vote indicates that the Catholic politician believes that abortion is not always gravely immoral, such a politician incurs a sentence of automatic excommunication, under canons 751 and 1364, because of heresy. When such a vote is intended to have the effect of making abortion legal, or more easily obtainable, or more widely available, such a politician incurs a sentence of automatic excommunication, under canon 1398, as someone who is attempting to provide substantial or essential means for women to obtain abortions. Catholic politicians who pass laws which legalize, protect, or widen access to abortion, are providing essential assistance to women who want to obtain abortions. It is not sufficient for Catholic politicians to claim that they are 'personally opposed' to abortion. If any Catholic politician favors legalized abortion, despite a claim of personal opposition, such a politician commits a mortal sin by promoting abortion and by voting in favor of abortion. The same is true for any Catholic who casts any vote with the intention of legalizing abortion, or of protecting laws allowing abortion, or of widening access to abortion. Such a voter commits a mortal sin and incurs a sentence of automatic excommunication for two reasons. First, they are committing the sin of heresy by believing that abortion should be legal and available. Second, they are committing the grievous sin of providing women with substantial or essential assistance in obtaining abortions, by attempting to legalize or broaden access to abortion. However, if, for a period of time, Catholic politicians and voters are unable to enact a law prohibiting all abortion, then Catholic politicians and voters may in good conscience vote for whichever law offers the greatest restrictions and limits on abortion. Subsequently, Catholic politicians and voters are required by the moral law to continue to enact further restrictions and limits on abortion, to the greatest extent possible, and, at every possible opportunity, to vote for laws which completely outlaw abortion. Voting for Politicians In general, the moral law requires Catholic voters to vote for those candidates who oppose abortion over those who favor abortion. However, there are exceptions to this general principle. For example, if a political candidate favors abortion, but is a member of a party which generally opposes abortion, a Catholic voter may, in good conscience, vote for that candidate, with the intention of giving more political power to the party which opposes abortion. In another case, a Catholic voter might, in good conscience, vote for a pro-abortion candidate, if the political office would offer no opportunity for the elected candidate to vote for or against abortion. Even so, every Catholic voter should consider that anyone who supports abortion, as if it were a woman's right, or as if it could ever be a moral choice, must necessarily be someone who has a seriously limited understanding of morality and justice. Such a person would not often be the better candidate for any office in place of one who understands that abortion is gravely immoral. In every case, a Catholic should vote in such a way as to obtain as many restrictions on abortion as possible, and so as to obtain the end to legalized abortion as soon as possible. Constitutional Amendment Within any constitutional form of government, it would be ideal to have a constitutional clause or amendment which permanently and completely outlaws all procured abortions. Such an amendment must ban all abortions, regardless of circumstance, so that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent prenatal human being will be always contrary to human law, just as it is always contrary to the moral law. A constitutional amendment can permit certain medical procedures, which are absolutely necessary to save the life of the mother, and which indirectly result in the unintended and unsought death of the prenatal, only if there is no possible way to save the life of the prenatal. A prenatal is defined as any human being from conception to birth. Every reasonable effort should be made to save the lives of both mother and prenatal. If the life of the prenatal can be saved by no other possible option than by risking or allowing the death of the mother, then the prenatal must be saved. Catholic teaching clearly allows for certain medical procedures, which indirectly and involuntarily result in the death of the prenatal, to save the life of the mother, but only when all options to save the life of the prenatal have been exhausted. Such a procedure is not an abortion and is not an exception wherein abortion is allowed. On the other hand, a constitutional amendment which bans abortion with exceptions for various cases, such as rape, incest, or a risk to the mother's life, would be worse than having no such amendment at all. Any woman who is willing to commit the sin of abortion, would also be willing to lie. If a constitutional amendment permitted abortion in cases of rape, then any woman willing to lie and to falsely claim that she was raped, would be able to also claim that she had a constitutional right to an abortion. The result would be that a constitutional amendment, which seems to ban abortion with some exceptions, would end up giving every woman who is willing to tell a lie, a purported constitutional right to abortion. This situation would be worse than having no such constitutional amendment at all. Therefore, the only acceptable pro-life constitutional amendment would be one that, in accordance with Catholic teaching, bans all procured abortions without exception. Here is an example of a just constitutional amendment protecting human life. by Ronald L. Conte Jr. Roman Catholic theologian May 20, 2004

Pax et bonum

Weekly Diet Update (11/25/20)

Weight Lost This Week: 1.4 Pounds

Weight Lost Overall: 32.8 Pounds

Weight Still To Lose: 17.2 Pounds

"Diets are for those who are thick and tired of it." -   Mary Tyler Moore

Pax et bonum

Christians CAN Judge

People keep saying that Christians are not supposed to judge, that the Bible - especially Jesus - tells us not to do so. They often cite Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not, that you be not judged."

Ironically, in accusing us of judging the accuser is judging!

Moreover, the claim that Jesus and the Bible told us not ever to judge is wrong. We are clearly told to judge when it comes to wrongdoing.

That line from Matthew, for example, is cited out of context. The full passage reads:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." - Matthew 7: 1-5

Yes, Jesus warns us about judging, but it's when we have a "log" in our own eyes. The issue is hypocrisy, not judging. Notice that He says when you have the log our, then you can take the speck out of the other's eye - in other words, you can judge that there is a speck there, and you can do something about it.

Jesus also brings up judging another's actions in another passage in Matthew:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

You judge that someone has done something wrong, you try to get him/her to correct it, privately at first, but if that fails, with others (witnesses, then the church as a whole). And if that fails, you separate yourself from that person.

In John, Jesus declares, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (7: 24)

Again, Jesus clearly instruct us to "judge with right judgment."

St. Paul comments on the issue of judging in several instances. In 1 Corinthians he writes The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. (2: 15) a different translation renders this as The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. A different translation renders this line as: "The spiritual person, however, can judge everything."

Later in the same letter he declares: "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality[or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. 'Drive out the wicked person from among you.'” (5: 10-13)

"... whom you are to judge." That's pretty clear that we are called to judge - and to kick them out if they do not repent. Paul tells us not to associate with a brother who is guilty of various sins - the only way to determine the person is doing immoral things is to "judge." This passage refers to those who are "brothers" - fellow Christians. That would include the vast majority of elected officials in this country who identify as Christians. So we can judge if a fellow Christian in government is acting in immoral ways or supporting immoral things.

Paul also says Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? (1 Corinthians 6: 2)

For those of us who are Catholics, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

"Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law:

Conscience is a law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more; I mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion of responsibility, of duty, of a threat and a promise.... [Conscience] is a messenger of him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ." (CCC 1778).

"Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings" (CCC 1783).

We have to be careful in judging. We can't know what is in a person's heart. But we can judge actions. Even if a person has good intentions, but does something wrong, we can still judge the action wrong.

As Christians, we have an obligation to do so when those wrong actions affect others.

Pax et bonum

If I die

If I die

           

           And my blood and flesh become unsubstantial dew to quench

                   the thirsty earth,

           And my bones become hollow channels for wind and water,

           And my memory fades from my children's children's thoughts,

My love for you

                           would still fill the horizon

                                                                      like a rainbow

                                                                                             after the storm. 

Pax et bonum

Limited Santa time

Due to the Chinese virus, my Santa season is curtailed. Just two events: The town tree lighting, and a parish event. Sigh.

I hope next year things will open up. 

(The above image is from 2017)

Pax et bonum

Weekly Diet Update (11/18/20)

Weight lost this week: 1.8 Pounds

Weight lost overall: 31.4 Pounds

Weight still to lose: 18.6 Pounds

Eat to live, not live to eat.  - Cicero

Pax et bonum

A Proposed Devotion: Seven Joys of Mary

I had earlier posted about St. Bridget of Sweden - a Secular Franciscan - and her  "Seven Sorrows of Mary," a daily devotion involving meditating on the sorrows, and reciting a Hail Mary with each. There are also promises that go along with this devotion that I detail in that earlier post.

The Seven Sorrows are:

 First Sorrow: Simeon's prophecy that a sword will pierce Mary's heart. 

Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt. 

Third Sorrow: The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. 

Fourth Sorrow: The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross. 

Fifth Sorrow: Mary witnesses the Crucifixion and the death of Jesus on the Cross.  

Sixth Sorrow: The dead Body of Jesus is taken down and laid in the arms of His Holy Mother. 

Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus

I’ve gladly added that devotion to my daily prayer life.

But as I was saying it the other day, it struck me that as good as it is for my spiritual life, what if instead of focusing on “sorrows,” we focus on “joyful” or “glorious” moments in Mary’s life, as in the Joyful and Glorious Mysteries when saying the rosary. I wondered what “joys” we might include, and then I remembered the Franciscan Crown Rosary with its seven joys of Mary.

Those joys are:

The Annunciation 

The Visitation 

The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Adoration of the Magi

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The Appearance of Christ to Mary after the Resurrection

The Assumption and Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven 

 I propose that we therefore supplement St. Bridget’s “Seven Sorrows” with a Franciscan “Seven Joys.”  It can be a daily devotion involving meditating on the joys, and reciting a Hail Mary with each.

There are no promises with this joyful devotion – I’m not a saint, after all – but it offers another simple way to add to our daily prayer lives

Pax et bonum

Subscriptions (and books)

A while back, I noted that I subscribed to a number of magazines.

There have been some changes.

I still receive:

Gilbert!

StAR (St. Austin Review)

Frogpond

Scifaikuest

The Catholic Worker

The first two are due to my love of G.K. Chesterton, and the Catholic arts. The next two feed my haiku/poetic needs. And the last one is because of my admiration for Dorothy Day. 

I did let a few lapse, but then picked up some new ones:

First Things

New Oxford Review

Smithsonian

The first two of the new ones was for Catholic intellectual thought.

The Smithsonian is because they offered me an incredible deal, and I like history and the arts.

Still reading multiple books. currently reading three main works:

The Path to Rome (Hilaire Belloc)

God's Door-Keepers: Padre Pio, Solanus Casey, and Andre Bessette (Joel Schorn)

Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold (Regina Doman) 

Belloc was one of Chesterton's good friends, is himself a good writer, and this one is often cited as his best book. 

Blessed Solanus Casey is my Secular Franciscan patron, and he and his fellow "doorkeepers" have a place in my heart, as that's the role I really want in my Fraternity.

Doman's book appeared on several lists of best contemporary Catholic fiction. And I like the fast that her "seven dwarfs" are Franciscan Friars!

I'm also reading in small doses two books of poetry:

Poetry of the Spirit (edited by Gerard E. Goggins)

North of Boston (Robert Frost)

The first is an anthology of spiritual poetry. I'm enjoying that it lets me sample different poets' work. And Frost is my favorite poet, but I've read his "best" poems, not many of his full books. I'm workign on remedying that.  

Pax et bonum

Silence (cinquain)

He learned

nothing he said

was free of consequence,

so he chose to retreat into

silence.

Pax et bonum

Labels

This past Sunday the deacon who had preached got up at the end of the Mass for announcements, and then to deliver a message.

He alluded to the election that had taken place the previous Tuesday, and noted that people may have had labels like Democrat, Republican, or Independent. His basic plea was for peace and unity in the wake of what had happened Tuesday (He never said election, by the way, or mentioned any specific office).

He's right. Most people sitting in that congregation could likely be labeled Democrats, Republican or, like me, Independents (technically American Solidarity Party member, but that's not a recognized party in my state). And we do need peace and unity in the wake of that unmentionable event that took place the previous Tuesday.

But I had two further thoughts.

His allusion to the event that shall not be named was only the second time I heard about it from the pulpit (another deacon had in a previous homily urged us to vote ) at the parish - and this second one came after the fact. While there may have been parishes where the issues we as Catholic voters should weigh in deciding for whom to vote, they were not addressed in any significant way at my parish in the weeks before the unmentionable event. There were no homilies during those weeks specifically touching on those issues related to that thing that happened on the previous Tuesday. 

Yes, I know that as Catholic voters we are supposed to be researching the issues and vote for the candidate who most closely holds positions in accord with Church teachings. And as educated, thinking Catholics we are supposed to be aware that not all issues are of equal weight. The bishops have clearly identified abortion as a primary issue, for example, and we are not supposed to vote for pro-choice candidates if there are reasonable alternatives. 

But having been a reporter who covered politics and elections, and having been a teacher for many years, I know what people SHOULD do is not necessarily what they will do. Too many people vote out of habit and by straight ticket, for whomever seems "nice," and they rely on the obviously biased media to do the "research" and thinking for them. So you have to spell it out for people, and repeat the message. And since people are not inclined to read, they have to hear the message. As a teacher I was always told in a good lesson you tell the students what you are going to teach them, teach them, and then remind them about what you taught. And you likely have to repeat that lesson several times before they really understand it. Plus, you can never assume they will remember something you taught weeks or months before.

The same goes for Catholics voters. Our parish leaders have to help educate them so they are informed Catholic voters. Repeatedly.

There should have been, for example, bulletin inserts or articles comparing candidates' positions on issues related to Church teachings. (I will acknowledge that those could have been prepared by lay people - myself included - and we failed to do so. So that's on us.) 

Still, the best way to help educate Catholic voters directly is from the pulpit. Multiple times. 

We did not have that at my parish. I suspect that was also true of many parishes across this nation.

Preaching about abortion or religious liberty six months before doesn't cut it.

My second thought was about the labels.

Democrat. Republican, Independent.

Certainly.

But everyone sitting in that congregation shared a common, much more significant label that didn't get mentioned.

Catholic.

We should be a Catholic before we are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent.

We should vote as Catholics, not as Democrats, Republicans, or Independents.

When we leave out "Catholic" from our political decisions and our voting, then we are just rendering unto Caesar.

  

Pax et bonum

A Book of Bees

As part of my research for a mystery story I have in mind I have been researching beekeeping. That brought me to A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell. 

What a wonderful find.

The book was informative about many aspects of beekeeping, but it was also a pleasure to read. Some of her descriptive passages were almost poetic. She also has a sense of humor I appreciated. Her anecdotes were amusing (such as the one about the men entering a truck to see if there was anything worth taking, and encountering several hives of bees awaiting transportation).

I don't know if I will ever write that detective story, but I my life is sweeter for having read this book.

Pax et bonum

Weekly Diet Update (11/11/20)

Weight Lost This Week: 1.4 Pounds

Weight Lost overall: 29.6 Pounds

Weight Still To Lose: 20.4 Pounds

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people. - Orson Welles

Pax et bonum

Biden, the Catholic, plans to support abortion

When you put party and ambition above faith ...

 https://www.christianpost.com/news/biden-to-reverse-trumps-pro-life-policies-by-executive-orders.html

Pax et bonum

MacKay Wildlife Preserve

With the warm, sunny fall weather, we took a walk through the MacKay Wildlife Preserve in Caledonia.

The Preserve is a former 26-acre farm that was allowed to go back to woods, and which was donated by the family to the town back in 1971 with the understanding it would remain a wildlife preserve.  Enterprising volunteers created trails some 15 years ago.

It was a pleasant walk, looking at the variety of trees, the moss-covered stones, the remains of the stone fences. The leaves cast shadows as they drifted down; the dry sound of those falling leaves filled the air (The picture of me above is courtesy of my wife.) 

In the past, we have seen deer there. No luck this time, though there were squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and a snake.

I thought of Emily Dickinson's poem.

Snake

A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him, -did you not?
His notice sudden is.

The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.

He likes a boggy acre,
A floor too cool for corn.
Yet when a child, and barefoot,
I more than once, at morn,

Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash
Unbraiding in the sun, -
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled, and was gone.

Several of nature's people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;

But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.

I had made the mistake of not checking my camera before we went, and the battery was nearly drained. Otherwise, I would have taken more pictures. And we were walking along, probably scaring away most of the creatures; to get more pictures of animals I should really have sat down and quietly waited. 

I will do so some day down the road.

Pax et bonum

The Princess and the Goblin

I'd long known of C.S. Lewis's high regard for the children's stories of George MacDonald, but I had never read any of my fellow Scotsman's works. 

This past week I remedied that situation.

I'm glad I did.

I read The Princes and the Goblin, and can see why Lewis liked MacDonald. There are some different elements of the tale that take it beyond just a simple children's story. The "grandmother" figure and the magic surrounding her is particularly interesting - I wonder if she shows up in the sequel, The Princess and Curdie? I also wonder if Frances Hodgson Burnett found in the relationship between the Princess and Curdie some inspiration for the Mary/Dickon relationship in The Secret Garden. And while sillier than the dark creatures in The Lord of the Rings, the goblins and their caves in MacDonald's fantasy kept making me think of Tolkien's epic tale.

A good quick read. Now I want to read the sequel. 

I wish I had known about it when my daughters were young!

Pax et bonum

A Prayer for Enlightenment

Prayer for Enlightenment

Almighty, eternal, just, and merciful God,
grant us in our misery [the grace] to do for You alone what we know You want us to do, and always to desire what pleases You.

Thus, inwardly cleansed, interiorly enlightened, and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, may we be able to follow in the footprints of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And, by Your grace alone, may we make our way to You, Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity and simple Unity, and are glorified God all-powerful forever and ever.
Amen.

Pax et bonum

Lord of the Rings time?

The apparent election of Joe Biden as our next president got me to thinking about The Lord of the Rings.

I don't see Biden as evil himself, just corrupted by the forces of darkness, hence his embrace of evils in conflict with Catholic teachings. He reminds me of so many of the characters in The Lord of the Rings who are under the sway of Sauron due to weakness, fear, and dark desires in themselves.

I read the trilogy - along with The Hobbit - back when they were all the rage in the early 1970's. Some of the characters stayed with me, and I even incorporated Tom Bombadil, one of my favorite minor characters, into the "Trunk Story" that I made up and told to my daughters for several years at bedtime. (I was saddened when they did not include him in the Jackson movies.) I later reread The Fellowship of the Ring in the early 90's when a couple of my daughters showed interest in the trilogy. 

When I read them all those decades ago, I didn't catch all the brilliant things Tolkien was doing, including the very Catholic subtext to the tale. But with the dark days I fear are ahead, maybe it's time to reread the trilogy to see how they resonate with me now. They may be just the thing I need to give me a greater sense of hope.

Pax et bonum

If Biden wins ...

With the apparent win of Joe Biden

the Dark Lord assumes his power will widen.

Meanwhile, at Planned Parenthood,

they are greedily cackling, "This looks good!"

Pax et bonum

A weighty topic

My history with being overweight is long.

If you see pictures of me when I was young, you can tell even as a child I was wearing "husky" sizes. I was not very athletically inclined - though there were times when some latent abilities we Strong men seem to have surfaced. Still, I was more inclined to read or write. Whenever we went shopping, my mother would just drop me off at the magazine rack knowing that when she returned later I would still be there engrossed in some magazine.

Then there's the sweet tooth. If it had sugar, it went in my mouth. And one was never enough.

One day near the end of seventh grade the school nurse gave me a note to take home to my parents. An inquisitive sort, as I waited at the end of the day in my homeroom for the bus to arrive, I opened the note. One sentence read, "Your son is suffering from severe obesity." I had no idea what obesity meant, so I asked my fellow bus-waiting students. None of them knew. I then went to the big dictionary at the front of the room, and read the definition aloud.

"The condition of being very fat or overweight."

There was some nervous laughter. I was silent. The summer after that year was the first one in our new home on the outskirts of town, and I basically remained home all summer, not interacting with any of my classmates or friends. I did start to diet.

But something also began to change. I was growing taller. Between the physical at the beginning of seventh grade to the physical at the beginning of ninth grade I grew from 5'4" to 5'10..

Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I was skinny. I remained so throughout high school. One of the things that helped was I was a walker and a 10-speed bike rider. I thought nothing of biking from one town to another. I rode my bike to school. I rode it to friends' houses. I rode it to work. I never bothers to get a driver's licence or a car.

This persisted into my 20s, even after I got married. I rode or walked as much as I could. I remained thin. But one day while it was snowing and the wind blowing, we were walking to Mass carrying the baby. I decided it was time to get a car.

I did get one. That's when my sedentary jobs and my sweet tooth took control of my body, and since age 28 my weight has been yo-yoing. This past spring, with the pandemic lockdown, I reached my heaviest, unhealthiest point.

In my family, there is a history of weight related issues - strokes, heart attacks, and diabetes in particular. My father had a massive stroke at age 65. I tuned 65 in June.

So in August, I set a goal of losing 50 pounds over the next year. I'm actually ahead of schedule, having lost 28 pounds. But I'm still considered overweight. I have to lose about 22 pounds more to reach my goal - and to be in the normal range for my height. At the rate I'm going, I might hit that goal next March or April.

I'm determined - for the sake of my health.

Pax et bonum

Bundled Wildflowers - HSA 2020 Members' Anthology

knowing

they are not for me

bundled wildflowers

     - Tia Haynes

I just received and read with relish Bundled Wildflowers, the Haiku Society of of America's 2020 members' anthology.

The title of the anthology, as the editor, Bryan Rickert, explained, was inspired by the haiku above, one of the submissions.

The way the HSA members' anthologies work is that every member of the society submits haiku, and each member is guaranteed that one of his or her poems will be selected.  

Of course, the experience and skill of the poets vary, so the quality of the poems is sometimes uneven. But it does give them a chance to get published, and to encourage them to continue developing their skills.

And even the more polished poets might be tempted to submit lesser poems. Indeed, as Robert Epstein acknowledged in his contribution:

members' anthology

submitting poems

others rejected 

But that does not lessen the delight of this anthology. It's wonderful to see all the subjects. Some are familiar, like love, loss, death, nature, and so on. One subject that jumped out at me was dogs in light of the loss of my beloved Ruby last year..

emptying the vacuum -

enough dog hair

to bring her back

     - Chad Lee Robinson

twilight walk

I let the old dog

wander where he will

     - Bill Deegan

tornado watch

carrying the old dog

into the root cellar

     - Jerome Cushman

And my own contribution -

listen to the rain

all I can do this morning 

with no dog to walk

Cushman is one of our local poets and part of our local haiku group, so it was nice to see his poem. Some other local haiku friends included are Carolyn Coit Dancy, Michael Ketchek, and Deb Koen. The anthology includes submissions from some of the best-known American haiku poets. It also includes works from many lands - after all, though it's "American," anyone can join. Among the nations represented are English-language ones you would expect, like Canada England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Australia. but also such countries as  Japan, Malaysia, India, Syria, the West Indies, Bulgaria, Russia, Austria,  Portugal, Germany, and Montenegro

In his introduction, Rickert cited two poems in particular - the one that inspired the title, and this one:

rough turbulence

I switch the playlist 

to gospel

     - Crystal Simone Smith

He noted this one haunted him given our turbulent times, and in his mind the title poem and this one are "linked in some way." His parting wish is "this bundle of wildflowers is our gift to each other and mine to you. Hopefully its beauty can help us get through a little bit longer."

Indeed, in these turbulent times, little gifts of beauty like these haiku can make things easier to bear.

Pax et bonum

Telling the Bees (Whittier and me)

Telling the Bees

BY JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

Here is the place; right over the hill

   Runs the path I took;

You can see the gap in the old wall still,

   And the stepping-stones in the shallow brook.

There is the house, with the gate red-barred,

   And the poplars tall;

And the barn’s brown length, and the cattle-yard,

   And the white horns tossing above the wall.

There are the beehives ranged in the sun;

   And down by the brink

Of the brook are her poor flowers, weed-o’errun,

   Pansy and daffodil, rose and pink.

A year has gone, as the tortoise goes,

   Heavy and slow;

And the same rose blows, and the same sun glows,

   And the same brook sings of a year ago.

There ’s the same sweet clover-smell in the breeze;

   And the June sun warm

Tangles his wings of fire in the trees,

   Setting, as then, over Fernside farm.

I mind me how with a lover’s care

   From my Sunday coat

I brushed off the burrs, and smoothed my hair,

   And cooled at the brookside my brow and throat.

Since we parted, a month had passed,—

   To love, a year;

Down through the beeches I looked at last

   On the little red gate and the well-sweep near.

I can see it all now,—the slantwise rain

   Of light through the leaves,

The sundown’s blaze on her window-pane,

   The bloom of her roses under the eaves.

Just the same as a month before,—

   The house and the trees,

The barn’s brown gable, the vine by the door,—

   Nothing changed but the hives of bees.

Before them, under the garden wall,

   Forward and back,

Went drearily singing the chore-girl small,

   Draping each hive with a shred of black.

Trembling, I listened: the summer sun

   Had the chill of snow;

For I knew she was telling the bees of one

   Gone on the journey we all must go!

Then I said to myself, “My Mary weeps

   For the dead to-day:

Haply her blind old grandsire sleeps

   The fret and the pain of his age away.”

But her dog whined low; on the doorway sill,

   With his cane to his chin,

The old man sat; and the chore-girl still

   Sung to the bees stealing out and in.

And the song she was singing ever since

   In my ear sounds on:—

“Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence!

   Mistress Mary is dead and gone!”

My own -

When the day comes

knock on the hives, ask the bees

to stay though I'm gone

Pax et bonum

A slant of moonlight (haiku)

the man is greeted

by a tentative tail wag -

a slant of moonlight

Pax et bonum

Latest Social Media Wrinkle

I've gotten completely burned out on social media - Twitter and Facebook. There's just so much negativity, so much misinformation, so many temptations to get caught up in senseless arguments.

Yet they are still ways to connect with the world, to inform others.

So I'm trying a compromise. I will still post articles/news reports that inform, and I will write on this blog and link the posts to Twitter and Facebook, but I will avoid going on those social media sites as much as possible. In case there are personal things I need to keep up with, like prayer requests, life celebrations or problems faced by friends, I will pop in occasionally, but I will avoid anything that leads to arguments, and I will limit my commenting to ones of support.

I will spend more time reading and writing instead.

Let's see how this works.

Pax et bonum

Read in October

A blogging friend is tallying a monthly list of things she's read as part of a blogging group project. Her list is impressive - more than 100 books read so far this year! By contrast, I'm up to 37. A slacker, though I will plead that I was still working as a teacher up to June, so I had less time to read then.

Here's my October list -

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie 

The History of the Honey Bee by E. Readicker-Henderson  

Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters

Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Since I'm cutting back on social media time, perhaps I'll be able to read more in the months ahead. Maybe I'll even join that project.

Pax et bonum

Weekly Diet Update (11/4/20)

Weight lost this week: 1.8 Pounds

Weight lost overall: 28.2 Pounds

Weight still to lose: 21.8 Pounds

“Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose!” - Karl Lagerfeld.

Pax et bonum

Pandemic sun and moon

while sharing the sky

sun and moon social distance - pandemic morning

Pax et bonum

Lilacs in Season

While looking through a folder for some songs I wanted to practice, I came across an old letter from an editor at a now defunct magazine. The letter was torn and stained.

Then I turned it over.

On the back was scribbled an early draft of "Lilacs in Season," a song I'd written some 40 years ago and thought I had lost. I could recall the chorus, but never could remember the lyrics - and here they were.

I'd written the song as an audition piece. Some folks were trying to organize a small festival - the "Pocket Park Festival" - and were seeking performers. I had some songs I could do, but thought something more in keeping with the lilacs that filled the park would be good, so I wrote the song. 

I performed it as part of my audition, and I was accepted as one of the performers. I then played it again at the festival, along with some other originals and some covers. Festival goers were asked to vote for whom they thought the best musical act, and I later learned I won. 

The win was nice, but even more significant was that my parents had driven up to see me perform. It was the only time they ever saw me perform in public.

I sang the song only twice - at the audition, and at the festival.

Here are they lyrics I rediscovered today:

Lilacs in Season

Up in the hills, air full of flowers

Green life erupting, birth from the dead lands

Children are dancing, bright in the sunlight

Colors in circles, games hand-in-hand.

 

Chorus –

 

Lilacs in season, no other reason

for singing this song.

Beauty surrounds me like the love that you give me,

keeping me strong.

 

Summer’s the living, autumn’s the harvest,

Winter’s the pause, spring is the promise.

I have been waiting, too long for some good news,

But time fades away, in May morning sunrise.

 

Chorus

 

Radios playing, a band in the distance,

Birds sing along, above in the trees.

Worshipers gather to honor the sun

Each tree’s a maypole, with lovers beneath.

 

Chorus

 

Walking together, hand clasped in hand

We come here to share in, this gift of creation.

Praise for the beauty, praise for all life,

That gives us a reason, for this celebration.

 

Chrous

Pax et bonum