Reading Tally at Midyear

It's the end of June - midpoint in the year. Given that I'm not likely to finish reading any more works today, it's time to see how I'm doing with my reading goals for 2025. 

, 

At the beginning of the year I set these as my goals: 

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Have His Carcase - by Dorothy Sayers

A Dickens novel (Little Dorrit or Our Mutual Friend)

Lord of the Rings (reread)

Kristin Lavransdatter 

Apologia  Pro Vita Sua (reread)

Bio/Study of Newman

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K, Chesterton

Some Mystery Novels

Some Encyclicals

60-70 work, with about 15,000 pages (those number goals are not rigid).

So how have I done? Goals met:

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Apologia  Pro Vita Sua by St. John Henry Newman (reread)

Bio/Study  of Newman - John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K. Chesterton

Some Mystery Novels - Six so far (including the two by Sayers)

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers  

Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Murder in the Lincoln White House by C. M. Gleason

Murder at the Capitol by C. M. Gleason

The Vanishing Woman by Fiorella De Maria

See No Evil by Fiorella De Maria

Some Encyclicals - Two so far

Peace on Earth (Pacem In Terris) by Pope St. John XXIII

Mater et Magistra by Pope St. John XXIII

All told, 34 works, with a Page Count of 7,596

So right on target. 

I still have to read at least one more encyclical, The Lord of the Rings, and a Dickens novel. 

I have started Little Dorrit. (I'm also currently reading All the Poems of Stevie Smith and The Real Story: Understanding the Big Story of the Bible by Edward Sri and Curtis Martin.)

In the second half of year I'll be reading at least one more encyclical. On the pile awaiting are two rereads: The Lord of the Rings and The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. 

I also plan to read at least one book by Michael O'Brien, one by Dostoevsky, and some mysteries. Perhaps another Chesterton? Maybe City of God by St. Augustine?

Plus, I'm feeling the need to read more biographies of saints. I'll start with Sigrid Undset's Catherine of Siena, so add that to the list of works I plan to read.  

Here's some of works so far:

Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway

John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg

Apologia Pro Vita Sua by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman

The Epistle of Barnabas

The Epistle to Diognetus

The Didache

Letter to the Corinthians by Clement of Rome

Simplicity by John Michael Talbot with Dan O’Neill

Peace on Earth (Pacem In Terris) by Pope St. John XXIII

Mater et Magistra by Pope St. John XXIII

St. Thomas More by E. E. Reynolds

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K. Chesterton

The Surprise by G. K. Chesterton

The Judgement of Dr. Johnson by G. K. Chesterton  

Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset 

     The Wreath

     The Wife

     The Cross

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers  

Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Murder in the Lincoln White House by C. M. Gleason

Murder at the Capitol by C. M. Gleason

The Vanishing Woman by Fiorella De Maria

See No Evil by Fiorella De Maria

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman

The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells

The Food of the Gods by H. G. Wells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Selected Poems  

Christmas Presence: Twelve Gifts That Were More Than They Seemed 

     edited by Gregory F. Augustine Pierce

Making the Best of What’s Left by Judith Viorst

Onward!

Pax et bonum

A Coffee Klatch

Over on Substack, one of the people I read (and enjoy) is LAURA ERCOLINO who has a page called Come to the Garden.

In a piece about Blessed Carlo Acutis ("Heavenly Warrior on the Battlefield of the Internet") she wrote about some advice her spiritual director gave her six years ago when she was struggling with prayer.

"He began teaching me about the communion of saints and how we have an army of heavenly friends ready and willing to help us in all our needs. He suggested I transform my night prayer into a tea party with the saints and simply relax as I imagined myself sitting with saints such as Mother Mary, St. Rita and St. Monica, Maria Goretti, Felicity and Perpetua, and of course St. Therese. I was to invite them to be with me, to pray for me and to carry all that burdened me which I did not have the strength to carry or even to speak of in my own prayers. My tea parties with the saints became a source of comfort, peace, and strength for me in a time of intense suffering and chaos. The invitation list grew and grew as I began researching and longing to know more about the lives of the saints, especially those whose stories related to mine. I began to imagine our tea parties were no longer in my little kitchen but in a banquet hall!"

While the whole piece, like many of hers, is good - go read her - I found that particular passage inspiring. 

Of course, in my case, it would not be a tea party. It would be a coffee klatch.

I have been wanting to learn and read more about the saints - the ones with whom I'm familiar (I can always learn more), but also some new ones. This year I've already read biographies of St. John Cardinal Newman and St. Thomas More, and I plan to read Sigrid Undset's biography of St. Catherine of Siena, but I hope to add more biographies.

The coffee klatch would add another layer. 

So whom would I start with?

Being a Secular Franciscan, St. Francis of Assisi would be an obvious choice. I would love to pray with him and get his advice as I try to live as a Franciscan. And I'd offer him some coffee and treats and tell him maybe he's not treating Brother Ass (his body) with the respect it's due.

I'd also want to invite St. Maximilian Kolbe, another Franciscan, and a writer and publisher. I think we'd have a lot to talk about, and I could pray with him about my own efforts to write as a Franciscan should write.

I'd invite another writer and Secular Franciscan, St. Thomas More, one of my favorite saints and one of my heroes. I'd love to talk about his courage and struggle with the conflict between faith and politics. Moreover, he'd add so much humor and clever comments. He could help to keep me focusing on the eternal rather than the temporal.

St. Joseph would also get an invite. I'd ask him about being a father to Jesus, the sacrifices he made, and his faith. An added plus is that I'd finally hear him talk; in the Bible he's never quoted.

The final man I'd start with would be someone who's not yet been canonized but is in the way, Blessed Solanus Casey. He is my Franciscan patron. I admire his humility and dedication to serving the poor and the hurting; I could learn so much from him. I'd also ask him to play his violin!  

On the female side, I'd start with St. Bridget of Sweden. She was a mystic and a Secular Franciscan. Her 12 Year Prayers on the Passion and her prayers on the Seven Sorrows of Mary are part of my daily prayer life. I suspect she and St. Thomas More would have some wonderful things to say about dealing with corruption in politics and in the Church.

Another person who could add some depth and insights to the discussions would be St. Edith Stein. Both being victims of Nazi violence, she and St. Maximilian would have some things in common, and I'm sure she and St. Thomas More would plumb spiritual and philosophical depths I could only dream of following. 

Imagine the discussions, the insights, the prayers such a gathering would produce.

But since such a gathering would only be in my imagination, I would reflect on their gifts and the ways they faithfully served the Lord, and I would ask for their prayers in my own flawed spiritual efforts.

Down the road I might invite a few more guests. St. Augustine? St. Joan of Arc? Venerable Matt Talbot? St. John Bosco? St. Drogo (the Patron Saint of Coffee)?

The possibilities are endless. 

And as a prelude, time to make a cup of coffee!

Pax et bonum

That Skeleton

Pax et bonum

No Kings!

Rabble-rousers proclaimed across the land,
"No Kings!" "No Kings!" "No Kings!"
stirring blind followers, as was planned,
to rally, and protest, and similar things,
to ignore facts and truth, and just repeat
the talking points that they've been fed,
and hence like sheep, can only bleat,
as common sense in them is asleep, or dead.

Pax et bonum

Encyclicals Update

I just finished rereading Pacem In Terris by Pope St. John XXII. I first read it a couple of decades ago, so it seemed a good time to reread it as I am trying to read more encyclicals.

I have now read:

Pacem in Terris by Pope St. John XXIII
Humanae Vitae by Pope St. Paul VI
Evangelium Vitae by Pope St. John Paul II

Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth) by Pope St. John Paul II

Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII

Casti Connubii by Pope Pius XI

Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) by Pope Benedict XVI

Laudato Si by Pope Francis I

I have on hand:

Mater et Magistra by Pope St. John XXIII

Redemptor Hominis by Pope St. John Paul II
Veritatis Splendor by Pope St. John Paul II - a reread, but it has been years since I first read it.

Fides et Ratio by Pope St. John Paul II

I will be reading at least one of them the coming months, perhaps all of them

Meanwhile, others that I will try to read at some point:

Aeterni Patris by Pope Leo XIII

Humanum Genus (On Freemasonry) by Pope Leo XIII
Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XIII
Pascendi Dominici Gregis by Pope St. Pius X
Quas Primas by Pope Pius XI
Humani Generis by Pope Pius XII
Caritas in Veritate by Pope Benedict XVI

Pax et bonum

Some Shakespeare Insults

“I am sick when I do look on thee “

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act 2, Scene 1)

“I’ll beat thee, but I would infect my hands.”

Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 3)

“Methink’st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee.”

All’s Well That Ends Well (Act 2, Scene 3)

“More of your conversation would infect my brain.”

Coriolanus (Act 2, Scene 1)

“Thou art unfit for any place but hell.”

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 2)

“Thou cream faced loon”

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 3)

“Thou sodden-witted lord! Thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows “

Troilus and Cressida (Act 2, Scene 1)

“Thy sin’s not accidental, but a trade.”

Measure For Measure (Act 3, Scene 1)

“Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon”

Timon of Athens (Act 4, Scene 3)

“Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell”

Othello (Act 4, Scene 2)

“Out of my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes.”

Richard III (Act 1, Scene 2)

Pax et bonum

Obama Scandals

Hmm ...

Pax et bonum

Henry VIII and Mistress Anne

Henry VIII

was named "Defender of the Faith."

He kept the title, but cast the Faith aside

when he wanted to make mistress Anne a short-term bride.

Pax et bonum

Havens vs James case

Havens v. James, No. 20-664 (2d Cir. 2023)

Annotate this Case

Justia Opinion Summary

In 2005, a federal district court entered a permanent injunction against several pro-life advocates enjoining them from entering the public sidewalk within fifteen feet of the entrance of any abortion clinic in the Western District of New York. Twelve years later, in 2017, Plaintiff, who was not a named party to the 2005 permanent injunction, started sidewalk counseling near the Planned Parenthood facility in Rochester, New York. After Defendants, the New York Attorney General and the City of Rochester decided that Plaintiff was bound by the 2005 permanent injunction, he sued, seeking a declaratory judgment that he was not bound by the injunction. He also moved for a preliminary injunction to prevent Defendants from applying the injunction to his counseling activities. The district court dismissed his suit for failure to state a claim and denied his motion for a preliminary injunction.
 
The Second Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court insofar as it dismissed Plaintiff’s complaint and vacated the judgment insofar as it denied Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction. The court remanded for further proceedings. The court held that a person who is not a named party to an injunction or legally identified with a named party is bound by the injunction only from acting for the benefit of, or to assist, an enjoined party in violating the injunction. The allegations in Plaintiff’s complaint do not establish that he so acted and therefore state a claim for declaratory relief.

The Ruling.

Pax et bonum

The Salutation of the Virtues

The Salutation of the Virtues
by St. Francis of Assisi

English version by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM CAP & Ignatius C. Brady, OFM
Original Language Italian

Hail, Queen Wisdom, may the Lord protect you
   with your sister, holy pure Simplicity.
Lady, holy Poverty, may the Lord protect you
   with your sister, holy Humility.
Lady, holy Charity, may the Lord protect you
   with your sister, holy Obedience.
O most holy Virtues, may the Lord protect all of you,
   from Whom you come and proceed.
There is surely no one in the entire world
   who can possess any one of you
   unless he dies first.
Whoever possesses one of you
   and does not offend the others,
   possesses all.
And each one destroys vices and sins.
Holy Wisdom destroys
   Satan and all his subtlety.
Pure holy Simplicity destroys
   all the wisdom of this world
   and the wisdom of the body.
Holy Poverty destroys
   the desire of riches
   and avarice
   and the cares of this world.
Holy Humility destroys
   pride
   and all the people who are in the world
   and all the things that belong to the world.
Holy Charity destroys
   every temptation of the devil and of the flesh
   and every carnal fear.
Holy Obedience destroys
   every wish of the body and of the flesh
   and binds its mortified body
   to obedience of the Spirit
   and to obedience of one's brother
and the person who possesses her is subject and submissive
   to all persons in the world
   and not to man only
   but even to all beasts and wild animals
   so that they may do whatever they want with him
   inasmuch as it has been given to them from above by the Lord.

Pax et bonum

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

I had read The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene a couple of times - and enjoyed it. So as I was cleaning out more books to donate as I downsize I uncovered several books by Greene that I had not read. I decided to give The Heart of the Matter a go.

In terms of plotting and the writing, it is quite good. Graham is a gifted writer.

But in terms of the main character's struggle with being a good "Catholic," I think it falls short. Scobie's moral rationalizing and confusion, and shallow religious thinking, seem to foreshadow the path of so  many weak Catholics in the years since who will settle for pleasure and desire over faith.

Scobie commits adultery, he commits sacrilege, he gets caught up in illegal activities even though he is a police official, his words and actions lead to a murder, and then he commits suicide. Oh, along the way he seems to be struggling with his desires and selfishness in light of his faith, but he gives in to those desires again and again. He is not the only one harmed by his actions. He wants to keep his wife and mistress "happy," but in the end he hurts and damages them both, and a loyal servant ends up dead.

There are no winners in this book.

As he dies, his last words are "Dear God, I love ...." Is Graham trying to give us hope that Scobie repented at the last minute? Is he guilty of offering his readers what so many Hollywood religious movies did and do - wallow in sin, and then give a little moral twist at the end to make it all okay?

Knowing that Graham at the time he wrote this book had deserted his wife and family for a mistress, is the moral confusion in the book reflecting his own moral confusion and attempted self-justification?

As I read about Scobie's descent, I thought of Frodo from The Lord of the Rings!

In both cases, earlier actions led to the moment when they could fall. In Scobie's case, his adultery led to him lying, to being blackmailed, his illegal actions, his sacrilege, death of his loyal servant, and his own death. In Frodo's case, his good action, his mercy toward Gollum earlier in the epic, saved him at the end. Frodo is about to fall, to embrace the ring and its evil, when Gollum fights him, bites off his finger, and falls into Mt. Doom with the ring, completing Frodo's mission. If Frodo had not shown mercy earlier, Gollum would not have been there at the key moment, and Frodo would have been lost.

As for Greene, I have two more of his novels that I have not yet read. He is a good writer, but the flawed morality of The Heart of the Matter left a bad taste in my mouth, so I'm going to read a good Catholic mystery to clear my palate. 

Pax et bonum

Pentecost and St. Francis

Saint Francis and the Holy Spirit

The spirituality of St. Francis - and of Franciscans - is very Christ-centered. After all, it was while praying before the San Damiano Cross depicting Christ’s Crucifixion that Francis received his call to rebuild the Church. And Francis so strongly meditated on the sufferings of Christ that he became the first recorded case of a person manifesting the stigmata, the wounds of Chris on his body.  

But Francis certainly did not ignore the Holy Spirit!

Capuchin scholar Optatus van Asseldonk, in his Dizionario Francescano, noted that St. Francis uses the term “Holy Spirit” 38 times in his writings, generally in the context of the Trinity. St. Francis in his writings refers repeatedly to the “Spirit of the Lord”.

In his “Second Letter to the Letter to the Faithful,” for example, St. Francis wrote:

“The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon all those men and women who have done and persevered in these things and It will make a home and dwelling place in them. And they will be the children of the heavenly Father, Whose works they do. And they are spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

"We are spouses when the faithful soul is united by the Holy Spirit to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are brothers [and sisters], moreover, when we do the will of His Father Who is in heaven; mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through love and a pure and sincere conscience and give Him birth through a holy activity, which must shine before others by example.” (48-54).

Through the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit we engage in “holy activity” and do the will of the Lord.

Even when he first prayed before the San Damiano Cross Francis was inspired to compose a prayer in which he calls for God (the Holy Spirit) to enlighten him.

Most High glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart.
Give me right faith, sure hope and perfect charity.
Fill me with understanding and knowledge
that I may fulfill your command.
Amen.

There are other similar statements from St. Francis. But the point is that his followers need to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and engage in “holy activity,” following the lead of the disciples at Pentecost.

Pax et bonum

Substack Grumbles

Back at the end of April I announced I was going to post daily on Substack, with a theme for each day.

Dad Joke Sunday
Musical Monday
Haiku Tuesday
Wild Card Wednesday
Clerihew Thursday
Franciscan Friday
Salmagundi Saturday

One of my goals was to see the page grow.

I kept up that daily posting throughout May and into thmy last post on Saturday being my 112th overall.

But my number of subscribers remained essentially the same.

I subscribed to a number of people, and my email gets flooded when they write. I don’t have time to read all their work. And I’ve noticed a number of them did not subscribe back. And a lot of my posts got looks, but no responses.

Now what this daily posting has meant is that I have had less time for the real writing I want to do. I’ve written fewer poems than I normally would. The works of fiction I’ve been writing - such as my Santa book and my Christian supernatural novel - have gotten less attention. I have even posted on this blog less than I could have.

Not good.

Yeah, I’m frustrated.

Maybe it’s time to back off Substack.

I’m going to be taking a break as I consider what to do.

Pax et bonum

Former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

seems to take great pains with her hair.
It would have been nice if she'd shown similar tenacity
when it came to veracity.

Pax et bonum

Threescore and Ten and Counting

The days of our life are seventy years,
or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.

- Psalm 90, Verse 10, NRSVCE

In older translations, that first line is often rendered the more poetic “threescore and ten.”

Whatever the case, today I hit that mark.

I am aiming for the second figure, though. I’ve always said my goal is 80, and everything after that is gravy.

God willing, 80+ is a realistic possibility. One of my grandfathers died at 96, the other at 94, one grandmother died just short of her 92nd, and the other grandmother died at 87.

Now my parents did die before they hit 80 - dad just short of 78 and mom just short of 72. But they were both heavy smokers, and dad was really overweight. They battled cancers, and in dad’s case, multiple strokes.

I don’t smoke - just flirted with smoking a pipe when I wanted to be a cool college student - I watch my diet, and I try to keep my weight under control, though not always successfully (I’m currently 202 pounds on a 6 foot frame).

The second part of the verse gloomily mentions “only toil and trouble.”

Okay, I have had some woes in my life. My parents spent their last years battling illness. My brother - my only sibling - was murdered at 27. Several of my friends - including my best friend from high school - have died in recent years. I’ve had some family troubles, including being married to a woman with mental illness.

For various reasons I have become estranged from some family members and friends. I have a bad temper, I tend to allow my emotions to subvert my reason, and I have a big mouth, and over those years those have caused me all sorts of toil and trouble.

Indeed, there are times when I look back at things I’ve said and done and feel shame and pain. Me culpa.

But on the whole, life has been good. That first marriage ended with an easy annulment, and this summer I will celebrate 33 years of marriage to a wonderful woman.

We raised three daughters who all graduated college and are now off pursuing their careers.

I am a professed Secular Franciscan.

I enjoyed careers as a teacher and a reporter/editor. I also worked on public radio part time for more than 20 years as an announcer, local host, newscaster, and reporter.

In retirement, I have found plenty of fulfilling volunteer activities to keep me busy.

I regularly see my silly little poems published, and several of my plays were produced locally. At schools I have directed a number of plays.

I have acted in community theater - my favorite role was Prospero in a production of The Tempest. I was also part of the cast on a local cable television show, and even in a short parody horror film. For the last 17 years I have been a professional Santa. I’ve been a children’s entertainer (storyteller and musician), and performed as a guitarist and singer at a number of local fairs, festivals, and coffeehouses. I even got to be a backup singer for Peter, Paul, and Mary for one of their Christmas shows.

I went sky diving. I went 1,200 feet underground in a salt mine (and they turned off the lights at one point - Aiee!). I slid down Mount Hood when a sudden July snowstorm hit. I was part of the crowd at the then largest rock concert (Watkins Glen, 1973). I swam in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic (where I was chased by a shark one night).

I could go on. But the point is that at 70 I can look back at so many blessings, adventures, and opportunities. And God willing, I look forward to more.

At least 10 years’ worth.

After that, it’ll all be gravy.

Pax et bonum