Reading Goals

One of the things I've been doing the last couple of years in terms of reading is setting goals for the number of books and the number of pages.

I'm finding that having such goals is getting a bit cumbersome.

I'm on my way to meeting this year's goals, but I find fewer and fewer books worth reading. The longer, richer, but often denser works that are worth reading slow me down, and I've even found myself deciding not to read a book at this time because it would make it harder to meet my goals!

Now goals about reading a particular author - even trying to finish all the books by that author - are fine. I'll keep doing those.

But total number of books and a set page count? I have to think about that.

Pax et bonum

The Path to Belloc

In his book Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know, Joseph Pearce provides a quick overview of what he considers great work of literature. He includes at the end of the book a list of 100 works "every Catholic should aspire to read."

For the most part, I agree with him. And I've used his list to help guide my effort to fill the gaps in my own reading history. Mind you, as a Literature major, a book lover, and as a Chestertonian, I had read many of the works he cites. 

Chesterton. Dickens. Dostoyevsky. Tolkien. Lewis. Shakespeare. Sophocles. 

Ah. Favorites whose works iIread and reread.

But there have been some works he mentions that I did not like. I tried Don Quixote, and got a hundred pages in before I gave up. I did read a few of Jane Austen's books that I had not previously read, but did not really enjoy them. Manners and romance are not my cup of tea. And I did read both of Flannery O'Connor's novels; too grotesque for my taste.

I decided to tackle Hilaire Belloc. I had only previously read Cautionary Tales for Children (which I had enjoyed) and Pearce's Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. I found the biography informative, but came away not really liking Belloc as a person!

Nevertheless, I thought it was time to tackle one of the Belloc books on Pearce's list: The Path to Rome. I started it a few months ago, but it did not hold my interest, so I drifted away to other works. Still, given his ties to Chesterton, and Pearce's championing of the book, I felt obligated to finish it. So I returned to it.

I did finish it the other day. But I have to admit I did so just to say I did. Indeed, the last third of the book I kept thinking, "Get to Rome already."

It could be that I'm not a fan of travel books or of long rambling works. But even more, his personality got in the way. I did not care about his struggles, and got tired of his commentary and judging. Oh, there were some descriptive passages that were quite fine, and I could appreciate them as examples of good writing. But that's about all I did enjoy.

I have his The Four Men on my bookshelf, and Pearce is even higher on that book than on The Path to Rome, but I hesitate to even attempt it. I also have a collection of his essays; those I might read as I do enjoy essays. Not yet, however.

Instead, I'll just end this with a clerihew I wrote about Belloc a number of years ago:

Hilaire Belloc
walked off the end of a dock,
but being in the midst of a debate
he was unaware of his fate.

As for my current reads, I'm juggling a book about haiku poet Santoka Taneda,  The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and Father Kevin McKenna's A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching.

And enjoying them all.

Pax et bonum

Politics ... Bah! Humbug!

It's an intense political season, so naturally I've been posting about the campaign.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are completely objectionable in so many ways. I could never vote for them.

But Donald Trump is no prize. And his support of disordered individuals, and statements lately about abortion and IVF are worrying.

The Republicans have moved away from being pro-life. They are not as extreme as the Democrats, but they are moving in that direction.

Meanwhile, our Congressman Morelle is a pro-abortion extremist who has betrayed his faith. But his opponent also supports abortion.

At least i have Peter Sonski of the American Solidarity Party as a presidential candidate for whom I can happily vote.

But the election this year has me worried about the future of our country.

Sigh. 

Pax et bonum

Trump, IVF, and Pro-lifers

Pax et bonum

DNC

Pax et bonum

Proposition 1 and Weak Responses

I was out the other night with a group of men from the Catholic men's group to which I belong. I struck up a conversation with one man sitting next to me. The issue of Proposition 1 on the NY ballot came up.

For those unfamiliar with the Proposition, if approved it will codify abortion without limits in the NY Constitution, and undermine parent right when it comes to their children and abortion or "gender transition."

As part of our discussion, the man noted that the Catholic Courier had reported on a statement from the NY Bishops opposing the Proposition, but complained that the Courier has stuck the article on an inside page (13) and posted it in a single narrow column that would not draw a lot of attention. He said that the issue is so important that priests should be talking about it in their homilies, and it should be addressed in parish bulletins again and again, otherwise people will not be aware of the evil of this proposition.

I agreed that a single article like this in the middle of the summer will not be enough. As a retired teacher, I know you have to repeat new ideas again and again before a majority of students understand them. I also think the article could have used some statements or a second article interviewing diocesan officials, local pro-life activists, and perhaps some spokesperson from the opposition organization linked in the article.

Perhaps there will be more from the Bishops. Perhaps the diocese will do something to focus on the issue. Maybe it will distribute bulletin articles and homily hints related to the Proposition. How about a press conference with diocesan pro-life officials and Bishop Matano? One can only hope,

As for the Courier, perhaps there will be something more in October when it puts out a Life issue, but that's just a month before voting and hardly enough. Maybe there will be something in the September issue, but I'm not holding my breath given recent trends. Just this year:

- There was no coverage of the Good Friday Stations of the Cross for Life.

- There was no coverage of the national 40 Days for Life Catholic speaker coming to Rochester.

- There was no coverage of the national Men's March coming to Rochester and drawing more than 200 mostly Catholic marchers processing through downtown Rochester.

- Unless there is a future article, there was no coverage of Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck, whose home was raided at gunpoint by the FBI - terrorizing his wife and seven children - but who was acquitted of all charges.

Anyway, the man and I agreed that with the state government and the media backing it, and without more being done on sustained basis by the Church, it is likely the Proposition will pass, and abortion will be enshrined in the State Constitution and parental rights will be undermined.

And maybe after the approval state Catholic officials will lament the passage and note that, gee, they did issue a statement against it.

Pax et bonum

WALZ PUNISHED CHURCHES DURING COVID

WALZ PUNISHED CHURCHES DURING COVID