... you might be going to Hell

If you have sex with your date, even if you are engaged, you might be going to Hell.
If you worship money or power or sports more than God, you might be going to Hell.
If you commit adultery, including getting married after a divorce without getting an annulment first, you might be going to Hell.
If you engage in homosexual acts, you might be going to Hell.
If you steal, or cheat your customers or on your taxes, you might be going to Hell.
If you make or take more than you need, wanting even more and not sharing, you might be going to Hell.
If you consistently drink or take drugs to the point where you are intoxicated, you might be going to Hell.
If you abusively or consistent mock and insult others, you might be going to Hell.
If you rob people by violence or by unfair business practices, you might be going to Hell.

Lots of folks might be going to hell - and don't just take it from me. -  1 Corinthians 6: 9-11.

 Pax et bonum

Some old pics - beardless adult me!

 

Back in 1985/86, I was teaching at a Catholic high school that was a very good school, but which paid its faculty low wages. indeed, with two kids at home and just one income we were eligible for Food Stamps. I was applying to public schools, but with little luck, so I decided to cut my hair and shave my beard to increase my chances (I thought). I'd had a beard since I was 18, but off it went. I kept the moustache, though. So for six months (December 85 to June 86) I was beardless. During that time, my school had a student scavenger hunt in which they had to get faculty members to dress as television characters. My friend Juli and l came as Lily and Herman Munster.

 

 

 

The English office had a couch at the time, so I posed for a candid sacked out on it. 

Before the beard came off, I took part in some skits.

 

In June of 1986, the beard came back - and has remained to this day.

Pax et bonum

Stand Out for Life, April 27

More than 100 of us braved the cold, wind, snow, and sleet April 27 to witness for life at the monthly Stand Out for Life.

 

We heard from a variety of speakers, said a rosary, and sang hymns.

 

The police were there - as they have been recently for the Stand Outs and for 40 Days for Life. They are there on the behalf of Planned Parenthood and its government supporters to enforce the no-trespassing buffer zones, but given the repeated instances of violence against prolifers lately, they actually make the prolifers feel safer. And they are there to witness all interactions, thus potentially helping to counter false accusations made by prochoicers. 

 In a desperate attempt to cut down on eye contact and to prevent women form hearing words of love and support, and about alternatives to abortion, Planned Parenthood recently installed a small fence. They obviously hope that with this and the court-ordered no-trespassing buffer zones marked out on the public sidewalks they can eliminate as much contact with prolifers as possible. There are cases in the courts that may eventually overturn the earlier rulings. Despite the prochoicers' efforts, life will prevail.



Love will end abortion. 

 Pax et bonum

Spiritual Dust

After finishing a short biography of Mark Twain I'd found at the library - a biography which I enjoyed - I began a collection of essays I'd found on the new books shelf. The essays were written by a mother/daughter team who've written several such books previously.

The blurbs on the back described the books the two have written as "warm and engaging," having "entertaining, down-to-earth narration," and offering "guaranteed laughs."

I found some of the pieces amusing, yes. But the more I read, the more I was troubled.

The essays seemed to be just more of what passes for clever and insightful in our superficial culture, but really is shallow and morally deficient.

I had the image of Satan using this book and its ilk to sift spiritual dust into our souls to clog them. People might argue that it's just meant to be a light book, not great literature. But that's how Satan works. Give us "harmless" entertainment that really just poisons us. We see that in books like this - or in popular television shows, movies, songs, etc. Beneath the seeming innocuous surface there are messages and ideas that gradually blind us to what is true, and good, and beautiful.

While mulling my reactions to this book I had the great pleasure of going to a local G.K. Chesterton Society meeting where they were reading aloud essays from Tremendous Trifles. The contrast could not have been more stark. We laughed, discussed, made connections.

I came away from that meeting enriched and inspired. My soul was nourished.

We need more such enriching material, and less of the shallow and morally deficient.

Pax et bonum

Mark Twain Biography Revelations

I read and enjoyed Mark Twain by Geoffrey C. Ward and Dayton Duncan. The book, an illustrated biography, is a companion book for the Ken Burns documentary about Twain.

I was looking to learn more about Twain, but I did not want to get bogged down in a literary study/biography. At 258 pages, with many images and side articles, this book fit the bill.

I'd known some of the basic details about his life. This book filled in the gaps, and gave me a sense of his times as well.

That he had had some bad times - loss of loved one and bankruptcy - I knew, but not the extent of his losses. A brother, three children (including his son at 19 month), his wife all died before he did, The illnesses of his wife and daughters, estrangement at times from his daughters. as well as the extent of his business problems, was eye-opening. His bitterness and cynicism later in life made more sense.

I was also not aware of his own personality flaws. They made sense, though.

I came away from the book knowing him better, saddened by what he went through, and with a desire to read more of his works. I would also like to see the documentary some time.

But now, on to my next book: A contemporary collection of essays. I'll get back to Twain this summer. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?

Pax et bonum

The Patron Saint of Coffee

The patron saint of coffee and coffehouses is Saint Drogo, who was a Flemish nobleman and hermit.

On orphan, he gave away his wealth when he turned 18, became a shepherd, then a pilgrim. He apparently developed an illness that disfigured him, and he spent his last years as a hermit in a cell attached to a church.

Now how he became the patron saint of coffee and coffee houses is unclear. He lived in the 12th Century - hundreds of years before coffee became common in Belgium. I've seen it speculated that when he lived in the cell he asked that the water being given to him be warmed.

Ah well, I raise a cup in his honor.

Pax et bonum

It's Earth Day

Yes, people make fun of environmentalists - but I happen to be one.

I believe in preserving the environment as much as possible. I believe in taking care of resources, not polluting or littering, showing respect for other nature, recycling, and so on.

So Happy Earth Day!

Pax et bonum

Photography

Over the years I've taken lots of pictures. Sports, nature, pro-life, shrines, and so on.

I kid that being behind the camera helps me to avoid having my picture taken. But truth be told, I've taken some decent pictures.

Many are motivated by the need to promote or support things - such as the pro-life activities, or the schools where I have taught.

 

I wonder if this is an art form at which I can excel? Not as a nationally recognized artist, certainly, but as a competent photographer? 

 

 

Something to consider.

Pax et bonum

More nature photos

 

 

 

 

 

Pax et bonum

Nature photos

 

 

 

Some of my nature photos.

Pax et bonum

How Many Will Go to Heaven ...and to Hell?

We don't know who ends up in Heaven or Hell - that's not in us the power of most of us. We can speculate - the Church has certainly declared some folks saints, so the odds seem good in their favor. And the Good-Looking-One and I were talking the other day about how we were both pretty certain that Billy Graham will be there, if he is not already.

But then there are those multiple warnings that many will end up in Hell.

Mystics of the Church has a piece about this - including a number of quotations from saints.

“The common opinion is that the greater part of adults are lost.” -Saint Alphonsus Liguori, -Mystic and Doctor of the Church

"It is certain that few are saved." – Saint Augustine, Doctor of the Church

"Out of one hundred thousand sinners who continue in sin until death, scarcely one will be saved."
-Saint Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church

"The number of the elect is so small — so small — that, were we to know how small it is, we would faint away with grief: one here and there, scattered up and down the world!” -Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

"So vast a number of miserable souls perish, and so comparatively few are saved!" –Saint Philip Neri, mystic

“The greater number of Christians today are damned. The destiny of those dying on one day is that very few – not as many as ten – went straight to Heaven; many remained in Purgatory; and those cast into Hell were as numerous as snowflakes in mid-winter.” -Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, mystic

“Among adults there are few saved because of sins of the flesh. […] With the exception of those who die in childhood, most men will be damned.” -Saint Remigius of Rheims

“The number of the damned is incalculable.” -Saint Veronica Giuliani, mystic

"A great number of Christians are lost.” -Saint Leonard of Port Maurice

“Oh, how many souls lose Heaven and are cast into Hell!” -Saint Francis Xavier

"So many people are going to die, and almost all of them are going to Hell! So many people falling into hell!”  – Saint Jacinta, visionary of Fatima

“Taking into account the behavior of mankind, only a small part of the human race will be saved.”-Sister Lucia, visionary of Fatima

“I was watching souls going down into the abyss as thick and fast as snowflakes falling in the winter mist.” -Blessed Benedict Joseph Labre, mystic

“The number of the saved is as few as the number of grapes left after the vineyard-pickers have passed.”  -Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, mystic

Yikes.

Food for thought. And prayer.

I will pray for the souls of others. And I need to focus on my own sinfulness.

(A hat tip to Interstate Catholic for pointing to this article.)

Pax et bonum

Gmorning, Gnight, Gbye

I was at the library the other day returning some books and checking out some others. I ventured over to the "new books" shelf as I often do to see if anything there caught my attention.

Right next to the poetry books were two copies of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight. That immediately piqued my interest. Two copies? That suggested to me that either someone in the library is pushing this book, or that someone in the library thought this particular book might be popular.

I checked the credits at the back, and discovered the author wrote Hamilton - a musical in which I have no interest because I'm not a fan of modern musicals, and because of the politics surrounding it. But the musical did win awards, so he's now a name, hence he could publish a book of Twitter posts - which is what this little tome contains. Still, being popular and award-winning is not necessarily a knock on one's abilities as a writer- after all, Dickens was popular. But it did cause me to hesitate.

At our particular library, they put a sheet in the back of books where patrons can share their thoughts about the book. There was just one comment at the back of one of the copies. Some woman had written that she found the book profound and inspiring, and had bought copies for her daughters.

A second cause to hesitate. I wonder how the daughters reacted when they received their little gifts - or if they even read them?

I went ahead and took it out, in part just to see what he posted on Twitter that had apparently gotten him some attention. I thought that perhaps I could find some inspiration for my own tweets once I start tweeting again after Easter. I'm always looking for ways to improve.

Mr. Miranda's tweets reprinted in the book are indeed positive in nature - bite-size affirming, encouraging, and uplifting musings on life.

There's nothing wrong with that. We need more positive things these days.

Some of the tweets were nice. A couple made me smile. A few rang true.

Yes, some had unnecessary colorful language, but he's a child of his age, I guess. And many were, well, the kinds of things I might say to my middle school students to make them feel good about themselves.

I was reminded of a book I encountered years ago - thousands of things to be happy about, or some such title. I spotted it in a rack near the coffee bar in a local chain bookstore. The rack featured little pop wisdom or trivial books, sort of like the magazines and little books near the candy in the check-out lines and my local supermarket. Mental candy, easily consumed. I read through that "happy" book while waiting in line to order my overpriced coffee.

Being perhaps a bit more cynical and openly sarcastic in those days, I went home and started writing my own pseudo-epic - thousands of things to be annoyed about. I got up to 100, then got bored. I guess that's a tribute to the happy author that she was able to stick with it.

I think they've come out with at least a second edition of that happy book. That tells you something about the reading public - or at least consumers.

That's not to say Miranda's book is lame or trite (though some of this posts were one or both). It got to be pretty repetitive, however. But how many ways can you say "I'm okay, you're okay, it's all gonna be okay"? Admittedly, I did find myself rushing through the last few pages to get it done.

I wondered if the commenting woman's daughters' copies would end up in a library used book sale in the near future. Next to copies of the happy book, first and second editions.

Still, it did inspire me to try to write my own positive tweets once I start tweeting again - that's something to say for the book.

I won't pen anything like Hamilton to give me name recognition, and make my Twitter musings marketable.

But that doesn't matter. We do need more positive things these days, after all.

Pax et bonum

Slug indifference

Pax et bonum

Stations of the Cross for Life 2019

A Good Friday tradition for pro-lifers in Rochester is the Stations of the Cross for Life at McQuaid Jesuit High School.

The stations begin with a prayer service at the school, followed by the Stations and a Divine Mercy Chaplet while processing to the office of a doctor who performs abortions.

The chapel holds about 300 people - and the prayer-service was standing-room only. Fewer people march, (due to illness, disability, not wanting to process with small children, etc.), but we still had about 200 people marching in the occasional drizzle, including priests, deacons, and women religious. That's one of the largest crowds in all the time I've been taking part in the Stations.

The Stations are about more than abortion, though that clearly is the major focus. We pray for women who have had abortions, the elderly, those in prison, euthanasia, refugees, those facing the death penalty, social sins, and so on.

We prayed outside the doctor's office. Hopefully, the pro-choice side will finally listen to science, basic biology, ethics and reason, and we will not have to pray for an end to abortion any more.

Pax et bonum

Mark Twain and I

I have a certain fondness for Mark Twain.

And it's not about his moustache, though I do find it fetching.

I like his sense of humor. I've tried at times in my own writing to be humorous.

I like his satire. I've tried at times in my own writing to be satirical.

And I understand his darker cynicism about the human race. I struggle with that tendency in myself.

Something that helps me deal with it is my faith, and the model of St. Francis. I don't have the sense that Twain was so blessed.

Over the years I've enjoyed his works. I've been entertained by novels like Huckleberry Finn and Joan of Arc, for example, and some of his essays and short stories.

There are other works of his I have not yet read - but would like to do so. That says a lot about him. There are some writers who are considered great in some way and in their particular genres, whom I've read because they were "greats," and whom I have no desire to read more of unless I have to. Tennessee Williams, Tolstoy, and William Faulkner come to mind.

But Twain joins writers like and Chesterton, Dostoyevsky, Frost, and Dickens on my "I-want-to-read-more" list.

Besides, there is that moustache.

Pax et bonum

"Game of Porn" hype

The hype seems endless for the return of Game of Thrones for its final season. Even some people who profess to be Catholic/Christian are looking forward to it.

But the show features gratuitous nudity and soft-core porn. When I bring that up to those people, they admit there is a lot of that, but they watch it for the story and the fantasy.

Right.

Explain that to God at the final judgment - remembering that the way into heaven is narrow.

I am opposed to any graphic depiction of sex. It's not needed.

On the other hand, I'm not totally opposed to nudity - when it is handled with discretion and where it is essential to the story, and not simply for titillation and exploitation. So I'm not offended by art where there is nudity. And I'm not offended by things like the topless scene in Witness or the partial nudity in The Mission. They made sense given the stories. But most movies/television shows depicting nudity do so for ignoble reasons.

Like Game of Porn.

Pax et bonum

Not Finding My Roots

My wife loves a show called Finding Your Roots - a show on which "famous" people have their family roots explored. (To be honest, I've never heard of some of these people!)

I find it boring.

I did have my own DNA tested a few years ago, which confirmed my Irish and Scottish ancestry - with a dash of Scandinavian.

But unlike the people on that show, I don't need to know the name of my great-great grandmother on my fathers' side. Nor do I care when my ancestors on my father's side first came to the U.S. - my mother was a Scottish immigrant, so I know when that branch of the family came here. And I don't care if my mother's family can be traced back to Scottish royalty. I do joke that my dislike for wearing neckties suggests one or more of them were hanged anyway!

I say, with some degree of truth, that I just don't care to know the people. I'm just not a very social person.

The folks on the show are obviously happy. Me, if I were famous, I wouldn't go on the show.

And since I'm not famous, the folks on the show are not interested in me either.

So it goes.

Pax et bonum

Buttigieg clerihew

Pete Buttigieg
sought to give his slim electoral hopes a nudge.
Hence
his gratuitous attack on Vice President Mike Pence.

Pax et bonum

Getting Dramatic (update)

I'm helping to direct a high school production of Harvey. The students are doing a great job. The audience last night loved it.

This current experiences got me things back to my own acting/directing career as an adult.

There is, of course, my acting as Santa Claus for the past 13 years. Then there are these:

Acting (Plays):

The Hobbit - 1998
The Secret Garden - 1998
Othello -1998
The Tempest (Tempest in a Teapot) - 1999
Under Milkwood - 1999
The Beau Ideal - 1996, 1997
The Lost World
R. U. R.

Acting (Movies):

Enter the Dagon

Acting (Television):

Clown Town - 1994-96

Acting (Radio)

The Fuehrer Bunker - 1996

Director/Assistant Director:

Little Women (2021)
The Devil and Danielle Webster (2019)

Harvey (2019)
Stone Soup (2018 - plus an earlier production)
Pride and Prejudice (2018)
Robin Hood
The Sick King

Playwright

The Sick King (performed at Lakeside)
Robin Hood  (performed at Lakeside)
Stone Soup  (performed at Lakeside, and at St. John Bosco (2018)
A Memphis King in Camelot - 1999
The Vain King and the Dragon - 1998
The Beau Ideal -1996 - Performed by Geva in 1997

I was also involved as an actor or director in a couple of revues and collection of skits  .

Pax et bonum

Alexa Clerihew

Alexa
seems to have a hidden agenda:
she'll respond to requests from you,
but sometimes also record what you say and do.

Pax et bonum

Elwood P. Dowd

The genial Elwood P. Dowd
could easily mix with any crowd,
but those crowds would always tend
to quickly disperse when he introduced his friend.

Pax et bonum

Lost faith in politics : Chesterton's "Ethics of Elfland"

In "The Ethics of Elfland' (in Orthodoxy), G. K. Chesterton observed:

"Now, I have not lost my ideals in the least; my faith in fundamentals is exactly what it always was. What I have lost is my old childlike faith in practical politics. I am still as much concerned as ever about the Battle of Armageddon; but I am not so much concerned about the General Election. As a babe I leapt up on my mother's knee at the mere mention of it. No; the vision is always solid and reliable. The vision is always a fact. It is the reality that is often a fraud."

I used to be very concerned with politics. But in recent years I have lost faith in politics - and in the voters. We need government for some things, but very often government gets in the way. And when the voters don't have well-formed, informed consciences, we end up with elected officials who promote things that are popular, but are simply wrong.

I gave up on the Democratic Party a decade ago - after 35 years of being active in the party. I was a Republican for one year - because I supported one candidate (Huckabee), but left that party immediately after he did not get the Republican nomination of President. I tried to get involved in the American Solidarity party, but that party quickly splintered.

Political parties lead to compromising, and  compromise after compromise eventually leads us to accepting things that are wrong.

We need the values found in undying universal principles that Chesterton found in fairy stories - "elfland" - and, of course, in faith.

I can accomplish a lot more by being a good Catholic and a good Franciscan than I can as a member of a political party.

Pax et bonum

Maggie haiku

moonlit room –
the dog’s toys next to the box
that hold her ashes

Pax et bonum