Resolutions

Yes, it's that time again: New Year's Resolutions.

This year, I'm keeping it simple.

Get my weight back down to where it was last August.

Work on Santa's Diary

Begin writing articles for the independent news outlet

Finish reading the entire Bible

Act, speak, and write in more positive and more Franciscan ways 

Get to Confession more regularly

That's it.

I will continue to write poetry and try to get some of it published, and I will read some more classics/theology/philosophy. In addition, I will read the final 11 of Shakespeare's plays that I have not yet read.

Onward into 2022!

Pax et bonum

To Read in 2022

And now that my reading tally is completed for 2021, it's time to do some planning for next year.

One goal is to read the Shakespeare plays I have not yet read.

Titus Andronicus
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Love’s Labour’s Lost
As You Like It
The Merry Wives of Windsor
All’s Well That Ends Well
Measure for Measure
Coriolanus
Timon of Athens
Pericles
The Two Noble Kinsmen

There are some works I read years ago - sometimes 40 plus years ago! - that I want to reread:.  

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day 

The Confessions by St. Augustine

The Symposium by Plato

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 

There are assorted mysteries I'd like to read by Tony Hillerman, Steven Havill, Margaret Coel, and Arthur Conan Doyle, and another volume of Father Brown stories. 

I'd like to try more Hilaire Belloc and G.K. Chesterton.  

I'd like to read a couple of encyclicals. Plus some Plato.  

And, of course, more poetry. At least two more of Frost's published books (next up would be A Further Range and A Witness Tree). 

Beyond that, we'll see! 

Pax et bonum

Read in 2021

Since there are only two day left in the year, and I'm tied up tomorrow, it's highly unlikely I'll finish another book or play for the year. So the final tally is 95. I exceeded the goal I st at the beginning of the year by 5.

I had a few other goals at the beginning of the year.

I wanted to read at least 12 mysteries. I read 23.

I set a goal of reading by the end of 2022 the 24 Shakespeare plays that I hadn't yet read - that worked out to 12 of them each year. This year I read 13, leaving 11 for 2022.

I wanted to continue reading Robert Frost's published books - I did read three of them.

I wanted to reread the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I did. 

I wanted to read a previously unread Dickens' book. I read The Pickwick Papers.

There were other books I wanted to read, and did. Among them were Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People by Charles Camosy. The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos, and 40 Days for Life.

But there were others I wanted to read, but did not. Those included Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

So I do want to read those two spiritual works this year. I want to read more of Frost, and more mysteries - including more the Tony Hillerman Leaphorn/Chee books. I plan to finish the last 11 of Shakespeare's plays that I have not yet read. I want to read at least one more Dickens that I have yet read. I want to reread some classics that I read decades ago - The Brother Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, for example.

But I'm not setting a total number goal. I suspect the figure will still be in the 60s or 70s.

As for 2021 - here's the list:  

How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson

Visiting the Wind: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2021
Proof: Poems By Steven Huff
Lean by John Slater
Haiku: A Poet’s Guide by Lee Gurga
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance - collected, with original poems, by Nikki Grimes
Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Verses
The Essence of Modern Haiku: 300 Poems by Seishi Yamaguchi
Adelaide Crapsey by Mary Elizabeth Osborn
Times Three by Phyllis McGinley
Haiku Inspirations by Tom Lowenstein
The Complete Nonsense Books of Edward Lear
Love Poems for the Very Married by Lois Wyse
West-Running Brook by Robert Frost
New Hampshire by Robert Frost
Mountain Interval by Robert Frost

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
Outlaws of Ravenhurst by Sister M. Imelda Wallace, S.L.
The Amulet of Power (Will Wilder #3) by Raymond Arroyo

The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer That Tunes the Heart to God by Frederica Mathewes-Green
Second Readings: Literary, Philosophical, & Liturgical Essays by Father James V Schall
From the Angel’s Blackboard: The Best of Fulton J. Sheen
The Quiet Light by Louis de Wohl
Assisi: Three Guided Itineraries to the Town by Adriano Cioci and Rizia Guarnieri
Laudato Si by Pope Francis
Chesterton in Black and White
Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
The Soul’s Journey into God by Saint Bonaventure
Everyday Epiphanies: Seeing the Sacred in Every Thing by Sister Melannie Svoboda, SND
Lord of the World by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson
The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos

Meno by Plato
Ion by Plato
Birds by Aristophanes
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Thistles and Thieves by Molly MacRae
The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton
The Ghost Walker by Margaret Coel
The Incredulity of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
Trent’s Last Case by E. C. Bentley
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (Elizabeth MacKintosh)
The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman
Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman
The Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman
The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman
The First Eagle by Tony Hillerman
Twice Buried by Steven Havill
Out of Season by Steven Havill
Before She Dies by Steven F. Havill
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Curtain by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade
The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs the Dough: Early Writings and Cartoons by Dr. Seuss
Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, Vol 1 A-K by Bill Warren
Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, Vol 2 L-Z by Bill Warren
What to Say When by Shawn D. Carney and Steve Karlen
Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People by Charles C. Camosy
Jesus Politics: How to Win Back the Soul of America by Phil Robertson
August 9 by Emmanuel Charles McCarthy
unPlanned by Abby Johnson (with Cindy Lambert)
Fighting for Life: Becoming a Force for Change in a Wounded World by Lila Rose
Dark Agenda: The War to Destroy Christian America by David Horowitz
Our Only Home by the Dalai Lama and Franz Alt
40 Days for Life by David Bereit and Shawn Carney

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part III by William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part I by William Shakespeare
Cymbeline by William Shakespeare
Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
Henry VIII by William Shakespeare
Henry IV Part II by William Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
The Life and Death of King John by William Shakespeare
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Richard II by William Shakespeare

The Candles of My Life by Rick Iekel
The Happily Ever After by Avi Steinberg

Pax et bonum

A Flawed Perspective

In his final collection of essays (Second Readings), the late Father James V. Schall describes a visit by a former student who had been studying in Europe. The student had met some Norwegian students, and visited Norway with them. During that visit, the student met the grandfather of one of the Norwegian students. The grandfather had fought the Nazis invading Norway during World War II, and recounted his capture - and apparent torture - by the Nazis.

According to Father Schall's report of the conversation, his former student said to his Norwegian hosts, "Ah, you see, this shows pretty clearly that a difference between good and evil exists."

But the Norwegian soldier's granddaughter responded, "We cannot impose our ideas on past times. The Nazis had their own culture. It is wrong to judge."

Father Schall went on to reflect about relativism and the abandonment of concepts of good and evil.

I thought about the specific example - the Nazis. But others occurred to me.

Using the Norwegian student's line of reasoning, there are any number of past actions which we can't "judge" because the perpetrators had their own "culture."

Thus we can't judge those who practiced human sacrifice - including child sacrifice.

We can't judge slave owners.

We can't judge the Turks for what they did to the Armenians.

We can't judge those who carried out the Rwandan Genocide.

We can't judge the policies of Mao or Stalin.

And so on.

Of course, the problem with that line of reasoning is that it requires abandoning notions of right and wrong. It means ignoring absolute values.

Sadly, it is the same kind of reasoning that leads to legal abortion on demand, the watering down of traditional marriage and gender identity, the adoption of self-interest as the sole criteria for guiding actions and decisions.

Pax et bonum

Ruby photos

Pax et bonum

The Christmas Poem Sent Out

This is the version of my poem that I sent with my Christmas cards this year.

Pax et bonum

Clapshot recipe - turnips and potatoes

\

Clapshot

This is a simple traditional dish which originated in the Orkneys. Variations on this recipe are sold, ready made and microwaveable, in supermarkets in Scotland these days. It is often served with haggis, instead of separate "tatties and neeps."

Ingredients:
1 pound boiled potatoes
1 pound boiled turnip
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and pepper
2 ounces butter or margarine

Method:
Beat the two vegetables together while still hot and mix in the butter, chives and seasoning. If necessary, continue to beat in a pot until it is piping hot before serving.

Pax et bonum

On the Worship of Josh Allen

Let me start off by saying I am a long-time Bills fan, and I think Josh Allen is a good quarterback. I am glad he plays for the Bills. I think he gives us a chance of making it to the Super Bowl again.

But some people keep touting him as the MVP, the best quarterback in the league, and so on.

I'm not willing to go that far. Look at the various metrics for judging a starting quarterback.

By quarterback ranking, he's 11th in the league.

By touchdowns, he's 4th.

By overall team scoring, he's 4th.

By total yards, he's 6th.

By yards per game, he's 9th.

By completion percentage, he's 21st.

By interceptions, he's tied for 6th most.

By team wins, he's tied for 9th. 

The Bills are currently holding down the last wild card spot in the AFC. If they win this weekend, they would jump to leading their division. If they lose, they have a real chance of missing the playoffs.

Now if he leads the Bills to the division and conference titles then we can talk MVP.

For now, he's just one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Pax et bonum

Blessed Solanus Casey's Respect for Church Leaders

"On another occasion a group of pilgrims visiting him had occasion to complain about some action of their local bishop. Solanus could not tolerate such criticism of the church whose representative the bishop was. He roundly scolded the complainers for their lack of love and respect for God's chosen minister."

-- Meet Solanus Casey: Spiritual Counselor and Wonder Worker by Brother Leo Wollenweber, OFM, Cap

As I read this passage, I could not help but think of the many attacks on various bishops, and especially on the Pope.

Certainly some actions and decisions by bishops and the Pope can be criticized, but the sometimes personal, mean-spirited attacks are troubling.

I wonder what Father Solanus would say to such critics were he with us today?

Pax et bonum

Jacopone da Todi

Jacopone da Todi

Jacomo or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married a pious, generous lady named Vanna.

His young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life.

Jacomo divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order. Often dressed in penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or “Crazy Jim,” by his former associates. The name became dear to him.

After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be received into the Order of Friars Minor. Because of his reputation, his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance, declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile, he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular.

Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals though, opposed Celestine’s successor, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than ever, weeping “because Love is not loved.” During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater.

On Christmas Eve in 1306, Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed “Sister Death” with one of his favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the “Gloria” from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time of his death Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a saint.

- from Franciscan Media
Pax et bonum

A News Site

A while back i mentioned the need for a Catholic news outlet locally. The diocesan paper is limited in what it can - or will - cover - and there are so many other stories out there.

My problem is that while I can writes and take pictures, I am not skilled at website development, and what I envision would be more than a blog.

Through contacts, I was referred to an acquaintance whose son had some skills, and had even developed a site that had been unused for a while. I spoke with the son today, and we are going to give it a try, with my articles appearing on his site.

The plan is for me to write a few, then send them on to him so we have some content with which to begin. I will do that after the holidays - and if covid permits.

Among the first possibilities:

St. John Bosco Schools

Chesterton Academy

Some of the St. Irenaeus Center groups

The Rochester Chesterton Society

The St. Padre Pio Chapel 

Later possibilities:  

The St. John Bosco March for Life, and the buses leaving for D.C. for the march there

Efforts to halt Planned Parenthood's expansion

Focus Pregnancy Center

Support of women in troubled pregnancies

Margaret Home

Secular Orders in Rochester

St. Albans

Latin Mass community

That should keep me busy.

Let's see first what happens with the site and the first few articles.

Pax et bonum

Santa's Diary

Years ago I began what I called "Santa's Diary." The diary was actually a blog supposedly created for Santa to record his daily activities and his memories. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I might be able to turn it into a book.

I wrote more than 200 entries. Some were repetitive - how many times did I write a Christmas Day post?! - some were place holders, some really had no content. But a number of them told stories about meeting Mrs. Claus, silly elves, visits by friends, letters, weather problems, confrontations with other mythical creatures, and so on. Of the 200 plus entries, I'd say 100-120 are usable.

So ... should I organize what I have, add enough entries to reach 365, and then try to publish it?

Worth considering.

On the other hand, how many writing projects have I started and not finished (yet)?

There's the horror novel that I will likely not finish because it got too dark.

There's the collection of Christmas stories and poems.

There's the Slug Chronicles

There's the collected clerihews.

There's the larger collection of short poems - haiku, clerihews, limericks, and cinquains.

There's the even larger collection of all my poems worth publishing.

There are the plays. 

At 66, I'd better get something done before my brain or my body (or both) give out!

As for the Santa Diary, I plan to at least organize what I have to see if I can develop it.

Pax et bonum

In a Book of Poetry

In a book of poetry
from the library
between pages 152 and 153
between Sleep and Death
and a Cat and an Argument
a torn slip of paper
with “Brown Sugar”
written on one side
in neat script
and
“Not”
printed on the other.

Brown Sugar?
Sweetness to mark Sleep? Death?
The Cat? The Argument?

Or Not?

Did one poem resonate?
This one? That one?
Was this just as far
as the reader could go?

Was this a reminder forgotten?
A reminder filled?
A recipe requirement?
Simple indifference?

Or Not?

And who?
And when?
And?

I will return the book
with the torn paper
between pages 152 and 153
with no answers.

Pax et bonum

Without You, Lord

Without You, Lord, I am
- a song without melody
- a candle without flame
- a well without water

Let me be filled with Your love that I may
- make music
- give light
- quench thirst

Amen

Pax et bonum

The Prodding of Father Schall

The more I read of Father James Schall's essays, the more I realize there are books I still need to read or reread.

One issue for me is that I was a literature major and a philosophy minor back in the 1970's - and I finished my masters in literature in 1982. At the same time, I was also going through a period of rediscovering my faith. In the period from roughly 1972-82 I read incessantly, both for my classes, and for my own spiritual/religious growth.

So there are many books I read - but I did so some 40-50 years ago. I've begun to reread those works, but Father Schall's essays are spurring me to do so more diligently. Indeed, he cites C.S. Lewis - a writer whose works I need to reread! - on rereading:

“An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only. . . . We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop and laid asleep, are we at leisure to savour the real beauties. Till then, it is like wasting great wine on a ravenous natural thirst which merely wants cold wetness.”  

There are some works I have read and reread because I taught them - To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, Romeo and juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Pride and Prejudice, and so on. But given that I was teaching them, they don't count. And to my credit since retiring i have gone back to reread some books (most recently, Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey). 

Among the titles that Schall brings up and that I read back in my decade-long binge are Dostoyevsky's  The Brothers Karamazov, St. Augustine's Confessions, several books by C.S. Lewis, and, as I noted in a previous post, various writings by Plato and Aristotle.I could add to those title More's Utopia.

Among the works he brought up that I have never read are St. Augustine's City of God, Boswell's Life of Johnson. sermons by St. John Henry Newman, and essays by Belloc.   

Related to Father Schall's suggestions are the works cited by Joseph Pearce in his Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know.  

Using those two mentors, among the works I need to read or reread are:

The Republic, and various Dialogues (Plato)

The Confession (St. Augustine)

City of God (St. Augustine)

The Consolation of Philosophy (Boethius)

Utopia (More)

Life of Johnson (Boswell)

The Way of the Pilgrim

The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky)

Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky)

Various works by Belloc

The Pilgrim's Regress (Lewis) 

The Great Divorce (Lewis)

The Weight of Glory (Lewis)

Mere Christianity (Lewis)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Solzhenitsyn)

Okay Father Schall (and others) - I'll get to them next year!

Pax et bonum

Blessed Honoratus Kozminski

Blessed Honoratus Kozminski

Wenceslaus Kozminski was born in Biala Podlaska in 1829. By the age of 11 he had lost his faith. By the age of 16 his father had died. He studied architecture at the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Suspected of participating in a rebellious conspiracy against the Czarists in Poland, he was imprisoned from April 1846 until March of 1847. His life then took a turn for the better, and in 1848 he received the Capuchin habit and a new name, Honoratus. He was ordained in 1855 and dedicated his energies to the ministry where he was involved, among other things, with the Secular Franciscan Order.

A 1864 revolt against Czar Alexander III failed, which led to the suppression of all religious orders in Poland. The Capuchins were expelled from Warsaw and moved to Zakroczym. There Honoratus founded 26 religious congregations. These men and women took vows but did not wear a religious habit and did not live in community. In many regards, they lived as members of today’s secular institutes do. Seventeen of these groups still exist as religious congregations.

Father Honoratus’ writings include many volumes of sermons, letters, and works on ascetical theology, works on Marian devotion, historical and pastoral writings, as well as many writings for the religious congregations which he founded.

When various bishops sought to reorganize the communities under their authority in 1906, Honoratus defended them and their independence. In 1908, he was relieved of his leadership role. Nevertheless he encouraged the members of these communities to be obedient to the Church.

Father Honoratus died on December 16, 1916, and was beatified in 1988. His liturgical feast is celebrated on October 13.

- From Franciscan Media 

Pax et bonum

Blessed Mary Frances Schervier

Blessed Mary Frances Schervier

This woman who once wanted to become a Trappistine nun was instead led by God to establish a community of sisters who care for the sick and aged in the United States and throughout the world.

Born into a distinguished family in Aachen—then ruled by Prussia, but formerly Aix-la-Chapelle, France—Frances ran the household after her mother’s death, and established a reputation for generosity to the poor. In 1844, she became a Secular Franciscan. The next year she and four companions established a religious community devoted to caring for the poor. In 1851, the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis were approved by the local bishop; the community soon spread. The first U.S. foundation was made in 1858.

Mother Frances visited the United States in 1863 and helped her sisters nurse soldiers wounded in the Civil War. She visited the United States again in 1868. She encouraged Philip Hoever as he was establishing the Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis.

When Mother Frances died, there were 2,500 members of her community worldwide. They are still engaged in operating hospitals and homes for the aged. Mother Mary Frances was beatified in 1974.

- From Franciscan Media

Pax et bonum

Those Greeks

I've been reading a wonderful collection of the late Father James Schall's essays - Second Readings. In the essays he repeatedly mentions Plato and Aristotle and their writings.

I read some of the works he mentioned - in whole or part - back when I was a Philosophy minor in college. In other words, a long time ago.

Some of the titles I remember, but, I can't honestly say if I've just heard of them, or read them to some degree.

Of Plato -

The Republic. (I'm pretty sure I only read excerpts of this one) 

Crito

Phaedo

Phadrus

Symposium

Of Aristotle - 

Ethics

Poetics (some of this was also read in literature classes)

His discussion of them has me thinking they might be worth revisiting. I think I have some of them tucked away in storage boxes. I checked our local library - they have some of them buried in their stacks. I guess Greek philosophers are not high on the list of circulated titles!

Right now I'm working on the Schall book, a book about the Jesus Prayer, and Pope Leo XIII"s Rerum Novarum. I need to finish those. Also, being in a Greek mood, I borrowed a copy of Aristophanes's Lysistrata from the library, so I''ll read that one as well. After that, maybe a little philosophy. 

Pax et bonum

Reading goals

I've already noted that next year I will not have an overall reading goal (though I will have some specific ones).

In thinking about why this year's goal made me uncomfortable, I came to a realization.

The books I was reading were ones that interested me and that I wanted to read - either because they were of a genre or writer I liked, they caught my attention, or they seemed good to read for particular reasons.

Many of the books were well-written, had interesting plots and/or characters, and did a good job of dealing with topics or themes that interested me. But I found that in keeping count, sometimes the counting overshadowed the quality. The quality was still there, but my attention was shadowed by something else.

I don't want to ruin the books.

So next year, no overall total. I will likely still read a lot of books, but I will savor them becauseof themselves, and not because they are numbers 67 or 71.  

Pax et bonum

The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare)

Okay, so I did go beyond the 12 Shakespeare plays I set as a goal for this year.

I was at the library and spotted a copy of The Comedy of Errors. Now I'm up to 13 Shakespeare plays for 2021.

The play was an early effort, and it was clearly derivative.  I'm not even sure Shakespeare wrote all of it - it had elements that seemed Shakespearean, but some that did not. 

It was also short. Might it have been done originally with another short play, or perhaps some musical entertainment?

It was a bit of fluff involving twins and mixed-up identities - how many stories, plays, movies, and television shows have used that cliche! To be honest, many of them handled it better. It was amusing, but not high comedy, None of the characters seemed particularly memorable. And I think this play was better suited to seeing than to reading.  

Be all that as it may, I'm now down to 11 of his 38 plays that I haven't read yet. The goal remains to read them all before the end of 2022.

Chronologically, of the unread plays, Titus Andronicus should be next.

  

Pax et bonum

Joseph beheld ...

Pax et bonum

Chris Cuomo

In light of Chris Cuomo being fired by CNN today due to accusations of inappropriate and unethical journalistic actions on his part, I resurfaced an old clerihew,

Chris Cuomo

hates to be called "Fredo." 

Still, he always turns down Andy's offers to take 

him fishing out on the lake.

Pax et bonum

Blessed Rafal Chylinski

Blessed Rafal Chylinski

Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior Chylinski showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him “the little monk.” After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to officer rank within three years.

In 1715, against the urgings of his military comrades, Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Krakow. Receiving the name Rafal, he was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki, where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity, as well as for his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry.

Rafal played the harp, lute, and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies, and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.

Pax et bonum

Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss 

was fond of tippling fermented mulberry juice. 

This helps to explain a thing or thing two, 

such as that cat's hat and Horton's who.

Pax et bonum