"Politicians whom they dislike"
5 days ago
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 01, 2009
GKC for Children
MEDIA ADVISORY, May 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- G.K. Chesterton, the prolific and influential Christian writer, is the subject of a new book series for children, which has been announced on the 135th anniversary of his birthday.
Eternal Revolution is now taking preorders for the first book in the new Uncle Chestnut series: The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut.
Written for young readers, The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut contains 4 short stories told by Jack, whose Uncle Chestnut comes to take care of him while his parents are away. Whether traveling, chasing after hats, or embarking on everyday adventures, Uncle Chestnut teaches a unique perspective on life and the world to his nephew.
Based on the writings and actual events in the life of G.K. Chesterton, this work of fiction presents the wit and wisdom of the British writer in a considerably easier style for young people to read. It is a simple, fun approach to introducing G.K. Chesterton to readers of all ages.
Written at a 6th grade reading level for today’s students, The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut draws primarily from Chesterton's Tremendous Trifles and teaches the value of seeing everyday obstacles as exciting and unique adventures.
Eternal Revolution is offering two special offers for those who pre-order the book from Eternal Revolution at www.UncleChestnut.com before it is available. Pre-orders will receive a special discounted price and two free MP3 recordings of G.K. Chesterton presenting essays in his own voice.
The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut is expected to be available to the public on or about June 30, 2009, and will retail for $10.95. It will be available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. It is written by Paul Nowak, author of The Way of the Christian Samurai.
Wholesale and media inquiries can be directed to sales@dyinglight.com, or by calling 616-425-8873. For more information on the book visit Eternal-Revolution.com.
C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, credited Chesterton as a significant influence in his conversion to Christianity. Other famous persons influenced by Chesterton include Mahatma Gandhi, J.R.R. Tolkien, Alfred Hitchcock, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Crichton.
Link.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
whew........
.....a bit of an absence from here. Had son's First Communion, Soccer Games, Daughters dance recital, and that whirlwind of the school year winding down.
and how much has changed in the world, in the United States, and within the Church.
I try very, very hard not to get political in blogging. Despite his deep involvement in the issues of his day, Chesterton actually seemed to have avoided "politics" as we would define it today. He had a true gift of letting the issues of the day melt into eternal truths and universal principles. From this perspective, what are the universal principles that peer at as from behind the curtain of current events?
The only things I despise more than politics are cliche's, but I think we truly see before us how there is no history, only biography. When even the powerful and wealthy are stripped of their not quite seamless garments of inflated funds and paper financial instruments, we can clearly become aware of the character, personality, and gravitas of world players as well as the pettiness and shallowness which seems magnified during times of hardship.
I am beginning to see the futility in dwelling on the negative and taking delight in the scandal of others, we all are aware of these things going on. On the positive side, however, did anybody really take note of Pope Benedict walking out of a meeting when a speaker was going on an anti-Israel/anti-Semetic rant? That act was the single greatest act of courage I recall on the world stage for many, many months. I am truly honored to identify with that type of heroism, to be able to point at Pope Benedict and say, "There goes my spiritual leader."
and how much has changed in the world, in the United States, and within the Church.
I try very, very hard not to get political in blogging. Despite his deep involvement in the issues of his day, Chesterton actually seemed to have avoided "politics" as we would define it today. He had a true gift of letting the issues of the day melt into eternal truths and universal principles. From this perspective, what are the universal principles that peer at as from behind the curtain of current events?
The only things I despise more than politics are cliche's, but I think we truly see before us how there is no history, only biography. When even the powerful and wealthy are stripped of their not quite seamless garments of inflated funds and paper financial instruments, we can clearly become aware of the character, personality, and gravitas of world players as well as the pettiness and shallowness which seems magnified during times of hardship.
I am beginning to see the futility in dwelling on the negative and taking delight in the scandal of others, we all are aware of these things going on. On the positive side, however, did anybody really take note of Pope Benedict walking out of a meeting when a speaker was going on an anti-Israel/anti-Semetic rant? That act was the single greatest act of courage I recall on the world stage for many, many months. I am truly honored to identify with that type of heroism, to be able to point at Pope Benedict and say, "There goes my spiritual leader."
Sunday, May 17, 2009
I write this as President Obama speaks at Norte Dame. I am saddened that it happened but not surprised. Father Jenkins has more than once broken his vow of obedience with his Bishop. So this was in reality only a small step for him not the big OMG leap so many have called it. This day began shortly after he took his position at ND allowing theology professors to openly question the dogma of transubstantiation the allowing the Vagina Chronicles to be performed on campus. Each time the local Bishop told him NO. Nothing “happened” to Fr. Jenkins after each breech and the University still stands. So what’s one more sin? Fr. J. thinks that this is open discourse and the kind of open diversity that an University should be about he is rebelling against, um, ah…. well Orthodoxy.
Chesterton would say of his type:
“…But the new rebel is a Skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it.”
I, along with others, have questioned if Fr. J. should not have been removed form his office after the first, ‘I know what’s better than you Bishop.’ Then I saw this Chesterton quote in a different light: “There are many, many angles at which one can fall but only one angle at which one can stand straight.”
His Bishop and the other Bishops were not pushing him to fall over but to help him get straight again.
Chesterton would say of his type:
“…But the new rebel is a Skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it.”
I, along with others, have questioned if Fr. J. should not have been removed form his office after the first, ‘I know what’s better than you Bishop.’ Then I saw this Chesterton quote in a different light: “There are many, many angles at which one can fall but only one angle at which one can stand straight.”
His Bishop and the other Bishops were not pushing him to fall over but to help him get straight again.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
On neighbors' dogs
We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbor. - GKC
We know our neighbors on one side. Not well, but enough to chat, and to offer help when needed. The wives are both outdoor types, always puttering about in the yard, so there is regular contact. When an ice storm knocked out our power, the husband came over to help rig up a generator. When he got sick we were the back-ups for rides to treatments.
We know their names.
But we did not make friends with them.
On the other side are the new neighbors. New - as in they've lived there for only four years.
We occasionally nod in passing. But no conversations per se. I did bid them welcome when they arrived. And once when their dog got loose I took it back over. That's about it. We rarely see them go outside. When they do, it's for some utilitarian purpose, like mowing the lawn. Then they disappear.
We don't know their names.
I suppose that is unfriendly of us. We could probably be better neighbors ourselves. But I'm kind of reclusive myself.
We did not make frinds, or enemies. We're just neighbors.
I do know their dog. She's a friendly beast. A tail-wagger who always used to come up to the fence to greet our tail-wagging dog, and to get a scritch on the head from me.
I know the dog's name.
Now there's a second dog.
We don't know if this one is a temporary, or a permanent resident.
But this dog barks. Constantly.
Open our bedroom window.
Bark.
Open our back door - on the other side of the house.
Bark.
Pull in the driveway.
Bark.
And go out to the yard to do some work - or chat with the neighbors we know.
Bark.
And worst of all, the other dog, the tail-wagger, has now picked up the habit.
Bark. Bark.
We don't want to complain - and make enemies.
But ...
Bark. Bark.
At times it's hard to remember that God did make neighbors. Especially when it comes to reclusive ones with barking dogs.
I sometimes think Frost had it right: Good fences make good neighbors.
Too bad it can't be soundproofed fences.
But God left it up to us to make those.
We know our neighbors on one side. Not well, but enough to chat, and to offer help when needed. The wives are both outdoor types, always puttering about in the yard, so there is regular contact. When an ice storm knocked out our power, the husband came over to help rig up a generator. When he got sick we were the back-ups for rides to treatments.
We know their names.
But we did not make friends with them.
On the other side are the new neighbors. New - as in they've lived there for only four years.
We occasionally nod in passing. But no conversations per se. I did bid them welcome when they arrived. And once when their dog got loose I took it back over. That's about it. We rarely see them go outside. When they do, it's for some utilitarian purpose, like mowing the lawn. Then they disappear.
We don't know their names.
I suppose that is unfriendly of us. We could probably be better neighbors ourselves. But I'm kind of reclusive myself.
We did not make frinds, or enemies. We're just neighbors.
I do know their dog. She's a friendly beast. A tail-wagger who always used to come up to the fence to greet our tail-wagging dog, and to get a scritch on the head from me.
I know the dog's name.
Now there's a second dog.
We don't know if this one is a temporary, or a permanent resident.
But this dog barks. Constantly.
Open our bedroom window.
Bark.
Open our back door - on the other side of the house.
Bark.
Pull in the driveway.
Bark.
And go out to the yard to do some work - or chat with the neighbors we know.
Bark.
And worst of all, the other dog, the tail-wagger, has now picked up the habit.
Bark. Bark.
We don't want to complain - and make enemies.
But ...
Bark. Bark.
At times it's hard to remember that God did make neighbors. Especially when it comes to reclusive ones with barking dogs.
I sometimes think Frost had it right: Good fences make good neighbors.
Too bad it can't be soundproofed fences.
But God left it up to us to make those.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Free At Last! Free At Last!
Concerning my post ‘The Ridiculous and the Sublime’, a reader writes: “Alan Capasso, I will pray for your deliverence from the persistant myth that the ignorant, formalized Church, and the dwindling ranks of the priesthood serve any useful function outside the obvious excuse to gather for coffee and donuts in today’s more enlightened society. Enlightened Christians understand that the Church, in reality, lives within each of us, not in “sacred” buildings and in the self-gratifying Vatican. While your priests and a Pontiff locked into the past teach hatred and bias against gays, individual rights, science, freedom to choose and all the wonderful aspects of humanity that Christ celebrated, your mentality stress instead ritual, sin and punishment. Bill Maher is right you know: Formalized religion has done more physical and psychological damage throughout the ages than all the wars it has condoned.”
It is so nice to hear that someone is praying for me, but I have a question. If this Enlighten Christian believes that the Church lives within him or her who exactly is she/he praying to? His/her self?
I have heard that once you become an Enlighten Christian or a Thinking Catholic you become unencumbered by the burden of history and in so doing become your own god. This of course allows you to reinterpret the Good News to mean that Jesus died on the cross so we can do whatever we want. Wonderful! Where do I sign up!
We all know that Bill Maher’s intellectual prowess far outshines that of Chesterton who said stupid stuff like, “Yesterday’s vices are today’s virtues.” Because yesterday’s vices WERE virtues it is just that the Pontificate and priests want to hide the fact that homosexual love is the source and summit of all that is good and wonderful. They did that because, as Dan Brown points out, they have so much money, power and fame to gain. All those schools, universities, and hospitals the Church started and continues to fund and those encyclicals about human rights were just a clever smoke screen to hide the truth that Mary Magdalene had Jesus’ love child.
And Maher is right you know: “Formalized religion has done more physical and psychological damage throughout the ages than all the wars it has condoned”. Since history is no longer a concern I can accept that the secular leaders that have cast off that repressive Church thing have caused no physical and psychological damage. Guys like Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao were only trying to clean up the mess the church made and if you have to kill a few million people to accomplish that it is a small price to pay for enlightenment.
My only sin now is wondering what wars in the past 200 years or so the Church has condoned? Darn that history thing!
I hope Anonymous writes back soon. I love to hear the dying echoes of unreasoned thought bounce around a small mind. Not as much as the sound of a box of silverware falling down a flight of stairs but close.
It is so nice to hear that someone is praying for me, but I have a question. If this Enlighten Christian believes that the Church lives within him or her who exactly is she/he praying to? His/her self?
I have heard that once you become an Enlighten Christian or a Thinking Catholic you become unencumbered by the burden of history and in so doing become your own god. This of course allows you to reinterpret the Good News to mean that Jesus died on the cross so we can do whatever we want. Wonderful! Where do I sign up!
We all know that Bill Maher’s intellectual prowess far outshines that of Chesterton who said stupid stuff like, “Yesterday’s vices are today’s virtues.” Because yesterday’s vices WERE virtues it is just that the Pontificate and priests want to hide the fact that homosexual love is the source and summit of all that is good and wonderful. They did that because, as Dan Brown points out, they have so much money, power and fame to gain. All those schools, universities, and hospitals the Church started and continues to fund and those encyclicals about human rights were just a clever smoke screen to hide the truth that Mary Magdalene had Jesus’ love child.
And Maher is right you know: “Formalized religion has done more physical and psychological damage throughout the ages than all the wars it has condoned”. Since history is no longer a concern I can accept that the secular leaders that have cast off that repressive Church thing have caused no physical and psychological damage. Guys like Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao were only trying to clean up the mess the church made and if you have to kill a few million people to accomplish that it is a small price to pay for enlightenment.
My only sin now is wondering what wars in the past 200 years or so the Church has condoned? Darn that history thing!
I hope Anonymous writes back soon. I love to hear the dying echoes of unreasoned thought bounce around a small mind. Not as much as the sound of a box of silverware falling down a flight of stairs but close.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Weekend Thoughts
It seems to me that many in Faith based circles are sensing a tectonic shift in American Culture. I believe this to be true. I do believe that many are overly alarmist, and that we are so closely entwined with the events and trends of the day that we do not have clear insight.
With these thoughts I was perusing my bookshelf and came across a couple books which apply to this situation, one lyrical, and one historical. Ballad of the White Horse is probably my favorite of Chesterton's works. For those unaware, it is a book length lyric poem about the battle between Alfred the Great and Guthrum of the Vikings. There is interpersonal tension, emotions of courage, fear, and cowardice, as well as the foreboding of being present at an epoch changing event.
The second book I paged through was H.W Crocker's Triumph. There are some areas that I think Crocker could delve more deeply into, but he does have to be brief in order to catch the whole range of his intended subject. What I notice from Crocker is the ebb and flow of history. Renewals and Renaissance follow periods of laxity and persecution. Easter Sundays follow Good Fridays.
Two very good and grounding volumes to gain some perspective.
With these thoughts I was perusing my bookshelf and came across a couple books which apply to this situation, one lyrical, and one historical. Ballad of the White Horse is probably my favorite of Chesterton's works. For those unaware, it is a book length lyric poem about the battle between Alfred the Great and Guthrum of the Vikings. There is interpersonal tension, emotions of courage, fear, and cowardice, as well as the foreboding of being present at an epoch changing event.
The second book I paged through was H.W Crocker's Triumph. There are some areas that I think Crocker could delve more deeply into, but he does have to be brief in order to catch the whole range of his intended subject. What I notice from Crocker is the ebb and flow of history. Renewals and Renaissance follow periods of laxity and persecution. Easter Sundays follow Good Fridays.
Two very good and grounding volumes to gain some perspective.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Chesterton at Random
There's an old Christian tradition of when looking for advice or incite just randomly opening the Bible and reading the first passage that strikes your eye.
St. Francis of Assisi - I've just finished rereading Chesterton's delightful book about him - was said to have done that.
I have also done it, not only with the Bible, but also with writers I like. Chesterton is, of course, one of those writers.
Last night I grabbed a volume of the Chesterton's Collected Works - The Illustrated London News 1917-1919 - off the bookcase and popped it open. Here's the passage that his my eye:
"One preliminary point seems to me quite clear. If we are to make any attempt to tolerate all men, we must give up all attempt to tolerate all opinions." - "On `Maltheory'" April 28, 1917
I thought about our own culture - a culture that seems to be taking the opposite tack: Tolerating all opinions, but but not tolerating all people. But when you tolerate all opinions, then those opinions lose meaning - opinion itself loses meaning. We devolve into the realm of rationalizing - if rationalize is an appropriate word when we are abandoning thought - that all actions should be based on feelings. It becomes very much like trying to steer a boat without a rudder - and given our increasing rejection of faith, without sails to catch any wind. We wallow in the doldrums.
Another one of Chesterton's point in the essay is that it is easy to fall into absolutist opinions on issues, and along the way demonizing the other side. Yes, deplore what he does, but not him - "The assertion that the man is possessed of a devil is the only way of avoiding the assertion that he is a devil."
Is Obama a demon? Is Dick Cheney a demon? Is the pro-lifer a demon? The pro-choicer? The Republican? The Democrat? The bishop who does not promote and express the faith in the way we think is right? That rude clerk at the store? The college trustee who messes up our conference?
When we demonize people rather than point to the demonic in their actions, then we lose the ability to tolerate others. If we can no longer tolerate them, them even extreme responses toward them can, in some minds, become tolerable.
The world itself might begin to seem intolerable - and that would be intolerable.
St. Francis of Assisi - I've just finished rereading Chesterton's delightful book about him - was said to have done that.
I have also done it, not only with the Bible, but also with writers I like. Chesterton is, of course, one of those writers.
Last night I grabbed a volume of the Chesterton's Collected Works - The Illustrated London News 1917-1919 - off the bookcase and popped it open. Here's the passage that his my eye:
"One preliminary point seems to me quite clear. If we are to make any attempt to tolerate all men, we must give up all attempt to tolerate all opinions." - "On `Maltheory'" April 28, 1917
I thought about our own culture - a culture that seems to be taking the opposite tack: Tolerating all opinions, but but not tolerating all people. But when you tolerate all opinions, then those opinions lose meaning - opinion itself loses meaning. We devolve into the realm of rationalizing - if rationalize is an appropriate word when we are abandoning thought - that all actions should be based on feelings. It becomes very much like trying to steer a boat without a rudder - and given our increasing rejection of faith, without sails to catch any wind. We wallow in the doldrums.
Another one of Chesterton's point in the essay is that it is easy to fall into absolutist opinions on issues, and along the way demonizing the other side. Yes, deplore what he does, but not him - "The assertion that the man is possessed of a devil is the only way of avoiding the assertion that he is a devil."
Is Obama a demon? Is Dick Cheney a demon? Is the pro-lifer a demon? The pro-choicer? The Republican? The Democrat? The bishop who does not promote and express the faith in the way we think is right? That rude clerk at the store? The college trustee who messes up our conference?
When we demonize people rather than point to the demonic in their actions, then we lose the ability to tolerate others. If we can no longer tolerate them, them even extreme responses toward them can, in some minds, become tolerable.
The world itself might begin to seem intolerable - and that would be intolerable.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Obama Clerihew (political!)
President Barack Obama
should not be confused with Osama,
but his anti-life ways
lead to more deaths these days.
should not be confused with Osama,
but his anti-life ways
lead to more deaths these days.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Happy Birthday ...
to me......
34 Years old...Ive been married to one woman, been in 2 wars, had 2 kids, worked in 3 prisons, went to 4 years of college, had 5 cars, and Im stuck for all the numbers after that......
I notice as a look over Chesterton that we often fail to notice how his works do have a very wide timespan, from the dawn of the 20th Century to the eve of World War II. He saw many changes in Britain, in Europe, and the greater world, yet throughout his whole corpus he shows consistent qualities. Change and progress have gone from being simple slogans to now revealing themselves necromantic magic words with the power of changing the path of nations. It is interesting to note that as times change, Chesterton really does not. He develops as an Author and as a human being. His friendships with Belloc and others deepen. Although he does not truly "change", Chesterton stands above his peers as an advocate for liberty, freedom, and democracy throughout the tumultuous times that his career spanned. While those around him jumped from fad to fad, party to party, and movement to movement in search of finding how best to bring progress to mankind, GKC strayed very little from the pillars of orthodoxy and tradition and he outshines all of his now dated contemporaries.
34 Years old...Ive been married to one woman, been in 2 wars, had 2 kids, worked in 3 prisons, went to 4 years of college, had 5 cars, and Im stuck for all the numbers after that......
I notice as a look over Chesterton that we often fail to notice how his works do have a very wide timespan, from the dawn of the 20th Century to the eve of World War II. He saw many changes in Britain, in Europe, and the greater world, yet throughout his whole corpus he shows consistent qualities. Change and progress have gone from being simple slogans to now revealing themselves necromantic magic words with the power of changing the path of nations. It is interesting to note that as times change, Chesterton really does not. He develops as an Author and as a human being. His friendships with Belloc and others deepen. Although he does not truly "change", Chesterton stands above his peers as an advocate for liberty, freedom, and democracy throughout the tumultuous times that his career spanned. While those around him jumped from fad to fad, party to party, and movement to movement in search of finding how best to bring progress to mankind, GKC strayed very little from the pillars of orthodoxy and tradition and he outshines all of his now dated contemporaries.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The ridiculous and the sublime
Very interesting weekend.
Saturday night my son took me to see a theatrical production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at a local college. And with out a doubt that was the worst evening of theatre I have ever had to endure. I have only walked out on one play in my life. This would have been the second except a friend of my son’s was in the play and he wanted to talk to him after the show. The only positive thing that can be said about this presentation was that the actors knew their lines. Many of the scenes were actually painful to watch. It’s not that the director butchered Shakespeare that bothers me because I’ve seen that before but the theatricality of that butchering was correct, (the operation was a success but the patient died sort-of-thing). It’s that this director butchered theatre.
Ahhh but Sunday was wonderful. Many of the youth of our Parish received their Confirmation today and what a great day to receive it – Divine Mercy Sunday. I was honored to be chosen lector for this day. The Bishop was there and in fine form. The master of Ceremonies was a young man a year away from ordination. I have known this man since he was a wise cracking fourteen year old. When he decided to become a priest I was wondering if I would be able to call him Father but seeing him today I saw he carries priesthood very well - he has become a good man which of course will make him a good priest. Calling him father will not be a problem.
There was an air of nervous expectation that was thick an juicy about the Church. The alter boys were very worried that they might drop the Bishops “hat and stick thing” the confirmantie were worried that the Bishop might find them unprepared and he would leave, (he’s done that before at other parishes) and I was worried that I might stutter and stumble through the readings. None of which happened – sigh of relief.
Some of the kids that became soldiers for Christ today were children I have known since they were babies. Many Graces were poured down upon us this day.
As Chesterton said, (from the Ball and the Cross) “The Sacraments are certain and incredible.” Today I saw that paradox in full flower.
Makes being upset about a horrible play production kinda stupid.
Saturday night my son took me to see a theatrical production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at a local college. And with out a doubt that was the worst evening of theatre I have ever had to endure. I have only walked out on one play in my life. This would have been the second except a friend of my son’s was in the play and he wanted to talk to him after the show. The only positive thing that can be said about this presentation was that the actors knew their lines. Many of the scenes were actually painful to watch. It’s not that the director butchered Shakespeare that bothers me because I’ve seen that before but the theatricality of that butchering was correct, (the operation was a success but the patient died sort-of-thing). It’s that this director butchered theatre.
Ahhh but Sunday was wonderful. Many of the youth of our Parish received their Confirmation today and what a great day to receive it – Divine Mercy Sunday. I was honored to be chosen lector for this day. The Bishop was there and in fine form. The master of Ceremonies was a young man a year away from ordination. I have known this man since he was a wise cracking fourteen year old. When he decided to become a priest I was wondering if I would be able to call him Father but seeing him today I saw he carries priesthood very well - he has become a good man which of course will make him a good priest. Calling him father will not be a problem.
There was an air of nervous expectation that was thick an juicy about the Church. The alter boys were very worried that they might drop the Bishops “hat and stick thing” the confirmantie were worried that the Bishop might find them unprepared and he would leave, (he’s done that before at other parishes) and I was worried that I might stutter and stumble through the readings. None of which happened – sigh of relief.
Some of the kids that became soldiers for Christ today were children I have known since they were babies. Many Graces were poured down upon us this day.
As Chesterton said, (from the Ball and the Cross) “The Sacraments are certain and incredible.” Today I saw that paradox in full flower.
Makes being upset about a horrible play production kinda stupid.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Dancing in Bed
For me Chesterton reveals the truth in two ways. The first is as if he takes off my glasses cleans them and says, “Now do you see?”
“Why yes I do. Thank you very much.”
The other way is that he simply reminds me of what is true. Stuff I already knew but have forgotten or things that were driven out of my head by ‘adult’ forces. Even in his innocuous sounding essays that might easily be passed over he reminds us of a joy we might have forgotten. These are usually a childhood joy that is still a joy if only we old folks could remember how to play the game. Both of these ways of course is what prophets always do.
In his essay “On Lying in Bed” he reminded me of the pleasure of doing ‘nothing’ of letting your mind float like a boat on a current. This is something I had not done for a looong time. So a few Saturdays back I rolled over to see my wife had already awoke and I was alone. I started to get up and get to it but told myself the list can wait and fell back into bed.
I reached over and put George Gershwin’s American in
I then tried to imagine Fred Astaire in Gene’s role but that was absurd. Fred could never play the tragic hero. No more than Gene could have pulled off the Fred’s dancing up the walls in The Royal Wedding. When Fred danced on the ceiling we said, “Of course he can do that.”
Both of these men are Great dangers it is just that their greatness lies in opposite directions. Gene’s greatness is his constant struggle to break the law of gravity while Fred’s lies in his struggle to obey it.
This put in mind of Chesterton and Belloc. Belloc teaches us how to dig while Chesterton teaches us how to fly.
Next I put in Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and thought if Martha Graham’s dance within Isamu Noguchi’s sculpture (set). Perhaps the greatest collaboration of artist’s in the 20th century. All those artists knew the central fact about art – Great art must tell a story - a story that holds universal truth. Martha, a pioneer of modern dance, never lost her ability to tell a story through movement – she never fell into that trap of dance for dance sake.
I could have gone like this for hours more except my wife, for some reason, refused to bring me up food and my youngest came in to remind me that I would dig her bike out of the garage today.
The up side that when I did get up I ignored my ‘to do list’ (except for the bike) and spent the rest of the day in my studio.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Weekend Thoughts
Greetings All,
In Gilbert Magazine it is my appointed duty to use the Illustrated London News essays as my primary source material. I have noticed that Chesterton never mentions economic statistics throughout the economic slowdowns of the 1930s and other periods. There is an online archive of ILN stories, http://www.iln.org.uk/, and it shows that many other ILN writers did get into the details and particular issues of the day.
Chesterton, it seems, always sees the eternal in the temporal, and sees the spirits behind the statistics.
I am trying very hard to do the same during our current times. I actually think that there are some silver linings to the current times. First, I think that the taboo regarding discussing finances is breaking down. People no longer buy into the "IF you are so smart, how come you are not rich," mentality. People of intelligence, energy, and talent are having difficult times, so financial status as a measure of self worth seems to be deteriorating.
Second, I think I am noticing some people, myself particularly, becoming more sincerely prayerful. I think that the flexing of political strength that arose from Evangelical Muscle and Catholic Brains has waned. It is part of our vocation to engage the world and stand up for truth, justice, and true mercy. It is also part of our vocation to remember the words of Scripture, "Be still and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the Earth."(PS 46:10)
In Gilbert Magazine it is my appointed duty to use the Illustrated London News essays as my primary source material. I have noticed that Chesterton never mentions economic statistics throughout the economic slowdowns of the 1930s and other periods. There is an online archive of ILN stories, http://www.iln.org.uk/, and it shows that many other ILN writers did get into the details and particular issues of the day.
Chesterton, it seems, always sees the eternal in the temporal, and sees the spirits behind the statistics.
I am trying very hard to do the same during our current times. I actually think that there are some silver linings to the current times. First, I think that the taboo regarding discussing finances is breaking down. People no longer buy into the "IF you are so smart, how come you are not rich," mentality. People of intelligence, energy, and talent are having difficult times, so financial status as a measure of self worth seems to be deteriorating.
Second, I think I am noticing some people, myself particularly, becoming more sincerely prayerful. I think that the flexing of political strength that arose from Evangelical Muscle and Catholic Brains has waned. It is part of our vocation to engage the world and stand up for truth, justice, and true mercy. It is also part of our vocation to remember the words of Scripture, "Be still and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the Earth."(PS 46:10)
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Hey, Im half late or half early........
.......from last or next Friday.
In my musings on philosophy of late, I came across something interesting regarding Greek thought. Im looking for other sources on this, but it appears that the Hellenistic kingdoms of Alexander the Great in Northern India had a great deal of longevity, absorbed in the end by the expansion of Islam. Using rounded numbers of 300Bc - 650 AD gives us almost a millenium, not too far off of the time of the English monarchy from Hastings until the present. The author in question is making the point that the ancient world was very "diverse" in what we would consider the modern sense, and that much of our thinking about diversity is a reaction to perceived abuses of colonial times.
What does this have to do with Chesterton?
I think it shows us that the search for truth is universal, and that the human race truly is a large family. With the possibility that the Greek Stoics had influenced Hindu and Buddhist scholarship, the world suddenly becomes much smaller, and Chesterton's brilliant image of The God in the Cave becomes that much more powerful. Human reason can only go so far before it reaches a point where it encounters a moment of anticipation of transcendence. The Greek Stoics, unlike there more cerebral Roman inheritors, did practice what we would today call meditation....realizing that intellect could only penetrate so far. I have written around this point for several weeks now, but I think that in dealing with contemporary culture this is the starting point. The discussion of Faith and Reason is a deep and rich dialogue that has spanned centuries. Our culture does not even see them as opposites, but defines Reason as logic, but dresses it up in leftist political utopianism, and likewise defines Faith not as an inner act of the person and an intimate expression of the soul, but rather as fundamentalist adherence to a denomination. How did we get to this point?
In my musings on philosophy of late, I came across something interesting regarding Greek thought. Im looking for other sources on this, but it appears that the Hellenistic kingdoms of Alexander the Great in Northern India had a great deal of longevity, absorbed in the end by the expansion of Islam. Using rounded numbers of 300Bc - 650 AD gives us almost a millenium, not too far off of the time of the English monarchy from Hastings until the present. The author in question is making the point that the ancient world was very "diverse" in what we would consider the modern sense, and that much of our thinking about diversity is a reaction to perceived abuses of colonial times.
What does this have to do with Chesterton?
I think it shows us that the search for truth is universal, and that the human race truly is a large family. With the possibility that the Greek Stoics had influenced Hindu and Buddhist scholarship, the world suddenly becomes much smaller, and Chesterton's brilliant image of The God in the Cave becomes that much more powerful. Human reason can only go so far before it reaches a point where it encounters a moment of anticipation of transcendence. The Greek Stoics, unlike there more cerebral Roman inheritors, did practice what we would today call meditation....realizing that intellect could only penetrate so far. I have written around this point for several weeks now, but I think that in dealing with contemporary culture this is the starting point. The discussion of Faith and Reason is a deep and rich dialogue that has spanned centuries. Our culture does not even see them as opposites, but defines Reason as logic, but dresses it up in leftist political utopianism, and likewise defines Faith not as an inner act of the person and an intimate expression of the soul, but rather as fundamentalist adherence to a denomination. How did we get to this point?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Chesterton - The Wedding Feast
"And, meanwhile, any one Catholic peasant, while holding one small bead of the rosary in his fingers, can be conscious, not of one eternity, but of a complex and almost a conflict of eternities; as, for example, in the relations of Our Lord and Our Lady, of the fatherhood and the childhood of God, of the motherhood and the childhood of Mary." - Where All Roads Lead
I'm not sure if Chesterton was one to pray the Rosary. I can imagine him starting to pray with a Rosary and getting lost in reflecting on some obscure topic he would somehow be able to link to a particular mystery, to the material of which the Rosary was made, or to a bee buzzing about the room.
He certainly knew of the Rosary - as the above quotation shows. Moreover, his great poem, "Lepanto," is about a victory many believers credit to the Rosary (along with a shift in the wind - a prayer-wrought miracle?).
Perhaps those wiser in the ways of Chesterton will know of some essay or poem dedicated to reciting the Rosary - or at least a reference to Chesterton's personal Rosary.
I am certain that he would not have known the Luminous Mysteries. They were promulgated in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. The Baptism of Jesus; The Wedding Feat at Cana; The Preaching of the Kingdom of God; The Transfiguration; The Institution of the Eucharist.
Those mysteries are meditated upon on Thursdays. As I said my Rosary this morning, I thought of Chesterton. I'm not sure that's what Pope John Paul had in mind, but so it goes. The mind at prayer goes where it will.
It was the second mystery that made me think of Chesterton.
The Wedding Feast. The Miracle of the Wine.
I smiled.
Chesterton appreciated food - even cheese - and drink, and joyful celebrations. I pictured him at the wedding, relishing that miraculous wine, and perhaps composing an ode to it that he would leave as a wedding gift.
As a poet himself, Pope John Paul might have appreciated it.
I'm not sure if Chesterton was one to pray the Rosary. I can imagine him starting to pray with a Rosary and getting lost in reflecting on some obscure topic he would somehow be able to link to a particular mystery, to the material of which the Rosary was made, or to a bee buzzing about the room.
He certainly knew of the Rosary - as the above quotation shows. Moreover, his great poem, "Lepanto," is about a victory many believers credit to the Rosary (along with a shift in the wind - a prayer-wrought miracle?).
Perhaps those wiser in the ways of Chesterton will know of some essay or poem dedicated to reciting the Rosary - or at least a reference to Chesterton's personal Rosary.
I am certain that he would not have known the Luminous Mysteries. They were promulgated in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. The Baptism of Jesus; The Wedding Feat at Cana; The Preaching of the Kingdom of God; The Transfiguration; The Institution of the Eucharist.
Those mysteries are meditated upon on Thursdays. As I said my Rosary this morning, I thought of Chesterton. I'm not sure that's what Pope John Paul had in mind, but so it goes. The mind at prayer goes where it will.
It was the second mystery that made me think of Chesterton.
The Wedding Feast. The Miracle of the Wine.
I smiled.
Chesterton appreciated food - even cheese - and drink, and joyful celebrations. I pictured him at the wedding, relishing that miraculous wine, and perhaps composing an ode to it that he would leave as a wedding gift.
As a poet himself, Pope John Paul might have appreciated it.
Chestertonian at the New York Times
I hesitatingly renewed my subscription to New York Magazine last month. I really like the magazine, but it leans left and at times is too risque to have around my children. My first post-lapse issue came yesterday. One of its first features: A profile of the New York Times’ new columnist, Ross Douthat (entertaining pdf link). I’d been reading Ross Douthat for a few years, primarily in The Atlantic. I always liked his stuff and thought, “Where has this guy been? We seem to think a lot alike, and not just because we’re both conservative.” It turns out the guy is a Catholic convert and a fan of G.K. Chesterton (it’s not often you see a Times columnist identify GKC as one of his “heroes”).
Once you read Chesterton, you start to think differently. Maybe that’s why the guy resonates with me.
By the way: He’s only 29.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A different view of G.K.
G. K. Chesterton
When Plain Folk, such as you or I,
See the Sun sinking in the sky,
We think it is the Setting Sun,
But Mr. Gilbert Chesterton
Is not so easily misled.
He calmly stands upon his head,
And upside down obtains a new
And Chestertonian point of view,
Observing thus, how from his toes
The sun creeps nearer to his nose,
He cries with wonder and delight,
“How Grand the sunrise is to-night!”
by Oliver Herford
from Confessions of a Caricaturist
(I stumbled across this at norumbega.co.uk and thought I'd share.)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Ohmmm..........This is what Im thinking about Chesterton today
It might be surprising for some to find out that I have read a great deal of the Dalai Lama's books in English. I find him a fascinating figure. He handles himself very well on the world stage, and has made a very strong case for his nation's plight before the world. As I read my way through life, I want to make a point of knowing about the world's full intellectual tradition.
And Chesterton has to do with this........how?
Chesterton was one of the first to notice how some of his contemporaries were attracted to Buddhism. Those familiar with Chesterton's corpus of works probably do not need quotes, be he wrote several ILN articles on this point as well as a fairly well thought out section in Orthodoxy where he makes a point of how some of the English elites of his time had glamorized Buddhism and taken it at face value, and were willing to overlook the social, political, and moral ills of Asia but not the cultural failings of the West......honestly we should realize that the whole human race is fallen.
The Dalai Lama has done several books with psychologists and researches seeking dialogue between Western Science and the Buddhist understanding of the inner person. Ive read a great deal of this, and the same double standard that Chesterton notices still exists. The Dalai Lama is a wonderful communicator, and a vibrant person, but most of what he says that researchers really pick up on are elements of practical spirituality and mystical philosophy no different than what is found in the classical Cistercian, Carmelite, and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The cultural baggage of Christianity seems to weigh down those truths, and certain classes of people will only listen to a different source........whom they idolize to the point of editing. There is an article I read years ago online that I wished I would have saved to my hard-drive which alleged that the Dalai Lama has written chapters on sexual ethics for some of his books, but that Western publishers refuse to print in final editions. Buddhism and some of the other Eastern systems are far more prudish and "repressive" than Christianity.
With Pope Benedict in such trouble in the news in recent weeks, it makes me even more curious regarding the international double standard that mainstream culture seems to weave around these two figures.
And Chesterton has to do with this........how?
Chesterton was one of the first to notice how some of his contemporaries were attracted to Buddhism. Those familiar with Chesterton's corpus of works probably do not need quotes, be he wrote several ILN articles on this point as well as a fairly well thought out section in Orthodoxy where he makes a point of how some of the English elites of his time had glamorized Buddhism and taken it at face value, and were willing to overlook the social, political, and moral ills of Asia but not the cultural failings of the West......honestly we should realize that the whole human race is fallen.
The Dalai Lama has done several books with psychologists and researches seeking dialogue between Western Science and the Buddhist understanding of the inner person. Ive read a great deal of this, and the same double standard that Chesterton notices still exists. The Dalai Lama is a wonderful communicator, and a vibrant person, but most of what he says that researchers really pick up on are elements of practical spirituality and mystical philosophy no different than what is found in the classical Cistercian, Carmelite, and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The cultural baggage of Christianity seems to weigh down those truths, and certain classes of people will only listen to a different source........whom they idolize to the point of editing. There is an article I read years ago online that I wished I would have saved to my hard-drive which alleged that the Dalai Lama has written chapters on sexual ethics for some of his books, but that Western publishers refuse to print in final editions. Buddhism and some of the other Eastern systems are far more prudish and "repressive" than Christianity.
With Pope Benedict in such trouble in the news in recent weeks, it makes me even more curious regarding the international double standard that mainstream culture seems to weave around these two figures.
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