Desire Lines Workshop by Heather King

Hey, "creatives"! Here's a half-day workshop led by Catholic writer Heather King. It takes place December 5 via Zoom. Check out her introductory video below.

 

 

I only know of Heather through her writings for the Magnificat daily Mass and office readings - a yearly subscription gift from my dear friend Allanagh.

 

She (Heather) seems like a very interesting person to get to know. I hope to do so this winter through her book-length writings, which I would encourage you to also look at. I assume they are available everywhere, including on her website, in both print and digital formats.

 

While on the subject, check out Heather's website: https://www.heather-king.com/ 

This is what's wrong

Yep, I'm gonna take out all my frustrations with the world (Covid-19, wearing masks everywhere, house renos, work, not writing, etc) in this blog post.

This is what set me off today:

It's a news item taken from CNN.com

In the run-up to one of the most important elections the American people have ever faced in their short 200-year history as a nation, Kamala Harris' shoes are the hot topic that Americans are "raving" about. I don't want to tell 330 million people what they should or shouldn't be raving about... well, I guess I DO want to tell them what not to rave about, and that would be a politician's shoes.

I mean, really? Look around, America, might there possibly be some other topic that could be more important than fashion. Hmm? Maybe?

Because, otherwise, the rest of the world reads a headline like this and they think that maybe Americans are so vapid, clueless, and superficial that they got exactly what they deserved in President Trump. 

And we all know that can't be right? Can it?

I feel much better now.

Friday Riddle

 Friday Riddle

When can a pronoun be sung?

When "him" becomes "hymn".

Dying Again

So, last night's dream was a bizarre tale indeed.

I don't remember the intricate plot, but the events took place in Toronto. After all the hoopla was over, I found myself in the passenger seat of a car driven by someone who was supposed to be one of my two cousins, but probably didn't actually look like either of them.

You know how dreams are.

We were leaving Toronto and she was driving too fast and almost missed the exit ramp to get on the highway out of the city. I don't know which highway she wanted to take. It doesn't matter.

At the last second, she yanked the steering wheel and the car swerved to the left. I could tell the car was going to run over a curb/partition, and so could my cousin. I braced myself for the jolt and she tried to correct the car's trajectory but failed. Instead of turning to the right and staying in the exit lane, the car simply kept going toward the left and, when it ran out of road, dove off what suddenly appeared to be a cliff.

I stared at the water below as the car lazily flipped over and then I clapped gleefully, aware of the ironic twist in the narrative: I had just spent an endless amount of time getting out of some type of complicated trouble, only to die during my escape.

Everything went into slo-motion, and the second that I became aware that we would crash upside down into the water below (and die), I woke up.

But I so relish that liberating feeling I had of acknowledging and appreciating the irony of the situation without being concerned about my wellfare.

I think this is the second dream I've had within a month wherein I die. Well, at least I didn't have have the Covid virus, unlike in some of my other recent dreams.

Blaming the Wrong Scapegoat

"The Devil made me do it!"

Remember that gem from the nineteen seventies? I can't remember the product but Madison Avenue advertisers, cashing in on Flip Wilson's popular catch phrase, hit a home run with that one.

Funny thing, though, is that we're still blaming the Devil for whatever evil thing we've done which we think couldn't possibly come from ourselves, unless we were provoked, encouraged, driven, lied to, by the Devil himself.

After all, we pray to St. Michael after each Mass (and sometimes in between Masses): "...and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

So, we acknowledge the dangerous role that the Devil plays in our lives and, of course, we wish to be spared of his influence by letting St. Michael fight our battles. But just in case he's busy fighting someone else's battle, we can always claim that it wasn't my fault (that I sinned). It was Adam's fault for creating Original Sin; it was the Devil's corrupting influence in my life (because my soul is so pure-white and my goodness is such a threat to the Evil one?); it was my drinking, etc. There are infinite scapegoats for our inability to do good.

So we go on sinning and blaming/giving credit to the Devil. Meanwhile, Jesus - the Logos of the universe - became incarnate precisely to be the scapegoat that we need in order to be spiritually cleansed. But we don't in humility turn to Jesus. Instead, we lay praise/blame on the Devil, who, I would think, is more than happy to take credit for our most recent downfall. Why not? He's got big shoulders, and if we can lay the blame of our own sinfulness on him, he'll gladly take it, especially if it stops us from going to Jesus with a contrite heart and begging for His forgiveness. And notice that this way, too, we don't actually have to acknowledge the real reason for our own sinfulness: The Devil made me do it! Not me! I'm fundamentally, essentially, ontollogically, a good person. If I do bad things, those actions/thoughts/words/omissions surely don't come from me. How could it be me? I've been baptized. I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me. I'm good. Heck, I even believe in God. I'm practically saved as it is by just waking up in the morning! No, if I do bad things, it has to be due to the almighty powerful Devil's influence.

And the Devil, who doesn't have to life a finger to further corrupt us and draw us away from God, sits back and laughs at our downfall.

* * *

PS: After reading this blog, my wife exclaimed, "The Devil never makes you do anything."

Touche, dear.

Catholic Church - Social Distancing

Saturday (sort of) Funny

The Catholic Church, practicing social distancing years before it was mandated.

McCorvey was paid. So what?

 

So, the latest news is that Norma McCorvey confessed to taking money to become an anti-abortion activist, even though she did not believe in the pro-life cause. What are we (Christians and all pro-life proponents) to make of her deathbed confession?

Nothing. Why should we?

Do people actually think that the whole pro-life movement is based solely on McCorvey's actions and words? If so, they are wrong.

Regardless which side of the debate used her stance(s), she did a world of good by speaking out against abortion. And yes, she was, at the time, the perfect person to voice an objection to abortion. Who cares if she did not believe in what she was saying, or if she did it for money? The message got out, and many true believers in the pro-life movement drew inspiration from her words and actions. McCorvey may have been a fraud, but the pro-life movement isn't, nor do her past intentions reflect on the necessity of standing up for the lives of the unborn.

As scripture states:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" 2Corinthians 4:7

McCorvey is one such broken vessel, who leaked out - through all of her words and actions - a whole lot of God's power. Probably more of God's love for humanity and the unborn was revealed to the world by McCorvey than if she had actually believed in the pro-life cause to begin with.

Of course, she will have to face God for the choices she made, but regardless of her intention, she ignited the pro-life movement. And for that grace, we are grateful that God chose her to do His work.

Sprainter and Street Art

Street art in Rome

Note: The pictures appearing in this post are not my own. Any issues, please let me know.

Street art and some of the artists who work in this style are the background/setting for my young adult dystopian novella Sprainter.

Basquiat - Untitled "Skull" 1984

In Sprainter OZone, the female heroine who shows up in Tronno, asks MrE, an acolyte (religious) street artist who spreads the messages of hope and rebellion through street art, "How's spray painting Bible passages gonna stop the killing?"

The street is the perfect public space for MrE and his group of graffiti artists to spraint (spay paint) their art. MrE usually writes a short Bible reference, such as John 3:16, and then he adds some religious iconography to decorate the text.

Yes, graffiti is vandalism, and no, I do not endorse it. But for a fictional setting, I thought it presented a unique chance to examine the possible lifestyles of two of my favorite artists in a piece of fiction; Bansky and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to begin to pry the lid off this type of artist, and to also bring my characters' religious zeal into the public sphere of action.

Jean-Michael Basquiat

All street art is essentially propaganda. Much of it is political satire, contributing to some aspect of the current political discourse, be it in . This defining characteristic suited my purposes quite well, since I wanted the street artists in Sprainter to be fully involved in their world, regardless of their relatively young age. I want the young adult readers to realize that it is possible to do something to fight injustice - something besides creating a Facebook page and garnering "likes". I do not personally think those pages make any difference, and I seriously worry about the future of political activism when it is reduced to such trite acts as creating a FB page.

Bansky, street art

Towards that end, I love street art. It is big-scale, in-your-face socio-political activism! It can be simple, or complex, but it is always driven by a desire to expose social injustice, and to sometimes point the way to change the status quo. These are two traditional characteristics of  great art.

In Sprainter, I sought to bring this artist-revolutionary spirit to the forefront of political-religious activism and this story afforded me the opportunity to explore such extremes, including how zeal (religious or otherwise) can, if propelled by reasons other than love, can itself easily slip into oppression and persecution.

If you're interested in young adult romances, art-themed fiction, a dystopian setting, and religious inspirational fiction, then you will enjoy Sprainter, available from Smashwords and most e-tailers.



Just a note before leaving you. I wish to clarify any possible misunderstandings about Basquiat and Banksy: To the best of my knowledge, neither artist has expressed their religious views in their street art the way MrE does in Sprainter.

Jean-Michel Basquiat died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988. Banksy is wanted by police agencies throughout the world. Although his identity has been a well-guarded secret for years, I just discovered this recent photo.

 ~JT~

Mediation on Psalm 90

Dust particles

Meditation on today's Morning Office, Psalm 90:

You turn men into dust,

  you say to them “go back, children of men.”

Where, exactly, is God sending the "children of men" back to? The dirt and dust from which we were made? To the beginning, since we are being sent "back". If we go backwards, we return to what, then?

What state of being do we return to, when we are turned into dust? Inert dust? Molecules of matter that no longer need to be "en-souled" for survival/life? The term "dust" does not imply any kind of in-formed matter, does it? A dust particle is insignificant, it is carried to and fro by a breeze, by something else that animates it, that moves it. Its random movement (qua fate) is in someone/something else's hands.

The phrase "children of men" implies they (we?), the dead, are not "children of God". We are one or the other: children of men, or children of God. Jesus was both, but can we be both? We begin our life on earth as children of men, but remembering that our earthly existence only begins once God has joined our soul to a body (matter/dust).

Do we simply "go back" if we fail to acknowledge our divine origins? In other words, return to your state of dust if you cannot or have not lived your life in a holy way. If you want to live as children of men, you will die as children of men, and not children of God?

The answer lies further down in the psalm:

 

Let the glory of the Lord God be upon us:

  make firm the work of your hands.

  Make firm the work of your hands.

We implore God to "make firm the work of His hands". We are the work of His hands. Let's remember that. God is the only one who gives meaning to our lives, since He is responsible for creating us in the first place. Why did God make you? The Baltimore Catechism answers this for children (of God):


A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

Read your Catechism, people.

On St. Ita

None of this material is my original work. It comes from The Magnificat, Tuesday April 28, 2020. I am happy to pass it along, because I felt it was significant.

From St. Ita, who lived in Ireland and died, circa 570.

When (future) saint Brendan asked Ita what three things pleased God, she replied, "Three things that most please God are true faith in God with a pure heart, a simple life with a grateful spirit, and generosity inspired by charity."

When Brendan asked her what three things most displeased God, she replied, "The three things that most displease God are a mouth that hates people, a heart harboring resentments, and confidence in wealth."

St. Ita, pray for us.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to Christians everywhere! He is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!

I'm sharing a touching video that a close friend shared with me.

Spiritual Communion in the Time of Covid-19

 

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic our diocese has just cancelled all Sunday Masses. My wife's 91 year-old father lives with us, so we had been proactive in missing last Sunday's Mass, as weird as that felt.

As a result, a friend of mine, who is always concerned about her friends' spiritual well-being, sent me a link to the daily Mass available at Word on Fire.

Here is the link to the daily Mass from Word on Fire Ministries:

https://www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/

Also available on that page are previous daily Masses.

In my friend's forwarded email, Bishop Barron offers the following wisdom and prayer:

"If you cannot attend Mass or join us online, I encourage you to read the Gospels, pray with your families, and join yourself to the Eucharist—the source and summit of our Catholic faith—by making an act of spiritual communion like the one recommended by Archbishop Gomez: "I wish, my Lord, to receive you with the purity, humility, and devotion with which your most holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervor of the saints.""

Amen.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

Yes, Saint Patrick's Day is yet another day of celebration of our Christian/Catholic Faith (along with the ever-popular Christmas, St. Valentine's Day and Easter) brought to you, the whole world, by the Catholic Church.

Your welcome.

Post Scriptum:
Saint Patrick is a saint in name only, since he has not been canonized by the Catholic Church!
Huh. The more you know...

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/patrick-never-canonized-saint-catholic

Friday Joke

Q: How many philosophers does it take to change a  light bulb?

A: Only one, but s/he needs three weeks to think it through before changing it.

Poem Based on Sunday Meditation

God's praises
in the songbird's trills.
His Graces
in my soul He fills.

The warm sun,
on my shoulders.
My sins, the Son,
carried like boulders.

Sunday morning meditation,
Sunday morning reconciliation.

Sunshine, Songbirds and the First Sunday of Lent

 

Today I walked to Mass. As I made my way on the wet streets I prayed my Rosary (I'm an auxiliary in the Legion of Mary and our duty is to pray the Rosary daily).

Even though it was the start of March ("Stupid Smarch," as Homer Simpson once famously noted) the sun shone and its rays warmed up my shoulders. I lowered the zipper on my winter jacket and the air felt invigorating.

A few songbirds caught my attention and I became conscious that they were meant to be there, singing their love song to God on this surprising warm day.

This was a perfect moment, one created by God, and I enjoyed it. All moments are perfect, since God designed and created them all, but some strike us as more perfect than others, either due to our emotional disposition, receptivity, or even basic awareness at the time.

As I considered this event, I also became aware that I had no idea where or how the songbirds fit into God's plan for the salvation of mankind, and that was okay. After all:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

What calculus could God possibly be using that would include me walking on that street at that precise moment, those songbirds within earshot (even given my tinnitus in one ear), the westerly breeze at my back, the time of day, the temperature, etc., and my awareness of His proximity to me in the Graces of that single moment?

I cannot begin to fathom this interconnectedness. And I'm all right with that. I just have to remember the feeling of this Grace when things are not going so well, that that moment will also be designed by God, and that it will be filled with His Graces - for me.

Monday Morning Musing on Forgiveness

In discussing the concept of forgiveness, our priest during his homily this past Sunday referred to Jesus on the cross forgiving the Jews and Romans for killing him. It occurred to me that this was, at the very least, literally incorrect. Since Catholics believe in Lectio Divina instead of Sola Scriptura, I thought my criticism needed further examination.

First off, to the Bible! Luke 23:34 (New American Bible)
"Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots."
So, Jesus does not forgive "them" but goes out of His way to ask his Father in Heaven to forgive them!

Just to be clear, all throughout the Gospels we read how Jesus forgives sinners and sends them on their way and tells them not to sin again, etc. But not in this case. He doesn't forgive them. Instead He asks God the Father to forgive them.

What can we draw from Jesus' last (human) act on Earth? What moral teaching are we to get from this? Are we asked to walk around forgiving everyone who harms us? Or, instead, are we to ask our Father in Heaven to forgive them? It makes a difference, doesn't it, whether I'm asked to forgive someone (something which I'm not personally sure is within my abilities as a human being to do) or to rely on God's forgiveness and mercy for the Other's transgression toward me.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church chooses instead to focus its interpretation of this passage on the mercy offered to those who sin out of ignorance.

Mozart and Springsteen

(Random) thought:

If we take into consideration musical themes and length of lines, we must conclude that:
Mozart is the Bruce Springsteen of classical music. :-)

The Need for Catholic Friends

I've discussed this view before, at conferences, in private conversations and with other Catholic friends: due to the Devil's ruling of the world, it is important, it is imperative, that Catholics hang out with other Catholics, in order that we may reinforce each other against the Devil and his ways.

I was therefore comforted when I prayed today's Morning Office and was reminded of this fact by the Psalmist, who wrote in Psalm 101:

I will walk with an innocent heart

  through the halls of my palace.

I will allow no evil thing in my sight.

  I will hate the man who retreats from perfection:

  he may not stay near me.

The wicked of heart must leave me;

  the plotter of evil I will not acknowledge.

The man who plots against his neighbour in secret:

  I will suppress him.

The haughty of eye, the puffed-up and proud –

  I will not support them.

I will turn my eyes to the faithful of the land:

  they shall sit with me.

Whoever walks in the way of perfection –

  he shall be my servant.

The haughty shall not live in my palace;

  the slanderer shall not stand in my sight.

Each morning I will suppress

  all the wicked of the land.

I will rid the city of the Lord

  of all that do evil.

"I will hate the man who retreats from perfection: he may not stay near me." In the same way that we are asked not to be scandalous, we have to acknowledge the scandalous ways of our acquaintances, coworkers, friends. Having done so, having warned them of God's love for the good, and his dislike of the wicked, we can do no more than turn our backs on them. Not literally, of course, that would not be compassionate or charitable, but spiritually, we must mark these people as someone who does not have our best interests at heart.

Psalm 101 offers such powerful, insightful words. The Psalmist teaches us how to behave, what to look for in friends, what to look for in enemies (of the Lord and the Lord's ways). We are also given our mission in the last line I quote: "I will rid the city of the Lord of all that do evil." Is that not the Church's mission, to bring about the Kingdom of God? Does "Thy kingdom come..." from the Lord's Prayer ring any bells?

Don't kid yourself. This attitude is not at all politically correct! However, I seriously doubt that when I die Jesus will pull me aside and tell me that I don't belong at the Heavenly Banquet because I wasn't politically correct during my life. Now, he might very well tell me that I wasn't compassionate or loving enough toward my enemies (and car tailgaters, grrr!), and he would have a valid criticism. But no one acting on his/her concern for social graces alone will ever get into Heaven. How do I know this? Jesus was killed for living his life opposing Jewish social customs, for saying that instead of stoning each other for perceived sins, we should love one another and forgive each other. He has already told us that this world is not ours, its ways are not our ways.

Even though we must give to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, we are not obliged to give Cesar any more than that, including our fealty, our love, our souls.

So, spend some time with your Catholic friends, teach each other about your faith, arm yourselves against the world and its evil ways. Be friendly, compassionate, loving (philia, agape) with your other friends, but don't get dragged down into their muck if they are unwilling to rise above it.