Stay In Touch -Have I not proven to you that I Am in the saving sinners business? -Jesus
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Pentimento: The Old and New Man
Pentimento: The Old and New Man
"I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind’s door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, and who is going to make amends." ~Joan Didion
"I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind’s door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, and who is going to make amends." ~Joan Didion
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Why I Am Catholic: To Run Against the Wind -UPDATED
Why I Am Catholic: To Run Against the Wind -UPDATED
Excerpt:
G.K. Chesteron, in his biography of Charles Dickens, weighs in with some thoughts to conclude this post with.
"If we are to save the oppressed, we must have two apparently antagonistic emotions in us at the same time.
Excerpt:
G.K. Chesteron, in his biography of Charles Dickens, weighs in with some thoughts to conclude this post with.
"If we are to save the oppressed, we must have two apparently antagonistic emotions in us at the same time.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Crack the Shell
h/t ShirtoFlame blog:
And then one day I realized if I stay any longer, I wasn’t going to be on pilgrimage any more, I was going to be hiding out. It was almost literally like a baby bird must feel like when it knows it’s time to crack the shell and emerge.
And then one day I realized if I stay any longer, I wasn’t going to be on pilgrimage any more, I was going to be hiding out. It was almost literally like a baby bird must feel like when it knows it’s time to crack the shell and emerge.
Offer It Up: The Feminine Genius
Offer It Up: The Feminine Genius
Mary, after receiving the news that she was to be the Mother of God, went to her kinswoman Elizabeth, an older woman whom Mary had just found out was pregnant. Her love and sensitivity to her relative's need overshadowed the shock of her own situation. She saw the need of another and responded to it.
That is the "Feminine Genius." It's no surprise that when Fr. Guanella saw the needs of the developmentally disabled people of Nineteenth Century Italy, as well as orphans, the poor, senior citizens, and whomever was marginalized, he turned to women for help. He founded the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence before he founded his congregation for men, the Servants of Charity. Though he may not have used these words of Blessed John Paul II--the feminine genius--he knew their reality.
Here are some excerpts from Pope John Paul II's writings about the feminine genius:
In our own time, the successes of science and technology make it possible to attain material well-being to a degree hitherto unknown. While this favors some, it pushes others to the margins of society. In this way, unilateral progress can also lead to a gradual loss of sensitivity for man, that is, for what is essentially human. In this sense, our time in particular awaits the manifestation of that "genius" which belongs to women, and which can ensure sensitivity for human beings in every circumstance: because they are human! --and because "the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13: 13). [1988 Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatis (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women on the Occasion of the Marian Year), #30.
[W]omen have the task of assuring the moral dimension of culture, the dimension, namely, of a culture worthy of the person.... How great are the possibilities and responsibilities of woman in this area, at a time when the development of science and technology is not always inspired and measured by true wisdom, with the inevitable risk of "de-humanizing" human life, above all when it would demand a more intense love and a more generous acceptance. [1988 Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World), #51]
Progress usually tends to be measured according to the criteria of science and technology. ... Much more important is the social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual values. In this area, which often develops in an inconspicuous way beginning with the daily relationships between people, especially within the family, society certainly owes much to the "genius of women." ... Perhaps more than men, women acknowledge the person, because they see persons with their hearts.
Mary, after receiving the news that she was to be the Mother of God, went to her kinswoman Elizabeth, an older woman whom Mary had just found out was pregnant. Her love and sensitivity to her relative's need overshadowed the shock of her own situation. She saw the need of another and responded to it.
That is the "Feminine Genius." It's no surprise that when Fr. Guanella saw the needs of the developmentally disabled people of Nineteenth Century Italy, as well as orphans, the poor, senior citizens, and whomever was marginalized, he turned to women for help. He founded the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence before he founded his congregation for men, the Servants of Charity. Though he may not have used these words of Blessed John Paul II--the feminine genius--he knew their reality.
Here are some excerpts from Pope John Paul II's writings about the feminine genius:
In our own time, the successes of science and technology make it possible to attain material well-being to a degree hitherto unknown. While this favors some, it pushes others to the margins of society. In this way, unilateral progress can also lead to a gradual loss of sensitivity for man, that is, for what is essentially human. In this sense, our time in particular awaits the manifestation of that "genius" which belongs to women, and which can ensure sensitivity for human beings in every circumstance: because they are human! --and because "the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13: 13). [1988 Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatis (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women on the Occasion of the Marian Year), #30.
[W]omen have the task of assuring the moral dimension of culture, the dimension, namely, of a culture worthy of the person.... How great are the possibilities and responsibilities of woman in this area, at a time when the development of science and technology is not always inspired and measured by true wisdom, with the inevitable risk of "de-humanizing" human life, above all when it would demand a more intense love and a more generous acceptance. [1988 Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World), #51]
Progress usually tends to be measured according to the criteria of science and technology. ... Much more important is the social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual values. In this area, which often develops in an inconspicuous way beginning with the daily relationships between people, especially within the family, society certainly owes much to the "genius of women." ... Perhaps more than men, women acknowledge the person, because they see persons with their hearts.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
SHIRT OF FLAME: THE WRITING LIFE, PART II: I'D RATHER BE WRITING: Updated
SHIRT OF FLAME: THE WRITING LIFE, PART II: I'D RATHER BE WRITING
One night, Bernard handed back our essays and in one of the margins I found scribbled in black pen: “You’re a terrific writer.” I stopped breathing. I wasn’t sure that was true,....
I’m a total ham, and don’t at all mind talking in front of groups of people, and actually enjoy being on panels but I tend to get all overwrought and trembly about the nobility of writing, and the calling of being a writer, and how writing for me is a religious vocation, which is fine except that nobody seems to have the slightest idea what I’m talking about and by the end, I need to get out of there and take a really long, solitary walk.
Updated:
Till then, I had actually thought that writers operated by some moral code that was loftier than the rest of the world’s. I dropped out of the group, have never felt moved to join another, and to this day, for better or worse, rarely show anyone my work before it goes out to my agent, or a magazine, or an editor.
Another way I've been blessed from the beginning is that I have an almost violently protective urge toward my writing. I had wanted to write since I was six. I couldn't get to it for thirty-five years because of my drinking, and fear, and sloth, and spiritual bankruptcy. I had given so much of myself away--body, mind, soul--out there in the bars that when I finally began to write I felt toward it as St. Maria Goretti did about her virginity which was that she would rather be stabbed to death (at the age of twelve, no less), than yield it. I just thought: NOBODY is going to undermine me. NOBODY is going to tell me this is not the calling of my heart. Nobody is going to lay their repulsive, monstrous, cowardly, lemming-like political correctness or Phariseeism or pretentious literary blowhardism or shallow commercialistic (is that a word?) lies on my writing and wreck it for me.
One night, Bernard handed back our essays and in one of the margins I found scribbled in black pen: “You’re a terrific writer.” I stopped breathing. I wasn’t sure that was true,....
I’m a total ham, and don’t at all mind talking in front of groups of people, and actually enjoy being on panels but I tend to get all overwrought and trembly about the nobility of writing, and the calling of being a writer, and how writing for me is a religious vocation, which is fine except that nobody seems to have the slightest idea what I’m talking about and by the end, I need to get out of there and take a really long, solitary walk.
Updated:
Till then, I had actually thought that writers operated by some moral code that was loftier than the rest of the world’s. I dropped out of the group, have never felt moved to join another, and to this day, for better or worse, rarely show anyone my work before it goes out to my agent, or a magazine, or an editor.
Another way I've been blessed from the beginning is that I have an almost violently protective urge toward my writing. I had wanted to write since I was six. I couldn't get to it for thirty-five years because of my drinking, and fear, and sloth, and spiritual bankruptcy. I had given so much of myself away--body, mind, soul--out there in the bars that when I finally began to write I felt toward it as St. Maria Goretti did about her virginity which was that she would rather be stabbed to death (at the age of twelve, no less), than yield it. I just thought: NOBODY is going to undermine me. NOBODY is going to tell me this is not the calling of my heart. Nobody is going to lay their repulsive, monstrous, cowardly, lemming-like political correctness or Phariseeism or pretentious literary blowhardism or shallow commercialistic (is that a word?) lies on my writing and wreck it for me.
SHIRT OF FLAME: THE WRITING LIFE: PART I:Updated
SHIRT OF FLAME: THE WRITING LIFE: PART I
I would way rather have 400 readers a day and be free to write what and how I want and get the occasional donation, speaking gig, mentoring job, book sale, and/or email from someone who tells me I have helped shore them up or made them laugh or deepened their love for Christ than to have my work appear on the same page as any kind of promotion and get 4000 readers an hour.
In fact, that I have 400 readers a day is such a miracle and the whole subject of the writing life so sets me on fire that I'm planning a series of posts on this very issue.
With all due reverence, respect, adoration, worship, and praise, if Christ--my Lord and King--did not play from his fucking heart, I don’t know who did. So I beg to differ. To play from your fucking heart is about as Catholic as you can get. And as long as I can afford to, and have the energy, I mean to keep trying to do it myself."
My response: I was not raised with profanity and am no fan of it; however, the 'profanation' in the Church and the world today makes the 'oh, so shocked' response inane at best. Just as Christ can handle anger and our other sins and embraces us in love, so should we get off our high horse and 'fall on our face' before His Love for all.
I had a dream recently and realized plumbers can't fix anything in a flood AND plumbers better be able to handle getting their hands, etc., dirty. I wonder what all those standing around in their clean, golden robes thought about Jesus when he reached down for some dirt, spit on it and rubbed it in the eye sockets of the blind man. Did they go, oooooooh....?
"Go, learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Gert Behanna is still great: "Fisher of men, whose pool?"
So, Heather King, you go, girl. You just 'shored me up.'
I would way rather have 400 readers a day and be free to write what and how I want and get the occasional donation, speaking gig, mentoring job, book sale, and/or email from someone who tells me I have helped shore them up or made them laugh or deepened their love for Christ than to have my work appear on the same page as any kind of promotion and get 4000 readers an hour.
In fact, that I have 400 readers a day is such a miracle and the whole subject of the writing life so sets me on fire that I'm planning a series of posts on this very issue.
So the blog stays with me. And with deep gratitude to Elizabeth, and hopes to occasionally continue to appear in their pages, as of last week I bowed out of Patheos.
With all due reverence, respect, adoration, worship, and praise, if Christ--my Lord and King--did not play from his fucking heart, I don’t know who did. So I beg to differ. To play from your fucking heart is about as Catholic as you can get. And as long as I can afford to, and have the energy, I mean to keep trying to do it myself."
My response: I was not raised with profanity and am no fan of it; however, the 'profanation' in the Church and the world today makes the 'oh, so shocked' response inane at best. Just as Christ can handle anger and our other sins and embraces us in love, so should we get off our high horse and 'fall on our face' before His Love for all.
I had a dream recently and realized plumbers can't fix anything in a flood AND plumbers better be able to handle getting their hands, etc., dirty. I wonder what all those standing around in their clean, golden robes thought about Jesus when he reached down for some dirt, spit on it and rubbed it in the eye sockets of the blind man. Did they go, oooooooh....?
"Go, learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Gert Behanna is still great: "Fisher of men, whose pool?"
So, Heather King, you go, girl. You just 'shored me up.'
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