The Lord is Risen!

The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia! 

Behold the Wood of the Cross

The "Why" of Good Friday

I heard a beautifully clear explanation for Jesus' death on the cross on Word to Life on the Catholic Channel.

The speaker likened it to the process that takes place when they make anti-venom for victims of snake bites.  A bit of venom is injected into an animal that has never come in contact to the poison (often a lamb) until the animal has built up a strong immune response.  Then the blood of the lamb can be used in making anti-venom to save snake bite victims.

I really like this analogy. Christ is the Lamb of God who took upon himself the poison of evil and hatred so that we, by His Blood, can be made clean.  The idea of being healed by the blood of a spotless victim fits in nicely with the Eastern Christian theology of salvation being a healing from God.

I later realized, too, that we can partake of His Blood in Holy Communion at Mass.

We are truly healed by Christ's sacrifice.

Poetry Wednesday----Susan Windley-Daoust

In searching for an appropriate poem for Holy Week, I came across this one by Susan Windley-Daoust at Ironic Catholic.  She writes of the woman (some say this was Mary Magdalene) who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume while he was having dinner at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany. Some of those in attendance were scandalized and thought she should have given the money to the poor, but Jesus told them,

“Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

In Memory of Her

"Leave her alone."

And for the rest of her life, they do.

They are not supposed to look at me, but

Sidelong glances and traitorous sounds tell them

I am crying.

And words I want to say are choked, stillborn.

I can't tell them how I knew

unless you too, see its obvious

that he was not meant to stay with us forever.

He seemed to know it that day,

the way he ate, so slowly, deliberately,

staring at people, boring into their eyes,

the occasional pause, blink,

seeing something we could, or would, not.

He was with us, and not,

and I knew it was time.

So I rushed to get the jar of spikenard,

my dowry,

and stepped over reclining men,

to his mat.

With a pleading glance, I knelt down

Cracked the seal,

and poured out a portion, then the whole, of my hope,

on his head, and then his feet.

Kneeling at those calloused feet, I wept

with my knowledge of what this means:

I have given my future

To this man, who will die.

As that perfume filled the room,

He smiled, lifting my chin, and addressed me:

"...you will not always have me.

She has done what she could.

She has anticipated annointing my body for burial.

Amen, I say to you, whenever this gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,

what she has done will be told..."


So I was left alone by men.

No one understood then;

truth, I barely understood myself.

But, in that gift, my center shifted

And I knew--despite his coming death--that I was meant to be alone, for him, somehow.


The day after the catastrophe,

I looked at the broken jar

I remembered the fragrance

And I hoped.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Julia Margaret Cameron

I have recently become aware of the early (19th century) photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron.  When other photographers were taking stiff and formal pictures, with no nuance or art, Cameron was photographing people with amazing attention to light.  Her subjects were either "stripped down", in simple clothing or dressed as believable characters, angels, Madonna and Child poses, or characters from plays.

This photograph is my favorite, of her niece, Julia.  The pose, lighting and dress are amazingly modern.  There is no affectation here.  She looks straight into the camera without the mask of costume, or even of a smile.

Without knowing it she has used many modern photographic portraiture techniques.  With only natural light available to her, her subject has what is called a "hair light"--light falling on the top of the head, on the hair.  She uses what is now called "Rembrandt Lighting"--the face is in half-shadow, with, in this case, barely discernible, "Rembrandt triangle" of light seen on the cheek of the shadow side of her face.  We see the important "catch-light" in her eyes--that little dot of light that makes the subject look alive.

In this example, her lack of costume or even any discernible period dress, makes her someone who could have been photographed at any time or place.  She could be us.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week's theme at the well was fish. We had a haiku which featured koi and an amazing Japanese artist who paints 3-D gold fish in clear resin.

Our music this week was Laetare Jerusalem by Discantus.

My off-topic post this week was a book review of "Thinking Small", which was a history of the VW Bug.

I posted Fr. Barron's commentary on "The Hunger Games" and the need humans have for scapegoats.

"The Hunger Games" (SPOILERS) - A Commentary by Fr. Barron

This commentary on the movie "The Hunger Games" is fascinating. I am in the process of reading a book by Rene Girard, whom Father Baron speaks of in this video. Father explains its theory of scapegoating succinctly.

This is a very important video to watch, especially in today's climate of fading Christianity and the increasing war-as-default political atmosphere that we are living in today.

Poetry Wednesday-Matsuo Basho

Spring has arrived and in ponds everywhere, the fish come alive again.  This poem by haiku master, Basho beautifully illustrates this in clear, short form. 

In the blue sky

koi are swimming

wonderful weather

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Riusuke Fukahori

Riusuke Fukahori is a Japanese artist who paints 3-dimensional goldfish in resin.  Breathtakingly realistic, they are painstakingly painted layer by layer.  The video below shows how he works.  Hat tip to Colossal Art & Design.

Music Monday--Discantus

This is Laetare Jerusalem ("Rejoice Jerusalem") sung by Discantus in early polyphony. Last Sunday was Laetare Sunday--a time when we lighten the somber mood of Lent a bit and rejoice that our salvation is near at hand.

March 30--Day of Fasting and Prayer

The United States Bishops have asked us to add fasting and prayer to our abstinence from meat this coming Friday, March 30th, 2012 for the intention of religious freedom in the United States. I've talked a lot on The Well about the intense need for prayer and activism regarding the Obama Administration's HHS mandate, forcing religious schools and charities to pay for abortion, sterilization and birth control.

Something else interesting has recently come to light.  Fr. John Hollowell recently posted an article on Facebook and Twitter that tells of another March 30th Day of Fasting.  This was March 30, 1863 and the proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.  It reads in part:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Please join with the United States Bishops to fast and pray for religious freedom in the United States. We are at a time where religion is being persecuted as never before in this, a free country. Our rights are being taken away one by one. We need to make our voices heard, both to our politicians and as we cry out to God.

Book Review--Thinking Small: The Long, Strange Trip of the VW Beetle

Thinking Small: The Long, Strange Trip of the Volkswagen Beetle by Andrea Hiott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Thinking Small: The Long, Strange Trip of the Volkswagen Beetle" is more of a history book than a car book. Andrea Hiott gets inside the minds and motivations of the principles involved with the making of the VW Bug, from Hitler to Porsche and beyond. She talks about World War II and advertising history in a multifaceted book that is deceptively small itself, but, like the Beetle, packed with personality.



View all my reviews

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This was sheep week here at the Well! We had a poem about sheep, artwork featuring sheep, and even some music from the Messiah.

I also continued to write about the HHS mandate, this time, discussing the Bishops' letter of March 14th.

Poetry Wednesday--Donald Hall

The Black-Faced Sheep

Ruminant pillows! Gregarious soft boulders!

If one of you found a gap in a stone wall,
the rest of you—rams, ewes, bucks, wethers, lambs;
mothers and daughters, old grandfather-father,
cousins and aunts, small bleating sons—
followed onward, stupid
as sheep, wherever
your leader’s sheep-brain wandered to.

My grandfather spent all day searching the valley
and edges of Ragged Mountain,
calling “Ke-day!” as if he brought you salt,
“Ke-day! Ke-day!”

* * *

When the shirt wore out, and darns in the woolen
shirt needed darning,
a woman in a white collar
cut the shirt into strips and braided it,
as she braided her hair every morning.

In a hundred years
the knees of her great-granddaughter
crawled on a rug made from the wool of sheep
whose bones were mud,
like the bones of the woman, who stares
from an oval in the parlor.

* * *

I forked the brambly hay down to you
in nineteen-fifty. I delved my hands deep
in the winter grass of your hair.

When the shearer cut to your nakedness in April
and you dropped black eyes in shame,
hiding in barnyard corners, unable to hide,
I brought grain to raise your spirits,
and ten thousand years
wound us through pasture and hayfield together,
threads of us woven
together, three hundred generations
from Africa’s hills to New Hampshire’s.

* * *

You were not shrewd like the pig.
You were not strong like the horse.
You were not brave like the rooster.

Yet none of the others looked like a lump of granite
that grew hair,
and none of the others
carried white fleece as soft as dandelion seed
around a black face,
and none of them sang such a flat and sociable song.

* * *


Now the black-faced sheep have wandered and will not return,
even if I should search the valleys
and call “Ke-day,” as if I brought them salt.
Now the railroad draws
a line of rust through the valley. Birch, pine, and maple
lean from cellarholes
and cover the dead pastures of Ragged Mountain
except where machines make snow
and cables pull money up hill, to slide back down.

* * *

At South Danbury Church twelve of us sit—
cousins and aunts, sons—
where the great-grandfathers of the forty-acre farms
filled every pew.
I look out the window at summer places,
at Boston lawyers’ houses
with swimming pools cunningly added to cowsheds,
and we read an old poem aloud, about Israel’s sheep,
old lumps of wool, and we read

that the rich farmer, though he names his farm for himself,
takes nothing into his grave;
that even if people praise us, because we are successful,
we will go under the ground
to meet our ancestors collected there in the darkness;
that we are all of us sheep, and death is our shepherd,
and we die as the animals die.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Barry Maguire

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd feature an Irish artist, Barry Maguire.  This painting is called "The Windy Connemara." Connemara Blackface Mountain Sheep are the most common sheep in Ireland.  Their long, course coat helps them withstand harsh weather. 

I love how the texture of the sheep's wool is picked up in the background grasses as the wind blows both as flat as it can.  I bet this painting is even more beautiful in person. 

I also noticed that the colors of this painting are the colors of the Irish flag.  

Hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day!

Music Monday: All we like Sheep - Handel

Bishop's March 14th Statement on the HHS Mandate

I wanted to highlight parts of the statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the HHS mandate. This statement was released on March 14, 2012.  The portion I want to highlight talks about what the debate is and isn't about from the perspective of the Catholic Church.

This is not about access to contraception, which is ubiquitous and inexpensive, even when it is not provided by the Church's hand and with the Church's funds.  This is not about religious freedom of Catholics only, but also of those who recognize that their cherished beliefs may be next on the block.  This is not about the Bishops' somehow "banning contraception," when the U.S. Supreme Court took that issue off the table two generations ago.  Indeed, this is not about the Church wanting to force anybody to do anything; it is instead about the federal government forcing the Church--consisting of its faithful and all but a few of its institutions--to act against Church teachings.  This is not a matter of opposition to universal health care, which has been a concern of the Bishops' Conference since 1919, virtually at its founding.  This is not a fight we want or asked for, but one forced upon us by government on its own timing.  Finally, this is not a Republican or Democratic, a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American issue. 

All the "talking points" of the current administration, their apologists and the media are trying to frame this debate in terms of supposed misogynistic, controlling men trying to take away contraception availability and universal healthcare.  You have read it from the Bishops themselves that this is not the case.

A particular religion's belief system is not really the business of someone who is not striving to follow that particular system of belief.  It really isn't anyone's concern if a woman should choose to wear a head covering, refrain from using birth control, or decide to have more than 1 or 2 children.  Those who are members of a belief system have an obligation to educate themselves on the tenants of that belief.

As Americans, we need to fight for the religious freedom of all our fellow citizens, no matter what their religious beliefs. We all need to continue to fight for the right to follow our own well-formed consciences and not to belittle the beliefs of others.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week I posted a new Lenten resource, a Lenten Meditation on Fasting and Feasting, a post entitled, Is God Listening and a St. Patrick's Day post about the importance of expressing our faith.

Our theme this week was "early spring". Art and Beauty Tuesday was a modernist abstract by Amanda Mossmottle called Grove and our poem was Early Spring by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day and Expressing Our Faith

St. Patrick's Day in the United States is a day to celebrate Irish heritage.  There are many traditions, the simplest of which is wearing green on March 17th.  On the Irish flag, the green portion represents the native population of Ireland who are mostly Catholic. The shamrock, of course, was a way St. Patrick taught the people of Ireland about the Trinity.  Three, and yet, One. Saint Patrick's Day symbolism is tied up with Roman Catholicism in a way that some people may not realize.

In light of the current increase in attacks on Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular in the media-- traditional, online, and in social media, I think we should extend the "wearing of the 'green'" into our daily lives.  Actually wearing green every day is not very practical for most people, so, instead, I would like to encourage everyone to wear some symbol of their faith with pride and without fear.

A couple of decades ago, doing this would be non-controversial, but in today's  atmosphere of tolerance-for- all-but-Catholics it is becoming increasingly risky yet more and more important to do so. We need to live out our Christian faith in daily life by treating everyone--those who agree with our beliefs, and those who do not, with respect.

However, if we give up our right to express our faith out of fear, we will never get it back.

Poetry Wednesday--Rainer Maria Rilke

This poem beautifully describes the subtle changes that take place in early Spring. 


Early Spring


Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows' wintry grey.
Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents.  Tendernesses.

hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees

Is God listening?

I've been thinking of how God answers prayer today.  Many people stop believing in God because they don't think he answers their prayers.  They pray and pray, and their situation doesn't seem to improve.

What kinds of prayers does God answer?  God answers prayers where we ask for forgiveness or a particular grace; quick prayers, prayed in heat of the moment, when we are struggling with anger, or envy or sloth.  Reaching out to God really does work.  He gives us the grace we need in that moment.

Today I was listening to a radio show where the speaker was talking about her house.  I started to feel illogically jealous.  For once, I immediately asked God to forgive me.  Just then, the radio speaker started saying how she needed to dispose of a great number of her possessions quickly, in order to rent her home, and when she posted on Craig's List that she had lots of stuff to give away she had someone come over almost immediately from a homeless shelter and take even the broken furniture to use.

I was immediately blessed by hearing that story and felt like this was a sign that God had heard my prayer and was indeed, listening.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Amanda Collins

This painting is called "Grove" by Amanda Mossmottle.  I usually don't go quite this abstract, but I was struck by the color choice and frequency in this painting.  The "early spring green" along with "earth brown" predominates, while the splashes of "lemon yellow" of varying sizes made me think, right away, of the daffodils that are just beginning to bloom here.  This one really expresses the world in early Spring.

I've always been attracted to paintings where the paint is thickly laid on, like this one, as well.

As this painting implies, the world still looks muddy, but we are seeing the hope of Spring.

You can purchase this painting and look at her other work at her Etsy store.

Lenten Meditation: Fast and Feast

New Lenten Resource

I just added a new resource to my Lenten Resources page. Blue Eyed Ennis points us to 24-7 Prayer which is an interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice out of England. They post something every day of Lent. You can subscribe to this on iTunes, or get it via the blog, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. The videos are about 5 minutes each and there is also a free guide you can download.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week, I posted a lot of videos. Music Monday gave us a beautiful Agnus Dei by Maurice Durufle. We also saw another Lenten Meditation from Celtic Daily Prayer--Today I Believe.

I also posted 2 videos about the in response to Planned Parenthood's call for videos by women--one by Father John Hollowell, "I Have a Say", and the other inspired by that video. Both are well worth watching.

I also posted an article about the inevitable demise in America of The Little Sisters of the Poor because of the HHS Mandate.

The final posting this week is about a new widget I have put on the sidebar: Catholic Cuisine.

Catholic Cuisine--recipes (and some art)

I've got a new Catholic Cuisine widget on my sidebar, under the Lenten Resources button. Check it out for some great recipes based on the liturgical seasons.

I love the idea of using food, something we all need every day, to express our heritage, faith and love. Our faith should be something that surrounds us and is a part of all we do.

The picture above, by the way, is a painting by Tajalf Sparnaay, a Dutch artist who specializes in hyper-realism.  This painting is entitled "Stew" and reminds me of the corned beef many of us eat on St. Patrick's Day. It is much larger than life and he leaves no detail unpainted.

HHS Mandate Threatens Little Sisters of the Poor

I just read that the Little Sisters of the Poor have said that the HHS mandate "Threatens to end our service to the elderly in America."

My own aunt has been a Little Sister since before I was born--and that's been quite a while.  My own grandparents were very well cared for at the Little Sisters of the Poor before their deaths.

For those who think free birth control should come before religious freedom, is this what you want? My own family would potentially be affected by this.

We would be chasing out an order of nuns who have been in the United States since 1868.  Think about that--an order of selfless sisters--gone--not because their order has declined in numbers--quite the opposite--but, because, in the "land of the free", they have been driven out of business by a mandate to pay for birth control.

Unbelievable.

Here Comes the Catholic Church!

Father John Hollowell made this video in response to Cecile Richards', (head of Planned Parenthood) call for women to post videos on the theme, "I Have a Say." His response is clear and articulate. Fr. John's blog is here and his YouTube page is here.



This video was inspired by Fr. John Hollowell's "I Have a Say" video.  It is time we speak out for integrity and for life.

Here comes the Catholic Church!

Lenten Meditation: Today I Believe

As Lent continues, are you getting discouraged? This is a prayer full of hope. It it taken from "Celtic Daily Prayer."

Music Monday--Maurice Durufle

I heard this piece on Catholic Radio and was intrigued by the blend of chant, organ and musical layering, counter-melody and the unexpected keys involved. The basic chant is the same one we use at Mass during Lent and Advent, but with added keys, voices and parts.

This Agnus Dei, Requiem is used during the Mass for the Dead.

Agnus Dei, Qui tolis pecata mundi, dona eis requiem translates into
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them rest.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week, I posted a Lenten meditation video, a poem inspired by the Our Father written by St. Francis of Assisi and a post about St. John Cassian. 

I also have 2 posts regarding the HSS Mandate.  The first is called Myths about the Catholic Church and the second is a YouTube video of Fr. Barron on the subject.

If you haven't signed the petition against the mandate, click on the stop sign in my sidebar.

Fr. Barron on the HHS Mandate: Anti-Catholic and Un-American

Excellent explanation by Fr. Barron on the Catholic objections to the HHS birth control/abortion mandate. Worth watching in its entirety.

One of the most important things he points out is the difference between the purported "freedom of worship" touted by the Obama administration and true "freedom of religion" as outlined by the founding fathers.

Happy Feast of St. John Cassian

Years ago, I read that Saint John Cassian could be said to be the patron saint of transcribers because he is shown in this icon transcribing scripture.  Since this is what I do for a living, I purchased the icon and it has been hanging in my icon corner ever since.

Today I have discovered that Saint John Cassian is a Leap Day Saint in the Orthodox Church.

You can read The Conferences of Saint John Cassian in their entirety online.  In it, he gives us a window into early Christian monasticism--even earlier than St. Benedict, who took St. John Cassian's work as an inspiration for his rule.

You can also read The 12 Books of St. John Cassian at osb.org.

Poetry Wednesday--St. Francis of Assisi

Poetry Chaikanna featured this translation yesterday, of a poem based on the Our Father by St. Francis of Assisi.  The Gospel from yesterday was Jesus teaching the Our Father to the disciples.

*************************************
O our most holy Father
Our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler and Savior,

Who are in Heaven,
In the angels and in the saints,
Enlightening them to Love because You, Lord, are Light,
Inflaming them to Love because You, Lord, are Love,
Dwelling in them and filling them with happiness,
    because You, Lord, are the Supreme Good,
         the Eternal Good,
    from Whom comes all good,
    without Whom there is no good.

Hallowed be Your Name:
May our knowledge of You become ever clearer,
That we may know the breadth of Your blessings,
    the length of your promises,
    the height of your majesty,
    the depths of your judgments,

Your Kingdom Come:
So that You may rule in us through Your Grace,
and enable us to come to Your kingdom,
where there is an unclouded vision of You,
an eternal enjoyment of You.

Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven:
That we may love you with our whole heart by always thinking of You,
     with our whole soul by always desiring You,
     with our whole mind by directing all our
          intentions to You and seeking Your
          glory in everything
And with our whole strength by spending all our
     energies and affections
     of soul and body
     in the service of Your Love
     and of nothing else
and may we love our neighbors as ourselves
     by drawing them all with our whole strength to Your Love,
     by rejoicing in the good fortunes of others as well as our own,
     and by sympathizing with the misfortunes of others
     and by giving offence to no one.

Give us this day:
in memory and understanding and reverence
    of the Love which our Lord Jesus Christ had for us,
    and of those things which He said and did and suffered for us

Our daily bread:
Your own beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ

And forgive us our trespasses:
Through Your ineffable Mercy,
through the power of the passion of Your Beloved Son,
     together with the merits and intercession of the Blessed Virgin
          Mary and all Your chosen ones.

As we forgive those who trespass against us:
And whatever we do not forgive perfectly,
do You, Lord, enable us to forgive to the full
so that we may truly love your enemies
and fervently intercede for them before You
returning no one evil for evil
and striving to help everyone in You.

And lead us not into temptation:
hidden or obvious,
sudden or persistent,

But deliver us from evil:
Past, present or to come.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.  Amen.

Myths about the Catholic Church

There are quite a few myths and misconceptions going around about the Catholic Church in light of the HHS mandate forcing church organizations to pay for abortifacient drugs, against their beliefs and consciences.

Some may be deliberate hyperbole born of either virulent anti-Catholicism or anti-religionist views in general. Some of these myths may be disseminated by people who actually believe them, but all of them, or a good majority of them are so egregiousness that they immediately peg the person as anti-Catholic or highly misinformed.

The first myth is that the Church wants to make all birth control illegal.  The Church has no interest in banning all forms of birth control.  America is not a theocracy and there are many Americans who are not Catholic.

The second myth is that the Church will "one day" forbid other drugs such as Viagra, merely because they have something to do with sex.  Wrong again.  There is no theological reason to forbid a drug that has nothing to do with directly preventing conception, or killing a child already conceived.

The third myth is that the American bishops' stand against the HHS mandate has to do with primarily with birth control.  It does not.  It has to do with religious freedom.  As in myth #1, the Church is not objecting to citizens having legal access to birth control.  The Church wants the freedom to be exempt from the law, which, by the way, was not passed by the Congress, but mandated by Health and Human Services.

The 4th myth is that because many Catholics ignore the Church's teaching on birth control at some time in their lives, society, including many who are not Catholic, or who are anti-Catholic, should dictate to the Church what its teachings should be!  I'm sure that nearly 100% of Catholics have violated the Church's teaching against lying, envy and coveting at some time in their lives.  Should the Church, then, decide that lying, coveting and envy are A-ok?

This HHS controversy has brought many people who happen to be full of hatred for the Church out of the closet.  This will do nothing to attract Catholics to their points of view.  I think, as citizens of the U.S. and of the world, we should try to find common ground and work together for the rights of all people to follow their consciences.

Lenten Music Monday--Michael John Poirier

Beautifully meditative song about Jesus calling us to be with Him during Lent.

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

It's Lent at The Well!

This week I talked about Psalm 40, we listened to John Michael Talbot, and watched a YouTube video about the journey of Lent.

I also started a Lenten resource page and highlighted some new stuff on my sidebar, including a new Divine Office widget.

New Sidebar Stuff

I've made some changes to the sidebar that I wanted to highlight for my readers.

HHS Mandate Petition
Besides my Lenten Resources, which I discussed in the previous post, I've got a link to the National Petition to stop the HHS mandate at the top of the sidebar.  Check it out, click, and help fight religious bigotry in the U.S.!

Divine Office Widget
The next new feature on the sidebar is a Breviary widget which I got from Coffee and Canticles: The Divine Office in Your Life.  I'm really loving this way of praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  For someone who is online more than I probably should be, this is a very handy way to have the prayers for the various hours, the Office of Readings and the Mass in one place. (You can also use this widget on iPhone, iPad, and Android Mobile.)

If you look across the top, you've got the Liturgy of the Hours (under "Breviary) the Mass readings (under "Daily Lecture") and a seemingly endless variety of Prayers available (under "Prayers", of course!) . If you click "More" you can even choose your language and make sure the day is set correctly.

Elizabeth Scalia, aka, The Anchoress, has a very inspiring post about praying the Divine Office during Lent on her blog.  She tells her readers that it has changed her personally and spiritually.

Free Online Books and Films
Also, scrolling down the sidebar to the second to the last list, I've got some free online films, talks and tv, including free audio books, Christian classics, Catholic classics, and documentaries.

Lenten Resource Page

Check out my new Lenten Resource Page.  Click on the Lenten Resources button to the right (on the sidebar) to go to a separate Lenten Resource page on Dymphna's Well.

Right now, I've got some fasting resources and Lenten family resources.  I will add to them as I find new and inspiring things on the web.

Edited to add:  I've added some Catholic and Orthodox Lenten Homilies.

Ash Wednesday--Lenten Meditation--Beginning the Journey

Music Monday--John Michael Talbot

Lent begins on Wednesday of this week.  Lent can be a very difficult time for many of us who struggle with feelings of shame and guilt over our shortcomings and sins.

In Eastern Christianity, sin is "falling short of the mark".  It is an opportunity to be healed by God, not to be shamed.

This week's Music Monday is Healer of my Soul by John Michael Talbot.  Take a moment and let the words become a prayer and a balm to your soul.

Heal My Soul

I love this verse from today's Psalm (Psalm 40).

As for me, I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me,

  heal my soul for I have sinned against you.’

It really shows the Eastern Christian idea that when we have sinned, we don't need punishment as much as healing, from God. That is why Jesus came to earth--to heal us.  To those who have suffered at the hands people who would have us sink into permanent shame over our sins, Jesus came as the Divine Physician, and as the "mother hen" who wants to gather us under her wing and care for us until we are healed.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week I brought back Guerrilla Crochet because we have gotten a comment from the artist! Definitely check that out!

I posted a beautiful poem called Snowdrops for St Bridie's Day by Jacqui Thewless and a gorgeous Sacred Heart holy card for St. Valentine's Day.

I did a book review after reading a free online book, The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen.

I also posted a very interesting quote from Albert Einstein where he praises the Church's consistent stand against Hitler.

I've got three posts which are, in one way or the other, related to the HHS birth control mandate and the controversy and persecution it has caused. One is from the book of James, one is about people's confusion over the Church's stand on Viagra, and the third is a post that touches more directly on the subject of the mandate.

Book Review: "The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life" by Henri Nouwen

The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life" by Henri Nouwen was recommended by a caller to The Catholic Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio and I was thrilled to find it for free on http://www.archive.org. They even had a read-aloud feature where a (in this case, female) slightly computerized voice would read the book aloud, following along with the passages being highlighted in blue.

The book itself is short, only 93 pages, and the Internet Archives actually shows the original book, complete with illustrations and turn-able pages. When you choose the computer to read the text aloud, the pages turn automatically.

Nouwen says that the way of Christ is one of downward mobility, in direct opposition to society's quest for power, relevancy and spectacular sensationalism. Our God, Nouwen says, is one who literally "came down" as a servant; a member of a tiny tribe being oppressed by a huge super power.

He speaks of three disciplines that are necessary in our spiritual formation: the disciplines of the Church, the Book and the Heart.

This book is a little shot in the arm to one's spiritual life and a great read for Lent.

View all my reviews

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Catholics Need Not Apply

I was heartened to see the Fighting Irish, aka, Notre Dame, come down on the side of religious freedom in the wake of the HHS birth control/abortion mandate and the President's "accommodation".

After giving Mr. Obama an honorary degree and a platform on which to speak to its graduating class, even after much protest from other, arguably more "right-wing" Catholics, doubtless, Notre Dame feels, as do many on the Catholic left, that it has been lied to--courted and then walked away from.

Such bald anti-religionist and anti-tolerant views do not bode well for a country suffering from the worst economy since its Great Depression.  I can not see why anyone would think it politically expedient to alienate a good portion of the voting populous, especially during an election year, especially with the economy still in shambles.

I think most thinking people would rather err on the side of the religious tolerance that our country was founded upon than take us back to the years when people of a particular group (whether Muslims, African Americans, Jews or Irish) "need not apply".

As usual, Elizabeth Scalia of The Anchoress, has an insightful post on this subject.  Her opening sentence tells is all:

The elites (are) getting comfortable with the notion of telling us what we can and cannot do, what business we may or may not conduct, what materials we can or cannot own…because we’re Catholics.

I never thought I'd see the day.

Viagra vs. The Pill? Apples and Oranges

I heard a caller ask a host on the Catholic Channel on Sirius Radio today why the Church is against birth control but allows Viagra. I then saw an article on NPR saying that they had gotten many emails asking the same question.

 I was shocked, frankly, at the ignorance that lay behind these queries.

Viagra is not an abortifacient, plain and simple. Using Viagra does not in any way risk the early abortion of an unborn child.  Further, Viagra does not artificially prevent conception.

I couldn't help but wonder if these questioners knew what Viagra was for.

Very Timely Scripture From Today's First Reading

Today's first reading was from the beginning of the Letter of James, which reads, in part:

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

It never ceases to amaze me how timely the cycle of readings often is, especially given the fact that the readings are chosen ahead of time and current events are not!

Keep the faith, everyone!

Einstein Praises the Church's Consistent Stand Against Hitler

Thanks to a reader and comment-er on Mark Shea's blog, I have come across a moving quote from Albert Einstein on the Catholic Church during World War II.

Being a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but, no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. . . .”Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly. ~Albert Einstein, TIME magazine, Monday, Dec. 23, 1940

The writer then goes on to say that, lest you doubt the authenticity of the sentiment quoted, there is a letter, written in Einstein's own hand, to an American preacher who had written Einstein asking whether he had indeed praised the Church in that way. Here is his response:

“Yes, I did say this about the Christian Church. It is the only social institution that could stand up to the Nazi regime.” –Albert Einstein

When the chips are down, only the Church stands up consistently for the innate worth of human life.  Only the Church consistently asks humanity to act with integrity.  Just because the majority of us fail to live up to her standards (including many in leadership positions in the Church) doesn't mean she is wrong in her values.

The Church got us through the Dark Ages once.  She is doing so again today.

(Poetry Thursday?) Snowdrops for St Bridie's Day by Jacqui Thewless

They might be flowers

of mercy

or small emblems of

the sun's

inevitable rise:

clusters of grey-green spears
miraculously piercing last year's

fallen foliage
without disturbing
a thing.

Earth's first
birth
is whiteness -
a simple dependence
from these little stalks -
where no hope was
without modesty,
surprise...
springs!

I was inspired by this poem by Jacqui Thewless as the snow that fell last night around my home.  We have had an unusually warm winter here so far and spring definitely is on the way.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Guerrilla Crochet

Note:  I'm re-posting this guerrilla crochet to highlight the new comment by the artist! Enjoy!

I was amazed by this picture.  I love the idea of street art enhancing beauty and sending a message.  This one speaks to me of optimism and of sharing happiness.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

We've had a couple of themes here at The Well since I last posted a Sunday Snippets, including Sarcasm/Irony and the Kingdom of God. We looked at street art by Bansky, Sarcasm Senryu by A. Thomas Hawkins, music by John Michael Talbot, a 14th century icon by Manuel Panselinos and a poem by St. Teresa of Avila.

I also wrote a post about The True Kingdom of God, and one about The Days of Candles and Light as well as one about the 130th Anniversary of FDR's birth.

The Days of Candles and Light

This week, we have 2 feast days that have to do with candles. Today is Candlemas. Many churches will bless any candles that you bring to Mass today.

Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Blaise when Catholics get their throats blessed using 2 crossed candles.

Thankfully the days are getting longer this time of year and Light seems to be on the horizon. The Church uses the seasons and physical symbols to remind us of greater truths.

Poetry Wednesday--St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila understood that the Kingdom of God was not something to wait for passively, but something to be brought about by people's cooperation with God.  She expresses this beautifully in her poem,

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body now on earth
but yours, 
no hands but yours, 
no feet, but yours, 

Yours are the eyes through which
is to look out 
compassion to the world; 

Yours is the feet with which He is to go about
doing good; 

Yours are the hands with which He is to bless men
now. 

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Manuel Panselinos

This detail from a 14th century icon of the Resurrection shows Jesus bending down and forcefully grabbing Adam's wrist, pulling him out of Hell (or the abode of the dead).

Theologian John Dominic Crossan points out that in Western Christian art, illustrations of the Resurrection often show Jesus alone, whereas in Eastern Christian iconography, Jesus is never shown alone at the Resurrection.

Why?  In the East, Christ's mission and even His death is seen as one of healing and not one of appeasing an angry God.

This week we are looking at the true meaning of the Kingdom of God--one of cooperation with Christ in bringing His love into the world.  

Music Monday - John Michael Talbot

130th Anniversary of FDR's Birth

This "Second Bill of Rights" speech was delivered by FDR on January 11, 1944 during his State of the Union address to Congress. The speech was delivered to the American public via radio because Roosevelt was suffering from the flu.

He asked that cameras record the "Second Bill of Rights" portion of the speech for later broadcast. This footage was believed to have been lost until it was rediscovered in 2008 by Michael Moore.

Monday, January 30th is the 130th anniversary of FDR's birth.

The True Kingdom of God

In contrast to John the Baptist and other Jewish contemporaries, Jesus said the Kingdom of God is at hand--now.

First century Jews were looking for the coming of the Anointed One who would save--rescue--the Jewish people who had endured so much. Their centuries-old faith told them that God was a God of justice and yet their lives told a different story.  How were they to reconcile that?  They were waiting for a Savior who would bring about God's Kingdom--His justice--to His people.

Jesus, whom Christians recognize as that Savior, came and told them that God's Kingdom had already arrived.  How in the world could that be true?  Injustice still reined.  The answer is that God's Kingdom was not going to be a magical, much less a violent ushering in of a futuristic paradise.  It would ONLY come about with mankind's full cooperation with the Just God.  It can happen no other way, because God created us with free will and He created us and the world as "good".

We need to cooperate with God in living His Kingdom of Love here on earth.  The very fact that we call God's periodic direct interventions "miracles" is that they are so over and above the usual way things are done.  Jesus did not come to the earth to tell us, "Wait a couple of thousand years or more--God will smite those awful enemies eventually."  Jesus came to live among us to show us how to live His kingdom on earth.

Wrong-headed focus on the "end times" causes us to see God's Kingdom as either something that is basically His responsibility to "do" (and therefore, we blame Him when it has not occurred) or we see it as something that must be ushered in violently--as a battle of sorts.  This sort of thinking has caused so many problems over the centuries and continues to cause problems in our world.  Who are we battling against?  Those not of our language, race or faith?  Any student of history can easily see the results of that line of thinking.

No, the true Kingdom of God is one of loving non-violence.  That is the life that Jesus led when He was on earth.  His very death shows us by stark contrast, the extreme to which He went, to show us God's Kingdom on earth.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  ~Jesus

Poetry Wednesday--A. Thomas Hawkins

Sarcasm Senryu 

Undeniable
irresponsibility
Congratulations

A Senryu is a 3-line Japanese poem, unrhymed,  with a human subject-matter, whereas a traditional haiku has the familiar 5-7-5 syllable format and talks about nature, not humanity.

The senryu above is ingenious in that it consists of only 3 words, and still manages to get across the idea of sarcasm, with the help of the title. The original can be read at Hello Poetry.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Bansky

This week's theme is sarcasm and irony--where the meaning is hidden beneath the surface. Today's Art and Beauty Tuesday comes from Leake Street in London and is done by the street artist Banksy. The image below is of a man spraying over the ancient "graffiti" found in a French cave--one of the oldest works of art ever found.

In "cleaning up" the "graffiti", the man is really painting over a precious work of art, and, thus, the unexpected nature of irony.  Even our best intentions sometimes fall short of the mark. 

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week's theme was Alzheimer's.  Our art was a complex painting of a nursing home resident by Ria Hills called "Marge" and our poem was from "Losing Solomon" by Sean Nevin.

I also wrote a post on this weekend's second reading from 1 Corinthians.

Scripture Saturday--Detachment

But this I say brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice (and) those who buy as though they did not possess.


~1 Corinthians 7:29-30

Today's second reading from first Corinthians (above) can be confusing at first if we take it literally. Are we really to give up our spouses? Should no one marry? Why should those who weep, not weep and those who rejoice, not rejoice??  It seems to make no sense until you realize the common thread here is attachments.

As Christians, we are called to deification--becoming like God through union with God. As such, we need to take care to "strive for the higher gifts" and not become too enmeshed with the things and worries of this world--even the "important" things.

I think this was one of Jesus' main messages during his earthly ministry. Do NOT worry. So much (even the outward trappings of our religion) does NOT really matter as much as we like to think.

I also think this goes hand-in-hand with Jesus' admonitions (and real-life examples) against judging others.  In judging others' intentions, we are putting ourselves in a position of authority over them that we can not claim and making things important that just aren't important.  What is important is detachment from the unimportant and striving to become the love of God.

I really see Jesus as longing, as He said, to take human-kind under His wings like a mother hen, hold us, and tell us not to worry.  One of the methods He tells us to use is detachment.

 "Do not worry about your life--what you are to eat and drink or your body--how you are to clothe it.  Is your life not more important than food and your body more important than clothing?"  ~Matthew 6:25

In the Corinthians letter, I think Paul is telling us, as Jesus did, to detach, let go, and trust in Christ.

Daily prayer is a wonderful way to help us detach.  Placing all your worldly cares onto Christ every day, and going to Him throughout the day, through the prayers of the Office, the Rosary, or the Jesus prayer, is a great way to bring our minds around to our true Center who is Love.

Only then can we become love in our lives.

Poetry Wednesday--Sean Nevin

This is part of the poem, Losing Solomon" by Sean Nevin, a poem about his grandfather's descent into Alzheimer's disease. This poem has appeared in Oblivio Gate, a collection of poems about aging and dementia, and in Beyond Forgetting from Kent State University.

Just this snippet of Losing Solomon published in the New York Times makes me eager to read the rest of both books.

The Beginning of Losing Solomon
by Sean Nevin

Things seem to take on a sudden shimmer
before vanishing: the polished black loafers
he wore yesterday, the reason for climbing
the stairs, even the names of his own children

are swallowed like spent stars against the dark
vault of memory. Today the toaster gives up
its silver purpose in his hands, becomes a radio,
an old Philco blaring a ball game from the ‘40s
with Jackie Robinson squaring up to the plate.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Ria Hills

This painting, called "Marge", by Ria Hills is one of a series called "Fractured" that Hills has painted of residents of her mother's nursing home.

I love how she uses separately painted blocks to illustrate both the fractured nature of Alzheimer's and the individuality of each resident.

When I first saw this painting, I felt I knew this woman--that's how much of her personality came through.  When I found out she, like my own mother, suffers from Alzheimer's, I was even more drawn to it.

I found this painting on Daily Painters of Massachusetts.  Hills also has some beautiful paintings on her own blog.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This was a light week at The Well.  We featured Dianne Mize's beautifully complex painting of a white squirrel called Ready to Leap and Rolf Jacobsen's poem called Guardian Angel.

Hope everyone is recovering sufficiently from the hectic holidays and ready to head into "ordinary time."

Poetry Wednesday--Rolf Jacobsen

Guardian Angel

I am the bird that flutters against your window in the morning,
and your closest friend, whom you can never know,
blossoms that light up for the blind.

I am the glacier shining over the woods, so pale,
and heavy voices from the cathedral tower.
The thought that suddenly hits you in the middle of the day
and makes you feel so fantastically happy.

I am the one you have loved for many years.


I walk beside you all day and look intently at you
and put my mouth against your heart
though you're not aware of it.

I am your third arm, your second
shadow, the white one,
whom you cannot accept,
and who can never forget you.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Dianne Mize

Ready to Leap by Dianne Mize is a beautifully complex painting of a white squirrel on a tree.  As is true in nature, Mize uses many different colors to express the white fur of the squirrel. We see blue-greys and orange-yellows along with white highlights.  Each color group stands out in obvious brush strokes, while at the same time, being softly blended.  

The orange-yellow on the squirrel is picked up in the background foliage to the right, along with a spring green which we also see on the tree trunk.

All this color-sharing serves to further soften and blend the image into the background in a delightfully diffused  way.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at The Well.  I had a quick reflection on The Beloved Disciple and one about consuming "stuff" vs. consuming Christ,  found a great Saint of the Year Generator to choose your saint for 2012, and did a book review about the scholarly article Jesus as Healer, started a new link category, online Homilies.  I also shared an incredible spiritual resource from St. Mark Coptic Church in DC.

I also shared my usual art, music and poetry, including The Saga of the Cave, Trying to Surprise God and Innkeepers by Sr. Juliemarie McDonald.  For art, I brought back a popular post explaining the symbolism of the icon of the Nativity, and featured some street art of logs made to look like colored pencils.

I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Season and that Jesus' love and peace will rein in our hearts year 'round.

Daily Spiritual Journal

I have found an excellent spiritual resource that I am very excited about.  Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in DC is doing a daily spiritual journal.  Each year, the church has a new "theme" and this year's theme is spiritual growth. Each day of this journal/quiet time has a short scripture reading with questions to answer and a prayer prompt.

With the plethora of online journaling opportunities, not to mention the old standby notebook and pen, it is easier than ever to grab a bible and do this every day.

Since the new year is only a week long, it is easy to catch up.  Click on the above link to go to their "quiet time" page and start this journal of spiritual growth.

Book Review--John Moles

Jesus the Healer in the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and Early Christianity by John Moles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This scholarly article proposes that the name of Jesus was similar in appearance, sound and meaning to the words "healing" and "saves" in both Greek and Hebrew and that this relationship would have been obvious to Hellenized Jews as well as to Greeks of the first few centuries, A.D. New Testament writers used this relationship between a person's name and other words, as did Classical Greek writers, to illustrate and reinforce (through assonance, alliteration and "punning through synonyms") characteristics of the person being written about.

Greek gods and goddesses themselves carried names that pointed to their functions in the Pantheon. The consistent juxtaposition of the name of Jesus with words like "healing" and "saves" illustrates the superiority of Jesus to Greek gods with names of similar sound and meaning. This point was driven home by the New Testonament writers, whose audience would have picked up on these textual similarities.

Salvation, Moles says, is linked to healing in the sense that illness was often seen by Jesus' contemporaries as being related to sin. So, the name "Jesus" which means "Yahweh saves" also means "Yahweh heals". The idea of God/religion/Jesus-as-healer is one that pervades Eastern Christianity which sees salvation as being primarily a healing process rather than the more retributive view of the West.

To read this work in its entirety, go here:

View all my reviews

Poetry Wednesday--Peter Meinke

This poem shows that no matter how much we try to surprise God with our "creations" we fail. The poem surprises *us* in a delightful way and God is only surprised by our attempts to create perfection.


The Poet, Trying to Surprise God


The poet, trying to surprise his God
composed new forms from secret harmonies,
tore from his fiery vision galaxies
of unrelated shapes, both even & odd.
But God just smiled, and gave His know-all nod
saying, "There's no surprising One who sees
the acorn, root, and branch of centuries;
I swallow all things up, like Aaron's rod.


So hold this thought beneath your poet-bonnet:
no matter how free-seeming flows your sample
God is by definition the unsurprised."
"Then I'll return," the poet sighed, "to sonnets
of which this is a rather pale example."


"Is that right?" said God. "I hadn't realized...."

What do I consume?

I've been thinking lately, during the Consecration at Mass about being consumed by God and consuming God.  In the Eucharist, we consume our Lord. When we feel an overwhelming love for someone, such as a small child, we often use food-related imagery:  "I could just eat you up."   At Mass, God asks us to consume Him so that he can consume us.  We become one.

Now that we are "coming down" from the Christmas season, we may want to ask ourselves, "What do I consume? Am I focused on things, on myself, my worries and my pain or am I focused on my inner hunger for oneness with my Creator?"

As a New Year's resolution, why not shift focus to our creator who is "everywhere present and fills all things", yet is not visible to our naked eye except in the faces of our fellow human beings?  Pray for an awareness of God's presence as you go through your day.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Street Art Utopia

I love this picture from Street Art Utopia.  Trees made into colored pencils.  Doesn't it make you want to pick up one and start drawing?  I love the creativity of Street Art.  This one made me think of our ability to create and make our own worlds through art.

Make your own world in this new year of 2012!

Online Homilies

Ever feel a hunger for a good homily?  I have been searching for some online homilies to help us feed our faith and have come up with a list on the sidebar.  Check out these great resources for some homilies from around the world!

Saint of the Year Generator

Jennifer Fulwiler has a Saint of the Year Generator on her website.  Go here and click to get a saint chosen for you to accompany you throughout the year 2012.  They give you time to say a prayer before the final "click".

The saint I got is Saint John of God, patron of booksellers, which is appropriate for a book worm like myself. He also wanted to start a hospital for those unable to afford healthcare, an issue that has become close to my heart.

So, go to the St. of the Year Generator and get your saint for 2012!