tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15730154597893609152024-03-13T14:44:41.026-04:00The Guild ReviewThe Guild Review is a blog of art, culture, faith and politics. We seek understanding, not conformity.Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.comBlogger507125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-31054196454019060032019-03-17T04:00:00.000-04:002019-03-17T04:00:03.934-04:00St. Patrick's DayIn Irish music, many of the instruments used are diatonic. In other words, they are not chromatic; it's hard to play in more than two major keys and their related minors. For example, on a standard tin whistle or uilleann pipes, the player can only play in the keys G major or D major, as well as the related modes that have only one or two "sharps." The lowest note played by these instruments is usually D, and this standard has become known among Irish musicians as "concert pitch."<br />
<br />
In the 1970's it became fashionable among fiddlers to tune their strings a half-pitch up, so that their D string became an E-flat string. Many fiddlers liked the "brighter" sound.<br />
<br />
However, since 2000 it has become increasingly popular to play various instruments at lower pitches. The sound is often mellower" than the normal high-pitched instruments, and lends a different tonality to the tunes, especially when played at a bit of a slower pace. Interestingly, many antique instruments were designed to be played at lower pitches, but went out of fashion for a long time. They have now been revived, and while they are often harder to find than "concert pitch" instruments, they are readily available, albeit for a price.<br />
<br />
One of the albums that really sparked this trend of playing at a lower pitch was <i>Kitty Lie Over</i> by Mick O'Brien and Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, on flat pipes and fiddle respectively. Here is the well-known duo playing the second track off that album:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ItOIJ9ppo6s" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
And here is a brother-sister duet playing a couple jigs on a baritone concertina and viola:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/84s5W6Dygfg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825489013036249581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-80560271489915565352019-03-07T20:48:00.000-05:002019-03-07T20:48:06.993-05:00Getting Serious about St. Patrick's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_0iqCXMXz4/XIHJEn2jjmI/AAAAAAAADYw/ZN5DAN9yP2EiP4En4CupnJWhlyGfLx_JACLcBGAs/s1600/patrick21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1194" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_0iqCXMXz4/XIHJEn2jjmI/AAAAAAAADYw/ZN5DAN9yP2EiP4En4CupnJWhlyGfLx_JACLcBGAs/s320/patrick21.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
St. Patrick's Day is not far off. Many people will celebrate with green beer and garish plastic hats. But there are better ways to celebrate. One way is with authentic Irish music; the Guild Review has plenty, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2012/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2014/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2016/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2018/03/st-patricks-day.html">here</a>, and <a href="https://guildreview.blogspot.com/2009/08/cultural-eclecticism-irish-music-part-2.html">here</a>. Another great way to celebrate is with a novena (nine days) of the morning prayer that, at least according to tradition, St. Patrick himself wrote. <br />
<br />
The prayer is known as St. Patrick's Breastplate or The Deer's Cry. It contains the kind of semi-Franciscan praise of nature that you might expect to find in Celtic Christianity, but it also includes elements more often associated with Roman orthodoxy, like praise of the apostles and condemnation of heretics. Perhaps most importantly, the penultimate stanza, beginning with "Christ with me," makes very clear that, at its deepest root, St. Patrick's Day is really about Jesus Christ. It's a fantastic prayer.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
I arise today <br />
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, <br />
Through belief in the Threeness, <br />
Through confession of the Oneness <br />
of the Creator of creation. <br />
<br />
I arise today <br />
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism, <br />
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, <br />
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, <br />
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom. <br />
<br />
I arise today <br />
Through the strength of the love of cherubim, <br />
In the obedience of angels, <br />
In the service of archangels, <br />
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward, <br />
In the prayers of patriarchs, <br />
In the predictions of prophets, <br />
In the preaching of apostles, <br />
In the faith of confessors, <br />
In the innocence of holy virgins, <br />
In the deeds of righteous men. <br />
<br />
I arise today, through <br />
The strength of heaven, <br />
The light of the sun, <br />
The radiance of the moon, <br />
The splendor of fire, <br />
The speed of lightning, <br />
The swiftness of wind, <br />
The depth of the sea, <br />
The stability of the earth, <br />
The firmness of rock. <br />
<br />
I arise today, through <br />
God's strength to pilot me, <br />
God's might to uphold me, <br />
God's wisdom to guide me, <br />
God's eye to look before me, <br />
God's ear to hear me, <br />
God's word to speak for me, <br />
God's hand to guard me, <br />
God's shield to protect me, <br />
God's host to save me <br />
From snares of devils, <br />
From temptation of vices, <br />
From everyone who shall wish me ill, <br />
afar and near. <br />
<br />
I summon today <br />
All these powers between me and those evils, <br />
Against every cruel and merciless power <br />
that may oppose my body and soul, <br />
Against incantations of false prophets, <br />
Against black laws of pagandom, <br />
Against false laws of heretics, <br />
Against craft of idolatry, <br />
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, <br />
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul; <br />
Christ to shield me today <br />
Against poison, against burning, <br />
Against drowning, against wounding, <br />
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward. <br />
<br />
Christ with me, <br />
Christ before me, <br />
Christ behind me, <br />
Christ in me, <br />
Christ beneath me, <br />
Christ above me, <br />
Christ on my right, <br />
Christ on my left, <br />
Christ when I lie down, <br />
Christ when I sit down, <br />
Christ when I arise, <br />
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, <br />
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, <br />
Christ in every eye that sees me, <br />
Christ in every ear that hears me. <br />
<br />
I arise today <br />
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, <br />
Through belief in the Threeness, <br />
Through confession of the Oneness <br />
of the Creator of creation.</blockquote>
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today's image comes from the <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/">blog of Fr. Dwight Longenecker</a>, from a post titled <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2015/03/the-importance-of-patrick-in-spiritual-warfare.html">"The Importance of Patrick in Spiritual Warfare."</a> </span></i>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-5275022257156316772019-01-06T04:57:00.000-05:002019-01-06T04:57:12.056-05:00Eliot's Reflection on the Magi's JourneyToday the Church recalls the coming of the Magi to adore the Christ Child. We know little about who they were or the nature of their journey. Their arrival is generally depicted as being an occasion of great joy, and no doubt it was. But great religious experiences, even while being joyful, can also be challenging. Indeed, many of the saints spoke of their deep longing to be with God; in some sense, a taste of His presence was as much a curse as a blessing, creating, as it did, a longing which would only be fully satisfied in heaven. This is one way of reading the Beatitudes: the blessed are troubled in this world precisely because they do not belong to it.<br />
<br />
In 1927, T. S. Eliot wrote a poem reflecting on the Magi. (<a href="https://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/journey-magi">You can hear him read it here.</a>) He considers the difficulty of the journey, suggesting the psychological or spiritual challenges that so often come on the heels of physical ones. He includes the mundane details which so often fill our loftiest endeavors. He also reflects on the longing and discontent that true religious experience can prompt. This Christmas season, we would do well to imitate the fortitude of the Magi. And, should we persevere in the journey of faith, we should expect to be changed: powerfully, deeply, even troublingly, and - yes - ultimately joyfully.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>The Journey Of The Magi</b><br />
<br />
'A cold coming we had of it,<br />
Just the worst time of the year<br />
For a journey, and such a long journey:<br />
The ways deep and the weather sharp,<br />
The very dead of winter.'<br />
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,<br />
Lying down in the melting snow.<br />
There were times we regretted<br />
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,<br />
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.<br />
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling<br />
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,<br />
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,<br />
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly<br />
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:<br />
A hard time we had of it.<br />
At the end we preferred to travel all night,<br />
Sleeping in snatches,<br />
With the voices singing in our ears, saying<br />
That this was all folly.<br />
<br />
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,<br />
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;<br />
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,<br />
And three trees on the low sky,<br />
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.<br />
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,<br />
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,<br />
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.<br />
But there was no information, and so we continued<br />
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon<br />
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.<br />
<br />
All this was a long time ago, I remember,<br />
And I would do it again, but set down<br />
This set down<br />
This: were we led all that way for<br />
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly<br />
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,<br />
But had thought they were different; this Birth was<br />
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.<br />
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,<br />
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,<br />
With an alien people clutching their gods.<br />
I should be glad of another death.</blockquote>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-16529596560243378692018-12-14T15:29:00.000-05:002018-12-14T15:29:56.132-05:00Rossetti's "A Better Resurrection"Currently taped to my bathroom mirror is the poem, "A Better Resurrection," by the British poet Christina Rossetti. It is a poem about death and rebirth, one that underscores the weakness of the human condition and our need for grace. I think it is apt for autumn or winter, Advent or Lent. <br />
<br />
Very slowly, I am working on memorizing the poem. One of the benefits of memorization is that you are able to carry within you a small scrap of civilization, a little bit of culture that you can call upon wherever you are, whenever you need it. Another benefit is that it forces you to think about every word, to go over the contents again and again. It is an invitation to deep reflection. If you don't care to memorize this one, let me suggest that you find another poem and give it a try.<br />
<blockquote>
<b>A Better Resurrection</b> <br />
<br />
I have no wit, no words, no tears; <br />
My heart within me like a stone <br />
Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears;<br />
Look right, look left, I dwell alone; <br />
I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief <br />
No everlasting hills I see; <br />
My life is in the falling leaf: <br />
O Jesus, quicken me. <br />
<br />
My life is like a faded leaf, <br />
My harvest dwindled to a husk: <br />
Truly my life is void and brief <br />
And tedious in the barren dusk; <br />
My life is like a frozen thing, <br />
No bud nor greenness can I see: <br />
Yet rise it shall—the sap of Spring; <br />
O Jesus, rise in me. <br />
<br />
My life is like a broken bowl, <br />
A broken bowl that cannot hold <br />
One drop of water for my soul <br />
Or cordial in the searching cold; <br />
Cast in the fire the perish'd thing; <br />
Melt and remould it, till it be <br />
A royal cup for Him, my King: <br />
O Jesus, drink of me.</blockquote>
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Christina Rossetti is an interesting individual. Among her poems is "In the Bleak Midwinter," which was set to music by Gustav Holst and is now <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4">a beloved Christmas hymn</a>. Her father, Gabriele Rossetti was an Italian nobleman, poet, and revolutionary nationalist who was forced into exile in Britain. Her uncle was Lord Byron's physician. Her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was a painter, illustrator, and translated. (The portrait of Christina, left, was painted by him.) Two other siblings were also writers. Quite the family!
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-17124397335057660802018-11-24T15:52:00.000-05:002018-11-24T15:52:01.492-05:00¡Viva Cristo Rey! - British StyleTomorrow is the Solemnity of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Coming on the final Sunday of the liturgical year, it is a reminder that, at the end of time, Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. It's a nice segue into Advent, when we will reflect on both Jesus's first coming as a baby and His second coming in glory.<br />
<br />
The feast also reminds us that Jesus Christ is sovereign over all things. All people and nations, all rulers and governments are ultimately under His authority.<br />
<br />
This solemnity was instituted partly in reaction to contemporary events in Mexico, where an anti-Catholic government had come to power in the Mexican Revolution. When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calles_Law">a new set of anti-Catholic laws were passed in 1926</a>, Catholics - known as Cristeros - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristero_War">took up arms</a> against the government, adopting as their battle cry the phrase, "¡Viva Cristo Rey!": Long live Christ the King.<br />
<br />
Our family's favorite hymn, "<a href="https://hymnary.org/text/lo_he_comes_with_clouds_descending_once">Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending</a>," is one appropriate for Advent or for tomorrow's solemnity. The text, which comes in a few variations, is by Charles Wesley:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lo! He comes, with clouds descending,<br />once for our salvation slain;<br />thousand thousand saints attending<br />swell the triumph of His train.<br />Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!<br />Christ the Lord returns to reign!</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ev'ry eye shall now behold Him,<br />robed in dreadful majesty;<br />those who set at naught and sold Him,<br />pierced, and nailed Him to the tree,<br />deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,<br />shall the true Messiah see. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Those dear tokens of His passion<br />still His dazzling body bears;<br />cause of endless exultation<br />to His ransomed worshippers;<br />with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture<br />waze we on those glorious scars! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yea, amen! Let all adore Thee,<br />high on Thine eternal throne;<br />Savior, take the pow'r and glory,<br />claim the kingdom for Thine own:<br />Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!<br />Thou shalt reign and thou alone.
</blockquote>
Here it is sung by the choristers of <a href="https://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/">Lichfield Cathedral</a> in the North-West Midlands of England:<br />
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<br />Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-27978029063688379702018-10-02T12:26:00.000-04:002018-10-02T12:26:00.870-04:00Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"And miles to go before I sleep" - it is one of those lines we all know, but from where? Many Americans will recognize that it is a snatch of poetry from <a href="https://aleteia.org/2018/09/27/what-i-learned-from-the-terrifying-robert-frost/">Robert Frost</a>. Fewer will be able to name that poem: "<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening">Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening</a>." Perhaps we had to read it in school at some point, but it is a poem - simple, elegant, thoughtful - which bears repeating. <br/>
<blockquote>Whose woods these are I think I know. <br/>
His house is in the village though; <br/>
He will not see me stopping here <br/>
To watch his woods fill up with snow. <br/>
<br/>
My little horse must think it queer <br/>
To stop without a farmhouse near <br/>
Between the woods and frozen lake <br/>
The darkest evening of the year. <br/>
<br/>
He gives his harness bells a shake <br/>
To ask if there is some mistake. <br/>
The only other sound’s the sweep <br/>
Of easy wind and downy flake. <br/>
<br/>
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, <br/>
But I have promises to keep, <br/>
And miles to go before I sleep, <br/>
And miles to go before I sleep.</blockquote>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-34922293987873632302018-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:002018-09-14T05:00:12.038-04:00Euphemism & Bureaucracy: A Recipe for Scandal in the Church<i>Quanta malignatus est inimicus in sancto!</i><br />
<br />
Any American Catholic with a pulse and a passing interest in Church news has become aware in the last couple months that the Church in the U.S. is facing a new round of accusations that it has systematically covered up rampant sex abuse by the clergy. This summer's revelations--the public disgrace of Cardinal McCarrick, the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report, and Archbishop Viagno's affidavit--are even more shocking than those of 2002, which were serious enough to bring about the downfall of Cardinal Law of Boston. In 2002, the general public found out that many American bishops had for decades been systematically covering up for the sexual abuse of minors by their priests. But the summer of 2018 has shown that our bishops were covering up for themselves and an extensive homosexual network. Cardinal McCarrick was a pederast who treated seminaries as brothels where he could lust after and molest those handsome young males who tickled his fancy. Cardinal Wuerl, McCarrick's protege and successor in Washington, D.C., protested that he knew nothing of his predecessor's predations and that he had an outstanding record for dealing strictly with any allegation of sexual impropriety among the clergy--but then the attorney general of Pennsylvania published a special grand jury's report, which featured evidence that, while serving as Bishop of Pittsburgh, Wuerl failed to adequately punish a priest (George Zirwas) who repeatedly fondled boys and was later found to be a leader of a child pornography made up of fellow priests; Wuerl simply placed Zirwas on personal leave and allowed him to move to Florida and then to Cuba, where he died in 2001.<br />
<br />
And then came the affidavit of Archbishop Vigano! The former nuncio to the U.S. accused Pope Francis of being complicit in McCarrick's rehabilitation and called on him to resign. If American Catholics had been trying to ignore the bad news coming out in the media, it was no longer possible. Even ordinary parish priests were joining Vigano in calling for the pope to resign. (I was surprised to hear just such a sermon from a mild-mannered priest while visiting a small town in Michigan the day after the affidavit was published.)<br />
<br />
However, it is important to note that before both of the American Church's recent <i>anni horribiles</i>, the most important facts leading to the widespread scandal were already widely known among the clergy and, in many cases, among the laity as well. The Church was full of open secrets. After McCarrick was disciplined by the Vatican, commentators came out of the woodwork to announce that "everybody knew," <i>inter alia</i>, about the now infamous beach house on the Jersey Shore. These facts, then, were not, strictly speaking, news. What was new was the public outrage.<br />
<br />
So, how could it be that we are living these scandals all over again? What went wrong?<br />
<br />
There are obviously many factors, and the reader could do far worse than to consult <a href="http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2004_01_06/2004_03_30_Mankowski_WhatWent.htm">Fr. Paul Mankowski's summary of the causes</a> (from 2003!). But, I would like to focus on two factors that work hand in hand: euphemism and bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
Euphemism in this context simply means the refusal to call a spade a spade. It is a problem that affects the Church in many areas. When it comes to sexual crimes, as the Pennsylvania grand jury reported, it leads bishops to describe rape as "inappropriate contact" or "boundary issues." But, it applies in other areas of the Church's life. For example, here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Cupich (who, incidentally, dismissed public outrage over widespread sexual crimes among the clergy as a "rabbit hole") has initiated a program he calls "Renew My Church" but which is essentially a new process for closing failing parishes. In the presentation given at my parish about Renew My Church, the phrase that cropped up over and over in the archdiocese's talking points was that we were dealing with the consequences of "demographic change." True, certain neighborhoods are no longer heavily Catholic like they used to be since their inhabitants moved to the suburbs back in the 1970's. But, white flight only explains so much. What we are dealing with is not some anodyne shift in the population, but mass apostasy! The reason why so few Catholics bother attending Mass every Sunday is that they do not believe in basic Catholic doctrines such as the Real Presence and the propitiatory nature of the Mass. Only around 25% of American Catholics attend Sunday Mass every week, compared to around 75% before Vatican II. If Catholics were anywhere near as faithful as they were sixty years ago, demographic changes would explain why we might have to close a few small parishes in the inner city but found a dozen new ones in the suburbs. But instead of confronting the staggering loss of faith since Vatican II, we talk about "demographic" trends.<br />
<br />
The chief moral danger of the euphemistic style employed by our bishops is that it turns concrete wrongs for which bishops must take responsibility into vague, impersonal processes that they "manage" as best they can. A bishop who writes in this euphemistic style sees himself not as a moral agent who by the very nature of his office is called by God to avenge wrongdoing and to do justice, but as a passive spectator who only feels the limits of his power in the face of a challenge. These bad bishops are not consumed by zeal for the house of the Lord but instead busy themselves with their dioceses' quotidian affairs and their personal comforts while events overtake them. Euphemism makes many bishops into feckless bureaucrats.<br />
<br />
Bureaucracy here means managing the Church like a secular institution for the sake of the administrators, not as God's "universal sacrament of salvation." It entails the loss of any sense of a mission; instead, the administrators simply try to do just enough to ensure that the institution continues so that the next generation of administrators can take over. When bishops lose this essential sense of mission, they look to provide for the comfort of themselves and their close companions. Cliques form in competition for bishops' favor, in the hope that their members will receive preferment in the form of easy jobs in the chancery office downtown or be named pastors of wealthy suburban parishes with several associates to do the real work. Bureaucracy enervates.<br />
<br />
When euphemism and bureaucracy combine, then, we have a recipe for scandal in the Church. Euphemism allows bishops to avoid examining a problem closely; the fancy-sounding name they give to a problem becomes a veil they toss before their own eyes. The bishops then only see vague shapes in front of them, not flesh-and-blood people who demand justice. The spirit of bureaucracy saps them of their moral vigor and the demands of justice become petty administrative hassles, an unpleasant part of their day jobs. Soon enough, the bishops go from avoiding problems to believing their own self-deception. At that point, they are no longer capable of reforming themselves. Any reform will require divine intervention--often in the form of a hostile (quite possibly godless) prosecutor or an aggrieved mother who refuses to be silent about the abuse of her son.<br />
<br />
God has chosen to rebuke His Church, but it is up to us to accept this punishment in the right spirit. Let us pray, then, for the Church! Let us pray, above all, for our bishops to repent and to become real men who do not seek after pleasure but will allow themselves to be consumed by zeal for the house of the Lord!<br />
<br />
<i>Exsurge, Deus, judica causam tuam!</i>Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825489013036249581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-86046113052993013172018-06-28T12:55:00.001-04:002018-06-28T12:55:45.075-04:00Dante, Fortune, and the Universal Destination of Goods<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVMJxxKFfuQ/WzUSVhlC5xI/AAAAAAAADUA/OH4W41jX9is3AljBGzytM8kbS6v3xfCqQCLcBGAs/s1600/Wheel%2Bof%2BFortune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVMJxxKFfuQ/WzUSVhlC5xI/AAAAAAAADUA/OH4W41jX9is3AljBGzytM8kbS6v3xfCqQCLcBGAs/s320/Wheel%2Bof%2BFortune.jpg" width="220" /></a>In Canto 7 of Dante's <i>Inferno</i>, the narrator and his guide, Virgil, descend deeper into Hell, encountering the avaricious and profligate. Here Virgil tells Dante, "Bad giving and bad keeping has deprived them of the lovely world and set them to this scuffling.... Now you can see, my son, the brief mockery of the goods that are committed to Fortune, for which the human race so squabbles" (7:58-59, 61-62, Durling trans.). These sinners have erred by keeping too much, or too little, as if they were somehow able to avoid the allocations of Fortune. <br />
<br />
Dante, seeking to better understand asks, "This Fortune that you touch on here, what is it, that has the good of the world so in its clutches?" (7:67-69) Virgil replies:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He whose wisdom transcends all things fashioned the heavens, and he gave them governors who see that every part shines to every other part, distributing the light equally. Similarly, for worldly splendors he ordained a general minister and leader who would transfer from time to time the empty good from one people to another, from one family to another, beyond any human wisdom's power to prevent.... This is she who is so crucified even by those who should give her praise, wrongly blaming and speaking ill of her; but she is blessed in herself and does not listen: with the other first creatures, she gladly turns her sphere and rejoices in her blessedness. (7:73-81, 91-96)</blockquote>
Just as the celestial bodies have "governors" - imagine here some kind of angels that enforce the laws of physics and keep the stars and planets on their courses - so too earthly goods have a governor, Fortune. Like the angels who oversee the heavenly bodies, she is "blessed" and does not care what praise or blame is given by men.<br />
<br />
But why would God create Fortune at all? Why must the sphere of worldly goods turn in the way that the celestial bodies turn? There are probably many potential answers, though one that strikes me involves what we have come to know as the "universal destination of goods." As the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> explains,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. The appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men. <br />
<br />
The right to private property, acquired or received in a just way, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial, even if the promotion of the common good requires respect for the right to private property and its exercise. (<a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm"><i>CCC</i> 2402-3</a>)</blockquote>
In other worlds, while particular individuals hold particular goods (i.e., private property) in order to care for themselves, all goods ultimately belong to everyone. Although private property is the day to day norm, the "primordial" reality of the universal destination of goods remains. But what if someone should acquire too many goods, to his neighbor's detriment? Here Fortune turns her wheel: the wealthy are impoverished while the poor are enriched. Or, as Mary puts it, God (acting through Fortune)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
has cast down the mighty from their thrones,<br />
And has lifted up the lowly.<br />
He has filled the hungry with good things,<br />
And the rich He has sent away empty. (Luke 1:52-53)</blockquote>
There is certainly a coherence to Dante's notion of Fortune: she reflects the justice of God, her creator. The sins of avarice and profligacy are rebellion against her God-given authority and, for such rebellion, those who commit such sins are punished. And I think there is merit in the idea of Fortune as the guarantor of the universal destination of goods.<br />
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But for anyone who has observed the actions of Fortune, she often seems capricious, even vicious. It is one thing for the man of comfortable means, upon having lost some bit of wealth he did not really need, to curse Fortune as fickle. He is in the wrong, as Virgil contends. But what of children who starve because of natural disaster? Can we look upon them and glibly say, "Fortune gives and Fortune takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"? <br />
<br />
Aquinas argues that there is no discontinuity between chance and the divine order (<i><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1022.htm#article2">Summa theologiae</a></i><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1022.htm#article2">, 1a, q. 22, articles 2-3</a>; <i><a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/ContraGentiles3b.htm#94">Summa contra gentiles</a></i><a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/ContraGentiles3b.htm#94">, 3.94</a>) while Boethius likewise argues that seemingly random events in fact have a divine cause (<i><a href="http://www.san.beck.org/Boethius4.html#6">Consolation of Philosophy,</a></i><a href="http://www.san.beck.org/Boethius4.html#6"> 4.6</a>). I am not well-versed in the works of either Boethius or Aquinas, and I happily admit my intellectual poverty in their company. (I only have the citations because Robert Durling provided them in his notes on Dante.) But I can hardly think that the problem of destructive and capricious Fortune is so easily resolved.<br />
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Here we must recall that Adam and Eve's fall has ripples that are wide and enduring, not only for human beings but for the entire world around us. Where once rains simply watered the earth and made it bring forth food, now they also produce flooding and devastation. Although the natural world was created good, it too is fallen and can now bring forth evil as well as good. Fortune, like storms or fire, has been damaged by our sins. How exactly this came to be I do not know - perhaps no one does - but it accords with both Dante's understanding of her as akin to the forces of nature and with everyday experience of Fortune's power and vicissitudes.
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<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today's image is from the medieval</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Burana Codex.</span>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-23141476045305889742018-06-05T04:44:00.000-04:002018-06-05T04:44:07.746-04:00Happy Feast of St. Boniface!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PmfILnVfc8A/WxHodcnk6RI/AAAAAAAADTg/GJkt5R69JE8-3qvSEEy6xXexTpnlcYmpACLcBGAs/s1600/Boniface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="924" height="404" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PmfILnVfc8A/WxHodcnk6RI/AAAAAAAADTg/GJkt5R69JE8-3qvSEEy6xXexTpnlcYmpACLcBGAs/s640/Boniface.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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Long-time readers of the blog will know that <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-feast-of-st-boniface.html">St. Boniface is very dear to me</a>. (He even gets a mention in the acknowledgement's of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rediscovering-Irregular-Warfare-Operations-Commanders/dp/0806151676">my book</a>.) I find this prayer, which he wrote, both elegant and humble:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Eternal God, </div>
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the refuge and help of all Your children,</div>
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we praise You for all You have given us,</div>
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for all You have done for us,</div>
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for all that You are to us.</div>
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In our weakness, You are strength,</div>
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in our darkness, You are light,</div>
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in our sorrow, You are comfort and peace.</div>
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We cannot number Your blessings,</div>
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we cannot declare Your love:</div>
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For all Your blessings we bless you.</div>
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May we live as in Your presence,</div>
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and love the things that You love,</div>
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and serve You in our daily lives;</div>
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through Jesus Christ our Lord.</div>
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Amen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Today's image of St. Boniface, chopping down a tree sacred to Thor in order to build a church dedicated to St. Peter and prove the powerlessness of the pagan gods, comes from <a href="https://catholicinsight.com/saint-boniface/">Catholic Insight</a>.</i></span></div>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-21044044334640687612018-04-27T21:36:00.000-04:002018-04-27T21:36:33.048-04:00Roy Campbell's "Toledo, July 1936"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv8nkt86YKQ/WuPPrA0ynPI/AAAAAAAADSo/AGt9krimDAsNDHcw4AQW5UUbti4GgWXjACLcBGAs/s1600/Roy%2BCampbell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="350" height="274" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv8nkt86YKQ/WuPPrA0ynPI/AAAAAAAADSo/AGt9krimDAsNDHcw4AQW5UUbti4GgWXjACLcBGAs/s320/Roy%2BCampbell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There is a scene in the film <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108101/">Shadowlands </a></i>in which Joy Gresham recites to C. S. Lewis a poem she wrote which is narrated from Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. She asks, rhetorically, the question she assumes Lewis is thinking: when were you in Madrid? The answer: she wasn't. The joke, so to speak, is that fighting in Spain was so vogue among the literati of the day that someone like Gresham might affect such an experience just to blend in.<br />
<br />
The South African poet <a href="http://www.kirkcenter.org/bookman/article/the-truth-about-roy-campbell">Roy Campbell</a> really did fight in Spain, though as Thomas P. McDonnell puts it, "Liberal poets and academicians of the thirties and forties have never forgiven Roy Campbell for his robust participation on what they presumed was the 'wrong side' of the Spanish Civil War."<br />
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That having been said, Campbell not only participated, but in the course of events <a href="http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/05/04/the-poet-who-saved-a-saints-priceless-letters/">rescued the Carmelite archives of Toledo from destruction</a>, a detail he omits from his poem about the siege there.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Toledo, July 1936 </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Toledo, when I saw you die<br /> And heard the roof of Carmel crash,<br /> A spread-winged phoenix from its ash<br />The Cross remained against the sky!<br />With horns of flame and haggard eye<br />The mountain vomited with blood,<br />A thousand corpses down the flood<br />Were rolled gesticulating by,<br />And high above the roaring shells<br />I heard the silence of your bells<br />Who've left these broken stones behind<br />Above the years to make your home,<br />And burn, with Athens and with Rome,<br />A sacred city of the mind.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hat tip to </i>A Literary Blog of Twentieth-Century and Beyond Poetry in English<i> for </i><a href="http://thepoeticalcorrectness.blogspot.com/2009/11/roy-campell-1901-1957-and-his-spanish.html" style="font-style: italic;">the transcription of this poem</a><i>.</i></span>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-36051704940558052412018-04-16T06:26:00.000-04:002018-04-16T06:26:01.216-04:00Happy Feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j6cypm-5QbQ/WtPtSTPmS2I/AAAAAAAADSM/oC08yzHkn98R6gZoanZR0T3Pya6KnD9XQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bernadette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j6cypm-5QbQ/WtPtSTPmS2I/AAAAAAAADSM/oC08yzHkn98R6gZoanZR0T3Pya6KnD9XQCLcBGAs/s200/Bernadette.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Grant us, O merciful God, </div>
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that with St. Bernadette, meek and humble,</div>
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we may walk in the path of conversion, </div>
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serve the poor and the sick, </div>
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contemplate the beauty </div>
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of the Immaculate Mother of God,</div>
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and go in procession </div>
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to drink at the Spring of Living Water,</div>
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Who lives and reigns forever and ever. </div>
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Amen.</div>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-77682481762476375632018-03-24T06:40:00.000-04:002018-03-24T06:40:29.648-04:00"Spring and Fall," by G. M. HopkinsToday we continue a series of poems <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-glory-poem-by-edward-thomas.html">begun earlier this year</a>, in an effort to bring more poetry into our lives. My first real introduction to Gerard Manley Hopkins came at my wife's suggestion, by way of Ron Hansen's historical novel, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Novel-Ron-Hansen/dp/0312428340">Exiles</a></i>. A Catholic convert - received into the Church by none other than John Henry Newman - and a Jesuit priest, Hopkins was also one of the great poets of his day, though his fame was mostly posthumous. One of the reasons I value this poem, and think it worth sharing here, is that it comes more alive - in sound and in meaning - with repeated readings. (Out loud is really best; for a while it sat above our kitchen sink, where I would quietly recite it while doing dishes.)<br />
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<br />
<b>Spring and Fall</b><br />
<br />
<i>to a young child</i><br />
<br />
Márgarét, áre you gríeving <br />
Over Goldengrove unleaving? <br />
Leáves like the things of man, you<br />
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?<br />
Ah! ás the heart grows older <br />
It will come to such sights colder <br />
By and by, nor spare a sigh <br />
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; <br />
And yet you wíll weep and know why. <br />
Now no matter, child, the name: <br />
Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same. <br />
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed <br />
What heart heard of, ghost guessed: <br />
It ís the blight man was born for, <br />
It is Margaret you mourn for. Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-16663480834190446672018-03-19T05:29:00.000-04:002018-03-19T05:29:09.117-04:00Happy Solemnity of Joseph, Husband of Mary!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZHDfAl3HhI/Wq8f9IBzdtI/AAAAAAAADRk/F6xTBf2bhUw1GWOpsrYf-mHFkVAJr5h6QCLcBGAs/s1600/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_-_Childhood_of_Christ_-_WGA11656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1402" height="295" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZHDfAl3HhI/Wq8f9IBzdtI/AAAAAAAADRk/F6xTBf2bhUw1GWOpsrYf-mHFkVAJr5h6QCLcBGAs/s400/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_-_Childhood_of_Christ_-_WGA11656.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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God, our Father, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You willed that St. Joseph,</div>
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Spouse of the Virgin Mother of God,</div>
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should adore his Redeemer </div>
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in a humble stable and </div>
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rescue the Child Jesus from deadly peril.</div>
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Following his example </div>
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and by his intercession,</div>
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may Your Church cling </div>
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to the Virgin Mary in love</div>
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and constantly watch over the unfolding</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of the mysteries of human salvation,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
whose beginnings You entrusted </div>
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to his faithful care.</div>
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We ask this through Christ our Lord.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Amen.
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Today's image is Gerrit van Honthorst's</i> <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerrit_van_Honthorst_-_Childhood_of_Christ_-_WGA11656.jpg">Childhood of Christ</a>.</span></div>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-57631594145745132442018-03-17T05:00:00.000-04:002018-03-18T22:31:17.482-04:00St. Patrick's DayOn St. Patrick's Day this year we mourn the death, and pray for the soul, of Liam O'Flynn, a great piper who died on March 14. O'Flynn came from a musical family--his father played the fiddle, and his mother piano--and from an early age he learned to play the uillean pipes under the tutelage of Leo Rowsome and Seamus Ennis, two pipers who had kept the Irish piping tradition alive in the early 1900's.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5PfDfC6ML_o" width="560"></iframe><br />
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O'Flynn became well known through his work with the band Planxty. O'Flynn gave Planxty credibility as a traditional music group--his fellow band members came more from the ballad and folk singing traditions--but at the same time he learned to adopt the pipes to accompany some of the non-Irish songs Planxty performed. O'Flynn also stood out in Planxty for being far more soft-spoken and far less emotional than his bandmates; he was always seated in the middle of the stage and only occasionally swayed a little to his music or cracked a smile. In the following video, though, O'Flynn demonstrates his skill on two slip jigs and ending with a classic piping jig (starting at 3:50), "The Yellow Wattle":<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fyE3Mye-eks?start=105" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Later in his career, O'Flynn continued to show how flexible a musician was, becoming the first piper to record with an orchestra while working on several pieces with Shaun Davey. He also collaborated with poet Seamus Heaney in setting poetry to music; he later played a lament at Heaney's funeral.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YzF92y8e7pc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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But, in the end, O'Flynn will be remembered as a great piper and, by all accounts, a kind and gentle man.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nL7sxg6BQSE" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<br />Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825489013036249581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-22039272107500721472018-02-10T05:46:00.000-05:002018-02-10T05:46:09.931-05:00Happy Feast of St. Scholastica!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go1HBrrq9t4/WnkIzdIXKRI/AAAAAAAADQg/YmCpywLHii0C5NnfbesGC1AGNaHGzFPEACLcBGAs/s1600/Benedict-and-Scholastica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="821" height="346" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go1HBrrq9t4/WnkIzdIXKRI/AAAAAAAADQg/YmCpywLHii0C5NnfbesGC1AGNaHGzFPEACLcBGAs/s640/Benedict-and-Scholastica.jpg" width="576" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>St. Scholastica and her twin brother, St. Benedict. Looks rather mischievous, doesn't she? Then again, she did <a href="http://antiochian.org/content/st-scholastica-sister-st-benedict-nursia">pray for a storm</a> to get him to bend the monastic rule so they could converse together a bit longer.</i> </div>
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O Lord, by the example and </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
intercession of St. Scholastica, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
who was filled with innocent faith, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
hoped in the goods of heaven, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and ever burned with love for her Spouse, </div>
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may the dryness of our hearts </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
be moistened with the dew of divine grace </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and may we enter into Your eternal joys, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
through Christ our Lord. Amen.</div>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-5311889639742970752018-01-31T22:49:00.000-05:002018-01-31T22:49:19.424-05:00"The Glory," a Poem by Edward ThomasI first came across Derek Walcott's work when I was a freshman in college and we read his <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeros">Omeros</a></i> as the final installment of a two-semester sequence on the epic. I was intrigued by Walcott's use of classical elements and by the Saint Lucian world he evokes. But my younger self was grumpy about his anti-colonialism and some perceived slights of organized religion. Moreover, I was sufficiently anti-establishment at the time to look askance at his Nobel Prize for Literature. <br />
<br />
Nevertheless, the urge to pick up <i>Omeros </i>and re-read it never quite left me and so, when I saw that <i>First Things</i> published <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/caribbean-rhapsode">a kind of obituary</a> last year, I took a look.<br />
<br />
What surprised me was not so much that Walcott was a devotee of the poetic tradition - I had long suspected as much, even as my younger self tried to believe he was a bomb thrower - but that among American students, even those taking his class at Boston University, Walcott was largely seen as an irrelevant throwback. As Garrick Davis painfully recounts, contemporary students of poetry seem to have no ear for it, nor real interest in it.<br />
<br />
But before I could begin silently castigating the ignoramuses pretending to study poetry in America's most prestigious schools, it occurred to me that, although I affirm the value of poetry, particularly in its more traditional forms, I actually read or recite rather little of it.<br />
<br />
To rectify that, I'll be sharing a few poems here, beginning with one Walcott himself thought quite extraordinary, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Thomas_(poet)">Edward Thomas</a>'s "The Glory," a meditation on the beauty of a morning and the struggle to respond to it aright: <br />
<blockquote>
The glory of the beauty of the morning, - <br />
The cuckoo crying over the untouched dew; <br />
The blackbird that has found it, and the dove<br />
That tempts me on to something sweeter than love; <br />
White clouds ranged even and fair as new-mown hay; <br />
The heat, the stir, the sublime vacancy <br />
Of sky and meadow and forest and my own heart: - <br />
The glory invites me, yet it leaves me scorning<br />
All I can ever do, all I can be, <br />
Beside the lovely of motion, shape, and hue,<br />
The happiness I fancy fit to dwell<br />
In beauty's presence. Shall I now this day <br />
Begin to seek as far as heaven, as hell, <br />
Wisdom or strength to match this beauty, start <br />
And tread the pale dust pitted with small dark drops, <br />
In hope to find whatever it is I seek, <br />
Hearkening to short-lived happy-seeming things<br />
That we know naught of, in the hazel copse? <br />
Or must I be content with discontent <br />
As larks and swallows are perhaps with wings? <br />
And shall I ask at the day's end once more<br />
What beauty is, and what I can have meant<br />
By happiness? And shall I let all go, <br />
Glad, weary, or both? Or shall I perhaps know<br />
That I was happy oft and oft before, <br />
Awhile forgetting how I am fast pent, <br />
How dreary-swift, with naught to travel to, <br />
Is Time? I cannot bite the day to the core. </blockquote>
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-6110284685777980212017-12-19T20:37:00.002-05:002017-12-19T20:37:31.834-05:00Why the Liturgical Turn?Observant readers will notice that there have been a lot of liturgical commemorations here at the Guild Review, from the season of <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-poem-for-advent-from-g-k-chesterton.html">Advent </a>to the particular holidays of the <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-tolkienian-reading-of-annunciation.html">Annunciation </a>(aka <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/03/finding-joy-amidst-sorrow-lady-day.html">Lady Day</a>) and <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-godhead-see.html">Christmas</a> to the feasts of <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/12/happy-feast-of-st-ambrose-bishop-and.html">Ambrose</a>, <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/11/happy-feast-of-st-cecilia-virgin-and.html">Cecilia</a>, <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/08/happy-feast-of-st-clare-in-word-and.html">Clare </a>(and <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/rooms-of-st-clare.html">Clare again</a>), <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/10/happy-feast-of-st-francis.html">Francis</a>, <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/07/happy-feast-of-sts-louis-and-zelie.html">Louis and Zelie</a>, Michael (aka <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/09/happy-michaelmas.html">Michaelmas</a>), <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/03/st-patricks-day.html">Patrick</a>, and <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2016/06/happy-feast-of-st-thomas-more.html">Thomas More</a>. Why is that, you ask? <br />
<br />
The simple answer is that my life has been busy and it is much easier to post a prayer and a picture than to write a semi-coherent argument about a topic. <br />
<br />
But the increased focus on the liturgical calendar also reflects developments in my life outside the blog. This may be a function of age. When I was younger I had considerable time to devote toward the pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. I read, widely; I discussed ideas with friends; I turned over arguments in my head and wrote many of them down, some published here. But with the advent of middle age - a family, a mortgage, a 9-to-5 job - I find that much more of my time and energy is spoken for. <br />
<br />
But it is here that the liturgical calendar reveals its genius. Built into the very rhythms of the liturgical year are all the great modes of the spiritual life: expectation, adoration, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, sorrow, triumph, and teaching. Below, so to speak, the great movements of the seasons there are the individual feast days, celebrating key moments in the earthly life of Jesus as well as the lives of disciples who sought to imitate him. These saints are as diverse a collection as one could imagine: men and women, rich and poor, priests, religious, spouses, scholars, evangelists, hermits, writers and artists, farmers and craftsmen, from every continent and every century from the Resurrection to the present. Even a passing mention of a handful of them becomes, over the course of a year, a veritable education in Christian living. <br />
<br />
Thus, our family has been trying to notice more of the liturgical celebrations, as well as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_days">Quarter and Cross-Quarter Days</a>, great medieval markers of the year. We have done so with small observations: special desserts or crafts with the kids, a prayer for a saint's feast stuck to the bathroom mirror, a special song or story after supper. If your family is interested in doing likewise, resources abound; you might start with <a href="http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/">Carrots for Michaelmas</a>, one of the many blogs dedicated to living the liturgical year. <br />
<br />
In an increasingly secular age which so rarely has the time to pause and think about much of anything, the liturgical calendar invites us to align the rhythms of our daily lives with the heavenly choirs.
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-19328165914069287912017-12-07T09:05:00.001-05:002017-12-07T09:05:32.926-05:00Happy Feast of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSdQyYDYshI/WilJ09C5sEI/AAAAAAAADOo/ekmA2Wp159U_y_UKtumXY_cAYWAlpUT1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Ambrose%2BAnthonis_van_Dyck_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSdQyYDYshI/WilJ09C5sEI/AAAAAAAADOo/ekmA2Wp159U_y_UKtumXY_cAYWAlpUT1QCLcBGAs/s400/Ambrose%2BAnthonis_van_Dyck_005.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gracious God of majesty and awe, </div>
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Who made the bishop Ambrose</div>
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a exemplary teacher of the Catholic faith</div>
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and a model of apostolic courage:</div>
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We seek Your protection,</div>
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look for Your healing,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and hope for Your mercies,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for they cannot be numbered.</div>
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Raise up in Your Church men</div>
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after Your own heart to govern</div>
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with courage and wisdom,</div>
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and make us worthy to taste </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the Holy of Holies,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
through Christ our Lord. Amen.</div>
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today's image is by Anthonis van Dyck. If it had a caption, it might well be, </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/340921.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"In matters of faith, bishops judge Christian emperors, not emperors bishops."</span></a></i>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-7746937401968583682017-11-22T06:08:00.000-05:002017-11-22T06:08:03.856-05:00Happy Feast of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dTGxN4DBfbQ/WhOYN2r23AI/AAAAAAAADOA/BlYip10Ch8od5ejEzrxE1y6Yv2A0vkpJwCLcBGAs/s1600/St%2BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1024" height="395" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dTGxN4DBfbQ/WhOYN2r23AI/AAAAAAAADOA/BlYip10Ch8od5ejEzrxE1y6Yv2A0vkpJwCLcBGAs/s400/St%2BC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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O God, </div>
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Who crowned the innocence and holiness</div>
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of the virgin Cecilia </div>
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with the wreath of heroic martyrdom </div>
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and consoled her with the songs of angels: </div>
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set us aflame with divine love, </div>
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give us perseverance amidst persecution,</div>
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and grant that we may send our prayers</div>
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heavenward on winged notes of praise.</div>
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We ask this through Christ our Lord.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Amen.</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Today's image comes from <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZURuj-YQeY/TxhS92kJERI/AAAAAAAADtw/HQCqphEylAg/s1600/10234OP1156AU16249.jpg">the Polet Chapel in Rome</a>.</i></span>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-15779092932502689962017-10-04T09:51:00.000-04:002017-10-04T09:51:32.690-04:00Happy Feast of St. Francis!Regular readers know <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-feast-of-st-francis.html">Francis</a> <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2017/08/happy-feast-of-st-clare-in-word-and.html">and Clare </a><a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/rooms-of-st-clare.html">are popular </a><a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/assisi.html">around here</a>. Happy Feast of St. Francis, who so earnestly strove to be like Christ in all things, and in so doing set a noble example for all of us. Saint Francis, pray for us! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yHBOpE80AjA/WdTl9l6qgdI/AAAAAAAADM8/DctiuACTxVY69iExDytzVuz8vXlVhZztACLcBGAs/s1600/francis_icon_by_theophilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yHBOpE80AjA/WdTl9l6qgdI/AAAAAAAADM8/DctiuACTxVY69iExDytzVuz8vXlVhZztACLcBGAs/s400/francis_icon_by_theophilia.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful.<br />
You are strong.<br />
You are great.<br />
You are the Most High.<br />
You are Almighty.<br />
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.<br />
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.<br />
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.<br />
You are love.<br />
You are wisdom.<br />
You are humility.<br />
You are endurance.<br />
You are rest.<br />
You are peace.<br />
You are joy and gladness.<br />
You are justice and moderation.<br />
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.<br />
You are beauty.<br />
You are gentleness.<br />
You are our protector.<br />
You are our guardian and defender.<br />
You are our courage.<br />
You are our haven and our hope.<br />
You are our faith, our great consolation.<br />
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Savior. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Amen.<br />
</i>
</div>
<br />
- A prayer in praise of God, as given by St. Francis to Brother Leo
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-61084029001840059782017-09-29T01:36:00.000-04:002017-09-29T01:36:03.536-04:00Happy Michaelmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKw9x_6Jae8/WcqP4hj9fsI/AAAAAAAADMY/gx3eicIIVr88UT9kTzeAog77KZ8YNwrewCLcBGAs/s1600/Michael%2BSan%2BAngelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKw9x_6Jae8/WcqP4hj9fsI/AAAAAAAADMY/gx3eicIIVr88UT9kTzeAog77KZ8YNwrewCLcBGAs/s320/Michael%2BSan%2BAngelo.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Everlasting God, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>You wonderfully ordered </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>the ministries of angels and mortals, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>and sent the archangel Michael, </i></div>
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<i>bearer of the banner of heaven, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>to defend us against </i></div>
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<i>the malice of Satan’s pride. </i></div>
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<i>Do not forsake us in the last struggle with evil, </i></div>
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<i>but by the aid of Your holy angels </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>bring us to eternal life, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>through Christ our Lord. Amen.</i></div>
<br />
How is your family planning to celebrate? There are a wealth of traditional foods for the celebration of the Archangel Michael. <a href="http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2011/09/29/all-things-michaelmas/">As this post explains</a>, carrots, goose, special bread (St. Michael's Bannock) and blackberries are all on the traditional menu, for various reasons. Or waffles are, apparently, traditional in France; <a href="https://showerofroses.blogspot.com/2008/09/plans-for-michaelmas.html">this website has a recipe and additional info</a>. Other edible ideas I've seen include angel-shaped sugar cookies or really anything autumnal, since Michaelmas - almost exactly midway between Midsummer (St. John's Day) and Christmas - is the traditional approximation of the equinox and thus the beginning of autumn. If you're looking for decoration, aster flowers are also known as Michaelmas Daisies, because in many places they bloom around the feast.Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-20410732013446512442017-09-27T04:58:00.000-04:002017-09-27T09:59:36.942-04:00Teaching Medieval History: How Should We Do It Today?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSsrxrN6By8/Wcut46mfDbI/AAAAAAAADMo/P0MB02wRUfwTNNflxNhORy6jfsSxmQVggCLcBGAs/s1600/History%2BComic%2BMode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSsrxrN6By8/Wcut46mfDbI/AAAAAAAADMo/P0MB02wRUfwTNNflxNhORy6jfsSxmQVggCLcBGAs/s320/History%2BComic%2BMode.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
In an age when controversies and commentary happen at the speed of Twitter, I do not profess to have kept up with all the <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/19/one-professors-critique-another-divides-medieval-studies">twists and </a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/whats-with-nazis-and-knights_us_59c0b469e4b082fd4205b98d">turns in </a><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/09/26/university-chicago-supports-medieval-studies-scholar-accused-encouraging-white-supremacy/">the saga </a>of <a href="http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/">Rachel Fulton Brown</a>, a medievalist at the University of Chicago. But, so far as I can tell, the story went something like this: A couple years ago Prof. Brown wrote a blog post noting that medieval white men had done some good. In light of recent white supremacist shenanigans, another medievalist left a comment on this old blog post, essentially asking Prof. Brown what she was doing to set the record straight and fight racism. Prof. Brown took issue with this perceived politicization and the whole thing descended from there. <br />
<br />
There are three questions (possibly more) at issue here: How do we teach medieval history? How do we interact as professional historians? And how should history be employed to political ends?<br />
<br />
I am currently teaching medieval history to high school students (specifically, a British history survey; the first semester is medieval, the second modern). My basic approach is to point out some of the good things going on - we discuss literary achievements, religious life, and the role of women such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelthryth">Etheldreda </a>and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leoba">Leoba </a>- while also acknowledging the shortcomings in justice, knowledge, and material standards of living. So far as I can tell, Prof. Brown has taken a similar approach. She has not claimed that medieval Europe was a paradise, but neither is she willing to suggest - as some in academia do - that the thousand years of medieval history are one long record of unbroken oppression. Likewise, she has not claimed that European or Western civilization is, in every respect, superior to all other cultures of the world; but neither has she characterized Western civilization as inherently bad. One may quibble with some details, but her overall approach is very sound history; to deviate from it would be a shame.<br />
<br />
In lashing out at her critics, Prof. Brown has not always used kind or professional language. For that, she deserves a stern talking to from her department head. But calling for her job is a bit much. Her opponents should know that you cannot publicly criticize someone without expecting them to respond, possibly disproportionately, possibly in an unprofessional manner. This is unfortunate but not the end of the world.<br />
<br />
But the crux of the controversy seems to be the role of history in contemporary debates. <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/first-church-of-intersectionality">Some people argue </a>that there is an imperative duty for all academics to wield their professional tools in a partisan manner; their central task, the argument goes, is to fight injustice. The error here is not in presuming that academics <i>can </i>weigh in on current debates. Rather, the error is two-fold: presuming that academics <i>must </i>engage in such debates and failing to appreciate the deep long-term contributions of academia to the cause of justice, without mentioning contemporary issues. Teaching students how to reason; how to think deeply about culture, politics, and religion; teaching them to express themselves clearly in speech and in writing - these are profound contributions to the common life of our country. Indeed, I would argue that over emphasis on the latest subject of protest risks undermining the very important work of fostering these necessary habits of thought. <br />
<br />
So far as I can tell, Prof. Brown shares the my understanding of the role of history. She has not, to my knowledge, insisted that academics avoid all discussion of current controversies or politics; rather, she simply asks that her non-participation in such crusades not be held against her while she is busy carrying out these other essential tasks of history. I hope, for everyone's sake, this tempest ends soon so that we can stop the comment wars and get back to more important work.
Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-10720700004103111912017-09-10T09:13:00.000-04:002017-09-10T09:13:00.808-04:00Remembering 9/11: Tom Paxton's "The Bravest"This song needs no preface.<br/>
<br/>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sh3NXvkWWtE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-40123373273196344232017-09-01T16:14:00.000-04:002017-09-01T16:14:38.735-04:00Praying for MercyInspired by recent events here in Charlottesville and by <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/make-hell-hot-again">this article by Marc Barnes</a>, I've been convinced ever more of humanity's need for God's mercy and, consequently, of the need to pray for it. As a result, three prayers have been on my lips more often of late. <br />
<br />
The first is an ancient prayer popular among Orthodox Christians. It comes in a few minor variations and is often referred to as the Jesus Prayer:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.</i></blockquote>
The second is a prayer revealed to St. Faustina, typically prayed as part of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and again quite simple:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For the sake of the sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.</i></blockquote>
The final prayer for mercy comes from Fatima, and against reflects the them of praying for ourselves and others:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.</i></blockquote>
These are prayers you can easily insert into your day. Please pray them, often. Look around - we need them.Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-56483434100368641672017-08-11T05:15:00.000-04:002017-08-11T05:15:26.863-04:00Happy Feast of St. Clare - In Word and Imagination<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Brother Leo, what do you think I saw reflected on the water down in that well?"</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
"My Father Francis," said Brother Leo, "You would have seen the moon that was shining in the sky."</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
"No, Brother Leo, I saw there the face of our Sister Clare."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
- <i>The Little Flowers of St. Clare</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v2Ib-CCYE88/WYtA1X_uRdI/AAAAAAAADLU/VxFAR7mC1ZIvDpESdsUrjUqsnS7Kkus-gCLcBGAs/s1600/Francis%2BClare%2BGiotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v2Ib-CCYE88/WYtA1X_uRdI/AAAAAAAADLU/VxFAR7mC1ZIvDpESdsUrjUqsnS7Kkus-gCLcBGAs/s640/Francis%2BClare%2BGiotto.jpg" width="504" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Francis and Clare, depicted by Giotto</i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div>
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</span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The short passage above, from the Italian writer (and one time mayor of Florence) Piero Bargellini, captures my affection for Clare of Assisi. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In honor of today's feast day I actually typed out all of Murray Bodo's <a href="http://guildreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/rooms-of-st-clare.html">"The Rooms of St. Clare"</a> before I realized that I had already posted it nearly seven years ago. Instead, let me offer this bit of verse from Clare's fourth letter to Bl. Agnes of Prague:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy indeed is she</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to whom
it is given to share in this sacred banquet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> so
that she might cling with all her heart</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to
Him</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose beauty all the blessed
hosts of heaven unceasingly admire,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose
affection excites,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose
contemplation refreshes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose
kindness fulfills,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose
delight refreshes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Whose
remembrance delightfully shines,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> By
Whose fragrance the dead are revived,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Whose glorious vision will bless</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> all
the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> which,
since it is the splendor of the eternal glory, is</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the
brilliance of eternal light</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and
the mirror without blemish.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
And, finally, the collect prayer for today's feast:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">O God, who in your mercy led Saint Clare to a love of
poverty,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">grant, through her
intercession,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">that, following
Christ in poverty of spirit,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">we may merit to
contemplate you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">one day in the
heavenly Kingdom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Through our Lord
Jesus Christ, your Son,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.</span><br />
</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Aaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com0