Carl Larsson, artist

I forgot how much I love his artwork and decided to order a book about his work. Today I received it in the mail and am so happy! I plan to pour over it and copy some of the drawings.

Fr. Peirre Teillard de Chardin

Fr Pierre Teillard de Chardin, a Jesuit paleontologist, in 1955 wrote the "Phenomenon of Man" and said, "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey.

Some of Teilhard de Chardin's ideas came into conflict with some officials in the Roman Curia and in his own Jesuit order. Specifically, Teilhard's superiors thought that Teilhard's views on original sin were contrary to Catholic doctrine. As a result, many of Teilhard's writings were censored by the Church during his lifetime. However, in July 2009, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said: "By now, no one would dream of saying that [Teilhard] is a heterodox author who should not be studied."(http://ncronline.org/news/pope-cites-teilhardian-vision-cosmos-living-host) And, although his writings brought some controversy, his reflections on the nature of goodness and of the meaning of Jesus Christ has received praise from figures such as Pope Benedict.
Many of the concepts he writes about are confusing and seem to conflict with Catholic teaching, like "noosphere": For Teilhard, the noosphere is the sphere of thought encircling the earth that has emerged through evolution as a consequence of this growth in complexity / consciousness. The noosphere is therefore as much part of nature as the barysphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. As a result, Teilhard sees the "social phenomenon [as] the culmination of and not the attenuation of the biological phenomenon."[8] These social phenomena are part of the noosphere and include, for example, legal, educational, religious, research, industrial and technological systems. In this sense, the noosphere emerges through and is constituted by the interaction of human minds. The noosphere thus grows in step with the organization of the human mass in relation to itself as it populates the earth. Teilhard argued the noosphere evolves towards ever greater personlisation, individuation and unification of its elements. He saw the Christian notion of love as being the principal driver of noogenesis. Evolution would culminate in the Omega Point - an apex of thought/consciousness - which he identified with the eschatological return of Christ.

Mysouff - the French hunter

A few weeks ago I gave into an indulgence and bought a book about French Cats -- kitty cats of course! The photography is wonderful and, of course, I love the French countryside. The stories are fun and interesting too. Apparently, Alexander Dumas, adored cats, exotic birds, and monkeys; I think most people would say these animals don't really belong together and sure enough, trouble followed. Mysouff II, one of his adored cats, decided - enough with those noisy flappy birds! and killed everyone of them. So, Alexander Dumas had to dispense justice and incarcerated the felonious feline by keeping her in the monkey cage with the monkeys. She was released 5 years later!! when he sold the monkeys. The French Cat, Rachael Hale

Uriah Heep - a very "umble" person

I first encountered this character, Uriah Heep, in Charles Dickins masterpiece, David Copperfield, and I have never been able to forget him. To say he depicted the most duplicitous, oily, dishonest and slimy character is not an exaggeration. There is a visceral reaction to this person when one first reads of this character -- and, it is not pleasant. So, for me, he was ever placed in my mind as the most villainous person that one could know and certainly, one would not want to ever emulate him.
Now, I come to the present day talking to my dear husband about this and that and expressing discontent that some of the people we had given Christmas presents to had never acknowledged them with a "Thank you" card or even an email. I was going on and on about this, ad nauseum, when something struck my mind -- and a voice said, " You didn't acknowledge some of the gifts that you received either". What?!
Yes, God brought me up short and wrung from me a confession I was unwilling to make -- I, indeed, was being duplicitous, unkind, dishonest, and maybe a little "slimy" myslelf -- in short....just like a "Uriah Heep"!!
What a revelation! What an epiphany! It was all too true -- mea culpa! I was acting just like the one character I truly dispised.
Thank you Lord for letting me see this, giving me the grace to ask Your Forgiveness, and repent of my actions.

To Receive Graciously is to give power to others

In the week before Christmas I was busy buying presents. I find it a difficult time, because I do not have the imagination needed to buy truly personal and endearing presents. Then there is always someone for whom it is difficult to buy anything because they seem to have everyting. The experience reminded me of a book I read, Gifts and Strangers, by an English missionary anthropologist, Fr. Anthony Gittins, recently rewritten as Ministry at the Margins.
He analyzes missionary life from the point of view of "gift giving and receiving." He sees these as a necessary part of building relationships. Gittins builds on the theories of Marcel Mauss' seminal book, The Gift. Mauss points out that gifts are rarely free, they almost always indebt us. But that is not so terrible because these debts establish relationships. The alternative is the rich, independent person who needs and owes no one but is isolated and lonely.
Gittens points out that all of us have the obligation to give, to receive and to repay...
"Not to receive" is an unwillingness to be in a relationship. When we seem not to need others' gifts and services we can make them feel helpless and insignificant. It is like having rich friends for whom we cannot buy a present - thus, causing alienation.
Not only can people oppress others with large presents, but they can insult them by the way they receive other's gifts. "To receive graciously" is to give power to others. It is...to allow ourselves to be indebted, to empower and liberate "the giver" in others and to open ourselves to mutual relationships.
This is not only important for missionaries but for everyone, and it is also critically important in our relationship with God. We can either give and accept gifts graciously, or we condemn ourselves to being strangers. (excerpt from Fr. Noel Connolly's article in Columban Mission Magazine Dec.2013).

Peace I give you....

From "The Imitation of Christ"
Peace is something everyone longs for, but it is not everyone who troubles to find out what brings true peace. "My peace is to be found among those who are humble and gentle of heart; you will find your own peace in the practice of great patience."
As a learner of this practice, I ask what must I do?
"You must at all times pay attention to what you do and what you say, and make it your constant aim to please me (God) alone, desiring and seeking nothing apart from myself. Do not make rash judgments on what other people say or do, and do not involve yourself in matters which are of no concern to you. Keep these rules, and you will have little to trouble your mind.
You must not expect to never feel disquieted or to suffer grief of heart or bodily pain; such freedom from trouble belongs not to this present life but to the life of eternal rest.
Even when you experience great devotion and inward sweetness, you must not think yourself a privileged person for it isn't by these things that the true lover of holiness is known; such things are no sign of one's spiritual progress and perfection."

Because God is Never Cruel....

Because God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. We must know the pain of loss; because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and we would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The terrible pain of loss teaches us humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one. Dean Koontz, The Darkest Evening of the Year.

Book Lovers Bookshelves

My cousin, JT, built this bookshelf in his new home in Tennessee - I really want one of these! He has a little nesting spot for the cats at the top.

The Cardinal Virtues

I'm reading a book written by, Bill Donohue, called, Why Catholicism Matters, How Catholic Virtues can reshape society in the 21st century. It's very good so far and written in such a way that even I can understand it. (I'm past the point in my life where I will slodge through densely written material and come out with any kind of understanding.)
While reading the above book, I came across this passage on page 19: "If men were angels," James Madison wrote, "no government would be necessary." He was right, and the government the Founders crafted was based on this understanding. Absent government, the weak would perish at the hands of the stronger.
But it is not enough to conclude that government is necessary; a government that does not institutionally block dictatorial impulses can deliver more evil than anarchy. That is why the Founders gave us a horizontal balance of powers, dividing the powers between the executive, legislative, and the judicial branches. This system of government works because it takes for granted that too much power in the hands of any single source spells the death of liberty; it also takes into consideration man's nature.

The Catholic Church offers the best hope of realizing the good society that our Founding Fathers intended for us partly because it understands that man is inherently flawed and in need of redemption. That is where the ten commandments come in. If it was in our nature to do only good, we would not need the ten commandments written down for all to see. We do have a fallen nature as St. Augustine taught, "Man entered the world in a state of sin." Thus, we need to be taught the ten commandments so that they become second nature to us. These teachings should be upheld and modeled not only by the family, but by our institutions, the schools, and by society as a whole. The ten commandments tell us what not to do (do not kill, do not covet, do not steal, etc...), but virtue tells us what to do or how to do it. This is where the cardinal virtues come into the picture.

The author goes on to say that there is nothing inherently religious about the cardinal virtues, and were taught by Plato and Cicero as contributing to the heart and soul of the good society. By cultivating and practicing these virtues we are able to keep God's commandments. William C. Mattison, III, a Catholic theologian, state that "a virtue is a good habit."

"But, virtue does not come easy", states the author; "the apprenticeship is demanding. It is up to the family, more than any other source, to inculcate virtuous behavior in children." This line truly struck a chord with me and I believe it with all my heart. "Virtuous behavior cannot be ordered into being; it must be carefully and consistently crafted, making use of positive as well as punitive sanctions to get the job done."

As I have time, I will come back here and share more about these cardinal virtues so important for us to learn and emulate so that by them we will have a "happy life" and so please our creator at the same time.