tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56115422011-04-21T17:21:08.900-04:00Reflections on the Contemplative LifeEntries related to living according to the Spirit; some have been written over the past several years and later will be archived.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comBlogger3421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1104412607629197192004-12-30T08:15:00.000-05:002004-12-30T08:58:53.643-05:00Next-to-the-last day of the year, 2004. Certainly the excitement (if I may put it that way) pales in comparison to about a month ago when we were on the threshold of the new liturgical year. "Secular time" is marked by numeration...2004, ‘05 and so forth...whereas "Church time" isn’t. As I had noted several entries earlier, without blinking an eye the Church can jumble historical events, unheard Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1104350688529250872004-12-29T15:04:00.000-05:002004-12-29T15:04:48.530-05:00I was in touch with a friend via email currently writing a book on patristic theology, and we exchanged a few remarks about the tsunami disaster. "Makes this writing project almost reprehensible" said he to which I concurred. Such all-pervasive human misery which will certainly increase as time passes makes you self-conscious of your work which appears out of touch with pressing needs coming in Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1104238864622470192004-12-28T07:59:00.000-05:002004-12-28T08:01:04.623-05:00This last week of the year or more specifically, the octave of Christmas week, is a kind of bottoming out. It’s a time when the sun has reached its lowest point on the southwestern horizon and begins its slow climb towards the northwest. We’re at an apogee of sorts and pause a while before shifting into another gear...upwards seasonally speaking. When you look back on this week at a later time, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1104153327132019362004-12-27T08:14:00.000-05:002004-12-27T08:15:27.133-05:00St. John the Evangelist. About four inches last night, enough to lend a holiday atmosphere even if a day late. Even though Christmas is obviously a major holiday in the Church’s calendar, I always find it difficult to find "profound" words to make any observations. Perhaps the Muses are asleep after all the busyness of the past few days. Seems you get more insights through the normal and less Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1104070204625877252004-12-26T09:09:00.000-05:002004-12-26T09:10:04.626-05:00Sunday of the Holy Family which this years falls the day after Christmas, not much of a gap! Then we’re hit with St. John and Holy Innocents, all in rapid succession. Although you wish there were some space in between, the liturgy follows the regular calendar year which can sometimes jam feasts together. Further reflection shows that while in one year everything is crowded together and another Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103980828386841822004-12-25T08:19:00.000-05:002004-12-25T08:20:28.386-05:00Christmas Day, a lovely bright and seasonally cold dawn with some light snow expected this afternoon. Despite the lack of snow–the six inches of several days ago were washed away during one of the most violent wind and rain storms I can recall–the landscape was brightened by a full moon. Yesterday I visited my mother in the nursing home and drove her around a little to see the lights, etc.; firstRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103828023044796982004-12-23T13:52:00.000-05:002004-12-23T13:53:43.043-05:00There was a big difference between yesterday and the day before. The latter was marked by bitter cold when people did their point-to-point walking, not bothering to look up but get to where they were going and to do so without delay. The former, considerably milder with no wind, saw people walking with some leisure, not with a sense of urgency. Also yesterday the sound of footsteps on the snow...Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103721204399450352004-12-22T08:12:00.000-05:002004-12-22T08:13:24.400-05:00While scanning in several documents, you get the option of either stopping or continuing, a command common to a lot of computer-related procedures. Because I had been doing a lot of this work in a concentrated period of time, I was struck by the mindlessness of what these two commands represent. They’d keep on repeating themselves ad infinitum. Interesting to apply to human behavior.
Some 22 Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103636330835029312004-12-21T08:38:00.000-05:002004-12-21T08:38:50.836-05:00Coldest morning thus far, minus four at 5 am! However, it’s supposed to warm up considerably reaching the mid 50s day after tomorrow. In the meantime, get out and enjoy. Love the sound of crunching footsteps, unique to this weather. Best part is the lack of wind which otherwise would make it intolerable. Everyone is putting up their festive wreathes, family trees and wishing each other "happy Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103552469986602212004-12-20T09:19:00.000-05:002004-12-20T09:21:09.986-05:00The snow came through as predicted and howling out there now with temps expected to be in the single digits by nightfall. Love the way snow muffles everything! However, it’s going to turn milder later this week, not untypical for the season. Quite a transformation of the barren landscape from just yesterday.
Now that we’re into the fourth and final week of Advent with Christmas less than a monthRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103464449277394472004-12-19T08:53:00.000-05:002004-12-19T08:54:09.276-05:00Fourth Sunday of Advent with Christmas Day being just six days out. When you meet people in stores, etc, often they’ll say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." It seems to have begun a few years back and has taken greater hold at least in society as a whole. Most likely it comes from so-called political correctness whose fundamental premise is not to offend anybody and to be inclusive. Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103380507069144372004-12-18T09:34:00.000-05:002004-12-18T09:35:07.070-05:00An exceptionally bright, cold and still day, wonderful to behold. Never have to worry about becoming spoiled with such weather, so far and few between. If Thoreau would call damp, rainy weather a "lichen day," I’d call such as day as the current one a "shadow day." The shadows are the longest of the entire year, so seize the opportunity to observe them, all slanting towards the northeast.
There Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103205193215496962004-12-16T08:52:00.000-05:002004-12-16T08:53:13.216-05:00Giving a re-read to Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind, having gone through it a little over a year ago. It’s a well-written book about a little known fact concerning the rise of Christianity in the ancient world. Actually the subtitle is revealing: "The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason." As evident from these words, Freeman documents the rise of Christianity into the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103116751790282332004-12-15T08:17:00.000-05:002004-12-15T08:19:11.790-05:00Coldest day this year, five above zero around 4.30 am! Really great stuff, point-to-point weather as I’m fond of calling it which means you take the shortest route between two points to get indoors as soon as possible. At the same time, you don’t want to miss the special character of such weather, especially the sounds, which cut through the icy air. Even common sounds such as the closing of a Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1103030864011652762004-12-14T08:27:00.000-05:002004-12-14T08:27:44.010-05:00A brilliant sunrise which lasted but a few brief minutes. The golden light is deceptive, that is, if you made a postcard from the view, equating warmth with the golden hue. Quite the contrary! A brisk northwest wind with temps in the mid 20s. Just after under four minutes the sky turned to typical gray which will remain thus throughout the day. Even before sunrise you could tell it was cold due Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102945703343117012004-12-13T08:47:00.000-05:002004-12-13T08:48:23.343-05:00This morning I heard on the radio that eight American soldiers were killed in Iraq. Oh yes, some Iraqi citizens in the usual car bombings (we all know that Iraqis don’t count...). Everyone has been following this mis-adventure for some time now. Somehow the thirteen Iraqis and eight US soldiers on one day really brought it to a head as far as I’m concerned. Maybe several local area soldiers Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102877926636566042004-12-12T13:58:00.000-05:002004-12-12T13:58:46.636-05:00Third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday, "Rejoice Sunday," because we’re at the mid point of the expectation season. Compare with Laudete Sunday or the midway point of Lent, similar but more pertinent because Lent lacks the commercial noise of the current season. In many ways Gaudete is lost in such clamor. Today’s Gospel (Mt 11.2-11) has an indirect dialogue between Jesus and John the Baptist. Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102778471950982732004-12-11T10:20:00.000-05:002004-12-11T10:21:11.950-05:00In the market for a new desktop computer, my current one about four years old. While fine, it has a small hard drive which is filling up quickly and limited RAM. While checking websites for deals, etc, I’ve noticed that all computers loudly advertise multi-media features and have been doing so in recent years. What ever happened to the computer as a tool for scholarly research? Obviously theyRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102689406156695702004-12-10T09:35:00.000-05:002004-12-10T09:36:46.156-05:00It’s interesting how a particular season...Advent...which deals with the coming of Christ can pick out various scriptural readings and order them according to the season’s theme. While they have year-round application, someone somewhere perhaps hidden in some dark corner of the Vatican had the wisdom to arrange them sp well. For example, today’s Gospel (Mt 11.11-19) deals with John the Baptist, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102602436857790332004-12-09T09:25:00.000-05:002004-12-09T09:27:16.856-05:00Yesterday I played around with my flatbed scanner which had given problems; i.e., simply no power. Just when I was about to ditch it, I decided to drop it on the floor...not in anger (though that passed my mind!) but to see if a little jarring might work. Mirabile dictu, it worked! I didn’t slam it, just gently dropped the scanner 4-5 inches onto a carpeted floor. Not getting the scanner to work Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102515951856272252004-12-08T09:24:00.000-05:002004-12-08T09:25:51.856-05:00Immaculate Conception. As I’ve noted with several other important feast days of the Church’s liturgical calendar, this is one you can’t figure out but at the same time intuitively realize what’s going on. Not to say that other mysteries of the Church can be fathomed–all can’t, that’s their beauty–but some stand out as more unfathomable than others, Immaculate Conception no exception. Here we’re Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102342728933217702004-12-06T09:18:00.000-05:002004-12-06T09:18:48.933-05:00Yesterday afternoon two jet contrails extended the entire length of the sky from northeast to southwest. They ran parallel to each other all the way. "Two by each," as you hear it said in Southbridge. The contrails remained there a longtime, quite puffy, allowing me to clearly delineate the curvature of the earth. Often in the afternoon you can see jets rising from the northeastern horizon (Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102260431131771022004-12-05T10:26:00.000-05:002004-12-05T10:27:11.130-05:00Second Sunday of Advent. Today’s Gospel (Mt 3.1-12) has John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness and offering baptism to those who approach him, i.e, "with water" as opposed to Jesus who will baptize "with the Holy Spirit and fire." We hear these Gospels each year yet little consider how the Church inverts time, liturgically speaking. For example, Christ has not been born–that comes at Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102188666859274472004-12-04T14:30:00.000-05:002004-12-04T14:31:06.860-05:00"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews" [Jn 4.22]. Words spoken by Jesus to the woman of Samaria at the well. Such a declaration has a tinge of arrogance about it which pious minds get around by appealing to the person of Jesus Christ as incarnate Son of God who’s doing the speaking. Let’s look at this sentence in a different way, more for fun Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1102079257685541852004-12-03T08:07:00.000-05:002004-12-03T08:07:37.686-05:00A "dusky day" typical of this time of year with about an inch of snow predicted later on. Such duskiness pervades the entire day, even if the sun is shining brightly.
For countless generations the Catholic Church relied on two pillars: devotion and scholastic (Thomistic) theology which was heavily influenced by Aristotle. Even more so, this formed the backbone for priests while they had been in Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101999007228178252004-12-02T09:48:00.000-05:002004-12-02T09:50:07.226-05:00Now that we’re into December, it’s intriguing to watch those places–inside or outside–which are illumined only now, not at other times during the year. The sun creeps in and brightens spots which normally remain in the shadows. Also, the shadows cast by the sun, especially trees, are long even by the standards of high noon.
The Church considers the best of her members saints and canonizes those Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101909204954994662004-12-01T08:51:00.000-05:002004-12-01T08:53:24.953-05:00A wild and wooly day, i.e., wind and blowing rain. Great pleasure indeed listening to it rage outside. Under these conditions, it’ll be dark throughout the day except about twenty or so minutes before sunset as often the case. Then the sun will brilliantly break through on the southwest horizon and shed some golden rays, not untypical for the season. Now that it's December 1st, two of the best Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101822348744667292004-11-30T08:45:00.000-05:002004-11-30T08:45:48.760-05:00Because of their whiteness birch trees stand out in magnificent splendor, especially along the edge of fields. When seen singularly, they almost resemble flag poles, especially the straight-growing ones.
Hill around these parts had been formed by glaciers retreating from the north towards the south; they hang in that direction and are generally long and gradual. However, the east and west sides Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101734004284340472004-11-29T08:12:00.000-05:002004-11-29T08:13:24.283-05:00Yesterday afternoon it rained cats and dogs, the straight-down type as opposed to blowing. Somehow straight rain is more penetrating; it soaks you instantly! This morning, however, was a different story, bright and sunshiny. In fact, the countryside had that distinct Midas look to it, a rich golden hue, which created an atmosphere you don’t find at other times of the year.
When a special season Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101652079513617592004-11-28T09:27:00.000-05:002004-11-28T09:27:59.513-05:00First Sunday of Advent. So here we are, New Year’s Day. No balloons, horns, parties and the rest to usher in a new liturgical year. Instead, we have a subdued though joyful day characteristic of the season which says a lot about the Church’s true nature. Expectation of Christ’s coming is different from that of the last few weeks of the previous season with readings about "last things." The formerRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101563492904321702004-11-27T08:50:00.000-05:002004-11-27T08:51:32.903-05:00Last day of the liturgical year! Yes, today is the very end with First Vespers of Advent this evening. Fitting that this last day is the traditional "Saturday of Our Lady" but with more significance than usual. Contrast the beginning of a new liturgical year with New Year’s Eve; not only is the latter superficial but lacks a sense of not only continuity but of an end flowing into a beginning.
Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101475348215741112004-11-26T08:21:00.000-05:002004-11-26T08:22:28.216-05:00Black Friday or the day after Thanksgiving when many departments stores open early. Yesterday was, as predicted, very warm (low 60s) but dropped dramatically towards nightfall with the temp around 40 at 9pm. This morning it was in the upper teens but bright and crisp, the way it should be! Puddles were frozen with that quick-freeze look about them, that is, shinny black ice. Throughout the year Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101302067149108162004-11-24T08:13:00.000-05:002004-11-24T08:14:27.150-05:00About 40% through Plato’s Symposium, and the Greek is going much better than anticipated which is probably due to continued reading over the past few months. Besides, the text is easier than some others I had done. What strikes me is the leisurely attitude the participants have towards Eros, the god of love, as well as other divinities in the Greek pantheon. "Leisurely" may not be the best word, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101218716777859152004-11-23T09:04:00.000-05:002004-11-23T09:05:16.776-05:00There’s a sense of travel in the air this week which reaches its high point tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving. You don’t have to be out and about to perceive this, it’s just there. It’s also good to realize that you don’t have to buy into this, just being aware of the phenomenon is sufficient. A lovely sunrise followed by the ground covered silver-like in frost which reminds me of Exodus Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101129543112431072004-11-22T08:18:00.000-05:002004-11-22T08:19:03.113-05:00A favorite verse which pertains to the handwriting on the wall!: "Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together" [Dan 5.6]. Along with his enchanters and wise men King Belshazzar couldn’t figure out the handwriting so the queen came up with the solution which was to summon Daniel. Transitory people like this play an important role Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1101044131521495092004-11-21T08:33:00.000-05:002004-11-21T08:35:31.520-05:00Christ the King. Today is a kind of artificial feast, modern by Church standards, yet has the ability of making a break between one liturgical season and the other (which begins a week from today). As I had noted earlier, if you were blind and only heard the texts being read at Mass, you could barely tell the difference between the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the new one, that’s how Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100963288230521522004-11-20T10:07:00.000-05:002004-11-20T10:08:08.230-05:00"Then when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up" [Dan 3.5]. Whenever I hear this verse (it occurs several times in Daniel), especially "bagpipe," the first image that comes to mind is a guy dressed in Scottish kilts belting out a tune on a bagpipe. Obviously Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100870582983231752004-11-19T08:21:00.000-05:002004-11-19T08:23:02.983-05:00A warm one today, supposed to approach the 60 degree mark! Not my cup of tea for second half of November but gotta take what comes our way. At some of her Offices, the Church is now reading the Book of Daniel, a "last day" text close in spirit to Revelation.
There seems to be what may be called a blind spot when our act of perceiving reaches what we’re perceiving. That is to say, when Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100697421007853382004-11-17T08:16:00.001-05:002004-11-17T08:17:01.006-05:00The liturgical readings this week are from the Book of Revelation, apt for the end of the liturgical season! While reading Proverbs I came across one of many subtle verses which in English blow right by you: "Do not plan evil against your neighbor who dwells trustingly beside you" [3.29]. The word for neighbor in Hebrew is reah from a verbal root meaning "to feed, pasture, attend." The word for Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100613093838219552004-11-16T08:51:00.000-05:002004-11-16T08:51:33.840-05:00Early this morning I stepped out simply to enjoy the very quiet atmosphere; couldn’t resist looking at it from inside! On the western horizon I saw a few distant towers (hard to estimate the distance, maybe some 10-15 miles away) with blinking red light which automatically reminded me of the lovely passage from Baruch (3.34): "The stars shone in their watches and were glad; he called them, and Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100545788734087912004-11-15T14:08:00.000-05:002004-11-15T14:09:48.733-05:00Out for a walk this afternoon to enjoy the newly fallen snow from yesterday; temps in low 50s and very still. Yesterday it was rather difficult to be out and about with the blowing and low sun towards the southwest, but this simply added to the atmosphere. I came across a few snow whirlpools and tried to enter them; alas, they dissolved as soon as I had approached. Two other features I noted: theRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100457826482539882004-11-14T13:42:00.000-05:002004-11-14T13:43:46.483-05:00Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. So here we are at the end of the liturgical season as far as ordinary time goes! Week after next is Advent. Whenever seasonal shifts like this occur as well as the first snow which we saw two days ago, everybody remarks at how quickly time had passed since we were there before. Rarely do you hear the opposite. Today’s Gospel (Lk 21.5-19) has Jesus foretellingRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100354758803669722004-11-13T09:05:00.000-05:002004-11-13T09:05:58.803-05:00Yesterday afternoon we had our first snowfall of the season; it continued through the night into this morning dropping a total of about four inches. A real transformation of the landscape which seems to beg for whiteness. Certainly brightens up the day and especially the night. Shortly before dawn I heard the distant rumble of snow plows doing their thing. The sound of the blade hitting the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100265083700573772004-11-12T08:10:00.000-05:002004-11-12T08:11:23.700-05:00For the past three days the moon–barely a sliver in the eastern sky–has been hanging there along with Jupiter and Venus. I can’t recall if the planets are above or below the moon, no matter. The effect is quite dramatic. Distant celestial objects have a way of conveying silence unlike other natural objects by reason of their aloofness. It all the more awe-inspiring by reason of the cold (around 4Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100183482477183732004-11-11T09:30:00.000-05:002004-11-11T09:31:22.476-05:00Veteran’s Day. As for veterans, the war in Iraq is obviously on everyone’s mind especially the battle for Fallujah which seems to be winding down. Perception is that the US can handily capture the city, but as for the terrorists supposedly held up there, well, bets are on that they melted away. This will probably be the straw that breaks the camel’s back...and by camel I mean the US. A warmish Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1100097041498050042004-11-10T09:29:00.000-05:002004-11-10T09:30:41.500-05:00St. Leo the Great. "Whenever you hear him being read, pay the closest attention!" Such are the words from a now deceased priest, a holy man whom I’ve had the privilege to know, about Leo’s writings. Leo lived at the death-throes of the Roman Empire and gave life to the Church when she needed it the most. Interesting to contrast him with Constantine who set the Church on an imperial footing which Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099854288236695072004-11-07T14:03:00.000-05:002004-11-07T14:04:48.236-05:00Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time...and Ordinary Time is running out quickly! The 28th of this month marks the First Sunday of Advent. Already the Gospels (as today, Lk 20.27-40) are giving us a foretaste of "the end." Then when you get into Advent, this theme continues right along unbroken. If you were blind, that is, unable to see the liturgical symbols (of Advent) and only went by hearing Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099755994144374162004-11-06T10:44:00.000-05:002004-11-06T10:46:34.146-05:00“You must walk like a camel which is said to be the only beast which ruminates when it walks.” Gotta love these droll entries; from Thoreau’s Journal entry for early November 1850. I might add that a camel can go a long time without water! I might check out the trails after yesterday’s terrific winds; heard it gusted over 50 mph.
Recently I had to phone tech support for help with a computer Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099682563392985582004-11-05T14:14:00.002-05:002004-11-05T14:22:43.393-05:00A spectacular sunrise replete with a full-fledged rainbow from northeast to southwest! Not only was it the best I’ve ever seen, it lasted a good twenty minutes or more. A second rainbow attempted to take root but only got about a quarter full. I was just trying to imagine what ancient people must have thought when they beheld such a sight. Probably like us, they tried rushing to the base of the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099682399825802642004-11-05T14:14:00.001-05:002004-11-05T14:19:59.826-05:00A spectacular sunrise replete with a full-fledged rainbow from northeast to southwest! Not only was it the best I’ve ever seen, it lasted a good twenty minutes or more. A second rainbow attempted to take root but only got about a quarter full. I was just trying to imagine what ancient people must have thought when they beheld such a sight. Probably like us, they tried rushing to the base of the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099682192170139702004-11-05T14:14:00.000-05:002004-11-05T14:16:32.170-05:00A spectacular sunrise replete with a full-fledged rainbow from northeast to southwest! Not only was it the best I’ve ever seen, it lasted a good twenty minutes or more. A second rainbow attempted to take root but only got about a quarter full. I was just trying to imagine what ancient people must have thought when they beheld such a sight. Probably like us, they tried rushing to the base of the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099601055685451072004-11-04T15:43:00.000-05:002004-11-04T15:47:20.986-05:00Today’s Gospel (Lk 15.1-10) has two parables back-to-back: the famous 99 lost sheep and the woman who sweeps her house to find a lost coin. In the first, the sheep seems to have gone astray by itself even though it reads, "If he has lost one of them." Not untypical when it comes to sheep. The second example is clear about the woman having lost her coin"Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099489756135590612004-11-03T08:48:00.000-05:002004-11-03T08:52:03.426-05:00"Regardless of the outcome, the sun will rise tomorrow." Best words regarding the presidential election which I heard from a reporter on the radio around nine last evening. While the counting was underway I was thinking of the entire country awake and watching, a kind of secular night vigil. As for the sun, it did rise and in spectacular fashion. In addition, there’s a lot of gusty wind which Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099402326098009532004-11-02T08:31:00.000-05:002004-11-02T08:32:06.096-05:00All Souls and Election Day, two for the price of one! A rather nice day in these parts though expecting some showers later in the day but not enough to cause problems. Everyone is on tenter hooks in expectation that vote counting might extend well beyond the usual limit. The lesson I’ve learned–and it’s a simple one–that the stridency from both parties which bombarded us amounts to nothing. Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099315908331929512004-11-01T08:31:00.000-05:002004-11-01T08:31:48.333-05:00All Saints. A whole lot cooler than yesterday, thank you! A favorite day which speaks to the heart in ways that are difficult to communicate. This time around, I’m looking at All Saints in light of my current research and discussion with friends about the concept of daimon as used by Plato...its highly positive sense...and how it ended up as demon when Christianity came on the scene. Maybe the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099230734481940572004-10-31T08:51:00.000-05:002004-10-31T08:52:14.483-05:00Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time. This is the last Sunday (and day) in October with just two more "ordinary" Sundays left before Advent. It’s also Halloween with un-Halloweenish weather upon us: temps pushing 70, not my cup of tea, but supposed to get colder tonight. Such days aren’t uncommon when you consider past years. They’re marked by low-lying cotton candy-like clouds which get their Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099139949346440052004-10-30T08:38:00.000-04:002004-10-30T08:39:09.346-04:00This is a fine time to walk in the woods, unlike no other. Now that the leaves have fallen and are still fresh on the ground, your walking is more a kind of shuffling. The downside is that it’s hard to sneak up on anyone...The upside is that you can hear someone sneaking up on you! Even squirrels and chipmunks make sounds much louder in proportion to their size.
This morning before sunrise I Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1099073930048379792004-10-29T14:17:00.000-04:002004-10-29T14:18:50.046-04:00Now that most of the leaves have fallen, the landscape has assumed a stark, almost bleak, character. This is especially true when cloudy but is transformed into a totally different character when the sun is shining brightly. Even then the lower slant of the sun’s rays impart a cold light unique to this area. Drive through any of the small New England towns around high noon. The white colonial Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098966740226577512004-10-28T08:31:00.000-04:002004-10-28T08:32:20.226-04:00Sts Simon and Jude. There’s joy in Bean Town today after the Sox whipped the Cardinals four games straight in the World Series. Unfortunately among some friends I have to eat humble pie since I subscribed to the fact that they’d never win! During the game a total lunar eclipse occurred. This event was significant in that it pointed to the uncountable number of superstitious beliefs that have beenRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098879862786838072004-10-27T08:23:00.000-04:002004-10-27T08:24:22.786-04:00Sunrise and sunset. You see in the paper the daily record of such events. I was always curious as to how they are determined. It’s easy by a coastal city such as Boston where you have a "mean" plane to determine sunrise, the ocean. However, I wonder about sunset. Do they determine it (Boston, for example) at the lowest point in the western horizon? If so, from what vantage point? Then if you moveRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098793432241264642004-10-26T08:21:00.000-04:002004-10-26T08:23:52.240-04:00Hasidic Jews are very interesting in that they live an intense religious life right in the heart of the world. They are married, have households and generally work in large metropolitan areas. At the same time they retain their own identity, an amazing feat when you consider the circumstances in which they function. On the other hand, Catholics–if they wish to pursue a disciplined religious Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098706204211929982004-10-25T08:08:00.000-04:002004-10-25T09:56:43.883-04:00Suddenly it’s November. Actually not yet, but the atmosphere bespeaks that month. Most of the foliage has been swept bare, and the remaining leaves (especially oak trees) are a dun color you associate with November. Even this dun-ness is fresh, almost greasy in appearance, but that too will wither away. Throw in the sullen overcast sky, and you have the essence of New England. Such is the Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098623092587319232004-10-24T09:04:00.000-04:002004-10-24T09:04:52.586-04:00Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time...and about a month out from the beginning of Advent. Today’s Gospel has the familiar contrast between the self-righteous Pharisee and tax collector, Lk 18.9-15. "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself" [vs. 11]. The Greek text may read literally, "stood to (pros) himself (and) prayed these." Compare with the parable’s hero "standing far off (makrothen),Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098535409999619242004-10-23T08:42:00.000-04:002004-10-23T08:47:43.880-04:00The Canada (not Canadian!) geese are frequent visitors nowadays...i.e., "gaggles" of them. In recent years they have become pests despite their noble appearance. Quite fearless, even brazen. I have to admit they are a splendid sight flying in formation overhead not unlike a scene from a WW II movie when the bombers take off for Germany.
Despite the generally cloudy weather this time of year, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098447404302384772004-10-22T08:16:00.000-04:002004-10-22T08:24:32.820-04:00Today, the day after I made that disappointing entry about Wood’s book on oracles, he began a sub-heading with the words, "How did those Greek daimones become Christian demons" (p.143)? Such question is of current concern in an ongoing dialogue with several friends. Wood’s sentence jumped out at me, having said to myself, now we’re getting to something important. However, it didn’t turn out that Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098384520756225632004-10-21T14:47:00.000-04:002004-10-21T14:48:40.756-04:00Well, the Boston Red Sox pulled off the impossible, having beaten the Evil Empire on their home turf in the Bronx. Now the Curse of the Bambino has been lifted after all these years. As one commentator said, last night’s victory, unprecedented in baseball history, was greater than winning the World Series which is to commence on Saturday. Whenever an event as this captures the popular imaginationRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098275145614033732004-10-20T08:25:00.000-04:002004-10-20T08:25:45.613-04:00The buzz around these parts is the remarkable comeback by the Red Sox against the Yankees, having been down 3 games to 1 with the 7th and deciding game tonight for the American League pennant; winner moves on to the World Series. As we all know, the Sox haven’t won the World Series since 1918. I believe this is an essential part of their identity as well as those who follow them. It’d be hard to Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098101992295472452004-10-18T08:18:00.000-04:002004-10-18T08:19:52.296-04:00St. Luke, Evangelist. A noticeable winter slant to the sun this morning, especially at sunrise. Although it’s been like this for a while now, considerably more mellow or golden; same applies to sunsets. Even high noon casts longer shadows than just a few weeks ago. I always watch for the change of seasons, waiting for a definite cut-off point between any given two. This is impossible, of course, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1098043543372013332004-10-17T16:05:00.000-04:002004-10-17T16:05:43.373-04:00(I tried publishing this excerpt recently but couldn’t, so here goes another try). Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Two great readings, the first from Exodus 17.12 when Israel was battling Amalek. "And Aaron and Hur held up his (Moses) hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." Whenever I hear this passage, Aaron and Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097932729904970202004-10-16T09:17:00.000-04:002004-10-16T09:18:49.903-04:00I’ve had a booklet for almost forty years and tried looking for it in the place I’ve kept it the bulk of that time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. Instead of being upset I figured that I’ve enjoyed the thing this long; after all, nothing is permanent. Interesting, because when you get older stuff you’ve treasured loses its relevancy even though you’d prefer to have the item show up. As for Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097842944639477102004-10-15T08:21:00.000-04:002004-10-15T08:22:24.640-04:00Three years back I had spend considerable time with Vaihinger’s book, "As If." It was written during the early part of the last century and proposes an alternate notion of viewing the world. He gives concrete examples such as "I feel as if I’m on top of the world." This and similar statements point to more than wishful thinking. They have the possibility of opening up many avenues in daily life, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097758588878919632004-10-14T08:51:00.001-04:002004-10-14T08:56:28.876-04:00Several friends, most of whom are in the academic world, are giving serious thought and ongoing discussion to what may be termed an "open" and "closed" world view. That is to say, the former may be called the modern one influenced by such ideas of infinity whether on the micro or macroscopic realms. Indeed, science plays an important role here; also ideas about God–infinite, unbounded, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097758397836020882004-10-14T08:51:00.000-04:002004-10-14T08:53:17.836-04:00Several friends, most of whom are in the academic world, are giving serious thought and ongoing discussion to what may be termed an "open" and "closed" world view. That is to say, the former may be called the modern one influenced by such ideas of infinity whether on the micro or macroscopic realms. Indeed, science plays an important role here; also ideas about God–infinite, unbounded, Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097674089500619382004-10-13T09:25:00.000-04:002004-10-13T09:28:09.500-04:00This morning shortly before dawn while it was still pretty dark, from the corner of my eye I caught a comet sinking into the southwestern sky. These events happen very quickly, so you’re lucky if you see one. Contrary to ancient opinion, a comet reminds me of those connectors between heaven and earth to which I had termed filaments and devoted an article. They are also like those daimons of whichRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097584170651777342004-10-12T08:28:00.000-04:002004-10-12T08:29:30.650-04:00One of Thoreau’s heros whom he mentions in his Journal, perhaps his greatest, is a farmer named George Minott. For example, "Minott adorns whatever part of nature he touches; whichever way he walks he transfigures the earth for me" [November 6, 1857]. Actually, there’s an abundance of references to this man throughout the Journal, this being a quick sample. We all have our George Minotts. They Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097496112272438672004-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:002004-10-11T08:01:52.273-04:00Columbus Day. There’s a difference between wind at night and wind during the day, especially this time of year, winter included. Day wind is blustery and is put into its place by visual perceptions which diminishes its impact or our awareness of it. Night wind is another animal; pervasive and a bit threatening as though the wind had taken over the entire landscape. Even those sounds we hear--Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097412606132524662004-10-10T08:49:00.000-04:002004-10-10T08:50:06.133-04:00Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today’s Gospel (Lk 17.11-19) deals with the ten lepers, one of whom was a Samaritan and the only one who returned to thank Jesus. What struck me this time around...and we go round and round with regular frequency with the Gospels during the liturgical season...is the notion of distance. "He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance [vs. 12, porrothen]," Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097331460931072772004-10-09T10:16:00.000-04:002004-10-09T10:17:40.930-04:00There’s something mysterious about an open field...not just any field...but one surrounded by trees and/or corn; i.e., a field that’s enclosed. You’re on the look-out to spot something or someone pop out of the woods, but invariably it doesn’t. Still, this doesn’t detract from the mystery of an open yet secluded place.
A few days ago the Gospel at Mass had this interesting verse: "Lord, teach usRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097238728766323932004-10-08T08:31:00.000-04:002004-10-08T08:32:08.766-04:00Catholics make the sign of the Cross at various liturgical functions as well as using holy water upon entering/exiting a church. It’s done so often that people barely give it a thought. The other day it hit me that the holy water used is blessed on Sundays "as a reminder of our baptism," as the formula puts it at the beginning of each Sunday Mass. Instead of "reminder" I prefer to use anamnesis..Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097150279368591312004-10-07T07:55:00.000-04:002004-10-07T07:57:59.366-04:00I was out a bit around 4.30 am, not as cold, with a warm-up expected over this coming weekend (low 70s). You could sense the warmer air not just by being outside but by a propeller-driven plane that flew over. The sound wasn’t as cutting as it would be when colder, more like you'd experience in spring or summer. Naturally I wondered what that guy was doing up there so early in the morning! As forRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1097072352892785402004-10-06T10:18:00.000-04:002004-10-06T10:19:12.893-04:00First frost of the season last night! When dawn broke the land was covered with a lovely white blanket of the stuff. Later as the sun rose higher (but not terribly high), you could see frost outlines of trees, etc, in fairly good detail. Before this or around 5 am I had gone out to view the valley filled with fog, quite luminous in the half- moonlight. En route out there I passed through a small Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096978092522598502004-10-05T08:06:00.000-04:002004-10-05T08:08:12.523-04:00A study of contrasts. I don’t have access to cable television but did so on a number of occasions when I was at my mother’s apartments prior to her entry into a nursing home. Channels galore! I spent so much time surfing from one to the other that I barely could follow a single program even it attracted my attention. In the meanwhile I was caught up in numerous, almost infinite details, as to my Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096901054819919072004-10-04T10:43:00.000-04:002004-10-04T10:44:14.826-04:00The other day I was observing a cat doing his thing which consists mostly of grooming, that is, apart from sleeping which comprises most of his time. Being alert in the sense of survival is his primary concern as is the case with all animals, humans included; all the other stuff hangs from that: food, sex, sleep. When a cat acts according to its nature we get, well, a cat (opposed to a dog or Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096796016501261732004-10-03T05:32:00.000-04:002004-10-03T05:33:36.503-04:00Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Gospel for today is Lk 17.5-10, about the Apostles’ request to Jesus to increase their faith. Interesting after how after this short exchange Jesus launches into two examples of being obedient to God and not expecting a reward from it. Kind of dangerous material nowadays in that it can re-enforce a sense of unworthiness and submission to Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096723606672949462004-10-02T09:24:00.000-04:002004-10-02T09:26:46.673-04:00In life there are a lot of things difficult to put your fingers on, to understand them correctly; not only that, it’s hard to see how ideas have influenced the culture in which you operate which like a fish trying to feel the water. Here’s something along this line, so general it’s almost embarrassing to state: faith, hope and love. The first two are realized partially. The last (love or agape) Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096641573584848492004-10-01T10:37:00.000-04:002004-10-01T10:39:33.583-04:00Returned to the woods yesterday, continuing work on some trails. It was very calm compared with the recent wind. This stillness, coupled with cloudiness, is a bit unnerving, especially when you’re in a shaded area. You could easily understand how the ancients favored such places for sacrifices and God-only-knows what else. You’re more attentive than usual for (and let’s admit it) bears! Two weeksRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096547598458836452004-09-30T08:32:00.000-04:002004-09-30T08:33:18.460-04:00Sometimes...better, often...a word as in Greek grabs your attention. Actually this grabbing happens with some frequency because reading Greek as well as Syriac and Hebrew get you "out of the English mode" and into a realm where things are expressed very differently. The example at hand: somewhere I came across the Greek term "daimon," ambiguous, to say the least for us moderns. It’s neither good Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096464554020701182004-09-29T09:28:00.000-04:002004-09-29T09:29:14.020-04:00Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. I recall not long ago the Church gathered all these angels into one feast day, i.e., today. Guess it was during a time when belief in such spirits was waning! Hurricane Jeanne continues with some wind and rain; actually rained quite heavily all night and into this morning...minus the humidity. I expected to be out and about (the woods) this afternoon but will Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096376322587957152004-09-28T08:57:00.000-04:002004-09-28T08:58:42.586-04:00Remnants of Hurricane Jeanne passing through. As with the others this season, just rain but thankfully little humidity. A fine day to be confined and do some reading and computer work!
"They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it" [Amos 8.12]. The Hebrew verb for "run to and fro" transliterates as Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096288927373235452004-09-27T08:40:00.000-04:002004-09-27T08:42:07.373-04:00"Just another day in paradise." Words from a friend uttered some time back and presumably taken from Al Jolsen, the famous jazz singer. Often I apply such words to the continued lovely autumnal weather we’re experience, but as one local farmer said in his terse New England fashion, "too warm." Another sign of the season: the sharp, rifle-like cracks of acorns falling on roofs, especially tin Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096201325743692292004-09-26T08:21:00.000-04:002004-09-26T08:22:05.743-04:00Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Like yesterday, today is supposed to be a warm summer-like day. That’s the trouble with September, more warm days than autumnal ones! All weather comes from either the west or south, so not infrequently warm humid air is pumped in from below. Not unlike a continuous War Between the States with the South outmaneuvering the North. The other day farmers began Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096119622722618662004-09-25T09:39:00.000-04:002004-09-25T09:40:22.723-04:00"To Conantum, 2 AM." Such are designations of entries to Thoreau’s Journal (Conantum being a place nearby which I don’t know about). The terseness with regard to the time says a lot about the author, and I could easily visualize him jotting it down at such an ungodly hour. I make reference to Thoreau quite a lot, living in an environment similar to his. Just the fact that he chose to live Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1096031902335340742004-09-24T09:17:00.000-04:002004-09-24T09:18:22.336-04:00For some years I’ve been curious why the (biblical) Hebrew language has so many verbs for "to hide." Allow me to list them here in transliterated form with a scriptural quote for each which is prefaced by a brief nuance of meaning:
-Chava’: "And the man and his wife hid themselves" [Gen 3.8].
-Chavah (related to the one just above): "To hide themselves in the open country" [2 Kg 7.12]. Both Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095858944372553122004-09-22T09:15:00.000-04:002004-09-22T09:15:44.373-04:00First day of autumn which arrives around 12.30 pm. Supposed to be around 80, nice introduction! Familiarity with Thoreau’s Journal is helpful with the season’s variations, for he makes frequent reference to aberrations in the climate, etc.
Here’s yet another example of a "bland" verse from Scripture which has much more meaning in the original (Hebrew): "Surely the Lord God does nothing without Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095773721919140982004-09-21T09:34:00.000-04:002004-09-21T09:35:21.920-04:00St. Matthew the Evangelist (and Apostle). I like these fine distinctions which are sometimes overlooked. Matthew was both an evangelist and apostle; actually there are only four of the former and twelve of the latter. Thus eight (nine if we throw in St. Paul) are apostles pure and simple. Of all the Gospels, I have a special like for Matthew’s. His Greek style is closest to the Hebrew mentality Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095688285440885092004-09-20T09:50:00.000-04:002004-09-20T09:51:25.440-04:00This morning I stepped outside around 4.30 simply to take in the (very) brisk air! This time of year the valleys below are often filled with fog but not today; the wind keeps them clean. I hung around until 5 at which point you could hear more traffic in the road below plus see headlights way off. Since the wind is from the north, I could hear traffic from that direction, even if faintly. For theRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095600876730360042004-09-19T09:32:00.000-04:002004-09-19T09:34:36.730-04:00Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Very brisk today, first real touch of autumn although it’s supposed to reach near 80 by Wednesday. One sign (among a countless many) of such weather are the increasing number of crows and their cawing. The sound of propellor driven airplanes in the distance also assumes a unique muffled tone; not exactly muffled but different from spring or summer.
Today’s Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095513044165335652004-09-18T09:07:00.000-04:002004-09-18T10:16:24.196-04:00Remnants of Hurricane Ivan blowing through today, just heavy rain minus wind and even better, not as humid as the last one. The nice thing about this weather is that it is confining and disposes you to reading and study. When the weather is nice (as forecasted for the next few days), you feel compelled to get out and about.
Several churches in the Boston archdiocese have been making national Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095340433491764702004-09-16T09:13:00.000-04:002004-09-16T09:13:53.490-04:00As for getting at what we mean by "soul," one wise friend noted that the best way is through dialogue, contact with another person(s). You can come up with ideas to form a treatise and throw up adjectives, etc., to describe the soul, but it only comes to full light in the process of discussion.
The other day I and a friend did some "train spotting." There’s something about trains, especially Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5611542.post-1095164503999194162004-09-14T08:21:00.000-04:002004-09-14T08:21:44.000-04:00As for getting at what we mean by "soul," one wise friend noted that the best way is through dialogue, contact with another person(s). You can come up with ideas to form a treatise and throw up adjectives, etc., to describe the soul, but it only comes to full light in the process of discussion. I got this simple insight by browsing through selective listings of the word "soul" from Plato’s Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14527543851195381747noreply@blogger.com