It was announced in the news today that oor Cardinal, Archbishop Keith Patrick O'Brien, was voted as Bigot of the Year by Stonewall. I am not surprised at the award, but I do think that it casts more poorly on Stonewall than it does on the Cardinal. Even Ruth Davidson, the lesbian Conservative MSP leader and this year's winner of Stonewall's Politician of the Year, thought so.
I hope the Cardinal knows that there are many, many people who support his courageous stance on the issue of gay marriage and homosexuality in general. It is necessary for Stonewall to accuse the Cardinal and those like him of bigotry in order to maintain the image that the Catholic Church is the hateful group, rather than the compassionate, loving and yet firm and faithful image of Christ on earth.
Friday, 2 November 2012
Pray for the Holy Souls!
There's a new blog referred to by Mac McLernon at Mulier Fortis called Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum, which is a verse from Psalm 90(91) "Qui habitat". If you haven't heard the 11 minute long tract from the first Sunday of Lent, go and do it now (or even next time round on Sunday 17th Feb 2013).
Anyway, SUAT has a nice post on the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, which you should read. Now.
Then say an "Eternal rest" for the Holy Souls.
Meanwhile, here's the best orchestra Requiem by Duruflé:
Anyway, SUAT has a nice post on the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, which you should read. Now.
Then say an "Eternal rest" for the Holy Souls.
Meanwhile, here's the best orchestra Requiem by Duruflé:
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Kristin Lavransdatter
On Friday I just finished reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. I had read an article commending this and other works by Sigrid Undset on CatholicCulture.org, so I decided to read something by her. The first book I read was her biography of St. Catherine of Siena which was both moving and excellent. I remember reading it on the bus and being physically repulsed by a particular action of St. Catherine in order to overcome her squeamishness when tending to a sick woman. What she did was truly heroic virtue!
Anyway, I decided I would then read the work for which Undset won the Nobel Prize in 1928. It is somewhat surprising that she won it considering it deals with the religiosity of the Middle Ages in a fairly positive light. I had anticipated that I was in for something good in light of the glowing reviews given to the book. In the end, however, I was not prepared for the all-encompassing experience of reading KL.
It starts with a young Kristin and her experience with her life in 14th century Norway, moving through to her betrothal and then sin and its consequences for Kristin on her life, and finally in the end her main fault - which is her overly passionate nature - is what saves her. Undset writes in fairly blunt prose which deliver rather shocking events of life quite starkly. I never got used to this and I was often overwhelmed at the events that transpired.
I did read a few reviews which heavily criticised the book for having a poor writing style and being overly dramatic. I completely disagree with these views. Undset often has descriptions of the Norwegian landscape which indeed looms large over Norway and these are stunningly described throughout the book. She also describes peoples appearance at times which do sometimes seem odd. While this grated on some reviewers, I found it gelled perfectly with the overall catholicity of the book, concerning body and soul, religion and creation, the contrast between Kristin's feelings for people versus their attractiveness and whether they match up. Also, the frequent drama that takes place is often due to the fact that life was a lot more precarious and unsettled in 14th century Norway than it is now. Birth and death were less sanitised than they are now. Tragedy was a lot less avoidable.
Finally, the presence of the Church in the book is excellent - while there are of course bad priests as well as good, and while priestly celibacy does not seem to have fully caught on yet (it was only introduced in the previous century), many priests and religious are courageous, manly and holy men. The reality of sin and its consequences is also portrayed clearly; indeed, it is one of the main topics in the book.
I highly recommend reading Kristin Lavransdatter. I've only touched on some of the things it deals with. Motherhood and fatherhood are also central topics, as are honour, family, birth, death and duty. I also echo comments I've read in other reviews that it would probably be even better for those with more life experience than I have. All the same, I found it easy to sympathise and relate to the characters, and in fact it's the first book I've ever cried to while reading. Yeah, it really is that good.
Anyway, I decided I would then read the work for which Undset won the Nobel Prize in 1928. It is somewhat surprising that she won it considering it deals with the religiosity of the Middle Ages in a fairly positive light. I had anticipated that I was in for something good in light of the glowing reviews given to the book. In the end, however, I was not prepared for the all-encompassing experience of reading KL.It starts with a young Kristin and her experience with her life in 14th century Norway, moving through to her betrothal and then sin and its consequences for Kristin on her life, and finally in the end her main fault - which is her overly passionate nature - is what saves her. Undset writes in fairly blunt prose which deliver rather shocking events of life quite starkly. I never got used to this and I was often overwhelmed at the events that transpired.
I did read a few reviews which heavily criticised the book for having a poor writing style and being overly dramatic. I completely disagree with these views. Undset often has descriptions of the Norwegian landscape which indeed looms large over Norway and these are stunningly described throughout the book. She also describes peoples appearance at times which do sometimes seem odd. While this grated on some reviewers, I found it gelled perfectly with the overall catholicity of the book, concerning body and soul, religion and creation, the contrast between Kristin's feelings for people versus their attractiveness and whether they match up. Also, the frequent drama that takes place is often due to the fact that life was a lot more precarious and unsettled in 14th century Norway than it is now. Birth and death were less sanitised than they are now. Tragedy was a lot less avoidable.
Finally, the presence of the Church in the book is excellent - while there are of course bad priests as well as good, and while priestly celibacy does not seem to have fully caught on yet (it was only introduced in the previous century), many priests and religious are courageous, manly and holy men. The reality of sin and its consequences is also portrayed clearly; indeed, it is one of the main topics in the book.
I highly recommend reading Kristin Lavransdatter. I've only touched on some of the things it deals with. Motherhood and fatherhood are also central topics, as are honour, family, birth, death and duty. I also echo comments I've read in other reviews that it would probably be even better for those with more life experience than I have. All the same, I found it easy to sympathise and relate to the characters, and in fact it's the first book I've ever cried to while reading. Yeah, it really is that good.
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Candle Offering
Lord Jesus, I offer you this candle as a prayer:
May my little light shine out like this little candle with your light.
May I radiate like the warmth of this little candle with your love.
May I be directed upwards like this little candle to heavenly things.
May I be an offering like this little candle in devotion to God, to the Church, and for the needs of my neighbours suffering in this world and in the next.
May my heart burn like this little candle with the fire of divine love.
May my life be consumed and sacrificed for the light like this little candle in service of divine love.
May I stand like this little candle shining in the heavenly liturgy with all the saints.
Amen.
May my little light shine out like this little candle with your light.
May I radiate like the warmth of this little candle with your love.
May I be directed upwards like this little candle to heavenly things.
May I be an offering like this little candle in devotion to God, to the Church, and for the needs of my neighbours suffering in this world and in the next.
May my heart burn like this little candle with the fire of divine love.
May my life be consumed and sacrificed for the light like this little candle in service of divine love.
May I stand like this little candle shining in the heavenly liturgy with all the saints.
Amen.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Father Blake and Dom Mark get it spot on
The problems with the liturgy and with many Catholics' rather lax attitude to the Blessed Sacrament in many ways boil down to the general lack of awareness of the mystery of faith, the overexposure and familiarity with the Blessed Sacrament, both reserved and exposed, and the blurring of boundaries between the sacred and the mundane. Dom Mark Kirby of Vultus Christi takes up Fr Blake's idea that there can be such a thing as too much Exposition and provides an analysis of key problem areas, while providing solutions which are straightforward, though not necessarily easy to implement. See it here.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Sunday, 27 May 2012
The Confessions of Saint Augustine...
... already say so much of what many of us think, feel and pray:
"You move us to delight in praising You; for You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You."
"O Eternal Truth, and true Love, and loved Eternity! You are my God; to You do I sigh both night and day."
"Too late did I love You, O Fairness, so ancient, and yet so new! Too late did I love You! For behold, You were within, and I without, and there did I seek You; I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty You made. You were with me, but I was not with You."
"You move us to delight in praising You; for You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You."
"O Eternal Truth, and true Love, and loved Eternity! You are my God; to You do I sigh both night and day."
"Too late did I love You, O Fairness, so ancient, and yet so new! Too late did I love You! For behold, You were within, and I without, and there did I seek You; I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty You made. You were with me, but I was not with You."
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