I Hate It When This Happens! (Friday Funnies)

Cut it OUT! Sheeeeeeeeeeesh! Now I have to install a cloaking device. Do you have any idea how much that will cost?! I'm going to take that out of your allowance Boy Wonder.

For Evelyn Waugh's Prayer of a Convert

Psst...I finished reading Evelyn Waugh's novel Helena. I think it is fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely. Reading it makes we want to head with my family to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, bankrupting us in the process. St. Helena, as the empress dowager, never faced that particular financial aspect of her own journey to Palestine.

Gone Readin' Helena by Evelyn Waugh

Why haven't I been posting much lately? You can blame Fr. Steve Grunow, who suggested the book you see above to me a few days ago. I've never read anything by Evelyn Waugh, and I'm not ashamed to say that for most of my life I figured Evelyn was a lady, and I wasn't much interested in what she had to say.

Because Life Goes On...

Acts of terror, wars, rumors of wars, budget crises, scary headlines, scandal, political vitriol, etc., etc. got you down? It's good to remember that life goes on. It is good to remember that for "the world,"

For the Verses on the YIMCatholic Bookshelf Icon

Patricia Cornell, proprietor of St. Theodosia's Icon Shop writes,

For the Earth and Its Fullness...UPDATED!

I have no idea what kind of bird this is, where it is from, or who shot the photograph. I'd love to give credit for all three. But I do know Who created the bird. What a magnificent Artist!

The Rainbow (A Few Words For Wednesday)

A wiser man than I once said,

When, indeed, the artist desires to teach us a great spiritual truth, he invariably expresses it under the form of an allegory or symbol. For the soul dreams 'neath the star-sown sky of symbol. It is spiritually its lisping language—the divine form of its expression.

Thoughts On New Media And Evangelization

I'm not a "new media" expert.
But to me,
"New Media" is old media
without editors,
without barriers,
without bosses.

Around the World in 3 Minutes: Move, Learn, Eat

One of my favorite lines from scripture concerns "the earth and its fullness." As a Catholic Christian, you should know that this broad, nay, "catholic" expression describing the world and its wonders is to be lived and experienced with joy by us all.

What Figures Are On This Celtic Cross?

A reader writes,

Hi there my name is Mindy and I am trying to figure out the meaning of a particular Celtic Catholic cross that was my father-in-laws throughout his whole life. When he passed away it was handed down to my husband.

Because The Earth and It's Fullness Includes...

Heavy Metal?! That's right. And it all belongs to the LORD. For you see, a very talented reader writes,

A Gifted Guitarist You Might Have Missed (Music for Mondays)

Goes by the name of Prince. Oh you've heard of him, you just forgot how good a guitarist he is. This guy is a genius. Don't believe me? That's ok. Do you think he is still a pretender prancing around in frilly outfits? Let me tell you, and this is just my humble opinion, Michael Jackson is the pretender next to this guy. Have a look at these four selections for the proof.

Because Irony Is God's Way of Lightening Our Load (Friday Funnies)

Photo credit: Sameli 

Go ahead...I dare you not to crack a smile at these. Push all liquids away from your keyboard, swallow any food you have in your mouth, and don't forget to breathe. I'm probably the last person to have seen them.

Quote of the Week

‎

There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. -Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (1921-1944)

Spring and Fall: To a young child (A Few Words for Wednesday)

A poem by Gerard Manly Hopkins, SJ on understanding death and loss, as explained to a child in a wood. 

How Star Trek Should Have Ended

This is just absolutely AWESOME. Because Catholics can laugh (be careful you don't bust a gut).

Lines on Pride from Alexander Pope's An Essay On Man

Often times cataclysmic events leave us at a loss. We have feelings and thoughts but struggle to put them into words. Some have been blessed with the gift of the poetic art. These painters of images with words, serve to bring the ineffable into focus in our minds.

Love, the Blues, & Forgiveness (Music for Mondays)

In light of recent events, I am bringing this post back up to the top. Got the blues? First, may I suggest a 3-minute retreat? Then, dip into these waters...

  

We are called to love one another. A cursory look at the New Testament will show this time after time. But guess what? Love hurts too, and we all know it. Betrayal, denial, loss. These are the pathogens  of our brokenness.

From the Treasure Chest: The Catholic Religion and Art

I've got this hobby of finding electronic versions of great books about the Catholic Faith. I share this pastime with everyone who stops by here too, via the YIMCatholic Bookshelf. At last count, I've added 853(!) fully searchable volumes to the shelf so far. There's no cost to read or download them, and we're open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Just the other day I found some books that were digitized from the collection of the Monastic Library of the Abbey of Gethsemani. Yes, the one in Kentucky where Fr. Louis was a monk and priest. They also spent some time on the shelves, and possibly still do, at the University of California in Berkeley. Who knew?

Introducing Fr. Manuel de Zumaya, Composer-Priest (1678-1755)

I think I once heard someone famous claim that the Catholic Church could never produce artists of the caliber of a Beethoven, or Tchaikovsky. Maybe I heard them wrong, but I've been working at disproving that assertion lately. It all started when I learned that Vivaldi was a Catholic priest. And then I bumped into the beautiful polyphony of Fr. Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Of course, there have been beautiful composers of chants and polyphony since the Church began. Remember St. Romanus the Melodist? Awesome story, and amazingly beautiful music. Which brings me to this morning.

There I was just minding my own business, looking for some music to share with you, and somehow I stumbled upon another composer-priest story.