Happy Labo(u)r Day!
Happy Labo(u)r Day!
Who says Americans don’t get irony?
Little Tommy Aquinas
Okay…theology nerds, you’ll appreciate this. Everyone else will think that this is just weird 🙂
Below is an entry from the childhood journal of St. Thomas Aquinas which formed part of his early Summa Theologica:
Article XXXI: Whether I stole Laurie’s apple juice during nap time?
Objection I: It would seem that I stole Laurie’s apple juice during nap time. For it was said: “Thomas, go sit in the corner. And say you’re sorry to Laurie for drinking her juice” (Miss Ellen).
Objection II: Further, once in the corner, I wedgied Billy and made him eat glue.
On the contrary, it is written: “Share everything” (that poster on the wall, right above the carpet where Billy puked up the glue).
I answer that we all have to share like it says on the poster. Firstly, because Holy Writ says so: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Also, everyone has to share because sometimes they have lots of something (juice, for example) that they never even drink and that someone else (me, for example) wants. When I play with my blocks, Miss Ellen makes me share with that Greek Orthodox kid, even though they’re my blocks and he picks his nose and smells and is dumb. Hence, I should get to have juice when I’m thirsty. For the best part about school is the juice (except on Fridays when we get chocolate milk).
Reply to Objection I: If I have to share my blocks with a smelly nose-picker, then Laurie has to share her juice. I was only sharing her juice, just like the poster says. For the poster says to share everything, and “everything” includes juice. Hence, Miss Ellen shouldn’t have made me sit in the corner.
Reply to Objection II: He started it
Courageous
At the end of this month, the movie “Courageous” is going to be released…
I was fortunate enough to be invited to see a preview screening of this film a while back and thought it was superb. The essential focus of the movie is Fatherhood and, more broadly, masculinity. The tagline of the film is from the book of Joshua:
“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” – Joshua 24:15
This film is coming from the same group of people who brought us the movie “Fireproof” and includes some of the same actors. I actually think that Courageous is a more polished film than Fireproof, which I felt was, at times, slightly clunky and a little bit cheesy. Courageous has a few moments that made me wince, but they were generally few and far between.
One of the actors was at the screening I attended and he said that they hoped that Courageous would do for Fatherhood what Fireproof did for marriage. I think it certainly does hit its mark in this respect and I left the movie theatre feeling inspired. I’ve organized a group “man trip” to the cinema shortly after it goes on general release and I hope that those coming will be likewise inspired.
Oh yes, one other thing. The title soundtrack comes from the greatest band in the world, Casting Crowns…
Friday Frivolity: The Story of a sign
I’m dispensing with a humourous video this week in favour of a video sent to me by my Dad which I found quite touching…
“Master, it is good for us to be here…”
Tonight, after Benediction, I felt drawn to tarry in the church a while longer than usual. Soon there were only one or two other people left in the church.
While sitting there, I felt a deep, tremendous peace; a peace I haven’t felt in some time.
As I sat there, just enjoying the moment, I was reminded of something that my patron Saint, St. Peter, said at the Transfiguration when he beheld the Jesus’ glory:
“Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” – Luke 9:33
I know there’s a lot of theological significance in what Peter is saying here, but sitting in that church tonight I understood those words in a slightly different light. Peter was seeing the beauty of the Lord and wanted to prolong that mountaintop experience. He didn’t want to go back down the mountain just yet – he wanted to setup camp for a little while…
After Benediction, I, too, wanted to prolong the experience, remain in my pew and maybe setup camp for a little while…
The purpose of getting to higher ground isn’t so we can just enjoy the view, it’s so that, when we come back down from the mountain, we can approach the terrain ahead with a new perspective and with confidence.
Thanks for the memories (Part 2 of 2)
Yesterday I told the story of a friend of mine who asked me about how non-Catholics memorize Scripture.
I began by offering a few techniques that I’ve used in the past for committing Bible passages to memory. I then went on to explain that, memory techniques aside, non-Catholics tend to be more familiar with Scripture simply because they make it more of a priority in their lives.
Today I’d like to take a look at the Catholic response to this…
The Catholic Response
First of all, what does the Church teach on the subject? The Catechism says:
The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures…” – CCC #133
Well, you can’t really get much more forceful than that! The Church says that “all” Catholics should get to know Jesus better through “frequent” reading of the Bible. The Catechism then goes on to sum up the Church’s position beautifully and succinctly with a quotation from one of the Church’s greatest biblical scholars, Jerome:
“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” – St. Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah
Thanks for the memories (Part 1 of 2)
The other day a friend asked me how, in my experience, non-Catholic Christians memorize Sacred Scripture. This is a very reasonable question. It is common to hear Catholics say how impressed (and intimidated) they are when their Protestant work colleges or classmates quote Scripture at them chapter and verse.
Answer
I responded initially with the suitably vague answer saying that, in my experience, it varies from denomination to denomination and from congregation to congregation. There are certainly some groups which emphasize Scripture memorization more than others.
“Memory! All alone in the moonlight…”
Personally, I’ve never been very good at Scripture memorization, at least as an activity in its own right. When I quote Scripture, it’s usually a rough paraphrase and it’s pretty rare that I can give the chapter, let alone the verse.