A Most Beautiful Father's Day Weekend

This past week has been full of so many blessings, with priestly ordinations in our diocese followed by the beautiful first Mass of our very own Father Philippe and the baptism of our little grand-daughter on Father's Day. My heart is so full. Seeing Father Philippe grow in his vocation--he sang with us for a year while he was discerning--has been such a joy. And to be ordained Father's Day weekend was so very special. A couple of years ago, I discovered this beautiful prayer, and I was so heartened to see it on Father Philippe's holy card he chose commemorating his ordination. We received a blessing and it is such an honor and privilege to kiss his anointed hands. Deo gratias! Let us never forget to pray for our good and faithful priests, who make untold sacrifices for their flock.

Father Philippe chose the Sparrow Mass by Mozart for his first Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of our Lady, Star of the Sea, who always, always guides us to her Son. The Mass was magnificent--the music evokes the cheerful chirping of the sparrows, small and humble, totally dependent on God's Providence. The church was full of parishioners, altar boys, seminarians, deacons, and priests on this Saturday morning, all worshipping together. Msgr. McInerny gave the homily, on Father Philippe's journey to the priesthood, how it began in childhood, his faith nurtured by his parents and those before him. My mind wandered to the hymn: Faith of our Fathers--how necessary fathers are for transmitting the faith. Michael told me that one time during confession a priest told him that no matter how devout the mother is, grace flows to the family through the father, who is the head, so it is paramount that he practices his faith. This was even true in the Holy Family--grace from the Heavenly Father flowed to the Holy Family through St. Joseph. It is truly wondrous. Fathers, you are so important!

Sunday was Father's Day and it was so beautiful that Max and Laura brought their little daughter to the Heavenly Father for baptism. I was so grateful she could wear our family's baptism gown. She was alert and didn't cry even once as Holy Water was poured onto her forehead. She's such a sweet baby, taking after Laura and her mother. Our families had the best time getting to know each other and to have both our grandbabies under one roof was such a joy. We are already envisioning the years ahead... It's been so wonderful to see our children grow in their vocation--it is no surprise given the good example of their own fathers. May they continue to provide and protect, love and lead their families to heaven! Heaven!!! 

It was a busy weekend with all the family, all the outings, both baby and I took a nap. It is the sweetest thing of all.  

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

I learned about this beautiful Cross of Snow in Colorado and the poem that Longfellow wrote upon the death of his wife through a homily by Fr. Joseph Mary on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I especially loved the quote from Fulton Sheen about the Cross without Jesus making it a burden, whereas, with our Savior, it becomes redemptive. 

It reminded me of another quote of his from his book Life of Christ: “The Western post-Christian civilization has picked up the Christ without His Cross. But a Christ without a sacrifice that reconciles the world to God is a cheap, colorless, itinerant preacher who deserves to be popular for His great Sermon on the Mount, but also merits unpopularity for what He said about His Divinity on the one hand, and divorce, judgment, and hell on the other. This sentimental Christ... Without His Cross, He becomes nothing more than a sultry precursor of democracy or a humanitarian who taught brotherhood without tears.” All this reminded me of another beautiful quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer on cheap grace. I can only hope and pray that Longfellow, at the end of his life received all the necessary graces to reach heaven. 

  

The Cross of Snow

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,

   A gentle face — the face of one long dead —

   Looks at me from the wall, where round its head

   The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.

Here in this room she died; and soul more white

   Never through martyrdom of fire was led

   To its repose; nor can in books be read

   The legend of a life more benedight.

There is a mountain in the distant West

   That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines

   Displays a cross of snow upon its side.

Such is the cross I wear upon my breast

   These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes

   And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

The Christmas Octave

I hope everybody is having a lovely Christmas holiday. Today is the feast of the Holy Family. The Lord could've come into this world any way, but He chose to come in poverty as a defenseless Baby, in a human family, thereby sanctifying family life. I know it's not always easy being part of a family--my own was fractured--and I'm away from home to help with my brother's. It's not easy, but I keep the hope that the Lord will bind up our wounds, heal us, and make us whole again. Please pray for us. 

Despite the winter storm, my sister-in-law, my niece, and my sister and brother-in-law made it over for Christmas. It was good to be all together. The future is uncertain, but we place our trust in the Lord Jesus, that He will resolve everything according to His will. I live by Romans 8:28.    

I got some lovely mail--The Visitation by Gandolfi from a dear friend and a postcard from Dagny. It makes being apart from loved ones easier. This year I missed sending out cards, but I look forward to reading the Christmas letters when I am home. 

My First Time as a Podcast Guest

So much going on this summer but I wanted to share a link to my very first recording as a guest on Jayne de Sales' podcast. She "dives deep into why fiction matters with some of the most interesting living authors." Thank you, Jayne, for inviting me. It was a great pleasure.

We're not quite sure how she came across my work but she read BOUND and loved it and wanted to talk about it on her show. I was thrilled and a bit nervous because I think best through my fingers and not with my mouth but what a joy to converse with a kindred spirit. We spoke for about half hour about gardening and pets before we decided to record and ended up talking more about the writer's journey, which is also tied to my faith journey. Enjoy! Here's her lovely introduction: What treasure can you find in West Yellowstone, Montana? Scientist-turned-writer Vijaya Bodach found a copy of her favorite tale in a used bookstore there. Science, wonder, and faith were central to our conversation, and she even reveals what stories do to our brains on an MRI. Stick around to the end where she shares her recipe for Mango Lassi! This author of the Young Adult Novel “Bound”, set in Pullman, Washington is a fellow graduate of Washington State University. Go Cougs! 

I learned several things. Improvisation and spontaneity are good for thinking and articulating on my metaphorical feet. I will seek out more opportunities because it was very enjoyable, though there's lots of room for improvement on my part. I gained a new insight from Jayne when I mentioned my tendency of jumping into things and them working out. She said it's the opposite of fear holding us back from our dreams. So true. We should trust more in the Lord and listen less to the devil and his lies. I spoke about what I want, but the truth is, we should be constantly seeking what God wants from our lives. We owe Him absolutely everything and I'm discovering that I'm happiest when I'm doing His will. And it's not at all onerous. In fact, quite the opposite, as you can see below.

Reading

I discovered an amazing author/illustrator: Lauren Redniss. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: a Tale of Love and Fallout is the story of the Curies told in a completely unique manner. Part history, part science, part love-story, part art-book, Redniss stitches together their story, their passion, the political climate, and the fallout at the end. The book is so beautifully designed with notes on how the art was made, why she chose the font she did, etc.  I loved how she captured the glow of radioactive elements. I remember my brother having one of those glow-in-the-dark watches. We had no idea that it was dangerous. The Curies didn't either. 

Her book on Thunder and Lightning: Weather, Past, Present, and Future is another gorgeous book. It is like no other weather book. I learned so many interesting bits of history I knew nothing about. I think this is the way all subjects should be taught--the science, literature, folklore, with beautiful art to set your imagination soaring. I had to restrain myself from sharing more pages of both these books. Go get a copy for yourself like I did.  

Our Lady's Bug by Michelle Shahid is an original retelling of the Legend of the Ladybug. In the Middle Ages, crops were being ravaged by aphids. When the farmers prayed to our Lady to intercede, she did and so this beautiful little beetle is named for her. Beautifully written and accompanied with classic artwork, this is a story children will enjoy for many years. I am so proud of Michelle for sticking with this project because finding art in the public domain was no easy task, especially to fit the story. I share some of my favorite pages and Michelle's storytelling voice fits perfectly with the art. This was a family project as well with two of Michelle's children making some of the art. Gabriel made the cover and Eva some of the interior spot art. One talented family! 

Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller and Patrice Barton is a joyful book celebrating the uniqueness of each child. This is something we all know, yet I find it amazing that there are still people who continue to promote abortion and even infanticide. I wish all those people could read this book and lament over all the unique children that never got to live. 

Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin was such a lovely story about children born of immigrant parents. It's never easy being different than everybody else but with acceptance comes new appreciation of their heritage. I especially appreciated having a couple of scenes showing the painful parts that caused the parents to leave their homeland. And we say, never again, in this beautiful land. God bless America!

The Fox and Chick books by Sergio Ruzzier are such a delight. They reminded me of myself as a child and my very patient older friends. So were the picture books by Corey Tabor. Mel Fell occurs in the space of a few seconds, whereas Snail Crossing, as you can imagine, takes forever. I loved the layout of Mel Fell (sometimes you might fall down, down, down before you learn to fly up, up, up...) but in both these books, the illustrations capture so much humor. 

The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca and Steven Salerno is such a jaunty little book with rhyming text, beautiful illustrations, and excellent backmatter. You can learn to extract DNA from a banana :) Again, the issue of how unique each of us is comes up. 

Force of Habit: the complete series by James Scott Bell was highly entertaining. We sure could use Sister Justicia in the Vatican. That last story totally showed how ridiculous the govt. mandates were during Covid.  

The Prophetic Voice of God: Learning to recognize the language of the Holy Spirit by Lana Vawser was a beautiful meditation on her own journey into prophecy and how to be more open and recognize His Voice and not be afraid to act upon it. I've always had a strong intuition and gut feelings about situations and over the years I've been able to recognize what's from God, what's just my own ego, and what's from the evil one. By the way, a wonderful companion to this book is Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living by Fr. Timothy Gallagher. 

4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman was quite different than any other book on productivity because it asks you to recognize and accept your limitations. It was really a beautiful meditation on time itself and our relationship with it. It dovetailed beautifully with my faith, because how much I want to spend the remainder of my life doing God's will. I love "wasting" time with our dear Lord Jesus the same way I used to waste time with Michael when we were getting to know one another. When you love someone, time disappears. Anyway, since I'm pushing 60, I probably only have a thousand weeks left, if that. Life is short. It's a reminder to stay in a state of grace. Here's a quote from St. Augustine: If you pray well, you live well. If you live well, you die well. If you die well, all is well. And that's my goal. 

What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction by Alice McDermott was a master class on writing. You must write what compels you with sincerity and honesty. Put your whole heart into it. There was advice on the mechanics but more importantly, examples from her own work and that of others to show what makes a compelling story. She recounts a little story about an old man and a dog, and how I want to tell it to everybody too! 

Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura is a meditation on why we have a need to create, to make. It is because we are made in the image and likeness of God, who is wildly creative. His thoughts on "Jesus wept" is so powerful along with His Body broken for our sake--to save us, redeem us, renew us. It fits so well with the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is made even more beautiful repaired with gold. Christ's Tears are like that gold. His meditation on Mary anointing Jesus with the precious and fragrant nard is so rich. Consider that it is the only earthly thing our Lord took with Him to the Cross. What a gift! It's been a perfect little book for this Lenten journey.  

And that's all folks. What are some of the good books you've been reading?