John Janaro's Blog, page 158

Opening Our Hearts to the Lord

No matter what condition we are in or what evils we have done, God can still reach us. No sin is too great for his forgiveness and mercy. "Ask, and it will be given you" (Matthew 7:7).

What a simple promise! But do we really take Jesus seriously? Do we really believe that he is the gift of the Father's love and mercy, that he has the power to heal and transform our lives?

There is no human person in the world who cannot ask God for mercy. No human predicament, no degree of moral and spiritual disgrace, is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.

In fact, God knows all our sins and our sorrows and our deepest need for healing, and he wants to save us. He loves us first, and when we seek him it is because he has already called us, mysteriously, in the depths of our hearts. But he wants us to seek him and "ask" for him, because this is the way we open our hearts to him. He respects our freedom. Indeed, he loves our freedom; he creates and sustains us as persons and wants us to be free. Still, his love is greater than our hearts. He anticipates us, awakens us, draws us, and showers upon us his mercy, not to the demand of our measure and expectations but in response to our recognition that we really need him.

But sometimes, we ask for him and we don't feel like we're getting a response. He seems to delay. Why?

God is good, all the time. If we ask for his mercy and healing with a true desire, he works to change us according to his wisdom and love for us. He is Love. If his "timing" seems slow to us, we know that he wants us to keep asking; he wants us to experience our total need for him, our total dependence on Infinite Love.

Ask, keep asking, and never give up. You shall receive; it is a promise from God. “Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22).

"Before Jesus, no sinner is excluded... because the healing power of God knows no infirmity that cannot be healed; and this must give us confidence and open our heart to the Lord, that he may come and heal us" (Pope Francis).

The Journey Toward Easter 2019

We have finally begun the journey toward Easter, which is on April 21 this year. That's almost as late as Easter can be in a calendar year.

The date is fixed each year for the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (always regarded as March 21 in this process). Full moon this month falls on March 20; thus the first full moon of Spring is April 19, which sets Easter for Sunday the 21st.


I prepared this graphic for the Latin Rite observance of "Ash Wednesday" yesterday. May everyone have a fruitful preparation over the next six weeks as we prepare to encounter Jesus in the annual observance and celebration of his redeeming death and resurrection.

A Time of Conversion from the Destructive Power of Sin

Pope Francis has emphasized the connection between new life in Christ and our stewardship for all creation in this year's Message for the Lenten season.

I am struck by the very accurate way that he points out how the sincerity of our love for God shows itself in our attitude toward the world, its resources, and its beauty: Do we see created things as gifts to be received with gratitude and used for our authentic good and the common good of present and future humanity, or do we see them as materials to be exploited and dominated for selfish ends, with no real regard for the needs of others or the future.

Here the Pope points out aspects of our sinful dispositions and actions that we so easily fail to notice, and underlines the need for repentence and conversion in relation to these sins.

Francis notes that the celebration of Christ's Resurrection "calls us yearly to undertake a journey of preparation, in the knowledge that our being conformed to Christ (cf. Rom 8:29) is a priceless gift of God’s mercy.

"When we live as children of God, redeemed, led by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14) and capable of acknowledging and obeying God’s law, beginning with the law written on our hearts and in nature, we also benefit creation by cooperating in its redemption...

"Yet in this world, the harmony generated by redemption is constantly threatened by the negative power of sin and death.

"Indeed, when we fail to live as children of God, we often behave in a destructive way towards our neighbours and other creatures – and ourselves as well – since we begin to think more or less consciously that we can use them as we will. Intemperance then takes the upper hand: we start to live a life that exceeds those limits imposed by our human condition and nature itself."

The Pope expresses powerfully how our sins impact the natural created world as well as destroy others and ourselves: "The root of all evil, as we know, is sin, which from its first appearance has disrupted our communion with God, with others and with creation itself, to which we are linked in a particular way by our body. This rupture of communion with God likewise undermines our harmonious relationship with the environment in which we are called to live, so that the garden has become a wilderness (cf. Gen 3:17-18). Sin leads man to consider himself the god of creation, to see himself as its absolute master and to use it, not for the purpose willed by the Creator but for his own interests, to the detriment of other creatures.

"Once God’s law, the law of love, is forsaken, then the law of the strong over the weak takes over. The sin that lurks in the human heart (cf. Mk 7:20-23) takes the shape of greed and unbridled pursuit of comfort, lack of concern for the good of others and even of oneself. It leads to the exploitation of creation, both persons and the environment, due to that insatiable covetousness which sees every desire as a right and sooner or later destroys all those in its grip."

Francis then exhorts us to embrace the Lenten penitential preparation in light of this integral vocation which Jesus brings about by His power at work in us. He gives us a larger perspective on the significance of Lent and the classical practices of this season: "Lent is a sacramental sign of th[e work of] conversion. It invites Christians to embody the paschal mystery more deeply and concretely in their personal, family and social lives, above all by fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

"Fasting, that is, learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to 'devour' everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts. 
"Prayer, which teaches us to abandon idolatry and the self-sufficiency of our ego, and to acknowledge our need of the Lord and his mercy. 
"Almsgiving, whereby we escape from the insanity of hoarding everything for ourselves in the illusory belief that we can secure a future that does not belong to us. 
"And thus [we] rediscover the joy of God’s plan for creation and for each of us, which is to love him, our brothers and sisters, and the entire world, and to find in this love our true happiness."
The entire text of the Pope's Lenten Message for 2019 can be found HERE.

Happy Birthday Eileen Janaro!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this beautiful and great lady, Eileen Janaro! 

I love her, and I am so grateful for her! What an incredible gift she is to me, to our family, to her students, and countless others.❤

Compassion Means "Giving Your Time" to Be With Others

Do not underestimate the value of the time you spend with someone who is suffering.

You are afraid because you can’t solve the person’s problems. Of course you can’t. So don’t pressure yourself. Give your time. Stay with the person, and be consistent about it.

In human things time and presence are the media of love.

In today's world, we need to remember (or perhaps learn anew, in a deeper way) that there are layers of human suffering that cannot be "fixed." The only way to touch a person at this level of their pain is with love, simple love. And this kind of love requires time.

If you spend a few hours with a suffering person, they will probably still be suffering when you leave. But don’t think you have wasted your time; you have to keep coming back—every day or week or whatever you can give.

If the person acts grouchy or doesn’t seem to appreciate you or give you the feeling that your visits are "successful" or "meaningful," don’t give up and go away. Don’t stop coming.

Obviously you can't force yourself upon a person who really wants to be left alone, so it might be right to space things out if you think they really need it. But it's not necessary to jump to this conclusion just because the person is not very sociable, or because you can't think of a way to be useful to them and you just feel "odd being around" when there doesn't seem to be any need for you.

Don’t try too hard to be helpful or make the person feel good. Just be familiar, be natural, and be there.

Certainly, if possible help, comfort, console, encourage them, listen to them. You might start to enjoy spending time with this afflicted person, who will surprise you by drawing on the deep resources of their experiences and memories (when they are able to). You will find things to do, to talk about, and to learn. This is great.

But don’t depend on this. Pain makes for a fickle friend, unfortunately. You must give the time as a sacrifice and "expect nothing" in return.

This means that you are often going to feel awkward. You are going to feel that you are not in control and, for the most part, you are going to feel unappreciated. But this is good. It means you have begun to enter into and to share the burden of the awful loneliness and intolerable dullness that are at the heart of another person's pain.

This is the way of compassion.

Some years ago, I first wrote about the foundational importance of just being-with-a-person in solidarity and love, with the sacrifice of our own time. I'm learning more and more how true this really is. Even when we have our own illnesses, needs, and hindrances (which make us all the more aware of the limits of what we can do, physically, to improve the situations of others), we cannot forget those who have been entrusted to us interpersonally—those who need our love, and also whatever time, presence, and care we can give them.

"Staying with one another" is at the heart of living as human beings. This is true for all of us.

I would say especially to young people, and to all those who are blessed with lots of energy, good health, and emotional stability: "Your vitality and constructive aspirations are a joy to me! Live fully, with love for God and one another. You have natural gifts that predispose you to the corporal works of mercy (among other things), and you can also grow in the life of grace and as human persons through the sacrifices of this kind of service.

"There are many ways to help those in need. By all means use your energy to assist with the many practical difficulties that sick and suffering people (and their families) must endure. But please do not forget that deeper and harder sacrifice of sharing time with the person in pain. Simple love passes through time, patience, and perseverance and entails the willingness not merely to 'help' but also to suffer with the person."

The Trumpet Will Sound...

Saint Paul preaches to the Corinthians about the mystery of the resurrection, the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the hope of eternal life. This is what gives value to life in the present age, and gives us the courage to persevere through every moment of time and every difficulty, to do His will and trust in His mercy.

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,
be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain"

(1 Corinthians 15:54-58).

March Comes in Like Linus

So, it's ... March. Already. 

So far it's ☁☁! Linus is my go-to coffee mug lately.

Avril Lavigne's Got Her "Head Above Water" & Her Voice Strong

After her long and painful battle with Lyme Disease, Avril Lavigne is happily in remission and making new music. Her new full length album Head Above Water was released on February 15, with twelve songs including the powerful and inspiring title track that meant a lot to me personally when it was released last Fall.

I could definitely relate to that song, in its overall imagery and in the very poignant prayer it articulated. (I wrote an article about it on this blog back in September - see HERE.)

Now there's a whole new "big record." Woot!⭐ I am really excited for her. She did it! She's got the Lyme under control. She managed to write, record, and release a full length album. I'm amazed. Knowing what I know about music and Lyme, I feel ... proud of her!

This weird disease brings together people from many different backgrounds and circumstances of life, who find that they share a common experience that can be difficult for others to understand. We have learned to appreciate one another's very particular (and sometimes very peculiar) sufferings, struggles, setbacks, victories, and overall tenacity.

Thus the old, gray-bearded professor discovers a surprising sense of "kinship" with a performer who, through most of her career, has been known as the Punk-Pop Princess.

Actually, it's not completely surprising. The professor is himself a guitarist (and was once a pretty good one too), and anyone who reads this blog knows he keeps an eye on contemporary music.

But still... my interests more recently have been with independent music and emerging venues like YouTube (and now, Instagram), rather than mainstream pop. Moreover, during the years of Avril Lavigne's rise to international superstardom, I was going through the worst period of my own Lyme odyssey. It was only when she announced her illness in 2015 that I thought, "Oh, I should find out more about her," and began to listen to her music.

There was a lot of music: five albums and five world tours in 12 years. There was also the whole "Avril Phenomenon," which hits many of the themes I continue to examine in my Media Studies Project. Avril's image is an example of the workings of our enormously "expanded" collective imagination; it's a multimedia story we've "seen," "heard," and "read about" from her own performances and recordings, along with countless media-generated interpretations. It has been woven together - moreover - during a time of rapid transition in media technology.

On the "outside," it has all the elements of the classic "rock 'n roll fairy tale": talented small town kid gets 'discovered' by record exec, makes the album her way, becomes an overnight sensation and, eventually, a generational icon. Wow, awesome!

It also has (on the outside) some of the elements of the classic "rock 'n roll cautionary tale" of life-spiraling-out-of-control: ambitious kid with complex personality and (perhaps) unresolved issues becomes famous rock star too young too fast, is bombarded and "traumatized" by hyper-exposure to the immense power of the whole realm of modern high-speed brain-and-body-stretching technology; she travels the world, is seen and heard (live or through media) by millions of people, has a total blast, parties hard, and is constantly hounded by paparazzi who usually end up with pictures of her flipping them off. Nevertheless, she has her remaining adolescence and young adulthood relentlessly scrutinized and distorted by tabloid gossip.

She puts out more hit records, and experiments with various musical and fashion styles - which cause some to think she's having an identity crisis and others to create an "Avril is Dead" conspiracy theory in which she is replaced by a double (or a clone). She tries marriage twice and goes through other relationships, ends up partying even harder and drinking (probably too much) and singing about partying and drinking and "getting wasted" and "never growing up." Then she CRASHES!, before the age of 30, and disappears.

Did I miss anything? In any case, you get the idea.

Sounds like a template for a celebrity melodrama (except the "crash" at the "end" comes from a place entirely different from what the script usually calls for).

But this story is not the real story of a human being. It's a distorted projection of superficial impressions that gets in the way of what the artist is trying to express through her creative work. Obviously, the story is connected to some real and not always edifying events, some difficulties, excesses, and flaws. And the artist contributes to the cultivation of this Big Story, more or less voluntarily. An artist's ego seeks attention, but real artistic sensibility is not long satisfied with this kind of attention. Yet "the music business" can make artists feel trapped in the perpetuation of this external image. We also trap them with our expectations and our fickleness.

As for the "inside" of the story ... well, we have no room for an "inside," because that requires respect for privacy, and the recognition of the ambivalence of a human life in progress, with unresolved problems and paradoxes that defy categorization. We have to admit that we don't really know and don't understand most of the story of a person.

Our culture's strange obsession with "celebrities" says more about us than it does about the actors, entertainers, public figures, and artists that we alternately idolize and skewer.

What are we expecting from our popular music artists in these times when everything is too big, too fast, too much?

I want a musician to make good music. I want a songwriter to write good songs and a singer to sing them in a way that brings them to life.

Avril Lavigne has proven consistently that she can write and sing songs that range over a wide spectrum of emotions. Her artistry is direct, intuitive, even visceral when she grasps a theme and drives it home with the whole force of her distinctive voice. This means more than volume and pitch (though she has plenty of both); it's her whole way of enunciating the right phrase at the right moment with the right emotional intensity so that it wafts through the ears or cuts down to the bone.

The words of her songs are usually simple; the key is the coherence between a phrase and her very particular, dramatically gauged articulation of it. I sometimes say that my favorite lyrics of Avril are "Yeah," "nana" and "lalalala." She knows just where and how to insert them. Her singing voice is her own unique craft, and as such she can "own" songs that would ordinarily be classified under different genres.

There's even a real CD. With a booklet. Like the olden days!When she was 17, someone asked her what genre her music belonged in, and she responded without batting an eye: "it's 'Avril Lavigne'!"

This is especially evident on the new album. Critics have complained that Avril doesn't have a coherent style. They accuse her of dabbling, going through the motions, singing a bunch of generic songs,

They are not listening!

Some music critics seemed to have already made up their minds that this album is just the last chapter (or the epilogue) to "the Avril Story" that I outlined above. Because that story is "so over" - it's "so last decade;" this album is a comback "attempt" that "falls flat." "She hasn't kept up with the trends in music." "It needs more of this, it needs less of this." Blah blah blah.

I don't agree.

I have listened to the Head Above Water album several times over the past two weeks. It's overall a very good piece of work. Her voice is stronger and more agile than ever, and she makes full use of it. The singing is solid and has some epic moments. The overall mood of the album (i.e. in most of the songs) is calmer, more mature, more subtle in its themes.

There are themes of struggle and recovery in these songs, but they are set within the context of relationships. Thus the album is not about Avril's experience with Lyme Disease, though some of the real human drama of this sickness might lie under the surface.

It's also not a "worship album" (surely no one was expecting it would be). God only gets mentioned in the title track, which was written about a particularly vivid experience during a terrible time. Another song uses some religious themes in a metaphorical way. Otherwise this is not a "religious album" except insofar as it expresses and portrays something of the drama of God's needy, often mistaken, afflicted, resilient, hopeful human creatures. That's nothing new for Avril as a songwriter, though I sense some deepening and enrichment going on.

This may be an album that ushers in a new phase in her musical career. It's not an album that "can't find its style or consistency" nor is it a "weak effort of a has-been artist" (some of these critics have got me mad, ha!) - it has a very precise style: it's genuine "Avril Lavigne."

It's a style I have come to appreciate.

Six Years Ago: Benedict Says "Goodbye"

"In our heart, in the heart of each of you,
let there be always the joyous certainty
that the Lord is near,
that He does not abandon us,
that He is near to us
and that He surrounds us with His love."

~Benedict XVI (from his final public address, 2/28/2013)

More from the "Art Gallery"

Here are a few pieces of digital art that I have posted elsewhere on my media accounts. I put some time into these and I'm happy with how they turned out.

Titles are below each piece.

"Vine and Tree Bark"
"X Tiles"
"Antique Books"