John Janaro's Blog, page 169

"Full of Grace"

"Ave Maria,
Gratia plena..." 

The Melody of a Creek

Tuesday was cloudy and chilly, but I felt a bit perkier than usual so I decided to hang out at a nearby natural body of water called Happy Creek.
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I got as close as I could to the water, and, I'm pleasantly surprised to say, did not fall in! (I have a long record of falling into water going back to toddlerhood, but not in a dangerous way, just inconvenient and klutzy.)

For many years I was an avid fisherman, and I even had a small boat I used to take on the Shenandoah River. I loved those days and I'm glad for all the experiences and memories of that time.

Now, I'm blessed to be surrounded by natural beauty all year long, and I have different kinds of adventures taking walks with my camera, or even just exploring the front yard.

Some days are better than others, of course. I only brought my phone to the creek, but I still took a few pictures. Then I decided to get a sustained bit of video footage of the creek. It's not high quality, but I'm too old to be picky.

Figuring there are a few other people who might want to watch a video of gentle flowing water and listen to the music of a creek, I posted it to my YouTube channel:
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Digital Scriptorum: Psalm 100 Variations

Near the Year's End: My (Late) "Mid-Life Crisis" Goes On

Hello December my old friend... #Dark!It is finally December 2018. Some years seem to just fly by. Not this year. For me, it feels like last Christmas was ten years ago. So much has happened. In many ways, life has shifted into a new phase. It's a human thing, it's a natural phase as kids become adults who are suddenly much more independent, and parents become aged and infirm and much more dependent.

That's why it's called "middle age," I guess.

But I'm nearly 56 years old. With the body of a 96 year old (some days, anyway). It's a bit late for middle age, perhaps. And on top of that, we still have an almost-16 year old and a 12 year old at home. We are by no means "done" with the full-on parenting gig. Eileen and I joke that we've finally become "the normal American family." That really is a joke; the other three are still in and out plenty. But John Paul is a Senior in college (i.e. "university") and in six months he graduates. More uncharted waters coming. Help! (Actually, I'm sure he'll be fine. He won't be rich—at least, not right away—but he'll do fine.)
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With my parents, I just hope they know how much we all love them, and that we're ready to do whatever it takes and deal with whatever comes. Well, I should say we're as ready as we can be; we have to trust God in front of the uncontrollable possibilities that may lie ahead. But that's true about all of life. We are not the masters of reality. But we are a family, and the Lord has given us a lot of grace to stick together through many unforeseen things. May He enable us to persevere.
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We need that grace and that trust every day, both for our parents and for our kids. Gosh, the adventure of adolescence has not even begun for Jojo. 

Growing up, there was just me and my brother. My parents were only given the two of us (though we were a handful). When I turned 12 years old, do you know how old my Dad was? He was 39 years old.

Sheesh.

I wouldn't mind being a few years younger and a lot healthier and more energetic. But that's daydreaming.

And I can't live the daydream of become a quiet retired scholar, either. My own body and brain aren't even up to that. But, really, that's never what I wanted to be anyway.

For now the flood keeps coming. "God keep my head above water."

Charles de Foucauld in His Own Words

Blessed Charles de Foucauld's feast day is December 1, the anniversary of his martyrdom at the hands of a desert militia in Algeria in 1916. The man who called himself the "little brother" of Jesus and the "universal brother" of all people had lived as a contemplative and servant of the poorest of the poor, the nomadic tribes, their slaves, and anyone who sought him out.

Not only did his spiritual ideal become the basis for the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus (and then the Little Sisters) within a generation of his death; he also was the first in a series of witnesses in Algeria who lived a mission of charity and solidarity with the people, as Christians living together with Muslims in dialogue and mutual respect. During Algeria's civil war at the end of the last century, many of these would also suffer martyrdom at the hand of radical Islamist factions.

A group of these martyrs in Algeria, including the seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine (whose story was so beautifully presented in the 2010 film "Of Gods and Men") and Bishop Pierre Claverie, will be beatified this coming week.

The spiritual family of Brother Charles continues to grow in so many ways, with the humble, quiet persistence that accompanies and signifies the transcendent power of Christ's love.

Quotations of Blessed Charles de Foucauld:

"Above all, always see Jesus in every person, and consequently treat each one not only as an equal and as a brother or sister, but also with great humility, respect and selfless generosity."

"Our entire existence and being should shout the Gospel from the rooftops. Our entire person should breathe Jesus. All our actions and our entire life should proclaim that we belong to Jesus."

“We do good, not by what we say and do, but by what we are, by the grace which accompanies our actions, by the way that Jesus lives within us, by the way that our actions are Jesus' actions, working in and through us."

"I want to accustom all the inhabitants, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and nonbelievers, to look on me as their brother, the universal brother. Already they're calling this house 'the fraternity' (khaoua in Arabic) -- about which I'm delighted -- and realizing that the poor have a brother here -- not only the poor, though: all men."

"What is there in common between heaven and me -- between its perfection and my wretchedness? There is your Heart, O Lord Jesus. It forms a link between these two so dissimilar things."

‎"Let us concern ourselves with those who lack everything,...those to whom no one gives a thought. Let us be the friends of those who have no friends, their brother."
"The love of God, the love of men, that is my whole life, that will be my whole life, I hope. When we can suffer and love, we can do much, the most that one can do in this world."
Prayer of Abandonment:

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands.
Do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul.
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

Saint Andrew and the Unity of Christians

Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

In the classic icon, we see the two brothers embrace: Saint Peter and Saint Andrew. It is an especially meaningful embrace that represents for us today a hope for the healing of some very old wounds. Today, especially, we pray for unity between Christians East and West.

St. Andrew "the First-called" is greatly venerated in the East, especially by the see of Constantinople, which traces its origin to him. Since Andrew was Peter's brother, and the one who "introduced" him to Jesus, undoubtedly he prays for full unity among all who bear apostolic succession, in communion with the successors of Peter in Rome. Let us therefore also pray for unity, on this special day for churches West and East, Latin Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, and Orthodox.

Catholic Christians know that the successor of St Peter is specially entrusted with the ministry of unity of all the churches. But we want other Christians to understand that the Pope is only a minister. He represents Christ as the chief shepherd of the whole flock, and he is given the responsibility and the capacity to carry out this ministry. But he does not replace Christ or substitute himself, as though Christ was somehow "separated" from the Church after his Ascension, and the Pope considered himself to be another Divinely appointed authority, with some sort of weird power independent of Christ.

The Pope is a "vicar" (i.e. representative) of Christ whose ministry to "represent" the primacy of Christ extends properly to the whole Church. His office doesn't subtract from the authority of the other bishops in their particular churches; on the contrary he is called to strengthen and confirm his brother bishops in faith and communion.

The Universal Church remains under the headship of Jesus Christ himself, present and active in the power of his glorified humanity, in the giving of the Holy Spirit, in the sacraments, in the immense outpouring of graces of every kind that guide and gently transform our lives and that also work secretly in the heart of every person to draw them closer to him, and also through the ecclesial ministry of the Pope and the bishops in union with him—flawed, weak, sinful human beings who nevertheless are called to this particular service for the good of all.

I love the Kontakion for St Andrew's feast day in the Byzantine Liturgy:

"Let us praise for his courage Andrew the Theologian, first Apostle of the Savior and brother of Peter, for in like manner as he drew his brother to Christ, he is crying out to us: 'Come, for we have found the One the world desires!'"

Note : For the East, "Theologian" does not refer to just any blockhead like me who happens to have studied and taught and written stuff about Christian doctrine and ideas. A "Theologian" is someone with a profound knowledge of God that is founded on the special supernatural illumination and grace of the Holy Spirit.

The term, as a "title" used in liturgical prayer, is reserved for a very few extraordinary figures. But we can all be "theologians," in the sense of living by the light of the Spirit and his gifts, and letting that light deepen our faith and understanding.

The Mysterious Bond That Unites Us

Many times we've heard words like this: "We are all brothers and sisters. We are a family, living together on this small and precious planet, our little 'earth.' We all really do depend on one another."

We think we know what all of this means, but in fact we have barely scratched the surface of the profound concrete reality of existing as persons-in-relation to one another, called to the fullness of life as a communion of persons.

The "human family" is not a cozy, tame little idea. If someone hurts, we all hurt.

It's crucial that we learn to see real life more in these terms. The world today is full of crises, full of pain, and we cannot forget that this is "our" pain. However we may try, we cannot escape being affected by it. In this respect, today's world—even with all its intense and complex problems—does not present a radical departure from perennial human experience. In fact, the human family always shares a profound bond of suffering. We all share a common affliction.

We also share a common hope.

We share a source of unity that is greater than everything that divides us, and greater than every fear.

Advent approaches. For Christians this is a special season of preparation, of making room in our hearts for the coming of the One who is that Source, who has come in the flesh to dwell with us, to be close to us, to be close to every human person and the whole human race.

He loves us. How can we not love one another?

In the days to come, we would do well to pray and "fast"—i.e. voluntarily embrace some sacrifices within our daily routine—so that we might be more ready to receive His love.

Thus we will also begin to see truly our brothers and sisters in the one human family, to remember our common suffering, our existential poverty, our dependence on God, and the mysterious bond that unites us in our journey to Him and sustains us in a posture of compassion for one another.

We must beg the Lord to change our mentality and transform our way of looking at the world and all of the problems and the dangers, and all the evil that has already been judged and vanquished.

Tumbling Tumbling!

Nothing to panic about. Sometimes you just bump into one small, annoying problem after another, and suddenly it's evening!

It doesn't help that evening comes so early this time of year.

It's a haphazard feeling. But it's only a feeling, a rather "normal" one actually. It's refreshing to have a normal cognitive-emotional experience for a change (well, sorta normal...).

And LOOK it even inspired me to create this, ummm... art. ish. thingy....

Digital Fuzzing and Blobbing and Dabbing

We have been making a lot of graphics and digital art these days, while not doing much writing. The reason is probably that I'm just a little obsessed with it lately.

In any case, I'm trying to make the most of what's left of the seasonal color, before this sort of thing gets really old:


I must say I worked hard on abstractly sculpting that tree and its environs. Meanwhile, photography is capturing the last big yellow maple leaves. This was a few days ago. By now these are already on the ground:


Last week there were still a few trees where the leaves had more or less dried up into a rusty brown while still on their branches. Not very good for photos, but raw material for some fuzzing and blobbing and dabbing with digital tools. This is nice:


One evening we had an exceptionally pretty sky above the Blue Ridge. Even the phone camera could get this look:


Meanwhile, I'm catching up on correspondence, working on articles, reading, and -- of course -- MUSIC! Advent approaches, with time to prepare the heart for Christmas.

Jesus, the King