Rome

April 15, 2014 Peace and Good, I have been in Rome all this past week for a General Definitory. We spent a lot of time on tedious topics that someone has to take care of. We were all greatly relieved when the week came to an end. As typical, now that I have some time off, I have caught a cold. Isn’t it strange how that happens. I remember in college that I would never get sick until after the exams were finished. I am just starting to feel it lighten up a bit. The weather here is nice, not yet too hot. I am hoping that it warms up just a bit for all the pilgrims who will be here for Easter, and the even much larger crowd who will be here for the canonization the Sunday after Easter. I will be heading back to the States the Thursday before the canonization for a series of meetings that I must attend over the next month. These days I am spending time catching up on things, especially writing projects. I hope to have a few articles written for the two magazines I write for by the time I head out of Rome next week. I saw on TV the other night that there were bad riots in a square in Rome. It is not all that far from where I live, but I did not hear a thing all that day. We are safe here in our building because there is pretty good security at the gate. I found out when they read the minutes for the last general definitory meeting (which I missed because of other commitments) that we will be having a silent retreat but that I was volunteered to give the daily reflections at Mass. It just goes to show you that you should never miss a meeting lest you get volunteered for this or that. Actually, I love being able to share in my preaching, and I do not get to do it often enough. I finished some reading: The Coffin Dancer by Jeffrey Deever This is one of those Lincoln Rhymes stories. He is a brilliant detective who was paralyzed in an accident. He still serves the police department by investigating almost impossible to solve mysteries. This one involves a hired killer who has the tattoo of the dance macabre on his upper arm (the specter of death dancing with its next victim). There are a number of twists and turns in the story. Deever gives you enough information to feel as if you have not been cheated in the resolution of the crime. It is very well written. The Gospel of Mark: the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible This is a version of the Gospel of Mark with extensive notes and commentary. The translation is good, but the notes are not all that informative. I did learn a couple of new ideas, and I saw a couple of connections in the text that I had not seen before, but overall I was a bit disappointed with the book. The Guilded Cage: Book Three of the Thwarted Queen by Cynthia Sally Haggard This is continuation of the story of Duchess Cecily, the wife of the Duke of York at the beginning of the war of roses. The king, Henry VI, was proving to be suffering from some form of mental illness. The queen, a French princess, was proving to be overbearing and very un-English. The young prince whom the queen bore could possibly be the son of the queen’s lover. In the background there is Richard, Duke of York, and Cicely, his wife, who are trying to survive in a very dangerous era. Foundations of Western Civilization by Thomas F.X. Noble This is a series of 72 lectures on various periods and elements of what we call Western culture, from the time of the Babylonians up to the end of the middle ages. It is a rapid survey of the eras so it doesn’t go into great detail on any of them. Yet, as an overview and a refresher, this series of lectures provides a wealth of information and is quite pleasant in its presentation. Have a good Holy Week and Happy Easter. Shalom Fr. Jude