Rome - Cardiff, Wales

September 3, 2019 Peace and Good, My time in Rome, a month in all, is now over. I will be away from the city for most of a month and a half. My first stop along the way is Cardiff, Wales, where I am preaching a retreat to the friars of the Great Britain/Ireland custody. From here I will be headed to Montreal at the end of the week. I have travelled from 90 degree weather to 60 degree weather. The city is cloudy and with often periods of light rain. The retreat house where we are staying is quite comfortable, and I am busy doing research for the various talks and homilies. I have finished lots of daily reflections and articles for the Messenger Magazine in Padua in this past month. The last project I had to complete is a talk I will be giving in Romania on October 2nd for the opening of the academic year for our theological faculty in Roman (where I taught for many years on a part time basis). The British friars are tense today because there will be big vote in the Parliament on the Brexit question. We celebrated our Mass today with the intention of seeking divine guidance on a messy situation. I finished some reading: Tried by War by James McPherson This is an account of the career of Abraham Lincoln for the point of view of his responsibility as commander in chief during the Civil War. It deals with his relationship with his generals and how he often had to step in to force them into action. The author has done a good job of outline the problem and giving an honest evaluation of his successes and failures. The First Sino-Japanese War by Charles River Editors This is a short account of a war fought between Japan and China at the end of the 19th century as Japan was rapidly industrializing and China falling more and more into decadence. In this war, Japan was able to wrest control of Taiwan and Korea from China. Korea was at first treated as a protectorate, and later was invaded and treated as a colony. Crowned Cousins: The Anglo-German Royal Connection by Alan Palmer This book deals with the relationship between the English monarchy from the time of George I till the present with the German royal families. It deals with marriages, feuds, etc. One of the most disturbing parts for me was how the British royal family tried to protect various members of the German families who had collaborated with the Nazis. There is also a lot of information who Queen Victoria intervened in numerous situations dealing with Germany and especially Prussia (for her daughter was the queen mother of the Kaiser). Lincoln: the Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan This book deals with the life and career of Lincoln seen from a literary point of view. Some of the author’s opinions are a bit forced, but most of it is quite good. He evaluates his debates, his speeches and his most important pronouncements. The Dawn of Innovation by Charles Morris This is the story of how the US began developing its native industries during and immediately after the War of 1812, and how the “American method” gradually overtook the industrial production of Great Britain by the end of the 19th century. This was especially true with the manufacture of arms and the development of precision manufacturing which allowed interchangeability of parts in machines. Nathan Hale and the Culper Ring by Charles River Editors This is a short biography of the life and career of the spy Nathan Hale (I regret that I have only one life to give for my country) and an account of the spy ring that Washington was able to develop in the New York City area to obtain information about the intentions of the British during the War for Independence. Richard Nixon: A Life from Beginning to End by Hourly History The Hourly History accounts are similar to the Charles River Editors accounts. They are short but thoroughly investigated accounts of various figures and situations. This one is an honest account of the life and career of Nixon. It explains without defending. It gives credit where that is due, but also speaks of Nixon’s shortcomings and gradually increasing paranoia. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude