Castro Valley, CA - Pismo Beach, CA

October 20, 2019 Peace and Good, I finished my time in Castro Valley which is just outside of Oakland. The representatives of our various jurisdictions of the CFF (Australia, US, Canada, England, and Ireland) were present, and we had a very good series of discussions. The topics were formation, justice and peace, our presence on the web, etc. I think we made quite a bit of progress. This past week I have been preaching a parish mission in one of our parishes in central California. The pastor had asked me a couple of years ago to preach a mission, but I have not been able to do it until now. I had the commitment in Castro Valley for the CFF meeting, then a week off, and then a workshop in Arroyo Grande, our novitiate. I was able to fit the mission into the off week. It is an older parish, and the parishioners are great. I really enjoyed my time here. This afternoon I head out to Arroyo Grande, which is only about twenty minutes from here. I will be there until next Sunday when I head back to Rome. Monday to Thursday I will be working with the novices on the Gospels and the Psalms, and then Saturday I will be giving a day of reflection to the members of all three novitiates here in California (the Friars Minor, the Capuchins and ourselves). I finished some reading: Dictator by Robert Harris This is the third of a series on the Roman orator Cicero. Harris is an excellent author, and this book is a fitting end to the story. I would highly recommend both all three books of the series as well as anything that Harris has written. Leif Erikson by Captivating History This is the story of the explorer Leif Erikson, the first European to discover North America. The account gives both the critical information as well as the legends concerning this figure. It is a bit repetitious, but worth reading. The Apocrypha and the Bible by Gustavo Vasquez-Lozano and Charles River Editors This is a very good overview of the apocrypha of the Bible (those books which did not make it into the Old and New Testament). The research was very well done, and I could recommend it to anyone who wanted an overview of the topic. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson I like Bryson’s travel books. He is humorous and interesting. The only thing I have noticed in his accounts is that he at times descends to an adolescent, cruel way of dealing with people who annoy him. I wish he could avoid this, for otherwise his accounts would be hilarious. Fatherland by Robert Harris This is a short account of a detective in 1960’s Germany trying to investigate some murders/suicides. The interesting twist is that in this account Hitler had won World War II. The account is well done and is filled with exciting twists and turns. Marie Antoinette by Captivating History This short account of the life of Marie Antoinette is well done. It does not present her as a horrible person (as much of the propaganda of the era did), but rather as a not well informed, somewhat shallow person caught up in a drama beyond her understanding. Her major concern was to fit in in the somewhat catty environment of the court. She excelled in demonstrating the latest fashion. She and her husband tried to perform works of charity, but it was too little and too late. The regime was corrupt and bankrupt, and only a strong and decisive leader could have saved it (which neither Louis nor Marie were). Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude