Ellicott City

April 11, 2020 Peace and Good, I continue to stay in place at our provincialate in Ellicott City. It has been a peaceful time with a lot of reading, some study, and the beginning of a new book on daily meditations from Franciscan Saints. I am collecting sayings right now from the various saints and blessed throughout the ages. Spring has arrived down here in fits and starts. One day it almost feels like summer, and the next you need a winter coat. The flowers blooming are magnificent, especially the cherry trees. Audible has made a good number of books available for free streaming, and I am listening to the first Harry Potter book again. It really is well written. I know that some people find a book about witches to be dangerous, but I never saw it that way. I have finished some books: Jungle of Stone by William Carlsen This is the account of two explorers, one English and one American, who travelled to Central America in the 19th century and discovered the ruins of ancient Mayan cities. Stevens and Catherwood faced enormous difficulties in their task, partly due to the jungle nature of the area in which the cities were located, and partly due to the political instability of the area in those years. Their published accounts on their travels were enormously popular and led to much greater interest in this topic. The Hundred Years War by Charles River Editors This is a short account of the hundred years war fought between England and France in the 14th century. It actually was a series of wars fought over questions of how the king of England might also serve as a vassal of the king of France for those territories over which he had control on the continent. At a certain point, the king of England also claimed to be the king of France and fought for that right. This book also includes the story of Joan of Arc who rallied the French in order to allow the coronation of the dauphin of France. The Cambridge Five by Captivating History Captivating History is a series similar to the Charles River Editors books. They are short accounts of various historic topics. This book speaks about five Cambridge University students who became secret agent of the KBG during the 30’s, some of whom served the Soviets into the 60’s. Kim Philby was the most famous of all of them. They were responsible for the loss of many secrets throughout their careers, including the names of many Western agents and even Catholic activists in Nazi Germany who were killed by the Soviet secret services. Blue Mauritius: The Hunt for the World’s Most Valuable Stamps by Helen Morgan The blue Mauritius is a stamp that was one of the first issued in this island colony of Great Britain. It was a blue stamp with the image of Queen Victoria. It became a famous and very, very expensive stamp due to its rarity and the fact that there was a variance in its printed title in its first version. The book gives a history of stamp collecting as well as stamp frauds. It is quite good, but definitely a book that would be more enjoyed by someone who is involved in this hobby. Surrounded by Love: 7 teachings from St. Francis by Murray Bodo Murray Bodo is a Friar Minor who is also a poet. I read one of his works when I first became a friar and was quite inspired by his ideas. I recently came across this book on sale on Kindle and purchased it. It was well worth it. It gives a good overview of Francis’ spirituality without being overly scholastic. Great Battles of the Ancient World by Garrett Fagan Fagan is a great presenter of various ancient topics, and this is a series of lectures from the Teaching Company on great battles of the ancient world. It deals with the various societies, the causes of war, and the way that battles were fought. He gives good insights into how this topic is important to us today. The New Atlantis by Francis Bacon The is a type of Utopia story when a ship comes to a unknown country. There the people live their Christianity faithfully (for it was revealed to them by a supernatural revelation). Bacon, being an amateur scientist, describes how the sages of the country apply their energy to all types of practical science. Happy Easter fr. Jude