Ellicott City

January 26, 2025 Peace and Good, This has been a good couple of weeks helping out at the Shrine and the St. Joseph Nursing Home. I have been able to get caught up on my taping of daily reflections, and have begun a series of articles for one of our magazines in Kenya. This series is on the Pentateuch and I have written the first four articles. The way it looks, there will be at least another twenty articles in the series. The weather here has been cold, and we had a significant snow fall in these days. Yesterday I had a day workshop on the Book of Revelation. It had four hours of classes (9:30-11:30 and 1:30-3:30). We had a great turnout of people (about 45) and it was live cast. If you ever want to listen to it, you could find in on the Companions of St. Anthony web site, or just google fr. Jude Winkler - Book of Revelation. Tomorrow I have my Immunotherapy. It takes a couple of hours, and it is a liter infusion of a chemical that builds up the immune system of the body to fight whatever cancer cells that might still be in the body. I think I finish this therapy in March. It is really not all bad. I hope to continue working on my reflections and writing this week in between my service at the shrine. I finished some books (reading and listening): Augustus by Adrian Goldsworthy This is a monumental study of life and career of the first Roman emperor (although he always called himself the Princeps, which means the first among equals). He was an unlikely figure, especially physically for he often suffered fevers and other maladies that almost killed him. Yet, he proved to be a political genius. Unlike his adopted father, Julius Caesar, he never took the titles of leadership, but he always exercised their power, often in very obvious ways. Goldsworthy is a brilliant historian, and anything he wrote is well worth reading. Jerusalem: the Contested City by Frank Peters This is a history of the city of Jerusalem, considered to be hold by three major religions and contested almost from its very beginnings. Peters gives a good account of its earliest days, its conquest by the Jews, its destruction by the Babylonians, its reconstruction until the days of Jesus, its destruction by the Romans, its life in the Byzantine empire and then the Muslim conquest, the crusades, its conquest by the British in World War I, the settlement of Jews in the following years, the period after the war of independence and its conquest by Israel in 1967. It is incredible that one city would have had such a turbulent history, especially a city whose name contains the word “peace,” “shalom.” Marcus Crassus by Charles River Editors This is the story of the life and career of Marcus Crassus, one of the three men in the first triumvirate in Rome (he, Julius Caesar and Pompey). He is believed to be the richest man in Rome, and in comparative standards, possibly the richest man who ever lived. His life ended when he invaded Parthia (Persia) and was defeated. It is said that his killers poured liquid gold down his throat to let him taste what he sought all his life. Thomas Merton for our Time by Daniel Horan This is a series of Learn25 lectures on the teachings of Thomas Merton. They do not deal so much with his contemplative writings as much as his appeals to social justice. This is a topic with which Daniel Horan is a champion and he was an appropriate choice to speak of this dimension of Merton. The writings cited are from the 60’s, right around the time of the civil rights battle led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The presentations have made we want to study the topic further, which is a very good sign in a book. The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872 by Charles River Editors This episode occurred shortly after the Civil War when people were looking for a resolution to their problems. Two men found a field in the southwest that they salted with precious gems and then sought financing for their endeavor. They collected hundreds of thousands of dollars before their scheme was discovered. The men responsible largely escaped the consequences of their actions. Black Ghost of Empire by Kris Manjapra The premise of this book is that even the abolition of slavery was poorly done and was accomplished in a way that benefited the perpetrators much more than the victims. Whenever there was talk of money being given to someone, it was almost always given to the slave owners and not given as reparations to those who suffered the cruelty of slavery. The author also speaks of the semi-slavery of the people who were colonized and remained in their own countries but were oppressed by authoritarian concepts (often portrayed by the colonizing power as an attempt to civilize the locals). 10 Big Questions of Philosophy by Robert Kuhn This book is part of a series of philosophical studies on major topics. The format of the book (audio) is a series of interviews with experts on a topic. The experts are questioned and gently challenged. They are chosen for their pro and con positions. Kuhn is respectful in his interviews and their evaluations. He seeks the truth, and admits he has a prejudice in studying it, but tries to put that aside lest his hopes color the issue too much. Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child I have read almost all of Preston and Child’s books. Most of them deal with a FBI investigator named Pendergast. In this volume, he is dealing with a science fiction mystery – the appearance of a horrific creature from a different dimension. Pendergast must investigate what is going on and try to stop the disastrous consequences of a terrible mistake. New Scientist: The Origin of (Almost) Everything by Collected Authors This is a book that reminds me of the DK series, but in this case, it speaks about any number of topics and their origin. It uses scientific research but is not overly dense. It bounces from here to there, so there is a sense that there is no logical order, but nevertheless it gives a good amount of information. Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker This is a fun collection of stories of objects that have been cursed, why they were cursed, who suffered from the curse, and where those objects are now to be found. How Vast is the Cosmos by Robert Kuhn Robert Kuhn has done a series of presentations that are based upon interviews with experts on various topics. He speaks to people of both points of view, and he tries to weigh the importance of what they say. He is a seeker into the truth. In this case, he dealt with questions concerning the cosmos (its beginning, its end, the multiverse, etc.). I would strongly recommend any of his presentations. Longships of Restless Seas by History Nerds History Nerds present a good variety of historic studies on various topics. This book is volume two of a study of the Vikings and their impact upon European culture (especially in Ireland, Scotland and Greenland). It is a short presentation, but it gives a good amount of information. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Ellicott City

January 14, 2025 Peace and Good, It has been a good couple of weeks at home. I have been helping out at the Shrine and the Nursing Home. I got caught up with daily reflections which gave me time to begin a couple of other small projects. For example, I was able to start a series of articles on the Pentateuch for one of our magazines in Nairobi, Kenya. I have also been using some of my time to read about various aspects of spiritual direction. I now have about 25 people who come to me for direction (which is probably the maximum that I should handle for some time). In my reading, I have been studying the writings of St. Theresa of Avila and St. Ignatius of Loyola. I am especially interested in the stages of discernment. I have gotten some new ideas that could be very helpful for those with whom I am working and for myself. The weather has been cold and there was a considerable snowfall in these days. I kidded the people at Mass that in Buffalo we consider 6 inches to be a heavy frost, and 12 inches to be a dusting. There have been a good number of cancellations and rescheduling in these weeks. This is really no problem for me since my schedule is quite flexible. I finished some reading and listening: World War I: the Great War and the World it Made by John Ramsden This is a Modern Scholar study of the causes, action, effect and aftermath of World War I. It is nothing that I have not already heard, but Ramsden’s telling of the story is well done and it gives a good overview of the topic. St. Paul: Understanding his Life, Faith and Epistles by Ron Witherup This is a Learn25 course on the life and ministry and teachings of St. Paul. The professor gives a good idea about the culture in which he lived and why he addressed certain topics in his letters. He deals with some of the stickier topics such as the accusation of misogynism and antisemitism. I found his study fair and worthwhile. Celts and Germans: the Enduring Heritage of the European Northlands by Timothy Shutt This is a Modern Scholar study of the culture of the Celtic and Germanic people in Northern Europe. It deals especially with many of the legends and sagas from that area. Shutt is a great presenter – I have already listened to a number of his courses and would gladly listen to more. Canon Law: From Annulments to Sacraments, an Insider’s Look at Church Law by Arthur Espelage This is a Learn25 course on the Canon Law of the Church. It is not the most interesting of topics, but I felt that it would not hurt to have a little refresher. The presenter gives a theoretical basis for applying canon law in various situations. His presentation was not the most exciting that I have heard, but it was informative. Silk Road by Valerie Hansen This is a study of the life and culture and commerce of those who lived along what has been called the Silk Road. This was the path from China to the Mediterranean. It wasn’t actually a journey from one side to the other, but rather a series of shorter commercial journeys that eventually brought the material (such as silk and spices) to the Arab world and Europe. This book really doesn’t deal with the Silk Road as a global entity, but rather deals with the remains of a couple of cities where this commerce took place. Nowhere Left by Kate Bold This is a crime novel about a mass murderer in the Southwest and the work of two FBI agents who have to figure out the mystery. The characters are good and for the most part well developed. It was not a profound treatment, but entertaining. Berlin at War by Roger Moorhouse This is a very good study of the attitudes and lives of people living in Berlin from the beginning of World War II until its end with the Soviet occupation of the city. It deals with food and other shortages, slave labor and genocide against the Jews, the bombings, the treatment of the Soviets toward citizens, etc. Reading the book gave me a good number of insights into what life must have been like in that era. Contemporary Fiction: A Very Sort Introduction by Robert Eglestone This is one of the short introduction series, in this case a study of modern fiction and its techniques and goals. It was a bit too much literary criticism for my taste. I finished the book, but without a lot of enthusiasm. Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus by OpenLearn This is a very short course on the play “Doctor Faustus” in the OpenLearn series. It is remarkably informative for a very short presentation. It spoke of the plot of the story and how it would have been perceived in Elizabethan England. It deals with question of the use of the black arts, hubris, God’s pardon, etc. I very much enjoyed it. Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heaven by Andrea Wulf A couple of times in a century, the planet Venus crosses between the sun and the earth to create a shadow on the sun. This is an account of the two crossings in the 17th century and of the attempt of astronomers to measure the time it took to pass through the sun (and thus determine approximately the distance of the sun to the earth). The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction by William Bynum This is part of a series on various topics called the Very Short Introduction series. It is like a very long Wikipedia article on the topic. I found it informative, even if it bounced from here to there. John Paul II by Christopher Bellitto This is a Learn25 course on the life and ministry and teachings of Pope St. John Paul II. I have listened to some of Bellitto’s other courses, and I have always found him informative and balanced. He fits that bill in this treatment. He is very respectful but is able to point out some of the shortcomings in John Paul’s ecclesiology. It is well worth listening to this presentation. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude