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