Ellicott City - Coronado (CA) - Ellicott City

March 23, 2025 Peace and Good, I just returned from preaching a parish mission in Coronado, California, last night. I was very pleased with how it turned out. The parishioners and the staff are great. I preached especially on our becoming parish and working together. This parish is working on a synodality pattern in light of Pope Francis' push to involve more in the decision making of the Church. Coronado is a beautiful island off of San Diego. It has a couple of navy bases, and the neighborhoods have the feel of a 1950's family TV show. Everybody seems friendly and helpful. The parish is very well run, and tons of people are involved in its various programs. This week I get back to work at the shrine, but I am also doing research on Carlo Acutis. He is an Italian young man (15 years old when he died of leukemia) who will be canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday. I have been asked to write a children's book on him. He is to be the first millenial saint. I am also going to go out to St. Mary's College in Emmittsburg to speak with the archdiocesan director of the Deliverance ministry. I think it would be very good to have someone at the Shrine who is a bit more informed about this topic. Next weekend I will be giving a retreat in Priestfield, WV to a group of women in the Catholic Daughters. It will be about hope, especially in these confusing times. I have finished some reading and listening: African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone This is a difficult topic for how does one define African history – in fact, what does it mean to be African (compare the Arab and Berber tribesmen in the north of the continent with those with Bantu heritage further south)? There is a rarity of written sources, even for fairly well-developed cultures. Furthermore, much of what has been written in the past century is the history of European colonization of the African continent. The author presents recent African scholars who are trying to overcome these difficulties to produce what could now be called a true African history. Understanding Ulysses S. Grant: Portrait of a Warrior by Elizabeth Samet This is a short Great Courses presentation of the life and career of General Grant. He is presented as a good man who at times had difficulty negotiating the challenges of life. All but a failure before the Civil War, he quickly became the most important general of the northern cause. A good man as a president, he was nevertheless surrounded by not so honest people who traded on their titles for money and privilege. He was burned by financial scandals and was all but bankrupt when Mark Twain came in and saved him by publishing and marketing his memoirs. Swiping Hearts by Jeffrey Deaver This is a clever short story about a man who has violent tendencies against women but who sublimates them by breaking their hearts by enticing them to meet him over a dating site and then telling them that it was all a joke. It is a Lincoln Rhymes story in which he helps one of those women to put an end to this man’s games (which technically, were not illegal in any way(. The English Civil Wars by Blair Worden This is an overview of the overthrow and execution of King Charles I in England and of the reign of Cromell, as well as the accession of a Stuart King after the death of Cromwell. It deals with some of the social movements of the time, as well as the religious ferment (especially between the Anglican Church and the more Calvinist movements such as the Puritans). Advent and Christmas by John Baldovin This is a Learn25 course on the seasons of Advent and Christmas. There is a bit of good theology in the course, but all too much of it is the reading of prayers from the liturgy and the lyrics of Advent and Christmas songs. I would not recommend this as a good preparation for these liturgical seasons. Handsome Devil by Jeff Maysh This is a short presentation of the real life figure during the 30’s who proved to be an incredible fraudster, once accepting a bribe to sell the Eifel Tower for scrape metal. He was from Germany, but most of his scams were in the United States. He ended his career in Alcatraz after many escapes from tight situations and imprisonment. The Analects of Confucius by Robert Andre LaFleur This is a Great Courses presentation on the teachings of Confucius. I had always heard about his teachings but had never really invested in reading them or studying them. From what I learned, they are a presentation of disorganized sayings which need to be understood in a larger context. I can’t say that I share the enthusiasm of the presenter toward this topic, but this was only a first attempt to enter into this world. Freedom from Fear by David Kennedy This is a longish book on FDR and his work to alleviate the depression, and then to lead America during the Second World War. I liked the fact that the author was not committed either to praise or attack his work, but rather to provide as balanced an evaluation as he could. At times he all but forgets FDR in telling to the story of outside events. It was a good book. Understanding Greek and Roman Technology by Stephen Ressler This is a Great Courses presentation by a professor at West Point on the contributions of Greek and Roman culture to the technology used in ancient times and some of which are still used today. This includes considerations in building houses and temples, aqueducts and water and sewage systems, instruments for warfare, etc. I don’t have a mechanical mind, but Ressler explains things very clearly and gives excellent examples to show how the concept is made real. A Retreat with Teilhard de Chardin by Donald Goergen This is a Learn25 retreat course on the teachings of Teilhard de Chardin. It centers on the concept of the Cosmic Christ and how everything is in evolution toward that which God created the universe to be. I found the presentations a bit flaky, but there were gems here and there which made it worthwhile listening to the whole course. God’s Troubadour by Sophie Jewett This is a simple account (really intended for children) of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. It is part of the librivox project (out of print books read by volunteers). It is not that I learned anything new, but it is good to hear the old story every once in a while. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence I have heard much of this work over the years. It is a simple account of a brother who tries to put God at the head of everything he does and thinks and says. He is not scrupulous in his approach, but rather filled with joy and hope that God will supply what he cannot on his own. The Oregon Trail by Charles River Editors This is a short account of the migration from the East and the Midwest to the largely unsettled land of Oregon. It speaks of the trails taken, the organization of the wagon trains used, the equipment employed, etc. One of the most obvious things is how ill-prepared most of those who travelled west were, and how it frequently led to disaster. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Ellicott City

March 12, 2025 Peace and Good, I have been home these days, helping out at the shrine and St. Joseph Nursing Home. Now and then I have a request to do an evening class at one group or another, usually scripture study groups. I like the pace of what I am doing. I have finished my immunotherapy. The last couple of infusions left me tired, but now they are over. One of the doctors told me my energy level should slowly return over the next few months. The chemotherapist told me, though, that I could have symptoms from the immunotherapy any time in the next five years. This past Monday I had a CT scan and it looks great. I have been doing this every three months, and for the next year it will be every four months if all goes well. I am working on a translation of a liturgical text from the Middle Ages in honor of St. Anthony. As far as we know, this has never been translated into English. There are a lot of texts like that. I have also been asked to do a children's book on Bl Carlo Acutis who will be canonized this Divine Mercy Sunday. He is the first millenial saint, a young boy who died at 15 who served as an "influencer" for our faith. Friday I fly to San Diego to preach a parish mission. I have been at this parish a number of times, and it will be good to be back. I finished some reading and listening: Mind Blowing Science I by Scientific American This is a Great Courses collection of video presentations on a wide range of topics originally produced by Scientific American (e.g. dinosaurs and their size, Neandertal art, pets, earthquake prediction, the importance of sleep, etc.). I found the presentations, each around 20 to 30 minutes long, to be fascinating. I have already purchased volume 2 of this series and am looking forward to watching it. Early European Christian Relics by Charles River Editors This is a short treatment of some of the relics associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. It deals with their discovery (assuming that the legends are somewhat credible), their history, and where they are found today. There is a maze of information and legend concerning all of these items, and so the author had to choose what seemed to be the most credible without saying that it was the only theory. Sanctity and Learning by C. Colt Anderson This is an overview of some of the reformers of the Church and how they shared their insights with the larger world. It is really just a smattering of figures like Pope Gregory VIII, Peter Damian, Catherine of Siena, etc. Anderson shows the figures as people who fully recognized the fallibility of the Church of their day, but also who wanted to love it into healing. The solutions they suggested depended much upon the particular circumstances of their day, but there was always a longing to heal the wounds of the Church. Lost Art: The Stories of Missing Masterpieces by Noah Charney This is a Great Courses/Audible presentation on art that has been stolen, destroyed, lost, possibly never done throughout the ages. Charney speaks of the art itself and of its artists, but also of the detectives and other agencies that search for missing pieces. The course came across as a detective novel. For Christ Assembled by John O’Malley This is a Learn25 course on the major ecumenical councils throughout the ages. I had already listened to O’Malley’s courses on Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II. This course repeats those ideas, but also presents an outline of the earliest and medieval councils. O’Malley manages to find a wonderful balance in his presentations, telling what really happened and why without getting into the pettiness that often accompanies Church meetings. The World’s Greatest Paintings by William Kloss This is a course from the Great Courses. Unlike most of those that I have used which were all audio, this was a video. The presenter is a great art critic and his explanations are tremendous. I had never understood before the importance of perspective and angularity in paintings, and Kloss showed how this functions. I will certainly be on the outlook for other courses prepared by him. City of Endless Night by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston This is the story of an FBI special agent Pendergast (the protagonist of a whole series of books by Child and Preston) and a series of grisly murders and decapitations. The original theory is that it is a murderous Robin Hood, attacking the rich, but the story is more complicated than that. As always, the individual books in this long series are very entertaining. Women and the Bible by Barbara Reid This is a Learn25 course on a feminist approach to Scripture. It is good, and I gained a good number of insights. Yet, I always have the feeling that some of the feminist scholars want to take things too far, seeing in the text what they would like to see and not what is actually there. It would be another thing if they were to say that their conclusions are the logical progression of the thought found in Scripture, but that is not quite what many say. Cyber Spies and Secrets Agents of Modern Times by Allison Lassieur This course which is prepared by Great Courses and Audible deals with the most dangerous cyber security issues of our days, especially in terms of their impact upon national security. The professor is not an alarmist, but he is realistic in his presentations. He warns of the dangers of hackers (both individual and governmental), especially from China. The Real History of Dracula by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman This is a joint Great Courses/Audible course on the history of the legend of Dracula. Rather than depending on the Vlad the Impaler source, the authors go into greater depths to investigate the history of the vampire legend throughout the world. They speak of modern presentations of the legend and how some of this is based upon these earlier sources, and some is based upon the invention of the modern authors. It speaks of the popularity of this legend over the ages. The only downside is that the presenters are very often giggling, as if they were telling these stories around a campfire. Understanding Eschatology by David Flanagin This is a Learn25 course on the topic of the end times. This includes treatment of the Book of Revelation and its use by various Christian sects. The lectures are understandable and informative. I would recommend this course for those interested in the topic, and especially for understanding some of the viewpoints of the Christian Nationalist Movement. Churchill and America by Martin Gilbert Martin Gilbert is a masterful author of topics such as World War I and the Holocaust and topics about the history of Great Britain. In this presentation, he talks of the relationship of Churchill and his government with America (especially FDR and Truman). Churchill, himself, was half American (on his mother’s side). Gilbert is always an informative and entertaining author. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude