Ellicott City - Baltimore

April 26, 2025 Peace and Good, These weeks of Lent and Easter have been very good but busy. I preached two parish missions in these weeks, and also had Easter Masses at a parish about 50 minutes away, a place called Davidsonville. The Easter Masses were great. The parish only has one priest, and we had two sets of simultaneous Masses in the main church (c. 650 people) and the hall (c. 350 people). The pastor and staff were very welcoming. I had thought it through, and if I had stayed home at the shrine, we would have had a few concelebrants at the altar, but this way i was able to help in a place where they really needed assistance. I have finished my adult ed classes for the Spring. The Fall schedule is already set. I will speak on the prophet Isaiah, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Gospel of Matthew (since that is the Gospel we will be using in the next liturgical year). I feel a bit relieved that the lord called Pope Francis home. He was suffering so much in these months. As we say in our province, he died in the saddle, still working for the people of God til the last moment. I will be giving a retreat to a group of sisters this week, starting on Sunday evening. The run the nursing home where we celebrate Mass every day. I finished some reading and listening: What Darwin didn’t know: the Modern Science of Evolution by Scott Solomon This is a Modern Scholar course that deals with genetics and its effects upon evolution. Although Gregor Mendel had published his theory of genetics before Darwin finished his works, Mendel’s work was limited in distribution and Darwin was not familiar with it This course studies various dimensions of genetics (mechanisms, chemistry, tendencies, etc.). It is very well prepared, and the professor presents the material in a very understandable way. The Gospel of Mark: Revealing the Mystery of Jesus by William Anderson This is one volume of the Liguori Bible Series and it is intended to be a guide for a Bible study course (for individuals or groups). The material is introductory, but it served as a good refresher course for me on the topic. Cosmos by Carl Sagan This is a series of meditations on the cosmos by the famous scientist Carl Sagan. It is a written version of the television program that he sponsored on the topic. His awe of the universe and how it works is extraordinary. What I did find troubling is his constant need to attack any form of religious belief. His religion is clearly science, but any good scientist (and theologian) should recognize that there are limits to what one can know using various techniques. A Bridge to the Future: Understanding Nanotechnology by Deborah Sauder This is a Modern Scholar course on nanotechnology. The professor presents a lot of chemistry and physics, but at the end of the course I am not sure that I understood that much about the topic. Part of that is my fault, for this is the first work on nanotechnology that I have studied, so this is a first exposure to the topic. Part of the problem, I believe, is that of the professor for she seems to talk around the topic a lot, presenting tons of preliminary knowledge and possible applications, but not really nailing down the dynamics. The Wisdom of Solomon by A. Peter Hayman This is an exegesis of one of the last books of the Old Testament to have been written, probably in the century before the birth of Jesus. It was written in Greek, and it thus is not part of the Jewish or Protestant canon. It shows heavy influence from the Greek culture, even as it tries to portray Jewish wisdom as being on the same par if not superior to Greek philosophy. The Aviators by Winston Groom This is the story of three of the major aviators of the period from the earliest aviators to the end of World War II: Jimmy Doolittle, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Charles Lindberg. The author gives a good overview of their lives and centers in on certain key moments of their flying careers. Groom is the same author who wrote numerous war accounts (the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and especially World War II). Dark Invasion by Howard Blum This is the story of a German plot to sabotage shipments that the US was sending to Britain during the First World War, before the US even entered the war. While the US was officially neutral, Britain was able to blockade shipments to Germany. Thus, the food and pack animals and munitions that the US turned out were all being shipped to Germany’s enemies. A group of spies and German ex-patriots living in the US devised means of destroying those shipments. A group of detectives from New York and the Secret Service battled their plots and eventually destroyed their ring. Killer Year by Lee Child (ed.) This is a series of crime stories by new authors introduced by veteran authors. The stories run the gamut of styles and characters, and are entertaining and occasionally troubling (which one would expect of good crime stories). Tintoretto by Delphi Classics This is an overview of the life and painting career of the Venetian artist Tintoretto. He was half of a generation after Titian. Most of his work was religious paintings or portraits. He is said never to have turned down a stipend for one of his projects, no matter how little he was being offered. His art is a bit Baroque for me, not my favorite period of art. 24 Hours in Ancient Egypt by Donald Ryan This is part of a series of how it must have been to live in the ancient world. The author gives 24 stories of people in all ranks of life and how they would have lived. The book is informative and very helpful to get a more realistic picture of real life in ancient times. In this case, the author deals with ancient Egypt. Rather than give stories of pyramids and pharaohs, this book speaks about dancers and brickmakers and embalmers and officials, etc. Life in the World’s Oceans by Sean Todd This is a 30 lecture Great Courses series on life in the oceans, from the smallest plankton to the largest fish and mammals to be found there. I watched the video version of this course, and it is extremely well done. The lecturer knows how to explain scientific concepts in very understandable language. He spends considerable time speaking of sea mammals (his own specialty). I would highly recommend this course. As with all Great Courses presentations, though, it is best to wait til they are on sale (which they often are). Archaeology from Space by Sarah Parcak This is the account of archaeology done through pictures and x-rays done from space and then interpreted and studied at a ground level. It is a whole new science which has helped archaeologists discover many, many new sites which were previously unknown (e.g. covered by jungle, buried underground, etc.). The author is herself an archaeologist, and she speaks of projects upon which she worked as well as future possibilities for this technique. She has a great sense of humor which makes her work most readable and enjoyable. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude