Ellicott City - Bel Air

March 21, 2026 Peace and Good, I have finsihed the second of the parish missions which I have preached this Lent. This one was in St. Margaret's parish in Bel Air. It is a large parish with a mission chapel not far away. On Sunday morning I preached at 8 (at the church), 9 (at the mission), 10 (at the church), 11 (at the mission) and 12 (at the church). By the end of the morning, I was not quite sure if I was coming or going. The mission went very well. It lasted from Saturday evening until Wednesday evening. I have also done a couple of lectures here at the Shrine (on Heaven, Hell and Purgatory and on the Passion Narratives in the Gospels). They are live streamed, and can be found under the YouTube site for the Shrine of St. Anthony if anyone is interested. A lot of people have told me they like to attend the talk, but then listen to it later on to see what they have missed. I will be preaching a one on one ordination retreat this week here at the Shrine for a friar who will be ordained next month. Please keep him, fr. Edgar, in your prayers. I went to the hearing doctor this week and we decided it is time to get hearing aids. I especially have difficulty with high pitched noises. I finished some reading and listening: Seabiscuit and Secretariat by Charles River Editors This is a short biography of two of the most famous racing horses in the 20th century. The first, Seabiscuit, was a sensation because it was an odd looking underdog that triumphed during the depression. The second was a well bred horse that won the triple crown. The first section is much better since it includes some material about the owners, jockey and horse itself, while the latter part is mostly a collection of race track reports on races that the horse ran. The World Turned Upside Down by Tim Grove This is the story of the battle of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War. It gives a good introduction to the events that preceded it in the war, and also of the incredible luck that surrounded the decision to fight the battle when and where it was fought. Storm Clouds over the Pacific 1931-1941 by Peter Harmsen This is the first volume in a series of the Pacific theatre of World War II. It deals with what happened before the US entered the war, so most of the material deals with the politics of Japan which became increasingly militarized through the decade of the 1930’s as well as the tensions and then war with China. Classical Mythology: the Greeks: the Modern Scholar by Peter Meineck This is a Modern Scholar presentation of the main myths of the Greeks (including the works of Homer). The professor is clearly knowledgeable and knows how to present the material in a way that is informative and relevant. Buddhism by Malcolm David Eckel This is a Great Courses presentation on the history of beliefs of Buddhism. The professor is clearly fascinated by his topic and he presents difficult ideas in which most of us can understand. It is the type of course that I would like to listen to in the future to catch what I might have missed. The Judgment of Paris by Ross King Ross King is a genius when it comes to writing books on art topics. This one deals with the rise of impressionism in Paris during the 1860’s and 1870’s. It speaks of the tensions between the artists who adopted this new form of art and those who were defending the establishment. It also speaks of the influence of politics in the era and the art produced (e.g. the reign of Napoleon III, the Franco-Prussian war). King knows how to chronicle the ins and outs of relationships among artists. The Apostle Paul: Christianity’s Original Mystic by Harvey Egan This is a Learn25 presentation of the theology of St. Paul. Egan proposes that Paul was actually a mystic who applied his insights (largely found in his letters) to the concrete situation of the communities which he evangelized. I find many of his insights very valuable, but also that sometimes he takes individual verses out of context to prove his thesis. Light of Assisi: the Story of Saint Clare by Margaret Carney This is a very well researched, very well contemplated biography of St. Clare of Assisi. Today we speak of her as the co-founder of the Franciscan movement. In spite of the fact that she lived most of her life behind cloister walls, her spirituality has had a tremendous influence upon Franciscans throughout the centuries, and especially since she has become a topic of scholarly research in these recent years. 500 Facts by Chronicles of Curiosity This is simply a collection of 500 trivia factoids. Since I like Jeopardy, this kind of book is interesting to me. My favorite factoid is that a group of parrots is called a pandemonium, while a group of flamingoes is called a flamboyance. These are facts that are of no obvious worth except for someone who is interested in all around him/her. People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman Hillerman, both Tony and his daughter Anne, has written stories about various officers of the Navaho police. This one deals with a theft of a small treasure box that leads to an investigation to a series of mysterious death and the existence of a Peyote cult and a possible witch. Hillerman is a very, very good author, and very respectful to the Navaho beliefs and life style. Robert F Kennedy by Hourly History This is one of the short biographies of the Hourly History series. It gives a good outline of the life and career of Robert F Kennedy, both as it was lived for many years in the shadow of his older brother JFK and then what he did after his brother’s death up to his own assassination in 1968. Korea: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Seth This presentation is part of the very short introduction series. In the audio version, they tend to be from three to five hours and each presents a series of short topics (usually around 10 minutes) on various aspects of the larger topic. This one deals with the history of the Korean people and state from prehistoric times to the present day. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude