Ellicott City

I have been home in Ellicott City for the past couple of weeks. When I am not helping in the Shrine with Mass, confessions or presentations, or at the St. Joseph Nursing Home in Catonsville, I have been working on some shorter writing projects and the daily reflections for the daily Mass readings. Summer has arrived, and then left for a few days, and has now come back. It has been a strange winter and spring. I started a two presentation course on the prophets this past Saturday. These are full day classes, from 9:30-11:30 and 1:30-3:30. The first class dealt with the minor prophets (there are 12 of them). The next class this Saturday will cover the major prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. I have spoken with the head of the deacons' office of continuing formation, and it looks like I will be offerings some material via zoom for the deacons and their wives in the archdiocese. We will start with three classes on the Book of Revelation in June and see how it goes. I have gotten the final OK from the osteopath on my two broken elbows. They pretty much healed on their own, without casts. It did take quite a bit of time, though, something the doctor reminded me of due to my age. I have also gotten hearing aids. I noticed that it was more and more dificult for me to hear questions whenever I would give classes. I have always had difficulty hearing things when there is a background noise, but lately it has become more obvious to me and to others. I have also been giving some individual conferences and weekends of recollection. The next one will be at the end of May in Pittsburgh. I finished some reading and listening: The Pluto Files by Neil deGrasse Tyson This is the account of how scientists argued and eventually decided to demote the status of Pluto from a planet to something less than that. The emotional response to this move is interesting and even entertaining. Tyson describes the difficulty of making this move given that there was not a firm definition of what a planet was. Hildegard of Bingen: Discovering the Woman of Light by Lyn Holley Doucet Hildegard was a German nun who had mystical visions which were eventually depicted in artwork done at her request. She was a leader and also a doctor (concerning the use of medicinal plants) and musician (developing music rhythms for songs and psalms). The presentation is good, but at times it became too laudatory and descriptive rather than insightful. The Stanford Prison Experiment by Charles River Editors This is the account of a very questionable experiment in which students were to play roles of prisoners or prison guards for a period of time to see how they would respond to their roles. The prison guards quickly developed an aggressive and sadistic viewpoint toward the prisoners. The test was terminated early due to serious concerns for the mental health of the participants. There were questions concerning how much the participants had been programmed for the roles they were to play. Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective by Barbara King This is a Great Courses presentation on the past, present and future of the human being. King deals with the lessons to learn from observations made on the physiology and activities of other primate species, the evolution of the human being, lessons to learn from genetic and cultural influences on human beings, etc. King has a bit of an ax to grind with those who deny evolution, but other than that, she gives a tremendous presentation of various dimensions of the topic. Eyewitness 1900-1909: Joanna Bourke This is a set of three hour long presentations from eye-witnesses who lived during the early decade of the 20th century (in Great Britain). They deals with the Boer War, culture and recreation, the social tensions caused by the great divide in economic classes in the era, etc. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel This is a history of the banana. It deals with biological questions, the historic use of the banana, the growth of its importance in the diets of some cultures, and of the multi-nationals that controlled its growth and sale in the 19th and especially the 20th centuries (and their control of governments and economies in the countries where it is grown, giving rise to the phrase “banana republics.” It even deals with some of the diseases that affect the fruit and of attempts of combat these difficulties. Being There by Jerzy Kozinski A movie was made from this short novel. It deals with a young man who is mentally deficient who cares for the garden of his grandfather until he died. When the grandfather dies, no one knows that he was related to the family and he is put out on the street. There, by accident he meets a rich woman who puts him up. She and her husband take a shine to him and he is introduced to the President through their efforts. He mouths his wisdom of the garden when asked an important economics question, and everyone takes him to be a genius when he is simply telling them what he learned in the garden. Buried Deep by Margot Hunt This is a short novella about a man who is accused of murder when a skeleton is found of a woman who disappeared decades before. It is told from the point of view of the man’s wife, and it deals with her attempt to make sense of what is happening and to respond to the chaos.The History and Achievements of the Islamic Golden Age by Eamonn Gearon The History and Achievements of the Islamic Golden Age by Eamonn Gearon This is a Great Courses presentation on the Islamic Renaissance which ran from the foundation of the city of Bagdad and its House of Wisdom to its destruction (c. 9th to the end of the 13th century AD). This is a topic that many in the west have not encountered, but the author shows the learning of this center of culture (e.g. medicine, astrology, philosophy, chemistry, etc.). I would recommend this study for those who want to examine this development which had huge influences upon the development of similar studies in the west in the coming centuries. Genghis Khan by Patrick Auerbach This is a short biography of the life and career of one of the greatest conquerors in history. Born into a minor tribe, Genghis Khan was able to unite warning factions in Mongolia to become a powerful conquering army. Auerbach especially deals with his early life and his conquest of the local tribes and the beginning of the conquest of the Muslim empires and China. He sort of drops his story at a certain point in Genghis’ career and simply tells one that he died. 5 Lessons from Sartre by Oswald Sobrino This is part of the series by Sobrino in which he takes five ideas from a major figure, gives an explanation of the ideas, and then applies them to today’s world. In this case, he deals with the existentialist but atheistic French philosopher Sartre. He shows what is useful in some of Sartre’s writings, even to those who believe in God. The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Kelly This is one of the very short introduction courses. They are about four to five hours long in audio format. They give a series of extended presentations that deal with the topic rather than a systematic outline of the stated topic. This one deals with topics such of Christian persecution, Roman imperialism, some of the emperors’ reigns, etc. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude