Ellicott City, MD

September 1, 2026 Peace and Good, These weeks have been more of the same, helping out at the Shrine, spiritual direction, taping podcasts for the daily readings, and writing some articles for the Messenger magazine in Padua. This last one, writing the articles, is something that I have been doing since 1982. I write eleven articles a year (in English) for them. Currently I am working on a series of archeological discoveries and how they help us to understand better what is contained in the Bible. I find that this type of writing can only be done when I am in the moood. I think about a topic for a couple of weeks, and then suddenly the first line of the article appears in my head. Once I have that, the rest just sort of flows into place. This past Saturday I blessed cars for those who had come to the noon Mass at the Shrine. This time there were a dozen or so, but the past three times I have done it there were 20 to 30 cars. This is one of three extras I try to do periodically. The others is to offer the Sacrament of Anointing, and to offer a question and answer period after Mass. It is still hot here in Baltimore, although last week was not quite as bad as earlier in summer. I have finished some reading and listening: History of Mexico: 1000 Interesting Facts from Ancient Times to the Present by Ahoy Publications This is a book that covers the history of Mexico from the most ancient of time up to the present. It deals with culture, finances, governance, etc. It is really just a large collection of factoids which would be very pleasing to fans of the TV program Jeopardy. The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick This is the story of a forger of Vermeer paintings who made a fortune around the time of the Second World War. The book speaks of the failure of art critics to identify the works being presented as fakes. It also deals with the theft of these so-called masterpieces by the heads of the Nazi occupying forces during World War II. Battle Ready by Tom Clancy This is a bit of a biography of the career of General Zinni, dealing with his time in Vietnam and the Near East, as well as his work upon a rapid response team to deal with outbreaks of violence throughout the world as well as to assist in natural disasters. Full Wolf Moon by Lincoln Child I have read tons of books by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, mostly about the FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast. This book is by Child alone, and it deals with what appears to be a werewolf in the mountains of upper New York State. The story is seen through the eyes of a person whose main focus is to investigate unexplainable natural phenomena, so he is very interested in finding what is going on, especially since one of his old friends appears to have been massacred by that mysterious being. The Age of Discovery: 500 Interesting Facts by Ahoy Publications This is one of those trivia collections, this one about the explorers who travelled and settled all over the world. I like this type of book for they always have a few kernels of trivia about which I had never heard before. Rome, Parthia, India by John Grainger This is a study of the incredibly complicated politics going on in Rome, in Parthia (Iran and Iraq) and in India in the 2nd century B.C. The information is good, but the story is so confusing that the book devolves into a series of battles and plots with names that are often the same as those of other characters in the drama. It is not an easy read. The End of the River by Simon Winchester This is a short presentation on the human attempt to regulate the flow of the lower Mississippi and the success of nature to often counter those efforts. Winchester is famous for some of his larger works speaking of massive natural disasters such as the explosion of Krakatoa, but this work is a good little read. Amritsar 1919 by Kim Wagner This is a study of the Massacre that occurred in Amritsar, India in 1919. In the film Ghandi, it is presented as a massacre of totally innocent civilians. This work presents a bit more of the story, showing how it was a massive overreaction to some rioting that had occurred in that city in the preceding days (caused by the expulsion of two Indians who spoke for independence from that city). It also covers some of the disgraceful reaction of the government and people of Great Britain to what happened. St. Ignatius Loyola and the Remarkable History of the First Jesuits by John O’Malley O’Malley is a great professor of Church history who taught at Catholic University. This course (Learn25) presents the biography of Ignatius of Loyola and some of his first followers and of the Order which he founded for its first couple of hundred years. There is a good sense of how a group founded to do missionary work got so firmly into education. O’Malley refutes the idea that the Jesuits were founded to fight the battle of the Counter-Reformation, even if they did become important in that initiative. Great Figures of the New Testament by Amy-Jill Levine Amy-Jill Levine is a mixture of Jewish and Christian scholarship. This Great Courses offerings studies the stories of major New Testament figures as they are presented in Sacred Scripture but also in apocryphal works. Levine is a bit of a feminist, but not to the point where she twists readings to suit her agenda. I found this course very good and would recommend it. Exploring our Interior Castle by Keith Egan This is a Learn25 course upon the mystical work of Teresa of Avila, the Interior Castle. The presenter is a Carmelite who very much appreciates the works of Teresa and John of the Cross. His presentation is clear and helpful. I am not sure that I will use these ideas in my own spirituality, but given the fact that I am a spiritual director, it is useful to know these things to help others who have read and studied these texts. Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication by Bart Ehrman This is an overview of some of the offshoots from Christianity in the early days of the Church. It also deals with the question of why certain books were accepted into the Biblical canon while others were excluded. The author does not glorify the groups that were considered heretical by the mainline Church as some other scholars do. He gives a balanced evaluation of each of them as well as a short history of their existence and the main literary works which they produced. A lot of people ask me how I can read so many books. I have pretty much given up TV except for the news and Jeopardy (and the Big Bang Theory when I get a chance). Most of what I am reading is really listening to audio books since the reading tires my eyes too much lately. My reading list tends to come from those books offered for free by audible or are on sale. I tend to be cheap as they come. I tell people that I am registered for clothes at Dollar General. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude