Ellicott City - Pittsburgh - Ellicott City

September 25 Peace and Good, These past couple of weeks have been fairly normal with the exception of a short trip to Pittsburgh. That trip was to meet with one of my spiritual directees. It was good to get out of the house and drive for a few hours each way, even if it was raining most of the time back and forth. I am now quite a bit ahead of schedule for my articles for the magazine in Padua, so I can apply myself to a couple of other projects. One of those is the daily reflections on the daily readings. The other is that I would like to write a new Good News Note on the idea of offering up our sufferings. I had preached on that one day at the Shrine, and after Mass a lady specifically asked me to write it up. I have finished three of four lessons on the Psalms. Those classes are available on the site companionsofstanthony.org. A week from today I will be heading out to California to give a workshop on the Gospels and Psalms to our novices. I have to be careful this time because that is where I fell and broke both elbows last year. Interestingly, I am getting a few convalidations (people who are married civilly but with to be married in the Church) and baptisms in these weeks. I asked a friend about it who works in the Tribunal for annulments, and he said that there are many more of them this year. I finished some reading and listening: Gideon’s Corpse by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston I have read many of Child’s and Preston’s books. They are a good mix of detective and science fiction combined. This was not one of my favorite volumes. It deals with a man who is delegated to help study a nuclear threat and who ends up getting framed for the plot by the very people he is investigating. While I like the writing style of these authors, I found myself putting this book down for weeks at an end before I would read the next chunk of material. A Fiery Peace in a Cold War by Neil Sheehan This is a history of the attempt of American scientists and politicians to respond to the Soviet threat during the Cold War, especially from a technological point of view. It covers topics such as the development of the H bomb, of airplanes that could fly them, and of missiles that could deliver them. Much is said about the political and personal infighting as very strong characters debated how things should be done. Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda Francis I of France was a contemporary of Henry VIII of England and Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. He was clever, not always moral, and an overly sexual king whose various political decisions helped to shape the country we know as France for the next hundreds of years. The book is a good, thorough biography. Viruses, Plagues in History by Michael Oldstone This is a series of rather complete presentations on various viral plagues throughout the centuries. The author describes what happened both from a medical and from an historical point of view. He covers diseases such as the Black Plague, influenza, polio, mad cow disease, etc. The book is a great source of information about these things. History of Brooklyn by Brian Purnell This is a great courses history of Brooklyn from its earliest days under the Dutch to the present day. It deals with the growth of the city, its relationship to the rest of New York City, its nature as a place where many immigrants (from outside the country and also the Black migration from the south) settled. It deals with the Civil Rights movement in the city and with the causes of ghettoization in its history. Defending Heaven by James Waterson This is the story of the fall of the Jin (northern) and Song (southern) dynasties during the Mongol invasion, mostly led by Kublai Khan. There is often an avalanche of cities and the names of people and it is all but impossible to follow what is really happening. I would recommend that if one is interested in the topic, one read the book and not listen to it as I did in the hope that one can continuously look at a chart of names to clarify what is happening. Understanding Disorders of the Brain by Sandy Neargarder This is a Great Courses presentation on various neural disorders, such as strokes, tumors, Alzheimer’s, MS, mad cow disease, etc. The professor describes the symptoms, the causes of the difficulties, and possible treatments for the problems. She gives tons of information, but sometimes she packs in too many technical terms all at once, and other times her chipper tone really distracts from the tragic situations she is describing. The History of the Renaissance World by Susan Wise Bauer This is one of the excellent, incredibly thorough histories that Susan Bauer has written. These books come across as extended Wikipedia articles on various topics and eras and characters all throughout the world. The material is fascinating, and the telling of the story is very well done. Deep Hole by Don Winslow This is a fictional novella of two young men growing up in a coastal Rhode Island town. One is a beach bum who owes a lot of money to a loan shark because of lost bets on sports events, and his buddy is a mafia enforcer (or trying to be one). They are in a no-win situation because the Mafia don is insisting that the debt be recovered, but the debtor has no way to do it. The story is well written, and even if it is short, one feels that one can enter the lives of the characters described. The Seven Years War by Charles River Editors This is a short history of the seven years’ war which lasted from 1754-1763. In the New World it is known as the French and Indian War. While the book titles itself as covering the entire war, it is almost completely dedicated to the part of the war fought on the North American continent. The author could have spent much more time on the other theatres of the war given that it was a truly global war. 1066 and Before All That by Ed West Ed West is both a good historian and a very funny author (with an understated British sense of humor). This book deals with the time before and immediately after the conquest of England by the forces of William the Conqueror. He is very honest about the talents and shortfalls of the main characters involved. Dreams and Shadows: the Future of the Middle East by Robin Wright This is a very interesting compilation of various movements and tendencies of countries throughout the Middle East. The author is very honest about the shortfalls of many of the governments she studies, and she shares the struggle of human rights activists to share their message without being persecuted or killed. Although this book is a bit dated, largely because things move so fast in this part of the world, it is nevertheless a must read for anyone who wants a realistic portrait of politics in this part of the world. A History of Warfare by John Keegan This is a very long, very impressive study of various aspects of warfare throughout history, from neolithic times to the present. It deals with the main actors in various eras, their conquests and defeats, the weapons they used, etc. Keegan is an excellent war historian, and this book is his masterpiece. As I read through these titles, I cannot believe how ecclectic my reading list is. One thing to know is that I subscribe to Audible, and they have hundreds of books available at no charge, so I read of lot of them. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude