Spring!

The Robe

Having seen the movie of The Robe numerous times and reading a script adaptation, it seemed high time to read the book. I loved it.

It's a story about the centurion who oversaw the crucifixion of Christ, and who won His robe while gambling. The robe, after driving him mad for several months, ends up bringing him back to Palestine. Touring the area around the Sea of Galilee, he hears many stories of the strange doings of Jesus. The journey culminates beautifully in his conversion to Christianity. The story goes on, but I have no wish to spoil the ending.

Oddly enough (especially odd if you know me) the romance in this story was one of my least favorite elements. The part I loved was in Israel. The centurion, Marcellus, begins as something of a sceptic and manages to find "realistic" explanations of the first couple of miracles of which he is told. But then he hears the story of Lydia. His change of mind and heart is exquisitely handled, and the outsiders point of view through which the reader hears of Jesus creates a story well worth reading.

The people this Beatitude (Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied) describes are those who are not content with things as they are and refuse to stifle the restlessness of heart that points man to something greater and so sets him on the inward journey to reach it- rather like the wise men from the East, seeking Jesus, the star that shows the way to truth, to love, to God. The people meant here are those whose interior sensitivity enables them to see and hear that God sends into the world to break the dictatorship of convention.

- Pope Benedict XVI Jesus of Nazareth (Chapter Four, page 91)

Break the Conventions, Keep the Commandment

-G.K. Chestertion Manalive

Lit Discussion material

Our monthly lit discussion group today took on The Ballad of the White Horse. Contrary to typical procedings we made our way through the epic in a fairly methodical fashion. Of course tangents are unavoidable which explains our brief discussion of Enchanted. A few points that stick out in my memory are:

Book I: The question which Alfred asked Mary, and the answer he recieved.

Book II: The contrast between the reactions of the chiefs whom Alfred recruits

Book III: The Danish lords who sang, the varying types of hopelessness which their songs expressed and how different Alfred's song was from their's.

Okay, there was a lot more... GilbertGirl? Algernon? Anybody else who came? Help!?!? (:

Frank's Toes

JOHN PAUL II, WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!