The Ark and The Dove

Die Grosse Stille

Saw it last night.  Wow, it was really something.  Do go see it if you can.

Don't go in expecting a normal documentary - the title is very apt.  Such silence in a movie theater was perhaps a bit unnerving at first, but letting the action (and the silence) have its own sound was a good directorial decision.  If the film had the typical things you expect from a documentary, like a voiceover by a narrator, soundtrack, etc., these things would have the detrimental effect of giving a certain detachment and distance.  In fact, Groening's omission of such interferences and distractions allows you to enter into the life of the monastery in a very direct, unmediated, and engrossing way.

Here's the Washington Post's editorial review.  Photos are from the movie's official website (hier auf Deutsch). 

Notes on language -

Is it not written in your Law, "I said, 'You are gods'"?

From what I understand of Plotinus, who was one of the last big pagan Platonist philosophers of classical antiquity, he considered The One (we would say God) to be something which is like a Platonic form - the things which Platonist philosophers consider are the real, true, eternal, and unchanging - only better, even more perfect.

Importantly, a Platonist like Plotinus considers that when the intellect apprehends a form, it becomes identified with it.   

Of course, like any kind of philosophy, Christian philosophers and theologians could not swallow Plotinus' philosophy Mystical union with the One whole, without criticizing portions of it that did not square with divinely revealed truth (for instance, Plotinus is pantheistic), but -- how could Christian thinkers - coming from passages like I John 3:2 in the Scriptures - look at things like the doctrine of mystical union with the One and not acknowledge that the Platonists had some valid insights into reality?

Moreover, these philosophers have been a huge influence on the language we have historically chosen to phrase our doctrine in.  Here I am thinking in particular how we call the experience of heaven the Beatific Vision.  You can explain what this is without recourse to Platonism, but if you are at least somewhat familiar with their ideas about intellectual vision, it makes a great deal of sense without a lengthy explanation.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's resident expert on the Church Fathers

I discovered that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Not symbolically present. Not kind of present. He is really there, under the appearance of bread and wine. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch in the first century, wrote about the truth of the Real Presence in the Lord’s Supper. And he sat at the feet of St. John who penned John 6:25-69.

How often do you have the pleasure of seeing something like this prominently featured on the official website of a rock and roll icon?

The Fathers of the Church blog reminded me about Dion Dimucci.  Even if you're young and don't recognize the name, like a lot of my friends seem not to, you've probably heard some of his famous songs that were no. 1 hits back in the day, like The Wanderer and Runaround Sue.

I didn't know until one day when I was flipping channels and saw him telling his story on EWTN, that he is a high-profile active and faithful Catholic.  His spiritual autobiography, recounting how he drifted away from the Church and found his way back after much soul-searching (and reading of the early Church Fathers, which he alludes to, but talked about at length on tv) can be read on his website.  Wikipedia notes that he is active in prison ministry and works with men struggling with addictions.

Musically, I knew him for the music he recorded in the 50s and 60s, but I hear that he has recorded a critically-acclaimed blues and country cd recently, so maybe I will give it a listen.

Please, more celebrities like him!

Hi, I'm back

Sorry for the light posting.  I've been really busy lately, so that even when I did decide to take a minute to write down my best, most thoughtful ideas, I had to go do something by the time I got my thoughts collected.  A lot of my best ideas ideas seem to get filtered out that way.  But enough excuses.

I recently had Plotinus' philosophical doctrines explained to me, and neo-Platonism in the Church Fathers like St. Augustine now makes even more sense to me.  Maybe I'll talk some about that.

Context

Many people do not realize how you have to be part of the right interpretative community in order to interpret a text in a way that results in meaningful communication between the author and the reader.  For instance, many radical-"traditionalist" Catholics often like to quote old Church documents out of context; they assume that because they have a pre-Vatican II mindset, they will automatically understand anything written before Vatican II.  And don't even get me started on Protestants and the Bible.

Reading Pope Benedict's Exhortation, I had this mental image of someone hundreds of years in the future reading this passage:

Given the need to rediscover sacramental forgiveness, there ought to be a Penitentiary in every Diocese.

and supposing that back in the 21st Century the pope used to have a jail in every diocese.

Viva il Papa!

Just try to tell me this does not say "Pope yes."  This is one of the most blatant ones I've seen. 

(I also found out that I like their cajun chicken, so between that and the entertainment value of the name, I think I rate them higher than any other fried chicken place.)

Maryland Day

This place is called The Ark and The Dove, and yet I didn't put up a thing for Maryland Day.  How remiss.  But it was a Sunday and I was thinking more about it being Sunday.  Here's Fr. White's account of the landing.

Confession

I was at St. Mary of the Mills the other day and I sat in the back of the chapel and left for the confessional right after Mass ended, and I was like seventeenth in line. 

Anyway, some words of encouragement, if you're still waiting to go: I couldn't help noticing what people looked like when they went in vs. when they came out.  When they went in, they were somber or nervous or both; when they came out, they all wore big smiles or looks of relief.  Really.  People are so afraid of it, but the only way you'd come out of the confessional feeling worse than you went in is if you on purpose deliberately lied to the priest about what sins you committed. 

TMNT: Quick Review

Isabel and I saw TMNT (the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie tonight).

I give it a scaly, green thumbs-up.

Cons: Probably the most significant con of this movie from my perspective is that we are given the impression that April O'Neil and Casey Jones are cohabitating. (To the writers' credit, however, there are definitely emotional difficulties with the arrangement...April wants a firmer commitment out of Casey, who looks a bit immature for not just biting the bullet.) Some minor plot discontinuities regarding Monster #13 in the middle of the movie will leave you slightly shrugging. Also, I watched two kids leaving the movie trying to do ninja moves on each other and then get yelled at by their parents. I'm not really into the whole anti-cartoon violence movement, but sometimes you have to admit that monkey see, monkey do. Finally, some of the alien monsters might have been a little too nightmarish for the really little ones...especially if they aren't old enough to understand the plot, wihch might be a bit unwieldy for some kids.

Pros: The three predominant themes are 1) brotherhood, 2) due submission to a just authority, and 3) forgiveness (the word "penance" even shows up in the movie). It actually handles these in smarter ways than I think most critics are giving the movie credit for. Maybe I'm losing my sense of taste, but I thought this movie did a great job at doing what a TMNT movie is supposed to do: get in, have some laughs, do some ninja stuff, and get out. I'd say it was like a shorter, less violent, more family friendly version of the first Pirates of the Carrbbean. Actually...now that I think about...the plot had a lot in comon in PotC...but I don't want to give anything away. I would have appreciated more Mike and Don, especially since they provided most of the worthwhile witty banter...but the banter rose to the occasion. The movie also gets credit for not having to force us to relive the origin story of the turtles all over again. It starts en media res in a way that lets the movie slide into a host of TMNT continuities, whether you are a fan of the current cartoon, old cartoon, or original comic. Most importantly, it was a fun cartoon with lots of ninja...and if there's one thing movies can always use more of, it's ninja.

Death Star Attack Conspiracy Theory

Just to see what Peter says -

"Uncomfortable Questions: Was the Death Star Attack an inside job?"

We’ve all heard the “official conspiracy theory” of the Death Star attack. We all know about Luke Skywalker and his ragtag bunch of rebels, how they mounted a foolhardy attack on the most powerful, well-defended battle station ever built. And we’ve all seen the video over, and over, and over, of the one-in-a-million shot that resulted in a massive chain reaction that not just damaged, but completely obliterated that massive technological wonder. 

Like many Americans, I was fed this story when I was growing up. But as I watched the video, I began to realize that all was not as it seemed. And the more I questioned the official story, the deeper into the rabbit hole I went...  Read On