Marantha.

𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 There was a man dwelt by a churchyard. Whenever winter whitened the view from his window, he found himself watchful of his neighbors, above all on those nights when the moonlight was as cold as the wind, when they awoke, not merry, and sought warmth.

“We’ve got to look out for each other.” On this phrase hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Prayer life, in a nutshell.

There was a man dwelt by a churchyard. At Christmastime he would look out His window grave above the greyest, With thanks that he was in and they without, Especially when they would walk about.

Seeing this post now reminds me that 𝑇𝘩𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑎 𝐺𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠, 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑙𝑦 has that Christmas ghost story feeling, though I don’t think it’s set in the season. Has anyone here read McCloy’s actually wintry mystery, 𝑀𝑟. 𝑆𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡? I’ve never found a copy of that one.

'St Knud's Church by the River in Odense. Autumn' by Dankvart Dreyer, c.1842. 🇩🇰

Hey all, just letting anyone know I’m taking a break from here. Thanks for the good conversations!

Looking south to St Aldhelm, Sherborne Abbey ce soir

**Decadence, of a Sort** Reading too much Swinburne Gives you a sensation not unlike win’burn.

It’s a pity that Hitchcock never made a film adaptation of any book by Helen McCloy. They shared so many themes (doppelgängers galore). And why hasn’t anyone made a film from McCloy’s excellent, spooky *Through a Glass, Darkly*?

Dear friends: I'm so happy to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life": a conversation with Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, a church leader whom I first came to know at the Synod of the Bishops. He is a remarkable person...

Some years ago, my cousin—who is spookily perceptive about me—out of the blue asked me if I wanted to be a priest. I was going through my first religious phase at the time and said yes, I do, but I can’t because I also would like to get married.

"When Francis prayed in wild and solitary places, he filled the forests with sighs, watered the earth with tears, beat his breast with his hand, and making the most of an intimate and secluded place, he spoke aloud with the Lord." #Celano #SaintFrancisOfAssisi

“It is time to stop this slaughter.”

"In an interview with Salt and Light, Colbert shared a powerful story about the important influence of female priests." sojo.net/articles/wat...

Delighted to share with you our fascinating interview with the amazing Anthea Butler, on the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life" podcast. Anthea speaks about her own history as a Catholic (and Evangelical)... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9J...

As we should be, as we should be.

Whenever we are lost in hate, we are in hell, no matter how Christian we think we are. Penguins and Golden Calves

The view at twilight from the bench looking onto the churchyard of The Middle Church, in the heart of Jeremy Taylor country.

Delighted to share the latest episode of "The Spiritual Life," with our guest Stephen Colbert. It's an open, honest, inspiring (and funny) conversation about his spiritual life, which touches on the loss of his father and two brothers at an early age, his... www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p9H...

On the anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s death, a fascinating (to me, at least) fact: He played on a cricket team alongside J.M. Barrie, A.A. Milne, H.G. Wells, P.G. Wodehouse, G.K. Chesterton, E.W. Hornung, and Rudyard Kipling.

My grandmother, one of the best people I know, is not doing well. It has been going on for a few months, a rough few months, now, but it’s gotten worse recently and she had a terrible night last night. If you’re the praying type, please pray a few words for her.

A constantly superb season (series, Jason) of a constantly hilarious show. I’m sad to see this cast go.

"Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society" - the words of the Chief Rabbi, following the shameful scenes at Glastonbury, are a sober warning to British society. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I just read a blog post that says, in passing, that the 1974 *Murder on the Orient Express* is “pleasant but not at all moving.” I’m not the biggest fan of the film—I mostly dislike Albert Finney’s Poirot and think the pacing goes slack halfway through—but as a kid I loved it and found it moving.

Wrote this on Reddit; hoping that some of the mystery buffs here might get a kick out of it. Premise is “What if *The Hound of the Baskervilles* were written by other mystery writers?”

I just read something that said that, as a boy, Peter Cushing fell in love with the Sherlock Holmes stories and characters, and I wondered, what is it about the stories that inspires that love? The same thing happened to me—and, I know, many others.

“Wow, he speaks English remarkably well for a space alien who looks like Nosferatu.”

Lot of heavy stuff, so on a lighter note: I have this childhood memory of a time my parents and uncle brought my cousin and me to a costume store, maybe around Halloweentime (?), and she and I acted out *Legends of the Hidden Temple* while running through the store.

Here’s someone else going through this same thing. It seems common—creepily common. www.reddit.com/r/CatholicUn...

Honestly, what is this show even about? #Taskmaster

R. And make thy chosen people joyful.

Someone alerted me to this report on Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith’s struggle with religious OCD. Good on him for sharing this publicly. This passage describes exactly what living with it is like: www.indystar.com/story/sports...

This letter, from a Catholic with OCD, is exactly what I have been going through. The screenshot in particular. The problem is that there’s no way out, is there? There’s no cure for OCD or scrupulosity.

Often this memory rattles in my head. She was so confident. I was so confused. Was she right? Have I missed my calling? Anyway, how could I tell her? And, as always, I missed whatever opportunity I had.

Creepy as hell.

“Theater” by William Greenway

"All that is contrary to love and peace is of the Fiend and of his part." #JulianOfNorwich #PrayForPeace

This “satisfying ‘click,’” by the way, is my explanation for why people like detective stories. The moment where everything suddenly, surprisingly makes sense seems to be a universal pleasure.

Someone’s got to write something on the connection between religion and the detective story. Why are so many religious people drawn to it? Chesterton, obviously. Sherlock Holmes musing on the literally divine nature of a rose. Dorothy L. Sayers has a feast day in the Episcopal Church. Etc.

Of course I write the previous post and then go to see *South Pacific*, by the only Broadway lyricist who could pull off the words

“What’s new?” “Nothing is new. Everything is old, and misery, and so surreal that normality is a misty memory, or a dispatch from another world. How fragile is our grasp on the quotidian.” Thoughts of a wet brain in a wet summer.

Pope: “Alarming news continues to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran. Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy before it becomes an irreparable chasm. War does not solve problems, it amplifies them. May diplomacy silence the weapons!”

I found out today that one of my old college profs died. So thankful he was in my life. In a genuine sense I loved him—he and another professor were the closest things to mentor figures I’ve had in my life.

On the day when the House of Commons, albeit by a very small margin, voted to abandon the vulnerable and undermine end of life care, the Third Collect at Evening Prayer is necessary: