Francis: True beauty is Christ, and we contemplate his beauty; vulnerability (la fragilità) is another manifestation of beauty. Leo: Contemplate the miracle of the Church’s holiness—that Christ continues to give himself through smallness and fragility (la fragilità).

L.S. Lowry (1 Nov 1887 – 23 Feb 1976, fiftieth anniversary of his passing) There's just something about his art that captures the Mancunian soul. When I lived in the UK, I visited The Lowry in Salford Quays so many times, and I’m really proud the major gallery in my Canadian province has a Lowry.

One who has come to God’s court Is always to praise With great desire. Desire causes a wound In the heart, and illness, And brings on restlessness. One who could properly conduct himself Until God would bind his wound Would live in true nobility. Bl. John of Ruusbroec

Seems that in Mt 4, the devil is obsessed with tempting Jesus to prove the Father loves him on the world’s terms. Meanwhile, Jesus is serenely focused on showing that he loves the Father on the Father’s terms. This encapsulates the revolution of humanity renewed by grace.

Our love of Christ ought to make us feel the needs of our suffering sisters and brothers as our own —St Oscar Romero, 1st Sunday of Lent (A), 1978 #StOscarRomero

PAPA LEONE YES

“Cast your care on God, for he watches over you and will not forget you. Do not think that he leaves you alone; that would be an affront to him.” — St. John of the Cross

If you want to complain about secularity, the fact that the public broadcaster (supposedly) didn't talk about Christians fasting on Ash Wednesday really isn't the hill to die on. Respecting the Gospel command about inconspicuousness, ¡qué horror!

En su Hijo Jesucristo el Padre nos dio su palabra, y su palabra es de fiar.

Bringing together some of my pet projects: (1) arguing for more attention paid to St. John of the Cross’ 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦; (2) presenting contemplation in tactile terms; (3) contemplative responses to AI and the abuse crisis.

In his homily for Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo expresses our spiritual life in strikingly tactile terms, and that’s going to catch my attention.

“the ashes… of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war… of international law & justice among peoples, the ashes of entire ecosystems & harmony among peoples, the ashes of critical thinking & ancient local wisdom, the ashes of that sense of the sacred that dwells in every creature”

May your Lent be like

“Were a portrait of extremely delicate workmanship touched over with dull and harsh colours by an unpolished hand, the destruction would be worse, more noticeable, and a greater pity than if many other portraits of less artistry were effaced.” — St. John of the Cross, on this monstrosity or maybe AI

Thank you @canonlaw.ninja

You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit assault. But I say to you, everyone who uses AI to “undress” a person has already assaulted her in his heart.

a.k.a. aestheticism vs. contemplation of beauty:

My diocese is fine, everything around me is fine, everyone's priorities are fine, everything is fine

The blog is not dead! Some reflections on a poem of Marcel Văn written during a time of spiritual abuse:

Can you hear a painting?

One of my favourite readings in LotH Scholastica: Let's talk beautiful heaven Benedict: no I must do a rigid S: I'll ask God about that *God does a God* B: God forgive you S: That's dumb bro

Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression

It is so obviously Snow Blinding Time when I look out the window:

Proud of my province

Seconded!

Liking this at first sight:

Repost: Reflection for the feast of St. Blaise, my patron saint (confirmation name):

Why oh why, when there's a supposedly potential saint whose regular haunts, including the place of the funeral, I know extremely well (it's the church I was confirmed in as an adult 10 years prior)—why does there have to be an OpD connection to spoil it all for me?

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, and post the second sentence. "The Lord made me come into His repose, As with a spear He fixed my heart."

A poem — just a poem.

I was looking for available copies of this book for another reason, but one gifted and dedicated by Raïssa herself showed up in the search. Ordered without hesitation. Just arrived yesterday. Ah, so beautiful—and a signature so delightfully familiar, yet original, from the Œuvres complètes!

Conservative Catholics, for years: Women have a Special Genius that is receptivity to others & others’ suffering, our essentialist gender views are not sexist because we value that genius so much. 🥰 Right wingers today: Toxic maternal empathy is a threat to the nation & must be forcibly suppressed.

Special Mass, on Sunday, for the K of C. Ah, well, I guess they've colonized the Sunday obligation. Every EMHC—just them and the priest. I walk past two of them to receive from the priest, thank you very much. There are only two letters in that organization's name that don't make my skin crawl.

Le harcèlement en ligne c'est comme le trolling : répondre et interagir c'est donner (inévitablement, systématiquement) des munitions à leurs auteurs. Je crois qu'il ne faut jamais engager, mais ignorer voire bloquer (après avoir documenté au besoin).

Pope Leo continues to show himself a disciple of the contemplative tradition that's espoused in Novo Millennio Ineunte (also esp. NMI 49 and Dilexi Te 5, 79):

Epiphany reading:

“We must, therefore, constantly examine our spirituality and the ways in which we express our faith, in order to ensure that they are truly incarnate. In other words, we must be capable of contemplating, proclaiming and praying to the God who meets us in Jesus...

“Made holy by the Holy Spirit, we receive Christ as one who lives in our inmost selves, and with Christ we receive the Father, who makes his dwelling place among those disposed to receive him.” — St. Basil

“Prayer is to be commended, for it places into our heart thoughts of God. And the indwelling of God in the soul is this: God being firmly set, through his actions and ours, in our memory.” — St. Basil

No se olviden de los pobres. Así tendremos esperanzas de que Dios no se olvide de nosotros.

May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us, besieged as we are by so many uplifted voices, the general noise and uproar, in our seething and over-sensitized modern life. ~ Pope St. Paul VI (Office of Readings) #HolyFamily #Christmas

À la crêche le soir de Noël, de quel côté sont pauvreté et vulnérabilité ?

«For Balthasar, Jesus’ willingness to experience the vicissitudes of human life tells us something about who God is in eternity. The all-powerful God shows himself to us through the medium of vulnerability.» Excellent essay, rigorous, charitably feisty.

Although I'm always in the mood for a good theology of vulnerability, the lead up to Christmas just heightens the feeling (Brendan Byrne, A Costly Freedom, xiv):

As my favourite Christmas carol puts it: Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.

A very much “more than 𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘪” reflection on the entrance antiphon and responsorial psalm for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:

“Mother Earth and all she gives birth to belong to Grandfather. All the world and those who live on it are his. He formed the land on the ancient deep waters and shaped the solid ground on the rivers.” Psalm 24:1-2 FNV 4th Sunday in Advent

This problem was, I think, at the heart of Pope Francis' theology of contemplation:

Pope Leo: “Creation is crying. But many powerful people do not hear this cry: the wealth of the earth is in the hands of a few, very few, increasingly concentrated – unjustly – in the hands of those who often do not want to hear the groaning of the earth and the poor.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

“It is the Spirit who is the protagonist of the Church’s historical mission. The Church must move beyond an activist mentality and open itself to the contemplation of the work of the Spirit within Christian communities and throughout the world.” — Achiel Peelman