(House)work, Part II
Part of the problem I have with writing a long, philosophical post like The Theology of (House)work is that it’s hard for me to get through it without a meandering digression every sentence or two. This post is to take care of all those side-notes…so my apologies for the variety of topics and directions! Kids …
Cultural Literacy?
My pop-culture illiterate daughter trying to explain to friends which songs she is playing for her next concert: Lucy: I don’t remember the name of it, but it’s something about rocking somebody… Morgan: “We Will Rock You”? Phil: No way. [Because it’s a symphony, after all. It has to be more classy than that!] Lucy: …
Book Review: Marcelo in the Real World
I am totally smitten with this book. First, I have to tell the story of how I came to read it. The book and its author, Francisco X. Stork, were in no way on my radar, until someone suggested I read Cheryl Klein’s The Magic Words, which is a how-to on writing middle grade and …
Towards a Theology of (House)Work
So I’m a little behind in my reading, but this week I finally got to the February 8 issue of Commonweal. There is an illuminating article in there by Jonathan Malesic which contrasts the American work ethic with the dignity of the human person, and specifically, the way work is treated in Benedictine Monasteries. (You …
Brothers and Sisters!
Clare: Why don’t people want to go to Mass? Lucy: They probably think it’s boring. Clare: I love the readings. Except the ones that start “brothers and sisters”, they’re usually pretty boring. Me: raucous laughter Sorry, St. Paul. I guess you can’t please everyone.
Children’s Novels in Which the Pen (or Love) is Mightier than the Sword
A friend recently asked me for recommendations of children’s novels where the day is saved…but not by lots of violence. He has a ten-year-old son who loves Narnia and Middle Earth, but he doesn’t want his son to count on Glamdring to solve all his problems. (I am aware that it is Aslan’s sacrifice, as …
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St. Benedict on Mercy
Just a tidbit from Luke Timothy Johnson’s recent piece in Commonweal entitled “How a Monk Learns Mercy: Thomas Merton and the Rule of St. Benedict.” “The most destructive forms of speech in community, Benedict understood, are those that involve judgments against the other. Benedict calls this form of speech ‘murmuring,’ included [sic] all forms of …
Lay Hold of Goodness
A year ago – or maybe closer to two – I was at a friend’s house. She had a little hand-written note on her refrigerator, on red construction paper, which said, “Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice. -St. Isaac the Syrian” I commented that maybe I needed one of those for my fridge. We …
What’s for dinner?
More importantly, can your dinner save your life? Alexandra Petri’s piece for the Washington Post is hilarious. (If you love puns…if not, there’s nothing to see here. Keep moving.) EAT CHEESE LIVE FOREVER
Priorities, or For the Love of Butter
First, the funny story. A friend of mine had just had a baby. The baby was fussy and spitting up a lot, and so she thought the baby might be reacting to the cows’ milk my friend was drinking. She might have to cut out dairy. She was willing quit milk, cheese, and the like, …