Critical Mass

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…of the Day

November 9th, 2008 · 7 Comments

Photo:
DSCN4149
I didn’t take the picture today, but I did upload it to my Flickr today; and it just made me grin. :)

Question:
Matthew 8:28-34
Could the demoniacs be a type or foreshadowing of Judas, in that when their badness is confronted by Christ, they choose to leave His presence and effect their own self-destruction?

Book Review:
“Church Fathers” by Pope Benedict XVI — I loved this! I just got it a couple of days ago, and despite my perpetual busyness, I have already finished! As always, the Pope write clearly, and in a very engaging manner. The book consists of a series of Wednesday audiences (not unlike Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body talks), each dedicated to a particular church father. He really is able to make them come alive for me and gives me a desire to read their works and dive deeper into the faith, which is revealed as the true faith which has always been held. I came away from the book with a greater sense and realization of the truth and catholicity of our faith and a hunger for further knowledge. Obviously, I highly recommend it — particularly to those who want an overview of the church fathers before making a decision as to who to read first! :) After reading this book, you won’t think of them (as I kind of did) as anonymous, old men who died a long time ago and don’t have anything to say to me, now. Ha! As the Pope mentions for almost every Father, their advice is always “timely,” especially in the culture of our day, today.

Prayer:
Lord, I am not worthy of you, but only say the word and I shall be healed in heart, mind and body. Please give me understanding, strength and desire to conform my will to yours. Amen.

Quote:
“Call me a crazy lady…one more time….” from Hancock, seen with Terry this weekend.

Movie Review:
Hancock — I thought at first that this was simply going to be another “comic book” movie. I was wrong. Either that or there’s more to comic book stories than I generally get from them. This particular movie I quite enjoyed. Outside of the profanity (which, really, just made me giggle), it was a story of the redemption of man. It took the main character from his sinful, slovenly, selfish ways and transformed him into a man who truly cared for his neighbor and sacrificed on behalf of others. It highlighted the importance of family ties, working for the good of the poor and needy, and of being a good example. It was also a great portrayal of the quote, “To whom much is given, much will be expected.” It was emotionally well-crafted, and you had real empathy for all the characters. The acting I respected. Of course, I’m always a fan of Will Smith, too, so that helped. :) The ending of the film was a little unexpected, but completely fit and was very well done. It would be a great movie to watch again, knowing the ending now to see what foreshadowing there is, because I know that there is a bunch. I could probably keep going on about this movie and the deep meaning that I got from it, but for now I will just encourage you to go out and see it, if you have not done so already. :)

Announcement:
I have (finally) posted ALL of my World Youth Day photos!!! Whoo-hoo! Be sure to check out all 2,665 images and videos here.

Tags: Bible Study · Neat Things I Didn't Author · Photography · Pop Culture · Prayer/Prayer Requests · Question of the Day

7 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Kevin // Nov 10, 2008 at 7:40 pm

    Thanks for the reviews, Jenn. :)

    While I haven’t read this book, I have read some of the Fathers of the Church, and loved what I read. We have to remember that these folks were pastors first, and theologians second. And their guidance as shepherds is, as you noted, timeless.

    One book I really liked was Sayings of the Desert Fathers, edited by Benedicta Ward.

    When I saw the theatrical trailers of Hancock, I thought it might be a good movie. I’m glad that you confirmed that suspicion for me. I’ll have to see it sometime.

    Best,
    Kevin

    P.S. Is that little girl your niece? She’s a cutie.

  • 2 Jaibee // Nov 11, 2008 at 7:49 am

    What I kept noticing is how much of the good qualities mentioned of the church fathers I notice in my priest, and kept thinking how blessed I am to know this man, and how fortunate that I am able to learn from him. God truly works through him, and has truly given him a gift.

    Kylie is my goddaughter. :) She is a doll. And that punk streak you can see on her face there? That’s all my influence, of course! :)

  • 3 Kevin // Nov 11, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Had my local bookstore order a copy of the Pope’s book for me. :)

  • 4 Kevin // Nov 14, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    OK, I picked this up: The Fathers

    Is that the same book as Church Fathers, just with a different publisher, or is it a completely different book?

  • 5 Jaibee // Nov 19, 2008 at 4:27 am

    Wow. That does look remarkably similar. I wouldn’t think that the Pope would be that sneaky as to publish the same book twice. Both are based on his Wednesday audiences. I would have checked the Look Inside of The Fathers against my copy of Church Fathers to see how the text compares, but I lent it out as soon as I was done reading it. Maybe you could compare yours to the Look Inside on Amazon to mine?

  • 6 Kevin // Nov 19, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Unfortunately, Ignatius Press hasn’t given the OK to Amazon.com to enable the Look Inside feature. Tell you what, though. I’ll drop by my local Barnes & Noble tonight and compare the two books. I’ll let you know.

  • 7 Kevin // Nov 19, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    It’s pretty much the same work. Seems Church Fathers is pretty much a translation of the transcripts of the Pope’s audiences, while The Fathers is slightly edited for book form, but the content is basically the same.

    I finished the chapter on St. Basil this morning. Tomorrow, I’ll read about St. Gregory Nazianzus. :-)

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