Integralism

2/20/2021

Further chipping away at “Why these videos”

The evangelical/apologetical may seem obvious enough. There is always a need for the faith to be explained in understandable terms in the current day.  In this regard, that is, since it’s worth doing—it’s worth doing badly.

Regarding the targeting particular individuals or certain groups or demographics of individuals, I suspect that may come somewhat further down the line.  I’d love to reach the men who are the heads of households. These are the guys who’s influence in the community carries the most sway. To fortify their faith and to enkindle their piety, this would bode well for the stability of the Christian people in this place.

All the while, I expect to be honing the craft. The delivery, the production, the various aspects of oral, auditory communication, each of these need identifying and improving.  It’s a chance to develop a style.

Tease this “style” theme out some more.

Can sacred preaching be reduced to the elements of style? Would Strunk & White have been a modern day Peter & Paul, if only they had devoted themselves directly and immediately to the Gospel?

Stealing the word “integralism” properly or improperly for a moment, the idea that sacred preaching has aspects I find problematic. It constantly begs the complicated questions which aspect do I present to whom and at which times and according to which modes? Establishing ahead of time, every time, what the right permutation is for any congregation or assembly seems too improbable, like trying to thread too many needles.  Rather, the apostolic encouragements have to come into play, here.

“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).

 

I understand Paul’s decision as a personal orientation, a radical alignment of his entire integrity for the sake of his salvation and that of those to whom he was sent. This is the integralism I’m talking about. If it’s a rhetorical device is only rhetorical after first already being ontological, teleological, ethical and even pathological. The rhetoric has to be the lagging indicator of a process preceded by all of the aspects of personal conversion and the pursuit of holiness.

Long form

2/19/2021

di Tomme's "Crucifixion"

Continuing from yesterday’s why videos…

The Method of making the video.

I’m not sure what I meant by that beyond the technical, except maybe this. If the video is a catechesis, how does the video affect the catechetical method. I may have to return to this, as it’s not clear what I had in mind, here.

Evangelical/apologetical

This is clear. The purpose here is getting the word out there in a clear, comprehendible manner.

Who’s the audience? Is this the best way to reach them?

Let’s unpack the long-form for a second.  What makes long-form long-form? Is it merely duration of time? Perhaps the long-form conveys as much the sense that the topic being discussed has been treated in a relatively complete way. Complete, even in a limited sense. Certainly not comprehensively.  Not even a three-hour conversation, or monologue can’t get treat a topic comprehensively.  But it can be full of complete thoughts.

What is a complete thought?

It’s a thought a proposition the terms of which are clearly understood.  The long-form allows these thoughts to be articulated in a satisfying manner.  It allows them to be clarified, challenged, disputed, and even perfected.  These complete thoughts stand in contrast with the sound-bite.

More later.

Why Videos?

2/18/2021

Giotto's "Flight"

What’s this point of creating these videos?

What videos?

I’ve been sending a daily “video” to the whole list of about 50+ folks who have signed up for notifications from the parish. Currently, I’m simply recording a <10-minute catechetical talk on a topic (we’re now doing the Catechism during Lent). The visual element of the video is minimal—just a still shot of Giotto’s “Flight into Egypt.” So, mainly, it’s an audio-recording of yours truly presenting the catechesis.  That’s the video, so far, in a nutshell. I had prior to Lent done a few commentaries on the daily readings and a saint or two; but we’re settled, now, thematically on the catechism.

Why “videos?”

The purpose is several-fold: it’s at lest creative, technical, methodological and evangelical/apologetical—for starters.

Creative: As much as I love “public speaking” but the occasions when I’ve got an audience seem so relatively seldom. I want to improve my ability to communicate via the spoken word in a way which is commensurate with the nobility of the truth. Insofar as Sacred Preaching is an art, it is a Sacred Art. And this artist want to improve in his skills.

Technical: This is some sort of foray into the new-media. The technical savvy required can’t be so hard to acquire. Millions of folks know how to post videos.

More later…

God's Invisible Order

2/17/2021

Teniers, "Triumph of the Eucharist"

Ash Wednesday

The penitential disposition is primarily interior.  What’s up with this secrecy, this invisibility, this disappearing, unassuming humility?

“I am among you as one who serves.” Yes, it establishes man, firmly, in his place. “It” is this glorious invisibility—the riches of God. We allow the created realities to outshine the beauty of God by yielding to the world, the flesh, the devil. But the richness of God prevails. It disappears behind the veil of the natural, for the sake of nature. God serves man in order and righteousness so that man may attain his highest heights.

Without God’s promoting him, man languishes—is lost. God, holding him up, holds him all the way up—to the top. Man either languishes without God or rejoices with him there is no middle.

The mode God prefers for thus exalting man is to reclaim the resplendence of the secret, interior, hidden depth—where no moth nor worm can destroy—but where only God can dwell with man. The man would walk with God during the breezy time of day.

Reclaim God’s order for man’s affections. Look forward to that walk with him, in peace. Be not distracted by the things of this world—by anything other than the hope for His glorious company.

Defending What is Right

2/16/2021

Rubens, "Judgment of Solomon"

Defending what is right.

Imagine:

They’re saying it’s okay to kill a baby. They’re saying this to your own people. They’re saying it to your own people in your house right in front of you. What is the effect of your remaining silent?  Is it not that the heresy will spread, grow stronger and become more brazen?

Knee-capping a teacher for teaching well looks bad. The very one who is supposed to advocate for the teacher is turned against him. The very one who is supposed to advocate for the good of the students is turned against the students. This looks bad all around.

Meanwhile the teacher is forced to consider that he did something wrong. He did everything exactly right. In the teaching moment, he taught. Clearly. And all the more strongly in proportion to the gravity of the matter.

Why the antipathy towards the teacher? He is strong and they are weak. They cannot abide someone with greater authority, shining the ray of truth. Does it expose what they’ve concealed so long in the darkness—that outwardly they’re meant to care for teachers and children, but inwardly they’d sooner see them dead than defend what is right, true and just?

Getting carried away by a little cowardice. Softness, lack of perseverance, lack of magnanimity. “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” How easily we forget it. “Blessed are you when they utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.” How easily we forget it.

Pork, Set Piece

2/14/2021

Quentin Matsys, "Christ the Saviour"

Upshot on the pork belly.

Good. But messy.  I’m sure there’s an easier, less messy way to cook these.  After 30 hours in the sous vide at 155 degrees, I finished up by slicing and shallow-frying 3/4-inch strips in my cast iron skillet. I used a fair amount of lard for this.  It was my first time also pan frying in lard.

The mess came, as expected when the moisture began to explode the oil. The popping and sizzling that the shallow fry is famous for was, as times, more pop than sizzle. I used a pot lid to keep the grease from splattering all over the stove top.  i was also concerned briefly about what I’d do if there was a grease fire.

The result was tasty—both crispy where you’d expect and tender where you’d expect. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the flavor—so I added salt and pepper to finish.  I’ll do it again perhaps with less lard in the pan and a proper splatter guard.  I still have about a pound left to finish.

Ending the day.

I’m attempting to come up with a routine end the day. It was practically the first thought that occurred to me this morning when I woke up—wanting another hour of sleep.  I need a “set piece” that wraps things up nicely wrapping up the evening hour and ending with lights out.

The light’s out routine is simple enough. Once I’m done cleaning the kitchen, and turning out the downstairs light and start heading up the stairs things are pretty automatic from there. The one main “land mine” would be checking the phone.

Can I develop a set play that includes kitchen—maybe morning coffee setup, compline, maybe a brief writing exercise?

Pork Belly

2/13/2021

Van Dyck, St. Jerome

Pork Belly

I’ve had this pork belly in the freezer for a few months.  I think we’re getting close.  I plan to: season it (s&p); sous vide it overnight (24hrs, per Guga’s rec.); shallow fry it (a la ATK).

Ribeye

I’ve dry-brined (a new-word?) the ribeye for 40 hours.  Now, do I sous vide it or strait to the pan to cook?

Saturday AM

Reveille on Saturdays & Thursdays (if I’m at Nottingham) is plus-1 hour versus other weekdays. This is to catchup on any sleep lost through late lights, in lieu of a weekday afternoon nap and to disabuse myself of the notion that I’m some sort of a robot.

Journaling is Fun

It gets my brain going in the morning. Key, however, will be to not postpone this or have it delay the morning routine. In other words, the quicker I get to the 200-words, the easier to detach when time’s up.

“Fr. Drew Says”

There seems to be some popular interest, even a little, in a “Fr. Drew Says” notification sign up.  I had better not leave these folks hanging—some have already been hangin out there for too long—months, a whole year?

Rehearsal prep

 2/12/2021

Antonio van de Pere
Aanbidding van de herders

Productivity

This post is later in the 6:00 hour. The main reason is that I spent this first part of this hour preparing for a brief music rehearsal. I formatted three chants for my brand new choir. The formatting takes time. So much time that I cannot fit it in at the same hour that I would rather be writing these posts. That’s fine.

Today is the first rehearsal for my new choir of young people. The choir consists of three children, their mom and the director—me. W’re rehearsing after the morning Mass.  We’re singing the incipit, the Marian antiphon, and the hymn for the little hour.

I’ve prepared the song sheet’s for them to use. I formatted it for a booklet. I wonder if it would be better to format it for a larger sheet, so that the three of them could all be singing from the same page together.

It snowed this morning—there’s the chance that cancels rehearsal, but we’ll see.

The website that formats the text for the chant now runs slow.  I’m wondering if I need to learn how to format it locally on this computer in order to save time. Otherwise Il’l have to budget a lot more time for preparing texts.

Chant

2/10/2021

Prospects for developing the Chant

A lovely family has shown interest in singing at Church. I want to run with this. I’ll need first to meet with them to assess their skill level. They have indicated a weekday availability, following the morning Mass at 8:00 AM. An early thought was to look at Terce.

Terce

It’s a simple hour. The ordinary chant is the most basic there is. It includes the same, one hymn “Nunc Sancte Nobis.” There is one antiphon and three psalms. The brief chapter, verse, response & oration wrap it up and we’re done. The little hours have to be the easiest place to start. It’s a great place to start. I can find out where their abilities are at the outset and see what Herculean effort it’ll take to get this into a regular repertoire. Oh, and it’s all done in less than twenty minutes.  Really, less than fifteen.

Beyond Terce

Baby steps. Work the Marian antiphons. Comprehension of the text of what is being chanted. Psalm tones. Ordinary of the Mass. Latin language. English propers of the Mass. The sunny uplands are the Gregorian propers of the Mass and some sweet polyphony.

Regular Rehearsal

After 8:00 AM Mass once a week. Briefer, so as not to discourage or overburden them. They’ll then want to take it home, hopefully, and practice there. Eventually, we won’t be rehearsing Terce, we’ll be praying it as, let’s say, our “opening prayer” at rehearsal before moving on to whatever else we’re working on that morning. Cool thing about working the little hours is that if we have to change the rehearsal day or time, we can switch out the hour as well.

[image: File:Magdalena ante el sepulcro de Cristo (Museo del Prado).jpg ]

God and the real

2/9/2021

Mérode Altarpiece (or Annunciation Triptych),
by Robert Campin and workshop
(The Cloisters, in New York City)

The soul, the form of the living body, is a subsistent act.  It is the act which is the source of life in a body that is actually living.

To understand my soul as a subsisting action is fascinating.

At the same time, I’ve been thinking of the Mass as a subsisting action.  We say “it’s Calvary”—but Calvary here is shorthand for His suffering, death, burial, resurrection, ascension. We speak of Christ “accomplishing his passion,” of “the saving action of the cross,” of there being no greater love than “to lay down one’s life….” All actions.  And what we participate in is an action.  To participate, to share, to eat, to attend, to witness, to hear, to celebrate—all actions. We and Christ are the protagonists of this action—it’s subject.

Why am I having such a slow time with spiritual substances, subsisting actions, hypothetical unmoved movers, pure actuality, prime matter and universal forms?  I, who am supposed to be an idealist. Is it because I take them so much for granted? Spiritual realities really exist. I believe in God, creator of all things invisible.  Maybe this is it. Man is not, I am not the creator of the invisible realities.  God is.  The form, the soul, the absolute, the universal is not a construct of my imagination, not a genius of my or some man or some angel’s dazzling intellect. The invisible perfections come forth form the mind of God. And yet, I know many of them. I know enough of the principle ones so to count myself an idealist.

Both my own native hubris & ignorance as well as my native materialistic incubation prevents my easily seeing the truth of what I confess each Sunday standing at the head of the people: God—creator of all things invisible. I substitute, practically, almost unconsciously instead “Drew’s vainglorious stupidity—knows everything or it’s not worth really knowing.” I’m being a bit harsh, here. But it’s to drive home the point.

I don’t know who Plato figured is the source of the real. Or if there is any room for those who are not complete materialists to consider God as the creator of the invisible.

Invisible realities are real. Their existence originates in the creative action of the almighty, invisible, perfect eternal God just as surely and as unquestionably as he made the stars and the seas and skies and all the dwells within them. Unless, what, he creates the universe out of nothing, but leaves it to us to develop the perfections by which it operates?

No. It’s God. Not us. God.

I insist on joining late to the conversation. We already establish God. And then I come and ask, “Well, where does perfection come from? Whence justice? Whence peace? Or light, truth, reality, order?” Where you been at?

Why not follow along from the beginning? Why insist on reinventing the wheel?

Stay put. If it’s beautiful, you did not originate it.  If it’s glorious, it’s not yours, it’s God’s.

Humble yourself. Be grateful to Him that He has allowed you for a fraction of a moment to glimpse through a mirror, dimly and be so dazzled with delight as to forget where you end and His work begins.

You didn’t create the world of the forms. He did. You, lately, discovered them for yourself. They were already there.

A larger work

2/4/2021

"Old Thick Book"
from: a recent internet image search.

Chip away at a larger work

I’ve been meaning to get my thoughts together concerning certain aspects of the custody of the Eucharist.  The elements include 1) the administration of Holy Communion, 2) the ceremonial veneration of Solemn Exposition 3) and the safe-keeping of the Eucharistic species.

These three come to mind as areas of concern.  Over the years I’ve observed sufficient instances of deviations from the Church’s prescriptions on these matters. It’s lead me to wonder how best to remedy them.  It’s also lead me to wonder how aware we are of what is really to be done.

I would direct my observations to my brother priests, as “custodians of the mysteries.”

Alvaro del Portillo is supposed to have indicated—I’ll have to look it up—the prioritization of attending to the Eucharist as essential to any proceeding in the apostolate. This should come as no surprise to anyone.  Except, how frequently does a priest receive this sort of reminder? And if somehow his formation is deficient, who will remedy it for him?

So, while I’ve shelved the project for over a year, I may dust it off—now that I’m working the kinks out of this writing business.

That’s the subject. If I were to attempt to spin this exercise into a launchpad for a larger work—that’s a work that’s closer to being ready to launch than any other one I’ve got at the moment.

Framing. It might help to situate this work within the context of similar works, at least in order to help orient the entire project.  Is it a self-help? A how to? An intro for “dummies”? A reference? An exhortation? A devotional? A study?  Sounds, anyway, at least like it a work of non-fiction.

"We’ll hear more on this from you later."

"Who would know it?"

2/3/2021

"Not a bad public, that."
from YouTube.

Creative Expression

These 200-word cough-ups, or—as dad would call them—“vignettes,” are, I’m noticing, the slightest scratch for the itch to create a work of art.

My creative artistic endeavors heretofore have mainly been of the performative type: piano recital, choral accompaniment, choral vocalization, dramatic presentation, poetry recital. My artistic appreciation ranges more broadly, naturally. I’ll appreciate any good mode of artistic presentation. But my own taste tends toward the performative.

The idea of “art for art’s sake” has always rung hollow for me. Is this a deification of the artistic form? Is art really the god of Art, to whom all artistic offerings must be dedicated? Lame. Idolatrous. Why not, simply, make perfectly the normal connection and dedicate all artistic offerings to God, for “God’s sake?” This is the dignity of Sacred Art and why it is held, at least in theory, in highest regard among all artistic endeavors.

I’m compelled to lookup Aquinas definition of art—off the top of my head, it’s the faculty of man’s soul ordered to the making of things in accordance with beauty or goodness. I need to brush up on this. The development of the faculty requires practice—some have greater or lesser natural talent than others. But it can and must be practiced. “Do it a million times.” Or ten thousand times. Or, how about at least once or twice, for starters?

Choosing a medium

Language Arts. Musical Arts. These seem to be my first, go-to forms. Not so much the imagery or the design. Who knows why? Who cares why? Does it matter? Is it my particularly extraverted social sensibility that prefers to witness the participation of those who might be affected? I think so. This is also why Fr. Ron’s insight into God’s witnessing the hidden efforts was so helpful for me. Bolt captured it in the early exchange between More and Rich. “You’d be a fine teacher, perhaps a great one.” “Who will know it?” “You, your pupils, your friends, God. Not a bad public, that.” The performance is for God’s sake. Always. 

Purification

C'mon, let's defrost that meat
and then let's go, peacefully, gratefully!

2/2/2021

Three Nocturnes

It shortens the morning routine considerably. Today is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In the Old Calendar it is called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It commemorates the story towards the end of Luke’s Infancy Narrative where Joseph and Mary bring the child to dedicated to the Lord according to the Law of the Lord, offering the prescribed sacrifice.

Liturgically, in the Old Form, this Feast ranks highly enough to merit the longer Matins of Three Nocturnes instead of just One. Practically this prolongs the time allotted for praying this part of the office about fifteen minutes.

Add to this, how I’d like to get a chicken into the pot as my supply of meat broth has been used up now, for a couple of days. That takes a few minutes, too.  Lastly, there’s the small need of getting the lunch meat onto the kitchen counter to defrost some more.

Let none of this come across as complaint in the slightest.  Rather, it’s all joy and privilege.  In fact, the moment “woe is me” attempts to rear its stupid head, Peterson, came to mind. There was a moment early in his unedited audio interview with the Times reported where he broke down. He was remarking on the well-wishing he had been receiving from strangers in the street as he’d pass by. And what goodness that must represent given how much suffering we all endure.  So no, “woe is me,” if I seem to have fewer leisurely minutes this morning. Rather: gratitude; a morning offering; an intention—who’s suffering the most, or in some particular way, who’s on retreat, who’s getting married soon, who is responsible for getting me where I am today—Lord help them all. And let’s go!

Tammy Peterson, The Rosary, St. Josemaría

2/1/2021

Tammy praying the Rosary

Jordan Peterson posted a video recording of a conversation that his wife, Tammy had with a small group of women recently. The conversation, which happened, it looks like, in someone’s living room consisted of Tammy responding to several questions about her recovery from her recent illness. Tammy keyed in rather directly on how, with the help of one of the women there, she prayed the Rosary and how considering the mysteries of the Rosary was a source of comfort and consolation for her.  She also described praying a novena for healing to Saint Josemaría Escrivá which, as it happened on Day 7, accomplished its desired effect.

A few thoughts, by way of reaction.

Wonderful!  What a simple yet powerful personal witness to the good ol’ fashioned power of prayer.  “Ask and you shall receive.”  It also fire up faith and hope in the Communion of Saints—which is an essential article of the Creed.  Our Lady and Saint Josemaría teaming up to come through for this woman—a wife, a mom, a grandmother—facing a deadly illness.

Insightful. Tammy reveals her thought processing in the face of the difficult news of her diagnosis. Her first reaction to “You’ve got 11 months to live” was far less hardly to be very troubled by it.  But then she saw how the news affected her family.  It was for their sake that she chose to do everything she could.

The Apostolate of a member of Opus Dei? This observation is a conjecture. A hallmark of the personal apostolate of friendship in the Work is “doing and disappearing.” The ordinary circumstances of everyday life are wonderful enough occasions to magnify the glory of God. There’s no need to draw anyone’s attention away from God or from his Glory towards my measly fingerprints.  Still—I wouldn’t be shocked if Queenie, the woman who visited Tammy everyday and prayed the Rosary with her is a member of the Work.  Or if the recording took place at a get-together in a center or a residence of members of the work.  There are a few more clues—again this is just conjecture (the YouTube channel includes a video about UNIV, the recommendation of the St. Josemaría, who is Fr. Eric?).

Pray for the Petersons. They’ve obviously been through a heck of couple of years, from the skyrocketing popularity of Jordan, to both him and Tammy nearly dying of illness. God wants to accomplish a wonderful thing through the two of them—sounds like it has already begun. It’d be wonderful to see it continue to happen, especially in view of the public nature of Jordan’s work.  May St. Josemaría continue to intercede for them and Our Lady, Health of the Sick, watch over them.

Ask and you shall receive.