Common Humanity

I probably have already mentioned it, but I have four younger brothers and 5 younger sisters. All of them are so different it amazes me and yet we are all very much the same. I find often that I will met someone new, someone I never could possibly have met before and yet it is like I have seen you before, I have met you, there is something familiar about you. It is really bizarre. It has happened a lot this summer. There is something common in human nature that we all share. Something which makes us all the same and yet so uniquely different as well. Although I see this eerie similarity there is always something about the other person which makes him or her separate, not the same as the other they reminded me of. It is totally bizarre and amazing!

The Incredibles

Last night I saw the Incredibles with my BFF. It is hard for me to chose a favorite character.

Mr. Incredible seems to be the main character. He is a retired superhero who's power is his physical strength. He finds his new life at the insurance company boring and pines for the old days. He becomes so caught up in the past that he neglects his family and is fired from his job. In one scene he and one of his old hero friends, Frozone, decide to relive the glory days and rescue some people from a burning building. They up end in trouble with the police.

Mr. Incredible's wife is also an ex-super hero, Elastigirl. She accepts her new life and just wants what is best for their family.

Mr. and Mrs. Incredible have 3 children Dash, Violet and Jack Jack. Dash can run at the speed of lighting. Violet can disappear and Jack Jack well no one knows what his super power is. He seems to just be normal.

Mrs. Incredible is determined to hide from the world their super identities but Mr. Incredible and the kids feel that they can't really be themselves. Bob's(a.k.a Mr. Incredible) reliving of the old days lead to his rediscovery by Syndrome, an old fan turned evil, who's plan is to destroy all superheros. Mr. Incredible is lured to his island on the pretense of a new job in which he will be able to use his super powers again. On his second trip Mr. Incredible is captured by Syndrome. When his wife, Helen(a.k.a Elastigirl), finds out about his double life she must resume her old super identity to save him. Dash and Violet sneak aboard for fun. As they work together to save Mr. Incredible the family discovers the powers that they have laid hidden and strength they have together as a family.

Mr. Incredible realises that what is most important to him is his wife and family. Mrs. Incredible learns not to be afraid or ashamed of their power. Violet gains self esteem, she stops wearing her hair in her face and has the courage to go on a date. Dash learns that his family is awesome and he really loves them as he says at the end. When they are free to be themselves the Incredibles shine. Before they kept trying to hide their true self's and the family was dysfunctional. The kids fought and got in trouble in school, Violet complained about not being a normal girl, Mr. Incredible sighed over police reports and newspaper articles and tried to help other people at work but only made things worse. Each person needed to discover their inner strength and use it. Their power, as Elastigirl sees from the beginning, is in their togetherness as a family.

Elastigirl is an awesome character. She just rolls with the punches. Whatever life throws at her she takes it, stretching and changing shape to fit the situation. That what supermoms have to do. Mr. Incredible is also a great character. He is your typical gentle giant. I've met people like that. They are huge but they wouldn't hurt a fly. They break things and scare people because they don't realize how strong they are. Inside, behind all that strength, they have hearts of butter. Violet and Dash are also well thought out characters. Violet is extremely self aware and uncomfortable with herself. Sometimes she just wants to shrink and disappear like a lot of 13 year olds. Dash is this explosion of energy like my brothers were at that age. All his energy is frustrated though because his mother won't let him play sports and goes into bickering with Violet and pranks(hint, hint this is why kids especially energetic ones need to be involved with sports!). Great characters, very true to life.

Frozone, I think might have been my favorite because the scenes with him were so funny. Frozone: "The greater good is in danger!"

His Wife:"I am your wife. I 'm your greatest good".

I will say I liked UP better but this is a must see for all real superhero fans( in other words I am not a real super hero fan but I am a true fan of PIXAR).

Too Cute!

My brothers and I watched The Return of the Jedi on Saturday. Now my one thought is ....I want an ewok! Can you buy them on EBAY?

A Week on Eagle's Wings

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Where I Have Been

I was gone from the 3rd thru the 11th of this month at an amazing camp/retreat experience. This past week I have just been trying to readjust to "real life" again. It was a totally amazing experience one you can't really put into words or capture with pictures. It was just too amazing,to profound I can even say.
The Community of St. John plunged us into the heart of Christianity, the heart of Christ. They challenged us to radically love as Christ did and to seek the truth. Every day was packed full of classes in Theology and Philosophy, recreational activities and lots of prayers. Every day closed with skits and fun around the campfire.
There was 50 of us and by the end of the week we were like one big family. Even people you never got a chance to talk to much you felt close too. A mutual bond was formed between all of us that was founded in Christ, founded on the truth. You could be yourself. I never felt I had to hide anything about the real me. We loved and accepted one another as Christ does each of us. It was beautiful.
There is so much I could say about Eagle Eye. I could go on for days. One of the things that has really stuck with me now that it is all over is that it isn't so much about what you do it is who you do it with. If you are with people you love u almost always have a fun time. One day for recreation we played soccer and volleyball. I love soccer but stink at volley. I really didn't enjoy one more then the other though. I was just hanging out with amazingly awesome people and enjoying their presence.
Presence. It is such a big part of our faith. Jesus's real Presence in the Eucharist shows us how we are to be always present to Him and our neighbor and how we should seek Him in the presence of others. That was a huge theme of the retreat. Appreciating the otherness of our brothers and sisters. Seeing in them an image of God, a witness to the fact that reality exists outside of my mind because this other person exists outside of me.
Like I said I could go on for ever. If you want to have one of the most incredible experiences of your teen years come to an Eagle Eye Summer Institute with the Community of St. John and you will be soaring like me!

Lip Gloss

My little sister and I made lip gloss today out of petroleum jelly and cherry cool-aid. We melted a tablespoon of jelly in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then we dissolved a whole packet of cherry cool aid in a tablespoon of water. After that we added the cool-aid to the jelly, drop by drop, until we got the color we wanted. We added about five drops. It isn't exactly like the ones in the store but it works well.

Book Review

I finished my 4th book of this summer the other day, The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was quite different from what I had expected. Here is a short review.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was written by Baroness Orczy. Orczy was born in Hungry but moved to England as a child and to Paris, France after her marriage. She contrived her idea for the Scarlet Pimpernel while in England. The story occurs in England during the French Revolution. In the story, The Scarlet Pimpernel, with a band of 20 loyal followers, rescue French Aristocrats from the guillotine. His identity is hidden from all but his 20 followers. The leaders of the revolution are determined to find and capture the Scarlet Pimpernel and so crush the resistance.
The main character is the rich and popular Lady Marguerite Blackney, a french woman who came to England when she married an English Lord. Disappointed in her marriage Lady Blackeny clings to her brother, the only man she believes she still loves. When her brother is targeted by the revolutionaries as an enemy of the French Republic Marguerite is made to chose between saving the life of her brother or that of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Her decision leads her on a reckless adventure across England and France in pursuit of true love.

What surprised me about this book, besides the conclusion, was that it was a romance. I had thought it was an action and adventure novel. Although I don't always like romance I didn't mind the story because it had enough intrigue and excitement to keep it to keep me interested.

Happenings

This is what I did over the last two weeks. I joined the swim team, something I have wanted to do for years.
I registered for camp and will be leaving in (oh my goodness) only 2 weeks.
I applied for financial aid for school(fun). I prepared for my driving test which hopefully I will be taking very soon(within the next 2 weeks).
I made some additions to my vegetable garden, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and beans, green and yellow. I bought the cauliflower and brussel sprouts as plants but the beans I grew from seed so was very excited that they came up this late in the season.
I finished reading The Hound of the Baskervilles and watched a 1938 movie version with my brothers. I started The Scarlet Pimpernel and hope to finish today. My brother of course bet me as he always seems too.
He finished it on Wednesday. I went to a book sale and got The Spirit of the Liturgy by Cardinal Ratsinger and a book about St. John Brebuef, one of the North American martyrs. Lets see anything else? Oh yea I joined Facebook(':

5-Minute Craft

Here is another simple craft I discovered. You need a one sided coloring sheet meaning that there is only a picture on one side, Wax paper or paper towel, markers or crayons, vegetable oil or cooking spray and a paint brush.
1. Color the picture with markers or crayons. Press firmly.
2. Place the picture on a piece of wax paper or a paper towel. Cover the picture with vegetable oil or cooking spray. I like spray because it is easier.
3. Use the paintbrush to evenly distribute the oil.
5. Let dry. My picture took 5 hours. The result will be a stained glass picture. I hung mine in the kitchen window.
You probably are beginning to figure out that I really like stained glass art! I find the best place to go to find one sided coloring pages is the Internet. You can google in stained glass coloring on google images and get loads of good stuff.

Happily Ever After

G.K. Chesterton once compared Christianity with a fairy tale. Many, myself included, sometimes see following Christ as a heavy and wearisome task. But didn't Jesus say,"Come to me all you who labor and our burdened and I will give you rest"? Christianity is not a tragedy but rather the greatest fairy tale of all time. Jesus Christ died. He was murdered in the most horrific way possible. He was abandoned by His followers. He died with nothing. Yet He did the impossible. He came back! He rose from the dead! Is that amazing or what? Doesn't that defie reality? How can a man rise from the dead? That is not realistic. He did it though. Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
The martyrs those who gave their lives for Christ seemed to have tragic endings to their lives. Most were brutalized in the extremes before being killing. One of the Jesuit martyrs of North America had his fingers chewed off! St. Appolina had her teeth ripped out! Many of them were killed in the prime of their lives. Little St. Agnes was only 12, St. Tarcisius I believe 10. Those who weren't martyred lead far from pleasant lives. They were abused by family, betrayed by those closest to them, persecuted by those in the Church, called fools, hypocrites and every other insult. They met opposition everywhere. Our own lives bear witness to the suffering of Christians. It would seem that the life of a Christian is a tragedy. It is not though. We have the final victory. We have a happily ever after FOREVER! Our lives may end in suffering and pain but we go on living for all time and eternity in perfect bliss. The world will end but we will rise with Christ.

Christianity is really a divine fairytale with happily ever afters, world without end. With Christ little boys can slay giants and frogs turn into princes. With Christ anything is possible. Look at the saints again. They have defied the laws of nature not by their own power but by God's. They have been in more than one place at the same time, levitated in prayer, lived on bread and water, received the wounds of Christ and remained alive thru great torment and torture. Nothing is impossible with God. He holds the universe in His hands and can change the rules if He wishes.

My Favorite Scripture Verse

"I know you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered."
Job 42:2

Hope and Despair

A few weeks ago I finished reading J.R.R Tolkien's The Children of Hurin. This book is a real tragedy, meaning all the main characters die. There is no hope. Nothing good comes from the work of Hurin's children. They are doomed, cursed,by Morgoth and cannot escape. Although this novel is very dark and despairing I found many truths about Christianity in it.
J.R.R Tolkien was a real Christian writer, more then that a Catholic writer. Everything he wrote has a hint of Christianity in it ,even a tragedy like The Children of Hurin. Hurin's offspring are cursed by Morgoth, a fallen valar, because of Hurin's pride. Hurin joins with some of the elves in attacking Morgoth's fortress. Their contempt of Morgoth is a good thing. The problem is that they try to go against a power beyond them by themselves their own. They go against the will of the Valar by the assault of Morgoth. They cannot win. Although Morgoth is a fallen Valar he is still more powerful then men and elves. Tolkien did not believe in allegories but he did use analogies. The Children of Hurin seems clearly to be an analogy of our position before the Incarnation and what would have happened if Christ had not taken flesh and redeemed us. We were doomed. There was no hope for us. We couldn't save ourselves. No matter how good men tried to be the race was doomed,fighting against powers way beyond the powers of immortals, Satan and his minions. Hurin's children, like the children of Adam, were cursed.
The children of Hurin is not only an analogy of life without Redemption it is also an analogy of our situation now. Christ has come to earth and saved us by his death and Resurrection. We now have HOPE! We can get to Heaven. We are saved...BUT.. but it is up to us. Christ has saved us but because of our free will we have to choose to except Christ's saving grace. Hurin's son Turin was offered forgiveness. Why didn't he accept it? He was too proud. He was too proud to accept the forgiveness of others. So often in my own life I have been to proud to say sorry, to ask for forgiveness. When I ask for forgiveness I make myself vulnerable. I count on the other person to give me their pardon. There is always the risk that they may not. Turin was not willing to take that risk. He wanted to do everything all on his own. He didn't want forgiveness. He wanted to become powerful to make others as proud of him as he was of himself. Often we as Christians do the same thing, we want to be our own Savior. We don't want God's help. To accept God's help would be to acknowledge our own weakness.
The Children of Hurin resounds with the message "He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly". King Thingol, an elf, though he loves Turin as a son will not help him until he repents. He offers him forgiveness if he will give up his wild ways and return to him but Turin refuses.Turin's ultimate act of despair in the end is the fate of all those who try to live their way instead of God's, "Their glory lasts a moment;their beauty fades with the morning sun" as the Psalm says. For those who acknowledge their nothingness, their incapability to do anything without God, they will share in the final victory and have glory everlasting. We, as St. Paul says, cannot glory in ourselves but only in Christ.

O.K. I really don't feel like doing this but I will make myself do it. POST! I have been having so much fun outside in the summer sun that I just don't feel like doing it!
Yesterday I volunteered all day at a homeschool conference. Since my mom is due to have the baby anyday she wasn't up to going so I checked out some books that she was interested in. I spent the day with my best friend and when we weren't talking to people who came to our table we colored and she completed the world's largest dot-to-dot. It had over a thousand dots! WOW!
Besides that I have been getting ready for the baby, doing a ton of yard work, reading, babysitting, running errands and biking. I love biking. It is so much fun especially when I get a little disoreinted( he-he ).

While keeping the little girls amused I sometimes do crafts with them. Here is one we did last week.
To make it you need a paper coffee filter, washable markers, construction paper and a spray bottle.
1. Color the coffee filter.
2. Spray the coffee filter lightly 5 times. If you spray to much or to hard it will be ruined.
3. Let dry.
4. Once it has dryed you can make a circular frame for it out of construction paper if you wish. The finished product resembles a tie-dyed stained glass window.

Time and Space

The book I recently read, Sun Slower Sun Faster, deals with the issue of time. Man is limited because of time. We are always working against the clock or ,as I see it, the clock is working against us. We are separated from others by time. Our grandparents and parents for instance were raised in a different era and seem sometimes remote because of the gap in age and the changes that have occurred between their generation and ours. God who is limitless and infinite entered into time and space. He lived and walked among men, and allowed Himself to be subjected to the limitations experienced by humanity. After his passion, death and Resurrection Christ returned to His Father, leaving us in His "fleshy" form. Once a discussion was started at the dinner table why Christ may have chosen to do this. Why didn't He remain with His people in "fleshy" form to assist them through out all of time? But the truth is He is still with us. He told His apostles "Behold I am with you until the consummation of the world". He is with us Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. We can not perceive Him in His Bodily form but He is there. As Sun Slower Sun Faster teaches us the Eucharist makes all Time one. With God there is no time, one day is as a thousand years as the psalmist says. The Holy sacrifice of the Mass has always been and will always be the same sacrifice, that is, Christ's offering of Himself to the Father on Calvary. The Eucharist brings us all together scattered all through various ages and places.

Another of man's limitations is that of space. We are conformed to it. We are separated from those we love because of our different locations on the planet. Like time space sets up barriers. Because of variations in culture we tend to think of people from other places as strange and foreign. Even the way we worship as Catholics varies from country to country. The essence of the Mass itself remains the same though, the offering of Christ to His Father. This transcends all cultural differences and those of past and future generations. All are one in Christ. We are brought together literally as one body by receiving the Body of Christ. Even those who are not Catholic or even Christian are united with us because we all exist within the mind of God. Always we have been in His thought and always we will be.
"There is one body and one Spirit,just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:4-7

Here is a story about St. Joseph Moscati.

Joseph Moscati graduated from medical school in 1903. After his graduation he worked at a hospital for persons with incurable diseases. In 1908, while he was still working there, Mt Vesuvius erupted causing chaos and confusion. After assisting at the hospital Moscati quickly went to a nursing home located on the outskirts of town. There he stayed and assisted with the evacuation, taking out the last patient only minutes before the whole building collapsed. He sought no recognition for his brave deeds but instead petitioned the Board of Health to recognize those who assisted him.

Go on and vote on Milisande's blog. I think it will be open for the next six days.

Saint of the Week

I have decided to appoint St. Joseph Moscati as the saint of the week.

St. Joseph Moscati was born in late 19th century Italy. He was the seventh of nine children. Joseph was inspired to become a doctor upon watching his older brother suffer from a head injury. He received his doctorate of medicine in 1903. In 1913 he made a vow of celibacy and aspired toward the priesthood but was discouraged from this path by a Jesuit who encouraged him to devote his life to the practice of medicine.
Moscati gave himself completely to his patients. His special love was for the poor and elderly. Often he would see patients for free and even slip money into their prescriptions. He was ahead of his time in his practice and believed that one's physical health requires a balance of body, mind and soul. Joseph's love sprang from the simple fact that he saw all people as children of God and beloved by Him. He worked tirelessly for his patients, completely exhausting himself. He died at the age of 46. He was canonized in 1987 and his feast is November 16.

Fatigued

I'm really tired but I am going to post anyways. This week has been so insanely busy full of baseball practices, appointments, tons of yard work, errands and even a party. The whirlwind continues until Monday when hopefully I will be able to rest but as the old saying goes there is no rest for the weary.

The Week in Review

This week I ..

finished watching the extended edition of The Two Towers(thank you Elisabeth!)...

began reading Sun Slower, Sun Faster, a piece of historical fiction about the church in England and the Holy Mass...

studied for the ACT test(fun)...


went to mass at St. Florian's, an old polish church...



and went to my little brother's 1st baseball game of the season(Go White Soxs!).

Diminished but not Destroyed

J.R.R Tolkien’s novels, particularly The Lord of the Rings, give us a deeper understanding of good and evil. Good is always good and evil is always evil. The one ring is inherently evil. The good character of it’s bearers does not change it’s evil nature. It’s power is always black no matter what the intentions of those who wield it are. It’s power can only bring confusion, hatred and destruction. Our actions are the same. They are either good or evil separate of the outcome they produce.
The forces of good and evil daily clash in our world. Evil and hatred are the causes of war, genocide and terrorism. In his own time Tolkien saw the forces of evil at work in the world. The leaders of Communism and Nazism were empowered by darkness. They destroyed millions of lives and divided the country of Europe. They broke the bonds of peace and trust that existed between nations and set up in their place walls of suspicion and hate. Evil always seeks to destroy, to break apart. Saruman destroys what is beautiful and corrupts it breeding orcs from men and felling trees for factories. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) The one ring corrupts those who bear it, from the humble hobbit to the powerful wizard.
Tolkien loved the traditional culture of Great Britain. He was deeply troubled by those who were trying to change. The 20th century saw the modernization of society. Everything from government to education to family life was being redefined. Tolkien saw these as negative reformations and changes. He clung to his old way of life. Even the Catholic Church, which he loved so dearly, was undergoing changes in it’s liturgies and rites. Tolkien stubbornly refused to adhere to the adjustments and continued to recite the words from the old liturgies. (Collins, David. J.R.R Tolkien. First. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2005. Print.) Saruman tried to destroy the traditional way of life that existed in Hobbiton replacing Hobbitholes with apartments and gardens with work yards. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) The industrialization of Hobbiton reflected Tolkien’s feelings about the changes happening in his own country.
Tolkien offered to the world a solution to it’s troubles in the final chapters of Lord of the Rings. Strengthened by their quest and the peril they together endured, the hobbits returned to the Shire as leaders. They had grown in mind and body and were able to resist the oppression of Saruman and his men. They started a rebellion and drove him from the Shire. They then assisted in rebuilding the community and took on leadership roles. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) Tolkien thought that the peoples of Europe could be strengthened by the war. He hoped that a new age would begin and that leaders would rise up and drive the forces of evil form their homes. Then, like in Hobbitton, Europe could truly be rebuilt and have a chance of returning to normal life. He never saw the dawn of this new hope. He died in 1973 in the midst of the Cold War. He, like the protagonist Frodo, left Europe with a great gift, a legacy, and like Frodo was not able to enjoy the fruit of his labor. “I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”(Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King. J.RR. Tolkien, chp.9, pg.1029)

Rowlings Fans Beware!

J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series discuss the topic of good and evil. Tolkien unlike Rowlings portrayed good and evil as black and white, an action as being either intrinsically evil or intrinsically good. Evil actions in his tales have evil results. Saruman the wizard starts out good but his continual choice of evil corrupts him and all under his power. He is not able to achieve a good end by a bad means. In J.K. Rowlings novels the topics of good and evil are blurred. Although Harry and his friends are the good guys in the series they often do bad things to get what they want.
In the first book of J.R Tolkien’s trilogy two of the main characters are faced with a challenge. Aragorn, the heir of Ilsildor, and Boromir, son of Denethor, could easily have taken the ring from Frodo the bearer but neither do. Aragorn, from the beginning of the tale, chooses not to use the ring for himself but to safeguard it and Frodo. Boromir was tempted by the ring and at one point tried to wrest it from the ring bearer. Although he only wished to use it to help his people the power of the ring caused him to be filled with lust. The ring also tempted Boromir’s father, the steward of Gondor. He used a tool of the Dark Lord in an attempt to safe guard his realm but was corrupted by the dark forces of Sauron and as a result killed himself. The great wizard Saruman fell in the same way. He used an instrument of the enemy to try to gain power for himself and came under the spell of the Dark Lord. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) An evil means cannot be used to achieve a good end.
You reap what you sow. Author J.K. Rowling however doesn’t seem to think so. Her characters often do bad things with no negative consequences. They perform unjust acts in the name of justice. No matter what the circumstances good results don’t justify a bad way of getting them. Stealing ice cream for a sibling’s party does not justify the act of stealing even if that is the only way of getting the ice cream. In Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix both Harry and his friend Ron pass exams by cheating. Harry even cheats to win the Triwizard. Harry’s godfather, Sirius, encourages deterrent behavior and Harry and his friends break school rules often but are never punished.
J.K. Rowling’s series presents readers with an ideology known as moral relativity. Moral relativists believe that there are no moral absolutes, that good and evil are relative, and that the morality of an action changes with the circumstance and intentions of the person. It is true that if an individual is unaware that he is doing something wrong he himself is not guilty of the misdemeanor but the action itself remains immoral. Cheating is always wrong even if we do it for the good of another. An example is Hermoine doing Harry and Ron’s homework for them. Just because Harry and his friends stand for what is good doesn’t excuse deterrent behavior. Harry is never punished for his misconduct but is often encouraged to do it. In contrast Tolkien’s characters suffer the consequences of their wrong actions. For example to save the life of Faramir, the son of Gondor’s Steward, Bergond, one of the guards, leaves his post to save him. In Gondor this was punishable by death. Since he had left his post to save someone’s life he was spared this harsh sentence but was still forced to leave the city. Saruman the wizard and his cohort Grima Wormtongue are locked in the tower of Insengard for their traitorous deeds. Actions have consequences. No matter what the results of the action a good end never justifies a bad means. The protagonist Frodo is saved from the power of the ring by the creature Gollum. Although he saved Frodo’s life Gollum is punished by fate since in saving Frodo he took the forbidden ring for himself. Gollum’s lust destroys him and he dies in the fires of Mount Doom as a punishment. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.)Tolkien’s tales teach us that no matter how noble the intention our evil actions will be punished someday.

Heaven in a Pumpkin Patch

One of the best descriptions I've ever heard of Heaven was in the novel "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. It is a narrative story written in first person. The narrator relates his growing up on the American frontier with a neighbor girl known as Antonia. In the scene of the book that this quote is from the narrator is lying in his aunt's pumpkin patch.
"I kept as still as I could. Nothing happened. I did not expect anything to happen. I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one it comes as naturally as sleep."

Analogy vs. Allegory

J.R.R Tolkien’s literary writings, especially Lord of the Rings, were influenced by his experience in World War I. Tolkien served in the British army as a Second Lieutenant from 1915 until the end of the war. As an officer he participated in several different aspects of the war including communications and front line action. His battalion took part in two major battles, Orvilles and the attack on Schwaben. During the war Tolkien began to develop the stories of Middle Earth that would later on become Lord of the Rings. (May 2010. Croft, Janet. "The Great War and Tolkien's Memory." Mythlore (2002): n. pag. Web. 8 May 2010.) Many parallels referring to the war can be found in the story, however Lord of the Rings is not meant to be a direct allegory, as some claim, but rather an analogy. Tolkien himself made this clear and was very annoyed by those who stated otherwise.
Soldiers in combat experience a special kind of friendship often referred to as comradery. Tolkien experienced this kind of relationship in his days as an officer with the soldiers under his command. Every British officer had a “batman”, a soldier of a lower class who waited on him, took care of his belongings and acted much as a servant would. The character of Sam Gamgee was based off of the “batmen” who had served Tolkien throughout the war. “My Sam Gamgee”, said Tolkien,” Is indeed a reflection of the English soldier, of the private and batmen I knew in the 1914 war.”( Croft , Janet. "The Great War and Tolkien's Memory." Mythlore (2002): n. pag. Web. 8) In the story Sam is “Mr. Frodo’s” servant. He cooks for him, fetches water, makes the campfire and protects him from intruders while he rests. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print. ) Their friendship is similar to the comradery experienced by soldiers. It not ruined by the horror they experience together but rather strengthened by it.
The trenches of WWI were gruesome places. Soldiers returned home with stories of horror concerning their experiences there. J.R.R.Tolkien spent part of the war in trenches on the frontline where he contracted a fever that kept him off the battlefield for much of the war. When creating the landscapes for Mordor and the Dead Marshes Tolkien drew from this experience. (Croft, Janet. "The Great War and Tolkien's Memory." Mythlore (2002): n. pag. Web. 8)The battlefields of WWI were polluted with the rotting bodies of dead men and animals sinking into the mud. When traveling through the Dead Marshes Frodo and Sam see the faces of those fallen in battle. Old and decaying, hideous to behold yet once looked upon their gaze could not be drawn from them. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) In a letter Tolkien wrote,” The Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morarnnon owe something to northern France after the Battle of the Somme”. (Croft, Janet. "The Great War and Tolkien's Memory." Mythlore (2002): n. pag. Web. 8) Mordor resembles “no-man’s land”, the area between the German and Allied trenches. No-man’s land was entrenched with fuming potholes caused by artillery shells much like the one Sam and Frodo hid in during a scene in The Two Towers. The battlefield was deprived of life, like Mordor it’s only inhabitants were enemy soldiers and dead, barren trees. The battlefield reeked of smoke from artillery, Mordor from the fumes of Mount Doom. Just as the horror of the battlefield landscape was caused by man’s misuse of technology so to the desolation of Mordor was not caused by nature but was the work of evil minds.
World War I marked the end of a golden age in Europe. Similarly the destruction of the one Ring brought about the end of the third age in Middle Earth. The third age was a high culture of music and art created by the elves and dwarfs. Their power diminished with the destruction of the Ring and these ancient peoples began to fade. Middle Earth was then left in the hands of men who had to preserve what was left of beauty in the world after the Great War. The fourth age was a lesser one, as was the new age that began in Europe after WWI. The rise of Communism and Fascism, the Cold War and the raising of the Berlin Wall were some of the events that followed the 1914 war. The evils that started it, unlike the Ring, had not been defeated
Some critics of Lord of the Rings claim that it is an allegory of World War I. An allegory is a story in which people, things and events have a hidden symbolic meaning meant to teach a moral lesson. C.S Lewis’s stories about Narnia are direct allegories to the Bible meant to teach children the story of redemption. Tolkien strongly disagreed with this method of instruction and never used it himself. “As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical... It was written long before the foreshadow of 1939 had yet become a threat of inevitable disaster, and from that point the story would have developed along essentially the same lines, if that disaster had been averted.” (Croft, Janet. ""The Young perish and the Old Wither Lingering": J.R.R Tolkien on World War II." Mythlore June (2003): n. pg. Web. 11 May 2010.) Once it was suggested by a Swedish commentator that Saruman was meant to represent Joseph Stalin. Tolkien then clearly stated that nothing he wrote was a direct reference to any person or world event. “Such an allegory is entirely foreign to my thought,” he retorted. (Croft, Janet. "The Great War and Tolkien's Memory." Mythlore (2002): n. pag. Web. 8)Tolkien’s writings were analogies. An analogy is a partial resemblance between subjects usually considered unalike. Lord of the Rings is an analogy about evil and goodness, darkness and light. The War of the Ring has similarities to WWI but does not refer directly to it; in fact there are many differences. As well as being influenced by WWI, J.R Tolkien was also affected by WWII, Communism, total war methods and industrialization. All of these ideologies are found in Lord of the Rings. His dislike of modern technology is very clearly expressed, especially in the scourging of the Shire, which takes place in Return of the King, as well as in the character of Saruman and his industrialized city of Insengard.
The success or failure of a battle is not merely determined by who wins or loses. The total loss of human life must also be considered. Many battles of WWI were literally human blood baths. Some critics say that the whole war was a purposeless waste of human life and that it could have been avoided. Both sides suffered heavy causalities. All of Europe was broken and divided, whole cities wiped out and destroyed. Enmity was planted in the hearts of many and came to full bloom with the outbreak of World War II a decade later. Similarly, the war in Middle Earth cost the lives of many, including great leaders such as Theoden, King of Rohan, and Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor. The war would never defeat the Dark Lord as Gandulf said in the first half of the book,” Always after a defeat and a respite, the shadow takes another shape and grows again.” (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) Only through the destruction of the one Ring was the power of Sauron defeated. The only solution to war and conflict is not more violence but conversion. When selfishness and greed are uprooted from men’s hearts then the world will know peace but while it remains conflict and enmity between peoples will continue.

A Thought on Love

"LOVE ALONE CREATES." ~ st. maximillian kolbe

Another part of my report.

Of Kings and Serfs

J.R.R Tolkien lived and worked in 20th century England. He was strongly influenced by traditional English culture. Culture is the customs or usual practices of a people. The English have a culture composed of afternoon tea and social formalities, of pipes and storytelling at the pub. J.RR. Tolkien spent much of his free time with friends at pubs exchanging stories and ideas. Tolkien reflects this aspect of English culture in the characters of his hobbits who enjoy whiling away evening hours at the Green Dragon, telling old tales and sharing a pint or two around the fireplace. As did many English men of his time Tolkien smoked a pipe. In Lord of the Rings, Gandulf the wizard and all of the hobbits smoke pipes.
The hobbits of the Shire represent the common English folk of whom Tolkien was so fond. They are simple farmers and tradesmen. They mind their own business and are generally undisturbed by what happens in the outside world. Tolkien grew up with these kinds of people in a village much like Hobbitton. Although he was forced to leave his simple home to attend school he never forgot his country upbringing and revived childhood memories through the Shire.
High or upper class English culture is portrayed in the Elves They speak a language very similar to old English. They are very formal in their social interactions and are older and wiser then many of the other inhabitants of Middle Earth. The elves were the first creations of the gods, the valar. Because of their age the elves had a knowledge not possessed by men or hobbits. When beginning their quest Frodo and his companions went to Elrond, an elf lord, for counsel. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) Both the hobbits and the Elves share a love of gardening like the English.
The English monarchy is also given a place in the story through the men of Rohan and Gondor who are governed by kings. They do not resent being governed by hierarchy but loyally obey and defend them. It is part of their heritage and makes them proud of who they are.
Language was for J.R.R Tolkien the heart of culture. Through language we are able to transmit ideas and beliefs to future generations and thus preserve our identity. Tolkien saw that languages were diminishing. Of the 10,000 languages that once existed in the world only 6,000 are still used today. Tolkien saw the disappearance of languages as a decline of culture in general. This is reflected in Lord of the Rings through the fading of the elves, dwarfs and ents. As the Fourth Age begins these ancient peoples slowly disappear. One of the signs of their decline is the disappearance of their languages. Knowledge of them becomes little known and they are replaced by the common tongue. ("National Geographic, Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King.” National Geographic Society. National Geographic, 2009. Web. 4 May 2010.) In our own world we see many dialects becoming extinct and being replaced with internationally known vernacular such as Spanish and English.

Drat! Yesterday I got so caught up in reading in The Hobbit I forgot to blog. Maybe I will post twice today to make up for it.

I finally finished Lord of the Rings a few weeks ago and yesterday The Hobbit so I am definitely going to be posting about them during the next few weeks. I need to organize my thoughts so it all sounds semi-intelligent.

This summer I want to do a series, so to speak, about new saints and blesseds. One of my friends recently was telling me that she couldn't relate to any of the saints. They all seem to be hermits, abbots and bishops she said. Sometimes I think she is right but actually there have been more saints in the 20th century then any other. Surely they must have some things in common with us. Some of the holy people I will post on our Bl. Marcel Callo, St.Joseph Moscotti and Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity. Of course I don't want to undermine the Church Fathers but to make known some of the newly canonized and beatified.

My last idea for summer blogging is to have a weekly review. In the weekly review I will report on all the amazing things I have done in the past week such as discover new and uncharted territories, go treasure hunting with dwarfs and slay dragons(sorry, my mind is still on The Hobbit). I will probably do it on Wednesday because it is a random day to do a review.

Maybe I will post again later but now I have to go to the library.

Here is the second part of my English essay.

Reflections on a Dark Age

As well as being greatly influenced by the First World War, J.R Tolkien was also affected by WWII, the rise of Communism and modernism and the breakdown of tradition. Although he himself did not fight in WWII two of his sons did. His concern for them is reflected in the characters of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. As Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo, is very concerned about the peril his nephew is in. Bilbo tries to take on the quest himself at the council of Elrond but is not allowed to do so because of his age. (Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Print.) Tolkien to, it seems, wished to take his sons places in the war as he wrote to his son Christopher, “ If only I could do something active.” (Croft, Janet. ""The Young perish and the Old Wither Lingering": J.R.R Tolkien on World War II." Mythlore June (2003): n. pag. Web. 11 May 2010. ) His opposition of communism is very strongly portrayed in the scouring of the shire, which happens at the end of the third book, Return of the King. While the war of the rings was being waged off in foreign lands Saruman the wizard was doing his best to industrialize the shire. He instituted community ownership of all produce and appointed some of his men to distribute it. The appointees kept the best produce for themselves and then sold much of it, earning a profit for themselves. Those who refused to cooperate were thrown in prisons where they were practically starved to death. Those who survived resembled inmates released from concentration camps.
J.R. Tolkien was saddened to see the decline of tradition in his lifetime. Having been raised in the country, he remembered those days as some of the best of his life. He shunned the hustle and bustle of the modern world and preferred a simple way of life. He never owned a car but instead rode his bike or walked wherever he could. (Collins, David. J.R.R Tolkien. First. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2005. Print.) Tolkien’s villains are portrayed as destroyers of nature and all that is beautiful while his heroes love and protect it. ("J.R.R Tolkien and Nature." Tolkien-Online.com. Tolkien-Online.com, 2007. Web. 11 May 2010.) Tolkien’s villains also love machinery and seek to replace nature with it. Suraman manipulates nature by breeding orcs in a process similar to cloning. He chops down trees to build cities and factories that pollute the environment. Sauron kills all beautiful things in his realm and creates the mechanical monsters the Nazgul ride. (“National Geographic, Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King." National Geographic Society. National Geographic, 2009. Web. 4 May 2010).

I'm done! I finished my first semester of community college. Now I will be able to post every day(right). I really am going to try to post something everyday even if it is just a small quote or something.

For my English class our final assignment was a research report on an artist. I chose to do mine on J.R.R Tolkien. The paper had six parts, a biography, historical context, cultural context, argument, comparison and a conclusion. This is the biography. Probably the blandest part of the paper but a good introduction.

The Making of an Artist
John Ronald Reul Tolkien, also known as J.R.R Tolkien, began writing stories at the age of seven. From his earliest years he was attracted to fantasy. His first story was about a big, green dragon. He was also fascinated with languages and words. In grammar school one of his teachers introduced him to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, which greatly influenced his style of writing. In high school his favorite subjects were grammar, Greek, Latin and philology, the study of languages. He began to study Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse during this time. In college he took an interest in Finnish and began to attend a Finnish Grammar school were he studied the language and mythology of Finland. (Collins, David. J.R.R Tolkien. First. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2005. Print.)During World War I Tolkien lost many of his good friends. The loss of his school colleagues deeply touched him. He realized how frail human life is and resolved to give something to England before he died, a great work, similar to the old Finnish tales he had studied. He wanted to write an epic that embodied the spirit and culture of the English people. “Tolkien had read thousands of legends from many countries. He knew how they were set up. But he didn’t want to copy any other story. For England he hoped to write with clear and simple beauty.” (Collins, David. J.R.R Tolkien. First. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2005. Print. ) Tolkien began his great epic in 1917. It took almost his whole life to complete and is known to the world as The Silmarillion. It was his tribute to his fallen comrades and his gift to his country. It was published in 1977 four years after his death.
Although Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his greatest work the world knows him as the creator of The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of Rings began in 1929 with the creation of the first hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo was originally invented to entertain Tolkien’s children at bedtime. Upon sharing the stories with his friends they insisted he publish them. Tolkien was reluctant but eventually agreed. Bilbo’s adventures, titled The Hobbit, were published in 1937. The public loved them. They wanted a sequel so J.R began work on part one of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. It wasn’t published until 1954 due to the great length of the story. In between the time of the Hobbit’s publication and Lord of the Rings Tolkien wrote a number of short stories including The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Giles of Ham. These stories never had the success of the others. The public loved him for his hobbits.

Happy Easter!

May the joy of Christ's Resurrection transform your whole being!