Carthusians

What are my two loves of the Catholic tradition? Well, of coarse, God is first and foremost. Then comes my other two cherishings: sacred music and monks. God uses music and the lives of monks -who are already in love with Him - to romantasize the hearts of believers and inbelievers alike with transcendent sounds and consecrated quiteness. Both music and monks bring us closer to a mystery that has been revealed, but not fully.

The following poem, entitled Carthusians, was written by Ernest Christopher Dowson (1967-1900)about those superb and venerable Carthusian monks, who search for Him in ways and through paths known only to the holiest and the most true-hearted of human beings.

If you are not Catholic, the only thing I ask is that you keep an open mind about Carthusian monk tradition.

Carthusians

Through what long heaviness, assayed in what strange fire,
Have these white monks been brought into the way of peace,
Despising the world’s wisdom and the world’s desire,
Which from the body of this death bring no release?

Within their austere walls no voices penetrate;
A sacred silence only, as of death, obtains;
Nothing finds entry here of loud or passionate;
This quiet is the exceeding profit of their pain:

From many lands they came, in divers fiery ways;
Each knew at last the vanity of earthly joys;
And one was crowned with thorns, and one was crowned with bays,
And each was tired at last of the world’s foolish noise.

It was not theirs with Dominic to preach God’s holy wrath,
They were too stern to bear sweet Francis’ gentle sway;
Theirs was a higher calling and a steeper path,
To dwell alone with Christ, to meditate and pray.

A cloistered company, they are companionless,
None knoweth here the secret of his brother’s heart:
They are but come together for more loneliness,
Whose bond is solitude and silence all their part.

O beatific life! Who is there shall gainsay,
Your great refusal’s victory, your little loss,
Deserting vanity for the more perfect way,
The sweeter service of the most dolorous Cross.

Ye shall prevail at last! Surely ye shall prevail!
Your silence and austerity shall win at last:
Desire and mirth, the world’s ephemeral lights shall fail,
The sweet star of your queen is never overcast.

We fling up flowers and laugh, we laugh across the wine;
With wine we dull our souls and careful strains of art;
Our cups are polished skulls round which the roses twine:
None dares to look at Death who leers and lurks apart.

Move on, white company, whom that has not sufficed!
Our viols cease, our wine is death, our roses fail:
Pray for our heedlessness, O dwellers with the Christ!
Though the world fall apart, surely ye shall prevail.

Don't believe the quiz. I'm an Angel. Really, I am!

You Are 18% Evil

You are good. So good, that you make evil people squirm. Just remember, you may need to turn to the dark side to get what you want!

How Evil Are You?

Mozart's B-day + A music lesson for the day

Argent by the Tiber has a post reminding us today is the birthday of one of my favorite composers - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This genius began his musical career at the tender age of five, writing his first symphony at the age of eight, and his first opera at the age of eleven (some sources say twelve). In his lifetime he managed to produce well over six hundred major compositions, and had a major influence over contemporary composers of his time (Beethoven).

Among his most popular compositions (I'm mentioning just a few. Too many to list completely) are his Requiem Mass, K.626; Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K.183; Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467; Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550. Not listed are his many piano and violin sonatas, as well as violin, horn, and piano concertos, string quartets, string duos and string trios, operas and divertimentos, serenades, masses, and many miscellaneous compositions.

By the way, the "K" next to Mozart's compositions and the numbers that follow it are known as the Kochel numbers, or, if you prefer, the K-numbers. Ludwig Ritter von Köchel (1800-1877) was a musicologist, writer, composer, and botanist, who catalogued the works of Mozart.


Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467




Ave verum corpus, K.618




Symphony No.25 in G minor, K.183




Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550




Also, if I'm not mistaken, he also wrote the 1985 hit Rock Me Amadeus (posthumously published) and performed by Austrian pop star, Falco. LOL!



"Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition."
~~ Franz Joseph Hayden to Leopold Mozart

Carry Your Cross

I got this over an email, which means it must be circulating in other places. It's kind of mushy, but gets the point across.

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.

"Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied,

"My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief.

"Thank you, Lord," he sighed, and he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

And the Lord replied,

" My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Jaime at Bell Literary Reflections who, I might add, has an insatiable appetite for books and authors of every kind. I envy you, Jaime, not just for your love of books but also for the cozy place you created to read them.


1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I cannot put into words how tiresome and banal this book is. It's like watching grass grow while under deep sedation.


2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?


Well, quite a few come to mind. To be whimsical and literarily consistent with the tea portion of the question, perhaps the Hatter (a.k.a. Mad Hatter) from Alice in Wonderland would make for an interesting tea-time guest. For a night of clubbing I would bring Yossarian of Catch-22 to life. His comical gutlessness would keep me cracking up all night long. And finally, for the world cruise, I select poor old Jacob Jankowski from the novel Water for Elephants. He's had it far from easy, so a well deserved getaway might do him some good.


3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?


Again, Atlas Shrugged. There might actually be medicinal usages for this book. If given as a reading assignment before surgery, some patients might be so dummied up they might actually avoid the dangerous afterclap of risky anesthetics.


4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

I have to agree with Jaime and go with The Davinci Code - although I have been perfectly clear with other people about not finishing it. I knew historically the book was a complete fabrication, but the plot and characters never engaged me like better written stories have.


5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP).

If he's not a big reader, I would introduce him to a twentieth century literary classic: 2001 A Space Odyssey. It's an adventuresome and creative production by Arhtur C. Clarke that mysteriously describes an extraterrestial visitation to our solar system by alien entities, as well as the evolution of mankind.


6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

I'll take Russian, so that I may read Fyodor Dostoevsky in his native tongue.


7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?


Well, I LOVE books that make me laugh, and this one is an ol' favorite of a great many people: A Confederacy of Dunces. Folks, if any of you don't like to read but want to laugh until it hurts, pick this one up. You WON'T regret it.


8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

A few weeks ago, Katie Alender, who has a book coming out this year, gave the book Life of Pi a great review. I had read the plot summary of this story and found it completely uninteresting. But with Katie's push I'm thinking that the summary I read might do the book no justice. Also, Jaime's positive review of the book Crossed: A Tale of the Fourth Crusade has firmly placed it in my must-buy list.

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Wow! This fairy better have a big budget. LOL! Actually, in terms of setting, I would like something that is both versatile and intimate. Something that draws from the contemplative atmosphere of a monastic environment while at the same time employing various components of an office space. A place where you can read and write as you read. And, yes, it would be filled with first editions that contained the authors' handwritten notes or dedication.

For sure I'm tagging Katie Alender. If you like to read and want to share with the rest of us some of our literary inclinations, take me up on the challenge and consider yourself tagged!

Well, I'm off to the gym. See ya!

A Goofy Post

You Are A Romantic Realist

You tend to be grounded when it comes to romance. Sure, you can fall hard... but only for someone you've gotten to know. And once you're in love, you can be a total romantic goofball... But you'd never admit it to your friends!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Oh, please. Me? A goofball? Have I ever written goofy posts for this blog or made goofy comments on anyone else's? (You don't have to answer that)

In Paradisum

If you haven't noticed by now, I LOVE sacred music. I especially enjoy those works that are imbued with a sense of mysticism (mystery of God) and transcendence. At the pinnacle of all sacred works is Gregorio Allegri's Miserere (see music player on side bar), which was composed almost 400 years ago and is still performed in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week at the Vatican. Unfortunately, not every composition can be a Miserere or a Palestrina production, but that doesn't mean they carry no beauty of their own. One such wonderful work is the marvelous Requiem by French composer Gabriel Urbain Fauré. Melodic, inventive, sometimes dark but always beautiful, this Requiem is one of my favorites by a composer outside the Baroque era. Below is the "In Paradisum" excerpt of the Requiem Mass. Note the rather playful mood that characterizes this segment of the work.

This one is for *YOU* (you know who you are) who visited my blog minus THE words

I'll let another Thomas - of a sort - say it for me:)


Unknown

She is most fair,
And when they see her pass
The poets' ladies
Look no more in the glass
But after her.

On a bleak moor
Running under the moon
She lures a poet,
Once proud or happy, soon
Far from his door.

Beside a train,
Because they saw her go,
Or failed to see her,
Travellers and watchers know
Another pain.

The simple lack
Of her is more to me
Than others' presence,
Whether life splendid be
Or utter black.

I have not seen,
I have no news of her;
I can tell only
She is not here, but there
She might have been.

She is to be kissed
Only perhaps by me;
She may be seeking
Me and no other; she
May not exist.

Edward Thomas

I can just imagine the potential misunderstandings that come with this post. I should leave this kind of stuff for me second blog. Sheesh...

Shame On Me

Ever been shamefully aware of knowing things that you shouldn't? If I'm going to fill my head with useless data, I should at least make an effort to educate myself about people who have made this world a better place, sometimes at tremendous sacrifice to themselves.

This is a list of shame - MY shame. The list below contains the names of actors, political figures, and all-around dolts that I have heard of and recognize when their faces are plastered all over a magazine or television. It's shameful because instead of knowing EVERY NAME of every saint in the cannon; instead of knowing theology more fully; or the works of every great humanitarian in history; or every name of the men and women who are fighting in Iraq; or the names of ALL the victims of the September 11th attacks, I know these names.

1) Paris Hilton (useless twirp)
2) Lindsey Lohan
3) L.Ron Hubbard
4) Britney Spears
5) Rick and Cathy Hilton (parents of the useless twirp)
6) Michael Jackson
7) Scott Peterson
8) Tom Cruise
9) Richard Dawkins (dogmatic/ fundamentalist atheist)
10) George Clooney
11) New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys (this one is especially unforgivable)
12) Hulk Hogan
13) Marilyn Manson (?????)
14) Charlie Manson
15) Colin Ferrel
16) Brian Seacrest
17) Courtney Love (skank)
18) Katie Holmes (victim)
19) Madonna
20) Kid Rock
21) Ted Kennedy
22) Dr. Phil
23) Pamela Anderson
24) O.J. Simpson
25) Nancy Pelosi
26) William Hung (American Idol reject. "She Bangs")
27) Kevin Federline (sloth)
28) Ashlee Simpson
29) David Letterman (NOT funny)
30) Rosie O'Donnel ( ditto )
31) Oprah Winfrey
32) Christopher Hitchens (dogmatic/ fundamentalist atheist)

There are many, many more.

Either from approbation or infamy, I can't justify knowing who these people are while having such incomplete knowledge of other people and other subjects that really matter. Please pray for me.

A little humor from before he became Pope...

Karl Rahner, Hans Kung and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger all die on the same day, and go to meet St. Peter to know their fate.

St. Peter approaches the three of them, and tells them that he will interview each of them to discuss their views on various issues.

He then points at Rahner and says "Karl! In my office..." After 4 hours, the door opens, and Rahner comes stumbling out of St. Peter's office. He is highly distraught, and is mumbling things like "Oh God, that was the hardest thing I've ever done! How could I have been so wrong! So sorry...never knew..." He stumbles off into Heaven, a testament to the mercy of Our God.

St. Peter follows him out, and sticks his finger in Kung's direction and "Hans! You're next..." After 8 hours, the door opens, and Kung comes out, barely able to stand. He is near collapse with weakness and a crushed spirit. He , too, is mumbling things like "Oh God, that was the hardest thing I've ever done! How could I have been so wrong! So sorry...never knew..." He stumbles off into Heaven, a testament to the mercy of Our God.

Lastly, St. Peter, emerging from his office, says to Cardinal Ratzinger, "Joseph, your turn." TWELVE HOURS LATER, St. Peter stumbles out the door, apparently exhausted, saying "Oh God, that's the hardest thing I've ever done..."