Monday, May 20, 2019

Mourning a Lost World



You may be wondering why I have a penchant for wanting to read things such as “The death of Christian Culture” and “The Restoration of Christian Culture”, which are not exactly entertaining romance novels.

When I was a young girl and later as a young wife and mother, the world was a vastly different place than it is now. All of society was organized to support the idea of home, hearth, and family. To that end, ‘decency’ was a byword for all cultural transactions - language was monitored in newspapers and on the airwaves, movies were kept tame by the ‘Legion of Decency‘, teachers were not allowed to teach unless they were of proven moral character; in other words there was an unwritten code of behavior beyond which no one could go without censure. Everyone was worried about corrupting children! Men were responsible for providing for their families, women were responsible to make a home and tend to their offspring. This was our society - and so much more. This was the way society had been for millenniums and I certainly never thought it would be any different. I didn’t realize that it was a distinctly ‘Christian Culture’ at the time. I didn’t realize that for many years there had been forces at work who hated that culture and who wanted to destroy it. When the revolution and destruction came in 1968 I was totally unprepared for it and never believed that it would be a permanent thing. Surely, I thought, someone would set things right.

Well, now it is over 50 years since the first days of the ‘revolution’ . The Generation which was active as young men and women in the original assault and defense is grown old. It has been replaced by a new body which cannot remember the old unquestioned Unity of Christian Culture. The chaos was never dispelled - thus the useful part of a lifetime has gone by with no remedy, with things getting worse and worse, men and women more and more getting accustomed to irresponsibility and indecency. “We have a very gross national product”, says Dr. Senior in The Restoration of Christian Culture, “we have the grossest national product of any nation in history and not in a single city or town is it good or even safe to bring up children.”

But what can we do? Dr. Senior continues, “Anyone, right now, can live a better life if he wants to wherever he is - it is not a matter of moving to ‘kinder shores’, or anywhere else ‘out of this world’, except to the unexplored frontiers behind our own closed doors. The answer lies where it always has, not in the laws of nations, which indeed determine the destinies of Sodom and Gomorrah; the answer lies in the laws of the Kingdom within us because there we make the choice. There we are not the slaves of instruments* but only of our own bad habits….” (*instruments = technology).
Dr. Senior gives much practical advice in his books, always prefaced with "First, smash the TV, then....". He was born in 1920 and began teaching somewhere in the 1940's. He saw clearly where the problem of cultural demise and the decline in teachable children came in. Personally, I can't smash the TV. It doesn't belong just to me. But I try to hold the line. Even so, last year I became involved with an action show. This year I decided not to waste '24' hours on what amounts to absolutely nothing. I'm 77 years old and have too many books left to read, too many skills left to learn, too many things to pray about, too many grandchildren to enjoy to waste any more time. In other words, I'm one of the lucky ones who still lives in a Christian Culture and I'm not going into the other camp and let it spoil it in any way for me.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

This passage from Thomas a Kempis' classic devotional The Imitation of Christ struck me this morning as being very beautiful and inspiring. (Comments in quotes are mine!)



The kingdom of God is the peace and joy of the Spirit
Turn to the Lord with your whole heart and leave behind this wretched world. Then your soul shall find rest. For the kingdom of God is the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. If you prepare within your heart a fitting dwelling place, Christ will come to you and console you.

  His glory and beauty are within you, and he delights in dwelling there. The Lord frequently visits the heart of man. There he shares with man pleasant conversations; welcome consolation, abundant peace and a wonderful intimacy.

  So come, faithful soul. Prepare your heart for your spouse to dwell within you. For he says: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and we shall come to him and make our dwelling within him.

  Make room for Christ. When you possess Christ you are a rich man (or woman!), for he is sufficient for you. He himself, shall provide for you and faithfully administer all your cares. You will not have to place your hope in men. Put all your trust in God; let him be both your fear and your love. He will respond on your behalf and will do whatever is in your best interest.

  You have here no lasting city. For wherever you find yourself, you will always be a pilgrim from another city (the Heavenly Jerusalem). Until you are united intimately with Christ, you will never find your true rest.

  Let your thoughts be with the Most High and direct your prayers continually to Christ. If you do not know how to contemplate the glory of heaven, take comfort in the passion of Christ, and dwell willingly in his sacred wounds. Endure with Christ, suffer for him, if you wish to reign with him.

  Once you have entered completely into the depths of Jesus, and have a taste of his powerful love, then you will not care about your own convenience or inconvenience. Rather you will rejoice all the more in insults and injuries, for the love of Jesus makes a man scorn his own needs.



Be gracious, Lord, to us who serve you,
  and in your kindness increase your gifts of grace within us:
so that, fervent in faith, hope and love,
  we may be ever on the watch
  and persevere in doing what you command.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
  who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
  one God, for ever and ever.
Amen


Monday, May 4, 2015

50 Days of Easter

                                              
Fifty Days of Easter celebration between Easter Sunday and Pentecost!  At our house we like to celebrate around the table, so we enjoy making different settings.

 Below is my Easter Sunday breakfast table.  


Actually, I ended up using different napkins - the ones  included in my 'rimshot'.  


Let's see......placemats and ramekins are from TJ Maxx;  blue glasses, small blue plates and napkins - Old Time Pottery; beige plate and silver napkin rings - Walmart; vase - Dollar Tree.  


Soon after Easter, I decided to use some new pink napkins I found at the Harvest Thrift Store.  The plan was to use some pretty fresh pink flowers to go with the damask tablecloth and silver, but I couldn't find any in town.  So I resorted to my burgundy and dusty rose candle ring.


Next I wanted to use an heirloom banded tablecloth that I found at Savers.  I don't know if you can tell that besides the bands it has hemstitching!  Since it is a 60 inch square, I layered it over a green tablecloth.  The green napkin rings are from Savers, too.  Actually, so are the Homer Laughlin ivory plates.


The tablecloth has a kitchen feel to it, so I decided to keep it simple with plain glassware and a pitcher of greens and salmon colored carnations.


There are many more days of Easter celebration yet to come.  My Grandma Schuster always ended her letters to me with the phrase "Take time to smell the flowers!"  Well, I am taking her advice by setting a pretty table with glassware and china and sometimes even with fresh flowers and by taking time to enjoy a meal with my husband, friends and family.


Saturday, April 4, 2015

A Poem for Holy Saturday



The ancient grayness shifted
Suddenly and thinned
Like mist upon the moors
Before a wind.
An old, old prophet lifted
A shining face and said:
“He will be coming soon.
The Son of God is dead;
He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred
All souls.
They wondered if they dreamed –
Save one old man who seemed
Not even to have heard.

And Moses, standing,
Hushed them all to ask
If any had a welcome song prepared.
If not, would David take the task?
And if they cared
Could not the three young children sing
The Benedicite, the canticle of praise
They made when God kept them from perishing
In the fiery blaze?
A breath of spring surprised them,
Stilling Moses’ words.
No one could speak, remembering
The first fresh flowers,
The little singing birds.
Still others thought of fields new ploughed
Or apple trees
All blossom-boughed.
Or some, the way a dried bed fills
With water
Laughing down green hills.
The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam
On bright blue seas.
The one old man who had not stirred
Remembered home.

And there He was
Splendid as the morning sun and fair
As only God is fair.
And they, confused with joy,
Knelt to adore
Seeing that He wore
Five crimson stars*
He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung
None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song,
A silent man alone
Of all that throng
Found tongue –
Not any other.
Close to His heart
When the embrace was done,
Old Joseph said,
“How is Your Mother,
How is Your Mother, Son?”


Limbo by Sister Mary Ada, OSJ

* In case you haven't figured it out,  the five red stars are the five wounds Jesus received on the cross

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Celebrating Spring



Technically Winter is over and Spring IS here, but in Northern Indiana we are waiting for the rains to come because the snows are not over.  The only flowers that appear are from the florist.  



I did see a Robin or two this past week and wondered why on earth they were here as they tried to dig through the snow for a few morsels.


The Goldfinches are still wearing olive drab, but I'm sure they will brighten up in a few weeks.


But even though nice Spring weather is only a hope and a promise...


We do our best to celebrate the end of a long, rough winter anyway. 






Wednesday, March 25, 2015

March Madness


A few nice days in March does a lot for a spring-like outlook - even though we know we still have to suffer winter -like weather. 


But, fortunately there is a lot to celebrate in March, such as the Ides of March........


.............the day when Julius Caesar's  friends assassinated him.


Mr. Bill challenged me to do the Ides themed table.

A few days later, with a few quick changes - we have St. Patrick's Day.........


.......and  are all set for a bit 'o Irish stew.


Even the tiniest leprechaun sized bouquet is a feast for the eyes these cold March days!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Going Green

Today it is 10 degrees and going much lower tonight.  The ground is mostly snow covered with a few patches of very dead looking brown grass.  The idea of Spring seems almost like a myth. There is absolutely nothing green outdoors.  I am craving green, so I went around the house finding green things for my table.


I am wondering if the colors show well in these pictures.  I usually take them in the morning, but I think the light is too harsh then.  Next time I will wait until the afternoon.  I went thrift shopping a few weeks ago and picked up these adorable plates.  I love the plaid rim.


Actually there are two different designs.


The green napkins and brass rings were treasures from the same trip.  (I may have to move the napkins to the side.  It looks like my place settings are wearing hair  bows and if Mr. Bill has that thought it would really gross him out.)


I paired new $1,00 pressed glass goblets from Dollar Tree with vintage Czechoslovakian crystal wine glasses.  Surprisingly, they have a similar pattern.  The crystal does have a much higher monetary 
value, but mine are actually priceless.  They were a gift to our family from relatives in Slovakia.  My in-laws traveled there in 1976 while Slovakia was suffering under Russian rule.  The people had little, but were very generous in sending such beautiful gifts to us so that we would remember them.


Two brass candlesticks (stacked), some faux ivy,
 and a gently used light green candle complete the "greening" of my dining area.



I  think my new favorite color is green!