The Bible tells us not to use foul language.
But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Ephesians 4:29
No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
Matthew 8:8
The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
Just before we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we remember and speak the words of Matthew 8:8. This scripture passage reminds us that we have a need for humility and trust before Christ. We should not feel entitled to the Eucharist, because none of us deserve it.
We are not worthy to receive the Eucharist. Nothing we could say or do could make us deserve it. Ultimately, God is holy, and we are weak sinners, and by pure justice, He should have nothing to do with us. But He comes to us anyway in the Eucharist.
In His infinite mercy, Jesus heals our souls. We are not worthy, but Christ makes us worthy to receive Him.
H/T: Michael Grosch
On December 18, 2024, Catholics begin their observance of the Winter Ember Days.
What exactly are Ember Days, and why do they matter? Here’s a great explanation by Will Bloomfield, General Counsel of the Diocese of Lansing.
Ember Days are traditionally days of fasting and partial abstinence (no meat except at the principal meal). Each of the four Embertides include three days of fasting and partial abstinence – Ember Wednesday, Ember Friday (fasting and full abstinence), and Ember Saturday.
Ember Days occur quarterly around the beginnings of the four natural seasons, and are meant to focus us on God through His marvelous creation. The Ember Days should also remind us of our obligation to steward the earth.
The four Embertides are in Spring (the week after Ash Wednesday), Summer (after Pentecost Sunday), in Fall (after the Triumph of the Holy Cross), and in Winter (in Advent after the feast of St. Lucy).
The easy way to remember this is the rhyme: Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy.
By the time of the US Bishops’ 1966 Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence, which removed the obligation of fasting during the whole season of Lent, Catholics were already no longer obliged to fast and abstain during ember days or vigils (the day before a feast). Nevertheless, the Bishops suggested that the devout would continue to “find greater Christian joy” in the Church’s liturgical feasts if the faithful continued to embrace these practices. Now that we are more than 50 years from the removal of these obligations, and most Catholics have grown up knowing only two obligatory fast days (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), many Catholics have found that it remains salutary to step back from the modern world’s comforts and voluntarily embrace Ember Days and other traditional days of fasting and abstinence, particularly Fridays.
Another reason for embracing Ember Days and other days of fasting is that the greats of the Catholic spiritual tradition routinely encourage fasting as a key to unlocking deeper prayer.
St. John Vianney explained the connection this way:
“Unhappily, our hearts are not sufficiently pure and free from all earthly affections. If you take a very clean and very dry sponge, and soak it in water, it will be filled to overflowing; but if it is not dry and clean, it will take up nothing. In like manner, when the heart is not free and disengaged from the things of the earth, it is in vain that we steep it in prayer; it will absorb nothing.”
Jesus Christ also spoke of the need for prayer and fasting, and He modeled it.
So, in this holy season of Advent, when we are all encouraged to embrace prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, consider beginning the quarterly practice of Ember Days. That means embracing fasting and partial abstinence on this Ember Wednesday (December 18), Ember Friday (December 20) and Ember Saturday (December 21).
Art: https://purpleishercovering.com/ember-days-simple-guide/
https://www.fisheaters.com/emberdays.html
https://www.fisheaters.com/emberdays.html
God and Cosmic Order
by STEPHEN M. BARR is President of the Society of Catholic Scientists. August 29, 2020
Many atheists regard belief in God as completely irrational, because they think it is not based on any evidence. Richard Dawkins, for example, thinks there is no more evidence for God than there is for “flying spaghetti monsters.”
What leads people to such conclusions, I think, is that they are looking for the same kind of evidence for God that we have for physical things. Physical things can be directly observed with our senses or else inferred to exist as natural causes of the things that we do observe. For instance, we directly see a compass needle and we infer that there exists some unseen physical thing that causes it to move, which we call a magnetic field. But God cannot be “evident” in either of these ways. He is not a physical thing, and so, obviously, cannot be sensed; and he is not a part of the universe acting as a physical cause upon other parts.
And yet, according to St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, God’s existence is nevertheless evident to us through the things he has created:
“For what can be known about God is plain to them [i.e. “pagans”], because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” 1
The “things he has made” include ourselves and the physical universe; and Christian tradition tells us that both of these creations of God manifest him and allow us to find him. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
“[T]he person who seeks God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. … These ways of approaching God from creation have a twofold point of departure: the physical world, and the human person.” 2
The human person, being rational and free, is made in the “image of God.” Through his conscience he hears the voice of God; and in his orientation towards and capacity to know truth, goodness, and beauty “he discerns signs of his spiritual soul,” which “can have its origin only in God.” 3
According to Christian tradition, the physical universe points to God mainly in two ways. 1) The first is by the very fact that it exists. The universe did not have to exist, and yet it does. Why? Why not no universe? Why not no matter, no forces, no laws, no space, no time, just blank non-existence? As Leibniz famously asked, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” 4 Natural science, by its very nature, does not provide an answer. It explains the relationships among things that exist, but not why there is anything at all. The answer that Christians and other theists give is that God, who is the fullness of Being, is the source of the being of everything else.
2) The second way that the physical universe points to God is by the fact that it is orderly. One can call this the “Argument from Cosmic Order.” If one looks at the writings of early Christian thinkers, one is struck by how important a place they give to this argument, and how frequently and consistently they appeal to it. The following quotations5 illustrate their thinking.
The Argument from Cosmic Order would likely be dismissed by most modern atheists for two reasons. First, many of them would interpret it as saying something rather crude and simplistic. In particular, they might suppose it to be saying that any orderly pattern of physical objects must be the result of someone arranging them “by hand,” so to speak. But we know of countless examples of orderly patterns of objects arising spontaneously through natural processes. For example, the patterns formed by atoms and molecules in crystals do not come from someone deliberately placing them in rows as a bricklayer lays bricks. They arise automatically through the operation of blind and unconscious physical forces.
The crude notion of God arranging things by special “interventions” in the world was quite popular in the 17th and 18th centuries and into the 19th. Isaac Newton himself invoked it to explain the orderly structure of the solar system. He could not imagine how such a structure could have arisen naturally, and he believed that it would be destabilized over time by the mutual gravitational pull of the planets and would therefore need periodic interventions by God to readjust it. A century after Newton, however, the great physicist and mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace, by using the very laws of mechanics and gravity that Newton had discovered, showed that the solar system is stable and requires no readjustments. Moreover, he showed how the same Newtonian laws can fashion a swirling cloud of dust and gas into structures like the solar system.
The traditional Argument from Cosmic Order, however, is not about God arranging things “by hand.” Taken literally, of course, that notion would be absurd to Christians, as God is not physical and has no “hands.” But even if it is meant as a metaphor for God “intervening” in nature to arrange things, it does not represent the traditional Christian understanding, which is that nature in itself exhibits order. That is, God created nature as orderly and does not have to disrupt or violate the integrity of nature to make it so.
A second response that atheists would make to the Argument from Cosmic Order is that the order in nature is adequately explained by the laws of physics. In fact, we already saw two examples of this in the way that crystals form and the way the solar system formed. However, this response overlooks a very basic point, which is that the laws of physics are themselves instances of order no less than are the various patterns of objects that they explain.
Take, for instance, Newton’s law of gravity. This is an equation that relates the gravitational force between two bodies to the distance between them. If one were to plot on a two-dimensional graph all the possible values of force and distance, one would find that the resulting points all lie on a particular, simple curve. That is, these points have a specific pattern. Admittedly, this is order at a more abstract level than the visible patterns of the planets in space, but it is order nonetheless. In fact, it is an order that is more impressive in a number of ways.
In the first place, the patterns one sees in the planets’ positions are somewhat imperfect. To take just one example, the planets all orbit the sun in the same plane, but they do not do so exactly; their orbital planes are actually slightly askew with respect to each other. By contrast, Newton’s laws of mechanics and gravity are patterns that hold with extreme precision. More importantly, the visible patterns of the solar system apply only to that particular system, whereas the more abstract pattern that is described by Newton’s law of gravity holds throughout the entire universe, from apples falling from trees to the great whirling motions of galaxies.
It is true that we now know that Newton’s laws of gravity and mechanics are not quite exact. They are approximations to laws discovered by Einstein. But Einstein’s theory of special relativity and his theory of gravity describe an order that is even more wonderful and profound than that found by Newton. Einstein discovered hitherto unsuspected mathematical structure in space and time whose rich implications are still being explored a hundred years later. Nor are Einstein’s theories the last word. Most experts believe that his theory of gravity is an approximation to a yet deeper theory of far more intricate structure, most likely what is called “superstring theory.”
As one goes to deeper and deeper levels of the world’s structure — from the patterns of planetary motion that were discovered by Kepler four hundred years ago, down to Newton’s laws, down further to Einstein’s theory of gravity, and down further still to superstring theory — one sees order of increasing intricacy that requires for its description mathematical concepts of increasing subtlety and sophistication. Kepler’s laws of planetary motion involve only some fairly simple geometry and algebra. Formulating Newton’s laws, however, requires calculus. Formulating Einstein’s theory of gravity requires the geometry of curved, four-dimensional, non-Euclidean space-time, including some tensor analysis and differential geometry. The mathematics of superstring theory is so deep and difficult that after fifty years of intensive study, mathematicians and physicists feel that they have barely scratched its surface.
If the progress of theoretical physics has shown us anything, it is that the orderliness of the cosmos is far deeper than anyone ever suspected. Already in 1932, the great mathematician and mathematical physicist Hermann Weyl wrote that “in our knowledge of physical nature, we have penetrated so far that we can obtain a glimpse of the flawless harmony that is in conformity with sublime reason.” 6 In the many decades since, fundamental physicists have penetrated even deeper and obtained much more than a glimpse of that harmony. Several years ago, Edward Witten, regarded by many as the greatest theoretical physicist of his generation, who describes himself as a “skeptical agnostic” in matters of religion, said the following.
“The laws of nature as they’ve been uncovered in the last few centuries, and especially … the last century, are very surprising. … They have a great beauty, which is a little hard to describe, maybe, if one hasn’t experienced it. … They … involve very interesting and subtle concepts. … It is a rich story.” 7
The astrophysicist Avraham Loeb of Harvard, an atheist, was asked in a recent interview whether he was religious. He replied,
“I was secular to start with. I am not religious. I am struck by the order we find in the universe, by the regularity, by the existence of laws of nature. That is something I am always in awe of, how the laws of nature we find here on Earth seem to apply all the way out to the edge of the universe. That is quite remarkable. The universe could have been chaotic and very disorganized. But it obeys a set of laws much better than people obey a set of laws here.” 8
Note the language that these eminent scientists use in describing the universe: order, law, harmony, and beauty — the very same words we find in the passages I quoted from early Christian writers.
What those early Christian writers asked is this: whence comes this order? these laws? this harmony? this beauty? Many scientists still give the answer that these writers gave, and that Hermann Weyl, who was himself a Christian believer, gave: “sublime reason.” That is, the divine Reason or “Logos” (which means both “Reason” and “Word”) that St. John’s Gospel tells us about: “In the Beginning was Reason, and Reason was with God, and Reason was God. … Through Him all things were made.”
Article: https://catholicscientists.org/articles/evidence-of-god/
References
1.. Romans 1:19-20
2.. Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 31.
3.. Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 33.
4.. G.W. Leibniz, “Principle of Nature and Grace Based on Reason.” “[T]he first question we can fairly ask is: Why is there something rather than nothing? After all, nothing is simpler and easier than something. Also, given that things have to exist, we must be able to give a reason why they have to exist as they are and not otherwise.” http://earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/leibniz1714a.pdf
5.. The quote from St. Irenaeus can be found in section 292 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The other eight quotes can be found in The Faith of the Early Fathers, tr. William A. Jurgens (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970), passages 269, 515, 624, 746, 747, 987, 1050, 2137.
6.. Hermann Weyl, The Open World: Three Lectures on the Metaphysical Implications of Science (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1932), pp. 301-2.
7.. Edward Witten, Video Interview with Wim Kayzer, “Episode 9: Of Beauty and Consolation,” July 21, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfwsvSjXkJU.
8.. “Have Aliens Found Us? A Harvard Astronomer on the Mysterious Interstellar Object Oumuamua,” Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, January 16, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/have-aliens-found-us-a-harvard-astronomer-on-the-mysterious-interstellar-object-oumuamua
SYNOPSIS:
This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an "underdiver," a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression. The Verhagen family, who live in the old windmill called the Winged Watchman, are a memorable set of individuals whose lives powerfully demonstrate the resilience of those who suffer but do not lose faith.
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Info for Winged Watchman Support
Review of book:
https://thechildrenswar.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-winged-watchman-by-hilda-van-stockum.html
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Geography (funny and well done)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4TmQEZzsec
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All About The Netherlands, Holland, the Dutch
How the Dutch Beat the Ocean | Why Amsterdam Has Canals Full URL: https://youtu.be/XoEZvSl5Cg8
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Overview - geography, history, economy, culture, people
Skating on the canals in Holland - Dutch canal skating 2018
Skating to work in Holland after a hard sleet
The Dutch are using the roads to ice skate to work/school after night of heavy sleet
Article at The Imaginative Conservative:
GENERAL NOTES:
At the start of World War 2 the Netherlands was a neutral country like it had been for over a century. This policy had kept them out of the bloody WWI. The Dutch sat on the sidelines as other countries in Europe first experienced slaughter on an industrial scale. The Dutch would only fight when attacked.
Say It with Sails
The position of the sails on a windmill can be used to convey messages such as a death in the family, a joyous
occasion such as a wedding, a short or a long time of inactivity or even a call to come to the mill as quickly
as possible. Sail signals also warned locals against impending Nazi raids during World War II.
Windmills in art Windmills abound in the paintings of the Golden Age. They could hardly be avoided:
some nine thousand dotted the landscape in the 17th century.
What Were Windmills Used For?
The energy generated by wind and watermills was used to turn any raw material that needed pounding,
mauling, shredding, hacking or mixing into a tradeable product. The Zaanstreek paper mills, for instance,
were renowned throughout the world for their good quality paper. In fact, the American Declaration
of Independence was printed on sheets produced by the Zaanstreek paper mills.
Types of Mills
There were mustard mills, hemp mills, grain mills, snuff mills, cocoa mills, oil mills, chalk mills,
paint mills and saw mills.
Because of their ability to turn trees into planks (for shipbuilding) much more quickly, the latter were
instrumental in making the Netherlands a powerful and very rich sea-faring nation.
The stellingmolen or smock mill is found in cities. It had to be tall enough to catch the wind and has a high gallery from which to arrange the sails.
De Gooyer in Amsterdam is a smock mill.
A grondzeiler is a smock mill whose sails nearly reach the ground.
It is dangerous because people or animals could easily get ‘a klap van de molen’.
St. Andrews Cross
https://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/andrew.html
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A windmill TODAY
Dutch windmill water-pump home as climate adaptation lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3STOY9DEi2s
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5 min. mark explains Germans hurting the polder in the 40s
How The Dutch Dug Up Their Country From The Sea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ir1Vj1D930
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4.02 to 4:35 (mention pollards and a town with no roads) Waterways dominate the Netherlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4TmQEZzsec
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TULIP FIELDS in THE NETHERLANDS
Dutch flower fields near Keukenhof, The Netherlands drone footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKoT8E4COqc&t=9s
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MORE GENERAL NOTES:
WOODEN SHOES
The Dutch have been wearing wooden shoes, or clogs, or “Klompen” since medieval times. ...
The wood also absorbs perspiration so that the foot can breathe.
In Holland, wooden shoes are worn by "workers". Farmers, fishermen, factory workers,
artisans and others wear wooden shoes to protect their feet.
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Famous People
-> Anne Frank (June 12, 1929, Frankfurt, Germany / Died 1945
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was a German-Dutch diarist of Jewish heritage.
One of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust, she gained fame posthumously
with the 1947 publication of The Diary
-> Vincent Van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) a Dutch post-impressionist painter
who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date
from the last two years of his life.
-> Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 – October 4,1669) a Dutch draughtsman,
painter, and printmaker. His dad was a miller. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual
artists in the history of art and the most important in Dutch art history.
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OLD Black and White film -- simple/excellent
watch up to the @ 2:10 point when the video switches to a Russian windmill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK-0OX15eRU
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK-0OX15eRU
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another explanation of how windmills work (female narrator)
shows water
explains how to change direction of sails when wind changes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJzqp3Doys
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Class snippet - Analysis of the symbolism of The Windmill (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLHWtA3vFdQ
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https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history/world-war-two/
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